Phoenix Children's Chorus adds West Valley operation with Glendale location

Roxanne De La Rosa, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
Students learn performance skills and music literacy through Phoenix Children's music program.
Students learn performance skills and music literacy through Phoenix Children's music program.

Phoenix Children’s Chorus expanded programming into the West Valley in August by opening a Glendale location.

The group hopes to serve an additional 100 students in the space at Highland Lakes High School near 59th Avenue and Union Hills Drive. Plans are to hold rehearsals, performances and outreach within the same area, making its music program more accessible to students.

Phoenix Children's Chorus provides choral education for students grades K-12, who learn vocal techniques, music literacy and performance skills. Members have performed around the country and in Germany, Australia and Italy.

The organization was one of 16 Arizona nonprofits that received A Community Thrives grants in 2021. The group received $8,400 from the program, which is sponsored by The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com and the Gannett Foundation. Gannett Co., Inc., owns The Republic.

The nonprofit's students are culturally and economically diverse and come from 91 ZIP codes around the Valley. The group is headquartered in downtown Phoenix, but has an additional location in the East Valley. A previous Community Thrives grant allowed the Chorus to keep the East Valley program operating through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phoenix Children's Chorus teach youth performance skills and vocal techiniques.
Phoenix Children's Chorus teach youth performance skills and vocal techiniques.

Executive director Tanya Rosenfeld said students learn about being respectful, teamwork and life skills including being on time and how to communicate with others.

"The vehicle that PCC uses is music. It's invaluable. You create a community. You create a sound. You create this one sound coming from all these different voices," Rosenfeld said.

This year, almost three dozen Arizona nonprofits applied for a Community Thrives grant. Final reviews are underway. Grants are expected to be awarded this fall. The 6-year-old initiative supports education, arts and culture, wellness and community building. In 2021, the program awarded almost $2.3 million to nonprofits nationwide.

Find more details about A Community Thrives at acommunitythrives.com. Learn more about Phoenix Children's Chorus at phoenixchildrenschorus.org.

Roxanne De La Rosa writes about nonprofits for The Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her at rdelarosa@azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chorus to expand into West Valley through Glendale location