The Education and Community Engagement Award is given by Chorus America for outstanding programming in education outreach.
Criteria vary from year to year in order to highlight specific aspects of this important field. The panel will be looking for in-depth and ongoing engagement projects that deeply affect communities, with programming beyond an occasional run-out concert.
Future categories include:
- 2023: Best program by a chorus with a budget under $200,000
- 2024: Best program by a chorus with a budget over $200,000
- 2025: Best emerging program no more than four years in operation
- 2026: Best collaborative program
Successful education and community engagement programs often demonstrate the following characteristics:
- Collaborations and ongoing partnerships with other ensembles, schools, and wide-ranging community organizations
- Organized efforts to reach their own communities and surrounding areas to address community needs and attract new constituencies
- Clearly articulated goals, outcomes, and tools for evaluation
- An ongoing commitment to music education
The award winner will be selected by a panel of judges consisting of members of the board of Chorus America and a member-at-large of Chorus America who is neither a board member nor affiliated with a chorus under consideration for the award. At least one member of the panel will be a professional educator.
The winner receives an engraved plaque and a cash prize of $2,500.
Applicants must be a chorus member of Chorus America.
The deadline to submit via the Chorus America Application Portal (CAAP) is Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 11:59PM ET.
Member choruses are invited to submit nominations. A complete application consists of the following materials:
A. A narrative statement, no longer than 5 pages, stating the following:
- Describe the education/community engagement program being nominated, including its goals, constituency served, staffing, and partners (if any). Specificity is important as the panel cannot observe the events first-hand; please provide quantitative data about planning and execution of the program as well as the population served wherever possible. (For example, if you perform for school assemblies, please indicate the number of singers or teaching artists that your chorus sends to the assembly, how long they typically perform, how many students attend (on average), the students’ ages or grades, and details about any pre- or post-assembly activities that the program includes.)
- Reflect on any modifications that have been made to the program since its launch, and include information on why changes were made and lessons learned.
- Outline the criteria used to evaluate the program, and the evaluation process. Provide sample evaluation data from the most recently completed program. (For example, if you distributed a survey to participants, please provide the summary results from that survey.)
- Outline ways in which this program might be adapted for other organizations.
B. Submit operating and program budgets for the previous and current fiscal years of the program.
Applications will only be accepted through CAAP.
| 2020 | Key Chorale |
|---|---|
| 2019 | VocalEssence Singers Of This Age |
| 2018 | Cincinnati Youth Choir |
| 2017 | VOICES Chorale |
| 2016 | newVoices |
| 2015 | Pacific Chorale |
| 2014 | Cantare Con Vivo |
| 2013 | The Larimer Chorale |
| 2012 | Lawrence Children's Choir |
| 2011 | Cantus |
| 2010 | Chanticleer |
| 2009 | Harmonium Choral Society |
| 2008 | Los Angeles Master Chorale |
| 2007 | Phoenix Boys Choir |
| 2006 | Young People's Chorus of New York City |
| 2005 | Cantare Con Vivo |
| 2004 | Colorado Children's Chorale |
| 2003 | Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble |
| 2002 | VocalEssence |
| 2001 | Singing City |
| 2000 | Handel and Haydn Society Los Angeles Master Chorale Minnesota Chorale VocalEssence Vancouver Chamber Choir |
| 1998 | Pacific Chorale |
Questions? Contact Karyn Castro at 202.331.7577 x246 or [email protected]