St. Andrew’s Church is looking for choir scholarship recipients for the upcoming season

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Are you a high school student who loves singing and wants to earn a few extra dollars for your education?

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The United Church of St. Andrew is looking for you.

With the Chorister Scholarship Program now in its ninth year, Devon Hansen, music director at Chatham Church, is looking for a few additional participants for the upcoming season.

“Until COVID, (participation) was really solid. We usually get four to six choral scholarship recipients a year. But that number fluctuates,” he said. “Some went on to music schools. But some just enjoyed it and moved on to other things.”

In return for their service, participants receive a $1,000 stipend.

Hansen said such programs are generally more common in larger cities where there are cathedrals, adding that he is happy to offer them locally.

“We’re taking on the cathedral model. We’re a center for music education,” he said. “They can do all the big concerts, the Capitol concerts, the Christmas concerts … and random concerts throughout the year.”

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Another benefit is the camaraderie and mentoring that young singers can receive.

“Music is so much about experience. Giving them the opportunity to sing with 40 people, to sing with an orchestra, to sing with a band, to sing with an organ,” Hansen said. “And at that consistent level, you don’t get that anymore.

“We always say music is lonely because if you think about private lessons, you go and sit in a room with your teacher one-on-one once a week and then you practice by yourself. Bands are so important because you have that group environment.”

Hansen added that intergenerational interaction has a “really big impact” on student development.

“The nice thing is that a lot of them have come back since then,” he said. “They reach out and stay involved.”

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Hansen said that even though more than four years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic, many music programs are still recovering and trying to spread the word about the pandemic.

He hopes to regain some of the lost momentum.

“I think it was just awareness (that was) the biggest thing,” he said. “The program was really growing before COVID. Every year, there are students who start telling their friends about it.

“Because of COVID, all the music programs in the city died for a while… The bands that used to be in schools are gone.”

Hansen stressed that even though the place of gathering is the church, the idea is to break down barriers.

“We’re not trying to evangelize you. We’re here because we all like to sing and make music together,” he said.

For more information about the Choral Scholarship Program or to inquire about auditions, contact Hansen at [email protected] or visit https://www.standrewschatham.org/choralscholars

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