Chorus America Education and Community Engagement Award

The Education and Community Engagement Award is given by Chorus America for outstanding programming in education outreach.

Description


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.


Eligibility


Applicants must be a chorus member of Chorus America.


Deadline & How to Apply


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


Past Awardees


2023 SACRA/PROFANA
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]

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