Black Chorus Camp at Illinois Summer Youth Music
Ollie Watts Davis, Ph.D, a longtime professor of music at the University of Illinois, already had a lot on her proverbial plate when a colleague made the suggestion in 2017 that she start a chorus camp at the University’s Illinois Summer Youth Music program. Davis, who is the founder of the Black Chorus and a leader at the School of Music, liked the idea, but she wanted to make sure that kids could get broad exposure to the music of Black Americans in all its forms. This wouldn’t be just a gospel camp.
Since the first camp debuted, high school aged students from Illinois have come every summer for an intense week-long experience. One of the major goals is to recruit students from the local area.
“Illinois recruits a lot from the Chicago area,” says Ashley Davis, assistant for the camp.
“We want kids from right here in Champaign-Urbana, Decatur and Bloomington to know that they are welcome here.”
Davis and her staff spend the week introducing kids who may have little singing experience to the oral and “aural” methods of learning: call and response techniques of learning songs with roots in early traditions of Black Americans. They also work to break shy and hesitant campers free of their vocal inhibitions and their instincts to hide their voices in the choir.
“Dr. Davis teaches kids that everyone is a front row singer,” says Quandra Clark, the accompanist.
When they’re not participating in small group lessons with Davis’ staff, they are in rehearsal with Davis herself, learning songs with roots in jazz, pop, R&B, classical, gospel and more. Afternoons are spent in the classroom, reviewing and analyzing performances, writing in journals and talking about how what students are doing on the stage is connected to history. Then it's back to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts for another several hours of rehearsals and elective classes.
Rissa Kumar, a high school senior, was thrilled with the opportunity to expand her experience of choral music beyond what’s traditionally taught in school.
“I’m used to standing still and learning music from a score. Here, we move to the music and really express ourselves. There’s nowhere to hide. I’ve had so much fun,” she says.
The grande finale of the week is a performance for parents and public at the Tryon Festival Theater at Krannert. Davis gets the audience involved in her call and response style of singing and hands out awards to students. She makes sure to congratulate her group before the concert begins.
“I tell them I approve of them and they should approve of themselves for the hard work they’ve done. It’s a transformative experience for these young people.”
https://music.illinois.edu/engagement/isym/
