Children’s & Youth Choir Info
The children’s choir and the youth choir rehearse on Tuesday nights at St. Andrew’s United Church, 60 West Ave, St Thomas, ON - N5R 3P7.
Each year the choirs perform a winter and a spring concert. There are also two church services, one in fall and one in the spring at St. Andrew’s to thank them for allowing us to use the church for rehearsals. All members are expected to participate in these performances.
There are various other performances that the choirs also participate in throughout the year.
Each choir member is supplied with a choir shirt for performances. The members must supply their own black pants, shoes and socks.
Children’s Choir - 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm
The children’s choir has two groups, juniors and intermediates. Both groups rehearse together from 6:30pm to 7pm. The intermediates stay after 7pm and continue rehearsing until 7:45pm. For the last 15 minutes from 7:30pm until 7:45pm they are joined by the youth choir so that they can work on joint pieces.
Youth Choir - 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
The youth choir performs a variety of choral music and also has the oportunity to work on solo and small group singing. In addition to our regular season performances the youth choir has traditionally toured every 2 yesars. This schedule was interupted by the pandemic, but we are working toward touring again.
How do I join the choir?
If I want to join, what do I do?
You are welcome to come sit in on a rehearsal of the choir on Tuesday night. If you are in sitting in on a youth choir rehearsal, you can see how comfortable your are and after the rehearsal we will have a chance to talk. For the children's choir, parents are welcome to stay and observe the rehearsal and after we can talk. Your child can sit in on rehearsal or just watch, whichever they are more comfortable with.
Just show up a few minutes early to introduce yourself. There is a form below where you can tell us a bit about yourself so that we know you when you arrive or ask any questions you have right now.
How much do each of the choirs cost?
The annual fee for the children's choir is $100.00 for the junior group and $150.00 for the intermediate. For the youth choir the fee is $300.00. If you are joining part way through the year, the fee will be reduced to reflect the portion of the year remaining. There are reduced rates for multiple children in the same family.
Do I have to go on tour with the choir?
The youth choir tours every two years. (The children's choir does not.) We do encourage as many choir members as possible to go. It is an incredible experience that creates lasting memories for those who participate. All that being said, the tours are optional. You do not need to go on tour if you do not want to go.
Funding of the Choir
Our choir is a nonprofit organization and is eligible for donations. We are luck to have been accepted by the City of St. Thomas as one of the registered charities of Jackpot Time. This is the major source of funding for the choir.
Every parent is asked to assist by working a minimum number of shifts over the year.
The shifts are 2 hours.
A choir shirt is supplied to each parent/guardian as each charity must be identifiable to the patrons of Jackpot Time.
The money raised through these shifts goes to keeping our membership fees low, providing our music, uniforms, other equipment, and annual trips for the choirs.
Most recently this funding paid for the transportation, ticket, and overnight hotel accommodation of both choirs and a choir member’s parent to see “Wicked” in Toronto.
Please note that our Registration page is password protected. We encourage you to visit the choir and see what it like. We will provide the password should you decide you would like to join.