About Coastal Sound Children's Choir
Coastal Sound’s premiere treble voice, touring concert choir
Coastal Sound Children’s Choir inspires each young singer to grow as musicians and as contributing, engaged citizens, through choral singing. The choir is full of creative youth from diverse cultural heritages, ages 11-16 years old.
Over the choir’s 35 year history, singers’ lives have been transformed by memorable adventures: from studio recording sessions for TV soundtracks to singing at esteemed ceremonies like the Olympics; from working with Canadian composers and respected conductors, to accompanying Michael Bublé on his 2013 Holiday TV special. Every new experience brings a chance to learn and grow as artists and to connect with others through song.
Sharing and learning about their world through the lens of choral music is very important to these singers and is a principal value of the choir. They have performed site-specific programs that connect song to place at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia; in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa; next to The Bluenose in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia. In 2018 they researched and sang a concert at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.
Grades 6 and older; youth treble voices; unchanged male voices
- For singers with much prior music experience at CSMA or instrumental lessons; those who can read music, match pitch confidently and hold a harmony part.
- Focus on healthy vocal technique and musicianship, advanced-level stage performance skills, choral choreography.
- More advanced music reading and sight-singing skills as a focus, learning to sing in 3 or more parts harmony with other singers
- Leadership, solo singing on mic and public speaking opportunities
- Team building, nurturing friendships and self confidence
- Learning how to use a professional choral folder (these folders can be used throughout one’s life)
- Learning to be an independent musician and thoughtful choral artist5
Artistic Team
Diana Clark, Director
Barry Yamanouchi, Accompanist
Learn more about the Artistic Team here.
In Person Rehearsal Schedule
Rehearsals take place at Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam
| Choir | Rehearsal | |
|---|---|---|
|
Coastal Sound Children's Choir |
Thursdays 4:15-6:30 PM 4 Saturdays (see below); gigs and events; schedule provided in September |
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|
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Saturdays 3-5 PM January 13; February 24; May 11; June 1 |
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Annual Retreat
Timberline Retreat: Coastal Sound Children’s Choir at Timberline Ranch January 26 to 28, 2024. Fees of $200 are due December 1, 2023.
Performances & Tours
Formal Performances: At least 6 per year, plus other community concerts, gigs and recordings. Anticipate Winter gigs up to December 22 and Canada Day weekend, July 1-2.
Tours: To be determined.
2023-2024 Fees
| Choir | Annual Fees | Monthly Fees (10 months) | Semi-Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Coastal Sound Children's Choir (41 weeks) |
$1000 |
$110 |
$530 |
Fees include
- Top-notch choral music instruction from September to June. Costs work out to about $10 per hour for excellent vocal and group music instruction
- Memorable performance experiences
- Theory materials as needed
- Music and supplies
- CSMA t-shirt for new singers
- Membership in the Coastal Sound Music Academy Society (non-profit society)
Additional costs
- Jacket, worn as part of our uniform: $65
- Folder (one-time) if singers don’t already have one: $45
- Tour Fees: TBA depending on tour
All fees are payable by September 30, 2023 by E-Transfer, Cheque or Credit Card
*Families with 2 or more singers enrolled at Coastal Sound receive our special family discount. Contact us for more information!
Uniforms: Formal uniforms are singers’ choice of blue, black and white dress clothes, with low-heeled dress shoes. Some events require denim jeans or leggings with boots and Coastal Sound jackets. We try to keep uniforms reasonable, and are able to supply some pieces as needed.
Fundraising
Optional fundraising:
May include Purdy’s chocolates, Neufeld farms, Pub nights. These are optional, if you’d like to participate.
Vocal Assessment & Placement Interview Process
First of all, relax! It’s going to be friendly and welcoming! These music placement evaluations are to make sure that singers are placed where they will have the most success in our choirs. We guarantee that you will find the process positive and affirming, whatever your level of experience.
For Children’s Choir, commitment is an essential part of participation. All singers receive a draft calendar of events for the full year in September, and members will be required to attend all performances, workshops and rehearsals throughout the year. This is a professional level children’s group- like an elite sports team- so full commitment is expected.
Here is an outline of our audition process:
Applicants sing a short a cappella song of their choice (a portion of a song is fine). There is no accompanist at the audition.
Applicants sight-sing a short, simple musical passage (note: the ability to read music is valued in this ensemble, but not required. This part of the audition will help us to determine where you are in your growth as a musician.)
Our Artistic Team performs an aural skills evaluation (echo back short melodies)
We invite you for a short interview: our conductors looks for many things in your audition including a positive attitude, a flexible and open learning style, and a willingness to grow and develop as a musician.
We will be accepting new singers to start in September. We look forward to meeting you!