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Show :,/ \fo - N E W S A10 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 Spanish Fork Children's From CHOIR • A l Namon Bills / Spanish Fork News CENTER STAGE: Beverly Thomas returns to the director's podium to lead a combined choir of current and former Utah Valley Children's Choir members. u Spanish Fork has been a wonderful hometown for our family. I am grateful for the opportunities my wife, Ann, and I have had to live our lives in Spanish Fork and raise our family here. I have a sincere desire and interest in helping to assure that all that has been good and positive about Spanish Fork City over many years will be preserved as we move forward to face the challenges of the future with "pride and progress." - Rod Dart She gathered her children and some of their neighborhood friends, and started teaching them to sing. The original choir had about 30 kids in it. From there, it took off into something she never could have imagined. Now the Utah Valley Children's Choir consists of five different children's choirs, totaling almost 400 kids. The four-year-olds are called the Music Explorers, the five to six-year-olds are the Beginning Choir, and the seven to nine-year-olds are in the Hi-Lo Choir, where they start learning to sing in harmony. The Prep Choir is made up of kids between seven and eight years old, and when the kids turn eight they can audition for the recording and touring choir, called the Concert Choir. The average age of the kids is between ten and 14 years old, and they can continue with the choirs until they reach age 18. The Concert Choir is the only audition choir. By the time the kids reach this level, they can sing in four, five, and even six part harmony. There are around 175 kids in the Concert Choir. Last summer they went to New York and Cummorah, and they've also been to Mexico, Canada, England and according to Thomas, "every corner of the United States." They call the tours "mini missions," since their songs are religious, patriotic or otherwise uplifting. "(We sing) any song with a wonderful message in children's minds," Thomas said. "The children wear colored shirts on tour with the words, 'Sing for the Lord,' which has been our them for 25 years," she said. Thomas said they provide fundraisers for the kids, but they all earn their own money to go. In that way, the experience they have in the choir is character building as well as musically enriching. "They also learn responsibility," she said. "We have whole families in our touring choir, brothers and sisters that are in it together. Sometimes we'll matters most have as many as four or five kids in one family. The older kids really take care of the younger kids. That responsibility they learn is a good thing." The Concert Choir rehearses every Saturday from 7-9 a.m. and more often than that as they approach performances and tours. "It's quite a commitment," Thomas said. The other choirs practice one day during the week after school and Thomas said that the bulk of the kids come from South County. "The principal number of kids come from Spanish Fork and Salem," she said. Thomas said her husband built her a studio in her basement that could accommodate up to 100 kids, but the choirs outgrew even that. In the early 1990s Thomas moved the choir rehearsals from her home to the Chillon reception center in Spanish Fork. At that time, the combined choirs totaled around 300 kids, and they had all five choirs functioning. The Utah Valley Children's Choir incorporated during that time as well. "The growth and progress of the choir was an amazing thing for me," Thomas said. Thomas retired as the principal conductor of the choirs in 1999. and from there her own children have taken it over. All six of them were involved in the choir through their growing up years, and four out of six of her children majored in music in college. Ryan Eggett from Orem, who also directs the MTC choir, directs the Concert Choir now, and Thomas' daughter, Suanne Bowcut, who is the assistance vocal coach of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, directs the other choirs. Thomas said that through the years the choirs have grown all by themselves. Ninety percent of the people that bring their kids to join the choir hear about it through word of mouth. They've done very little advertising. The choir speaks — or rather, sings — for itself. Spanish Fork needs Leaders who have the strength of character to do what's best for all people in the long run; not just what's convenient for a few people in the short run. This kind of leadership requires that the values of courage, integrity, respect, service and wisdom are used to sustain and uphold our basic constitutional rights. Voting for Rosemary ensures that you, your money and your time will be treated with all due respect. THAT'S LEADERSHIP WITH VISION. THAT'S LEADERSHIP WITH VALUES. Visit www.vote4rosemary.com to learn more. ROSEMARY v SPANISH FORK i/UY / <:•){ 'J 11 f j j l . |