Marin Girls Chorus: All Kids Know How To Sing

Children start making music the day they’re born. Newborns experiment with their vocal cords, seeing what sounds they make. As they develop and learn how to use their voices, they start vocalizing, humming, and babbling, imitating sounds they hear around them. As they grow into toddlers and preschoolers, they start actively participating in the musical world around them. They’re already part of a choir!

Singing in a group is part of our collective human experience, and it used to be an integral part of communal living and marking the passage of time. As technology has advanced and we’ve begun living apart from each other as a species, many of us have become disconnected from our ability to make music. But children haven’t yet. Music education and choral singing is a gift you can give your child to help preserve and develop their ear and nourish their self esteem.

Choral singing is one of the few activities that is not competitive. In fact, collaboration and cooperation are paramount to the experience. When every member of a group knows her part and can sing it with confidence while listening to others to ensure they are blending, the sound is exponentially more beautiful. This builds a foundation of teamwork, empathy, and flexibility that serves choral singers in their academic, professional, and social lives.

Singing has endless health benefits. Choral singing has been proven to boost immune function, build social skills, and improve alertness. Science and anecdotal evidence both indicate choral singing results in a significant reduction in stress, as well as a decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression. It even helps improve sleep!

Consider also the social benefits. With the competitive element removed, singers have a vested interest in the success of their peers. This builds empathy and results in friendships that endure time and bridge cultural divides. In an environment that is increasingly competitive and results-oriented, Marin Girls Chorus is committed to offering an alternative, in which collaboration, harmony, and shared joy are paramount to the success of the group. MGC empowers girls to be part of something bigger than themselves and bond and grow around the experience of doing something difficult together.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of singers from all over the world travel the globe to have new and interesting experiences and sing in remarkable places. For the last 32 years, Marin Girls Chorus has traveled the country and beyond to sing in different places with other choirs. Next summer, they’re heading to Carnegie Hall to participate in a choral festival with other youth choirs.

There’s still time to join and be part of the experience!

MGC offers five levels of weekly classes in age-appropriate vocal technique, ear training, note reading, harmony, rhythm, expression, performance technique, and music theory, tailored to all ages and abilities. The music taught and performed comes from all over the world.Classes for grades K-12 are held all over Marin. Their newest class is at Coleman Elementary School on Tuesdays, with other classes throughout the week at The Cove, Corte Madera Rec Center, First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo, and Miller Creek Middle School in Marinwood.In addition to the Carnegie Hall tour, this season includes performances at a Golden State Warriors game, Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch, Redwoods Retirement Home, and with the Marin Symphony.

For more information, check out www.marinchorus.org

Marin Girls Chorus is a sponsor of Ronnie’s Awesome List.