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Lori O’Keefe
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Raising Voices:  A Youth Choral Program

Raising Voices, sponsored by the Youth Pro Musica Fund of Triangle Community Foundation (TCF), provides a flexible grant of $4,000-$5,000 for a locally based creative initiative that involves young people in choral music. A project is selected annually or biannually through an application process conducted by TCF, beginning in late winter.

Winning projects must focus on secondary or elementary school children in Wake, Durham, Orange and/or Chatham counties. Eligible grantees are any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or government entity, including public schools. To qualify, a project needs to be feasible and innovative, and also should:

  * broaden skills and musical knowledge;
  * encourage lifelong singing;
  * benefit a substantial number of participants, including low-income, minority and/or     disadvantaged youth.

The 2011-2012 Raising Voices grant went to Learning Assistance, Inc., an affiliate of the Durham Housing Authority. Based on a successful Portland, Oregon, model and collaborating with Grammy Award-winning 9th Wonder, Learning Assistance will create a “Hip Hop Chorus” to reach kids not served by conventional music programs. The project will engage 60 DHA residents, ages 12-17, in music study and in editing and sound engineering. Their performance will be in spring 2012.

The first initiative receiving a Raising Voices grant was the Annual Chatham County All-County Chorus Festival. Organized by Marilyn Shugart, Northwood High School music teacher, the May 2011 Festival involved more than 100 middle school and high school singers. Guest clinicians Dan Huff and Andy Beck worked with the two choruses and conducted the evening concert, which was open free to the public.


It hasn’t yet been determined whether the third Raising Voices will be made in 2012 or 2013. Stay tuned!