Local Choir Directors Launch Youth Chorus

Jennifer Stephens grew up in a world of music, starting as a member of the Durango Children’s Chorus when she was 7 years old and moving through community and collegiate choral opportunities, ending up as a career choral educator in the Flathead Valley.

Nathan Connell found the musical thread in his life at an even younger age, with a core memory of being a preschooler and discovering he could sing with vibrato while testing out the acoustics of a bathroom. One of his first organized musical experiences was also with a youth choir and his trajectory also led to a job as a local choir director.  

“I think it was tremendously impactful for me as a young musician to be exposed to a youth chorus, because we didn’t have the best music education in our public schools where I grew up,” Stephens said. “When I first moved to Kalispell I was shocked that we didn’t have one in the area, because we have so many great musical opportunities for adults with the Glacier Symphony and Chorale. There used to be one in the valley and I’ve wanted to see it happen again ever since I started here.”

As the respective choir directors at Flathead and Glacier high schools, Stephens and Connell discussed what it would take to build a youth organization in the area and this year formed the Flathead Valley Youth Chorus (FVYC). The inaugural choir is aimed at third- through sixth-graders and will begin rehearsals in September.

“We’re both so excited about this, not just because we enjoy working together as colleagues, but we’re very similar in our vision of the power of choral music and what are the parameters in which the magic happens,” said Stephens, who will serve as FVYC’s artistic director. “Children getting together and singing can look a million different ways, and there’s so many different ways to structure a really dynamic experience for young people.”

Connell left his position at Glacier High School to devote himself full time to the youth chorus as FVYC’s executive director and choir accompanist.

“We’re both good examples of the power of having that music early on in your life and how these opportunities at a young age can really shape you throughout life,” Connell said. “For me, being part of a children’s chorus and doing extra musicals and shows growing up showed that these are places to meet like-minded kids, grow your skills and also work with adults who are passionate about music.”

Most elementary schools in the Flathead Valley offer some form of musical education, but with school districts cutting budgets and staff, it is one area that is often de-emphasized, according to Stephens. In Kalispell staffing shortages have led to some music teachers rotating between elementary schools, limiting the number of music classes available, and rural districts can struggle to find any teachers to cover the subject.    

Studies have shown that music training in children improves cognitive development and performance, and can strengthen the emotional and memory pathways in the brain.

“There’s really good research that shows the amount of music that kids get every week at the elementary level increases test scores in other subjects and has longer term academic performance implications,” said Stephens, adding that ensembles like the youth chorus also go a long way to counter the rise in isolation seen with kids spending more time glued to devices. “There is no better way in the world for kids to make positive peer connections than by making music as a group together,” Stephens said. “Similar to sports, making music with other people releases endorphins and you have that enjoyable experience of doing this thing together, that is really instinctual and primal.”  

“Our vision, and a point of pride for our board, is to make sure that this is an accessible opportunity for everyone,” Connell said. “If this is a kid’s only opportunity to do music, we’re going to make sure there isn’t a barrier preventing that from happening.”

The Flathead Valley Youth Choir exists under the umbrella of nonprofit Bear Grass Performing Arts, a structural choice that Connell hopes will eventually be able to form and fund additional groups in the future, as well as offering scholarship for students in need.

There are also plans for collaborating with other musical groups in the area and high hopes for dynamic community buy-in, which Stephens describes is a “two-way street.”

“The people who watch the kids perform I think will benefit just as much as the children on stage in terms of having pride in their community, hope for the future and a positive vision of what youth are capable of,” she said. “The community will turn out for music for youth. Youth choruses are visually the most appealing thing ever on the heart strings — nothing is cuter than 50 kids smiling and singing in front of you.”

For the inaugural season, the goal is to have 60 kids in the choir with two concerts held in November and April. Rehearsals will take place once a week on Thursday afternoons. To audition, kids must submit a video of themselves singing “Happy Birthday,” as well as a reference from a non-family member.

Music for the first season has already been selected, spanning an array of cultures, languages and eras.

“My philosophy is that children deserve the best we have to offer in our artistic field. So I’m bringing the best of what choral music has to offer, at their level of course,” Stephens said. “They are going to sing the most diverse repertoire that I can come up with that meets my criteria of excellence, interest and engagement. It needs to be fun to show up to youth chorus every week, and kids will walk away humming their songs.”

To learn more about the Flathead Valley Youth Chorus, visit www.fvyc.org.

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