Mission
Detroit Children's Choir uses the power of choral music education as a cultural platform to foster musical excellence and to build an inclusive community of confident, focused and creative youth within Southeastern Michigan.
History
DCC was founded in 2006 by Carol Schoch who identified a need for quality choral musical experiences targeted toward under-served youth in Detroit. At that time, there was no organization that addressed these critical needs. Since then, DCC has leveraged the power and discipline of choral singing to bring together students in Southeast Michigan to foster team building, creativity, and social interaction - a bridge toward greater understanding and connection.
What began as a single, in-school program in 2006 at Carsten's Elementary School in DPS, has transformed into an organization that now boasts 6 different choirs in schools and neighborhoods across Metro Detroit. Today, the DCC is regarded as Michigan's most inclusive, community-wide choral music education program serving children in grades 3-12.
A wide-array of experiences have been provided to the more than 3,900 student participants to date including major performances for the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Pistons, the annual holiday performance for Governor Snyder, multiple engagements during Noel Night in Midtown, regular engagements with the Detroit Youth Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Michigan Philharmonic. DCC has fostered strong partnerships with other non-profits such as the Detroit Science Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, St. Patrick's Senior Center, World AIDS Day Detroit, and has appeared with well-known Michigan-based artists such as vocalists Aretha Franklin, Jill Jack, Greg C. Brown and Joe Reilly.
Because of the strong collaboration with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), our Saturday Civic Choir participants join in numerous high-profile vocal and instrumental performances called the "Community Youth Experience Family Concerts." held each Fall, Winter, and Spring on the Orchestra Hall stage. This DSO partnership serves to connect our students with unique and high-profile musical opportunities that would not be otherwise possible.
Our popular "Detroit Beatz" workshop is conducted in the early part of each calendar year and features a day of breakout sessions in which our students can explore the roots of true Detroit music genres - Motown/R&B, vocal jazz, Broadway in Detroit, Techno/Electronic Dance Music and a special songwriting class. Our annual Spring Concert remains a community favorite - bringing together the hundreds of students from across all our programs.
Participants in DCC's choirs have maintained a regular recording studio schedule - offering their voices to commercial jingles/promotions as well as contributions to artists' albums. Several of our talented youth have secured paid gigs and recording contracts in recent years.
The Detroit Children's Choir continues to grow and excel because of the financial support by individuals, businesses, and foundations - most notably the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Kresge Foundation, The Marshall Mathers Foundation, CultureSource, The Kresge Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Foundation, DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.