Hilltown Children’s Chorus to teach joyful music making in Ashfield

ASHFIELD — A new youth chorus geared toward teaching children to celebrate music is launching on Jan. 12 at Belding Memorial Library.

The Hilltown Children’s Chorus will teach children ages 6 and up to sing, dance, move and make music during 14 weekly sessions. The chorus will meet on Mondays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. through May 18, according to founder and Director Rachel Gibson.

“It is a children’s choir, but it’s more than that,” Gibson said. “What is unique about it is I’m going to teach the children as whole musicians, not just singers.”

Gibson is a professor of music at Westfield State University and holds a Ph.D in music education from the University of Washington.

“My area of expertise is in elementary music education, and at that age, everything is about joyful music making,” Gibson said. “It’s a lot of games and developmentally appropriate activities.”

Chorus activities and songs will include a range of genres and arrangements, giving children an opportunity to learn and practice a variety of skills, songs and dances. Gibson has traveled the world learning children’s songs and games, and has written a book, “¡Canta Conmigo! Songs and Singing Games from Guatemala and Nicaragua,” which she plans to incorporate into running the chorus.

“I plan to incorporate diverse genres and arrangements,” Gibson said. “We’re going to be just really celebrating music.”

She added that she follows the Kodály, Orff and Dalcroze approaches to music education. The Kodály method, developed in the 1930s and ’40s by Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodály, values playing with rhythm and movement. The Orff approach, created by German composer Carl Orff, encourages dynamic and interactive learning through play and making noise. Similarly, the Dalcroze method, created by Swiss composer Émile Jaques-Dalcroze in the late 1800s, also encourages movement and for students to feel the music.

“In teaching young children, I focus on singing and moving and improvising,” Gibson said. “When thinking about the repertoire, I’ll be looking at songs, rounds, canons, singing games, world folk music and music literacy.”

She said that through games and activities, students will learn foundations such as how to read music, which will prepare them for any future musical endeavors they wish to pursue.

Gibson said she has always wanted to start a children’s chorus, but she has always lived in communities that already had one. That is, until last year, when she moved from Amherst to Ashfield.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do for my whole life,” she said. “Last year, my family moved to Ashfield and I noticed there wasn’t one and I felt inspired to fill that need.”

Gibson said spots to join the chorus will be available on a sliding scale based on what families can pay, with a suggested donation of $200, and discounts for families signing up multiple children.

For more information or to sign up, contact Gibson at hilltownchorus@gmail.com or scan the accompanying QR code.