Mastersingers want to teach your kid to sing. 3 new choirs give range of options

The Mid-Columbia Mastersingers is breaking out new choirs to give more kids a chance to sing their hearts out.

To get there, the Mastersingers are creating three new choirs for girls, young women and young men.

The push comes from Mastersingers officials seeing a need not only to make more room for kids singing, but to give them spaces where their voices can grow as they get older.

“Our mission is empowering people through the power of choral music and to be able to give that opportunity to young people,” James said. “It should not be an age-specific mission.”

Boys especially need that, said boys and young men director Kurtis McFadden.

“We had our boys growing and aging, and as their voice changed, we tried to continue to accommodate them in the boys choir,” McFadden said.

But it wasn’t working, McFadden said, because their voice changes were hard to mesh with younger, unchanged voices.

“It grew to a point where we needed to create an ensemble where those changed voices could continue to develop and succeed,” said boys and young men director Kurtis McFadden.

The changes mean that boy and girl choirs will be for kids entering grades 4-7.

The young women’s choir will be for grades 8-12, while the young men’s for changing voices is for grades 7-12.

McFadden said expanding helps invite more kids and young people to join the choir. The added option for boys with changing voices is a welcoming environment, McFadden said.

Youth administrator Emily James said another motive of the group is to provide an opportunity for people to join choral groups and experience camaraderie.

“We’re hoping for large numbers,” director of the Young Women’s Choir JoLyn Glenn said. “We have no idea what to expect.”

The size of the non-auditioned choirs changes from season to season, Glenn said. The 3-day summer camp gives Mastersingers officials an idea of what to expect.

The program fourth annual summer camp will be held from Aug. 14-17 at Columbia Basin College. The first of the two, four-month seasons will follow in September.

The youth season kicks off following registration on Sept. 17.