Children who love to sing will have an opportunity to hone their voices at a new class at Schuylkill County Council of the Arts in July.
"We want to touch on all types of music, from classical to jazz to pop and we want to introduce students to what some of the show choirs are doing today," said Mark P. Thomas, director of the Schuylkill Choral Society, who will be teaching the course.
If enough children ages 8 to 14 sign up, Thomas is hoping to develop a children's choir, The Minor Notes Chorale.
While there are opportunities for children to sing in choirs in school and through organizations like churches, Thomas didn't know of an independent, working children's choir in Schuylkill County.
"There's kind of a vacuum here. I know schools have choirs but to do it on a higher level, there's not a whole lot here," Thomas said.
The SCCA Summer Camp Children's Chorus sessions are scheduled from July 15 to 18 and July 22 to 25, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. each day at SCCA's headquarters at 1440 Mahantango St., Pottsville. The cost is $60 for SCCA members and $65 for nonmembers, Thomas said.
Parents can call SCCA at 570-622-2788 to register their children.
Thomas and Allison Kline, Frackville, an accompanist and music teacher at Mahanoy Area, will be teaching the course. Kimberly Breiner-Stoudt, an accompanist, will also be assisting, Thomas said.
Kathryn McCarthy, 13, of Mahanoy Plane, who will be an eighth grade student at Mahanoy Area Middle School, is planning to sign up for the classes.
"She's an alto," Kline said.
"It could get kids more involved," McCarthy said.
Thomas said teaching a class like this is something he'd been thinking about for more than 10 years. However, for numerous reasons, he wasn't able to make it happen.
"We're going to do two weeks of classes up here and we're hoping what comes out of that is a nucleus to start The Minor Notes Chorale," Thomas said.
Thomas is hoping it will be a professional children's choir, like The Bel Canto Children's Chorus, East Greenville, Montgomery County.
"I'd like to develop a children's choir that would do public performances and travel eventually. To start with, I'd like to do two public performances a year, something in fall and spring. And we'd like to do civic and community events, to give the children experience, to be part of the community. And I'd like to tour with them. And my long-range grows is to also have a chorus for children 5 to 8, 'The Half Notes,' " Thomas said.
He's been director of the Schuylkill Choral Society for 28 years.
"The choral society is open to all ages. Right now, the youngest member is 16 and the oldest is 99," Thomas said.
A native of Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Thomas, 52, was a 1979 graduate of Upper Perkiomen School District, Pennsburg, Montgomery County. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with majors in music education and instrumental and vocal music from West Chester University, Chester County, in 1983. He earned his master's degree in music production from Kutztown University in 1989. And he earned his doctorate in music education in 2007 after studying at Indiana University, Bloomington, and Walden University, Minneapolis, Minn. For the past 14 years, he's worked as supervisor of music for Upper Perkiomen School District.
A native of Mahanoy City, Kline, 26, is a 2004 graduate of Mahanoy Area High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in percussion performance from Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Lebanon County, in 2008. She's pursuing a master's degree in classroom technology from Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre.