Trinity School of the Arts

Chorister Program

Diane Caruso, Director of Music

Trinity Church

503 Asbury Avenue

Asbury Park, NJ 07712

732.775.5084

As of Summer 2013

It Begins With An Interview

Trinity is convinced that all children are able to sing, given encouragement and instruction. It’s important for us to meet members of a prospective Chorister’s family to go over what it is we do, and begin to explain what your Chorister will learn. This interview is low-key, friendly, and designed to help the Director evaluate the Chorister’s behavior, singing ability, and reading skills, as well as potential commitment to the choir. This interview is informal, and scheduled when mutually convenient, often when you come to the first rehearsal.

As the choir’s numbers are limited to no more than 35 choristers at present, we expect that every child admitted to the choir to remain committed and consistent. Children who do not maintain good attendance at rehearsals AND performances, or have behavior issues that affect the whole choir could be asked to leave.

Scholarships

Trinity Choristers interviews and accepts children and youth from a broad geographic area, economic circumstances, and from all faith traditions.

Students do not have to be Episcopalian or members of Trinity Church to participate in the School of the Arts. They must only agree to rehearse and perform as scheduled.

However, anyone who is interested in learning more about the Episcopal Church or becoming an active member of Trinity Church is always welcomed.

Many high-quality choirs charge money for their programs. We do not. If you were to purchase private music lessons at current rates for the number of lessons we offer, it would cost you $3000 per year. Trinity provides this professional education to the student for free.

Students may also apply for a Private Lesson scholarship further valued at $900/year.

Private Lessons are now offered in Piano, Guitar, Drums and Violin. You may continue with instruction as long as attendance at lessons and private practice remain satisfactory.

Commitment

Your Chorister will get the best experience and learn the most when commitment is high and goes both ways. Here is the way we commit to you, and the way we need you to commit to us:

1. The commitment of Trinity Choristers to you:

  • To provide the finest musical education
  • In the context of the religious and liturgical life of the parish
  • And to nurture the best examples of citizenship

2. Your commitment to us:

  • To look over and read the choir schedule and put required dates on your calendar
  • To be there: you need to participate in all scheduled rehearsals, services and concerts
  • To communicate any absences to the Director in advance.
  • To keep the Director up-to-date on all contact information: phone numbers, emails, and addresses.

Time Commitment

1. During the week:

Choristers meet for two rehearsals each week:

Children in Grades 2-5 meet Mondays and Thursdays from 4:15 PM to 5:10 PM.
Children in Grades 6-12 meet Mondays and Thursdays from 5:15 PM – 6:40 PM.All choirs meet regularly from the first week of September through May/June.

Younger children who have earned a light blue ribbon may be allowed to sing with the older children, depending on maturity of musical skills and behavior.

Private lessons in Piano, Guitar, Drums and Violin are scheduled at a time during the week that is convenient for the instructors and the student’s family.

2. Sundays

During the academic year, choristers are required as part of their training to sing on certain scheduled Sunday mornings. These are required – this is the main purpose of the choir, and we expect perfect attendance each time, except in case of illness or emergency. Families are expected to communicate any need for absence IN ADVANCE. The phone number of the church is 732-775-5084. Ms. Diane’s Cell Phone number is 267-250-3096.

This choir is different from some of your other activities. No matter how talented you are, if you have poor attendance, you are no good to the choir. If you are not here, your chair is empty. Empty chairs cannot sing.

Our choir is a team: your teammates depend on you. When you are gone, it affects more people than just you. It is important not to let your teammates down. On other teams you don’t always get to play all the time. Sometimes you sit on the bench while others play. In our choir, you get to “play” (sing) ALL the time. You never sit on the side. Your contribution is important all the time.

3. Additional events

Additional services and concerts are presented, on average, once a month, many on Sunday afternoons. These also are required events, and are on the schedule that you receive at the beginning of the year.

Choristers may also experience additional performance opportunities as invitations may be extended. We will make every effort to schedule these well in advance, in order to get them on your calendars with no conflicts.

4. After-School Activities and Mentoring

Trinity Choristers are fortunate to have several dedicated adult volunteers who come at 2:30 PM on Mondays and Thursdays to offer afternoon enrichment opportunities. All Choristers are encouraged to come early and take advantage of this time together, no matter which group they sing with.

Among the activities offered are: Homework help; working on Skill Card levels with volunteers in order to progress faster (and therefore earn more money); Computer Lab, supervised gym games and fun activities. While we want our Choristers to have fun during this time, we also expect best behavior. Choristers who exhibit behavior issues will not be allowed to stay on.

Trinity Choristers are excited that we now have an intern from Monmouth University studying Social Work who will be working with our students to help them achieve their highest potential. You may be contacted privately by our intern while he/she is doing school work. If you do not wish to be contacted, there is an opt-out form you can sign.

Intergenerational Choral Training

The Chorister Program of Trinity School of the Arts is an after-school program that trains boys and girls to sing professionally with adult singers, working together as equals in an art and ministry that knows no age boundary.

The Chorister Program serves young people from Kindergarten though High School in two separate choirs. It uses the curriculum from the Royal School of Church Music called Voice for Life, which focuses on age-appropriate vocal training, sight-singing, and music theory.

Good, challenging repertoire is employed to put into practice the musical skills that are taught.

Voluntary social gatherings, as well as outreach to those in need provide members with additional opportunities for developing lasting friendships within the group, as well as empowering them for service to others in the community. It is our belief that a close-knit choir community is an important tool in the fight against gangs, drug use and other negative influences on children’s lives.

Trinity School of the Arts Chorister Program takes pride in its diverse student body and is open to children and youth of all faith traditions.

Benefits Offered to Choristers

Professional choral and voice training

Private Voice Lessons with our Vocal Coach

Private instruction in Piano, Guitar, Drums, Violin, Flute and Saxophone

Music theory training

Leadership development

Choir trips and camp

Chorister pay

Homework assistance

On-site Social Work Intern from Monmouth University

College-bound mentoring programs are currently being developed and will be made available as resources are provided.

1. Professional Choral/Vocal Training

  • Receive classical singing instruction, including breathing techniques and healthy vocal production
  • Learn how to read music fluently
  • Perform a variety of choral music that spans five (5) centuries
  • Sing in a variety of languages, including English, Latin, French, Spanish, German, Hebrew and Swahili/Zulu

2. Private Voice Lessons

We now have a private Vocal Coach, Karen Whitney, who gives every Chorister private voice lessons. These lessons help develop each Chorister’s voice to its fullest potential. All students will receive these lessons in rotation during the regular rehearsal times.

3. Private Instrumental Instruction

Private instruction is offered to Trinity Choristers in piano, drums, guitar, and where an instrument is available, violin, flute and saxophone. Because the teachers are being paid even though the lessons are free to the student, we offer these lessons to students who have shown great commitment and maturity, usually after several months singing with Trinity Choristers. Lessons are scheduled at a mutually convenient time, and students are expected to be present for each lesson, on time and prepared. If a Chorister misses a scheduled lesson without calling in advance (illness or family emergency), then money will be deducted from the Chorister’s pay. Our teachers are paid even if the student doesn’t show up, and taking money from the Chorister to help pay for the missed lesson will ensure the lessons may continue. Choristers who continually miss lessons or are continually unprepared will no longer be allowed to continue with private lessons, although they may be allowed to stay with Trinity Choristers.

In addition to the enjoyment one receives when playing a musical instrument, instrumental study also

  • Increases overall musicianship
  • Enhances abstract reasoning skills that help children in academic studies, including

math and science

  • Promotes healthy discipline that is transferable to other areas of interest

If possible, we will provide a practice instrument to families who do not have one in their home.

Students can keep these practice instruments in their home until they complete their studies with Trinity Choristers.

Once a student graduates, the instrument will be placed in another student’s home.

3. Music Theory

  • The study of music theory helps students to read music and better understand the

building blocks of music

  • Specifically, students learn about pitch notations, rhythm notation, intervals, scales,

keys and key signatures, time signatures, chords and harmony.

  • Understanding music theory helps students become better musicians.

4. Leadership

  • Leadership skills are introduced and reinforced in the context of every rehearsal and

performance

  • Citizenship and social skills are fostered as Choristers learn how to interact in an

intergenerational community and relate to a wide range of personalities and

backgrounds

  • A healthy work ethic is instilled as Choristers works and grow together, developing

good habits that sustain them throughout their adulthood.

  • Specifically, Choristers learn to
  • Derive satisfaction from hard work
  • Compete in a healthy fashion
  • Focus on the task at hand
  • Develop individual standards and leadership skills
  • Become team players

5. Choir Trips

  • The Choristers may make occasional trips to sing elsewhere in New Jersey and surrounding states, as arranged and scheduled. On previous trips we have gone to Boston, MA, Hartford, CT, Wilmington, DE, Baltimore, MD, Princeton, NJ, and New York, NY. We are planning a trip to Washington, DC in March 2014, and England in the future.
  • The Choristers also sings for local nursing homes on occasion.

6. Summer Music Camps

Choristers participate in a summer camping experience at Camp Dark Waters, which is in Medford, New Jersey. There, students participate in activities such as

  • Learning new repertoire
  • Studying music theory
  • Leadership training
  • Recreation – swimming, fishing, archery

Choristers who have been in the program one year or more are eligible to apply for scholarships to one of the many national RSCM camps held each summer. These camps are held all over the country, and enable girls and boys to perform top-quality music under a noted conductor, while enjoying the company of other girls and boys in similar choirs.

Trinitysometimes presents an “Exploring Music” camp, free and open to the public, at which older Choristers in the Chorister Program assist, and younger ones may attend.

7. Chorister Pay, Incentives and Awards

Pay:

  • Choristers receive a stipend (pay amount) for each rehearsal, service and concert in which they participate.
  • Pay depends on punctuality (ARRIVING ON TIME, ready to work), quality of work, and length of participation in the Chorister Program, and is determined by the number of standards earned at each appearance.
  • Pay is awarded once every two months in cash.
  • In the course of a season, an advanced Chorister could earn as much as $250 or more.

Standards which determine pay are awarded for each rehearsal, service or concert in the following manner:

  • Being on time: one (1) standard
  • Quality of work in rehearsals:
  • Three (3) standards awarded for OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP
  • Two (2) standards awarded as CREDIT for passing work and progress
  • One (1) standard awarded for ATTENDANCE with the need to put forth more effort to achieve passing work and progress.
  • Attendance at Performances also result in standards being awarded, with up to six (6) awarded depending on punctuality and quality of work. Standards are worth:
  • $ .10 each before a Chorister has earned the surplice
  • $ .25 each with the earned surplice
  • $ .35 each with the earned white ribbon and badge
  • $ .40 each with the earned light blue ribbon and badge
  • $ .50 each with the earned dark blue ribbon and badge
  • $ .75 each with the earned red ribbon and badge
  • $ 1.00 each with the earned yellow ribbon and badge
  • Completion of music theory modules in the Computer Lab will earn up to five extra standards
  • Five standards will be awarded when a Chorister makes the honor roll at school. A certificate or note from a teacher is required as proof.
  • Bring a report card, and you will earn one standard for every A.
  • Extra standards are often offered during rehearsals for increased effort and quality work. How much a Chorister earns is up to him or her!
  • A $2.00 bonus will be given to Choristers who have perfect attendance at all rehearsals AND services during that pay period.
  • Extra standards are awarded when you bring a friend who joins the choir.

Pay is given out on the last Thursday of every other month in cash.

RSCM Badges and Skill Cards

  • Choristers receive choir vestments and Royal School of Church Music ribbons and badges as they are promoted from one level of achievement to the next.
  • Progress is recorded on Skill Cards – when the appropriate card is filled completely, the Chorister is promoted to the next level.
  • Periodic reports may be mailed to each Chorister’s home, with evaluations on
  • Attendance
  • Communication
  • Punctuality
  • Standards
  • Musical skills
  • Liturgical education
  • Leadership development

Champions of Change report:

Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning is a report developed by The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 2000, which highlights some important information on arts programs like ours, such as:

“As a result of their varied inquires, the Champions of Change researchers found that learners can attain higher levels of achievement through their engagement with the arts. Moreover, one of the critical research findings is that the learning in and through the arts can help ‘level the playing field’ for youngsters from disadvantaged circumstances.” (Executive Summary, p. viii, emphasis added)

“Schools are not the only venue in which young people grow, learn, and achieve. Shirley Brice Heath spent a decade studying dozens of after-school programs for disadvantaged youth. These programs were broadly clustered into three categories—sports/academic, community involvement, and the arts. This research shows that the youth in all these programs were doing better in school and in their personal lives than were young people from the same socioeconomic categories, as tracked by NELS:88.To the researchers’ surprise, however, the youth in the arts programs were doing the best.” (Executive Summary, p. viii, emphasis added)

“When well taught, the arts provide young people with authentic learning experiences that engage their minds, hearts, and bodies. The learning experiences are real and meaningful for them.

While learning in other disciplines may often focus on development of a single skill or talent, the arts regularly engage multiple skills and abilities. Engagement in the arts—whether the visual arts, dance, music, theatre or other disciplines—nurtures the development of cognitive, social, and personal competencies.” (Executive Summary, p. ix)

The full report can be found on the Internet:

How Do I Support My Chorister?

  • The School of the Arts Chorister Program has many built-in incentives and rewards, but family support and encouragement is very important. It is our desire that family members feel equally committed to the program, and to their Chorister’s involvement in it.
  • In the course of the choir season, the Chorister will experience many high points and exciting opportunities. Parents and family members can provide praise and share in the joy and satisfaction of these achievements.
  • Families will also need to provide the Chorister with encouragement and support during those times when s/he may be tired or need a boost in maintaining a positive attitude.
  • The Chorister Program, which includes a combination of short-term and long-term goals, discipline and a nurturing environment, can be a significant investment in a child’s future.

What Do I Have to Do?

  • Participants in the Chorister Program do not have to be Episcopalian or parishioners of Trinity Church.
  • Choristers simply need to be accepted into the Program and fulfill the requirements of the choir schedule.
  • A family member responsible for the child’s attendance may be required to attend one informational meeting at the beginning of the season. This is to help you and your Chorister understand what will be involved, offer you ways to help, and answer your questions about the program.
  • Family attendance at Trinity services and concerts is optional, but Choristers seem to blossom especially when family members attend services and concerts at which they sing. It’s important to your Chorister that he/she knows you think this is important.
  • Family members may also wish to volunteer their help in the Program as it continues to grow. Ways you can help:
  • Help provide transportation when the choir travels. We are often lacking enough drivers. We can help with gas money.
  • Provide occasional snacks for Thursday afternoons if you have extra cookies or fruit on hand.
  • Offer any administrative skills you may have – filing, organizing
  • Offer to help with vestment care – washing, fitting, organizing