Boston Singers' Resource News Bulletin, November 24, 2004

"Changing the lives of children through music. Changing the world of music through children." PALS Children's Chorus is based at the W.H. Lincoln School, a public K - 8 school in Brookline, MA, and is considered one of the nation's premiere treble-voice ensembles. Johanna Hill Simpson, is the Cofounder and Artistic Director. In addition to a regular schedule of concerts and private functions, she has prepared the children for performances under the batons of Seiji Ozawa, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Keith Lockhart, Benjamin Zander, David Hoose and others.

For 15 years PALS Children's Chorus has been an important part of the Boston arts scene, training hundreds of children. This after-school performing arts program trains typical children from the Brookline school community, transforming individuals into an ensemble of the highest caliber. Founded in 1990, PALS currently brings together 130 children ages 7 through 14 in three choral ensembles and provides additional performing opportunities for high school students.

Cofounder and Artistic Director, Johanna Hill Simpson has undergraduate degrees from Dartmouth College in Elementary Education and Music and holds a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory where she studied under Lorna Cooke DeVaron. She has taught at the Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill as well as at Dartmouth, Harvard and the New England Conservatory.

Joe Stroup: How did PALS get started?

Johanna Hill Simpson: It was a typical grass-roots effort. I had three children enrolled at the Lincoln School in Brookline (MA) in the late 1980's. I was a member of the Arts Committee there and we wanted to get more arts into the school. With the budget cuts in the public school system at that time, there was minimal opportunity for theater, dance and singing. The alternative was to attend a private school.

In the Spring of 1989, we produced a series of programs at Lincoln on the theme of humor. We very successfully integrated the arts around the subject of humor and April Fool's Day using music, theater and dance ideas that were funny. It was wonderful experience.

When it was over a small group of us parents got together to try to plan a follow-up act. What could we do to top what we had just done? We decided right then to start an after-school performing arts program. We even named it that day: PALS - Performing Arts, Lincoln School. We wanted the program to have what I call 'true integrity'. It wasn't going to be just a club, where the intent was to 'put on a musical' at the end of the year. Rather, we would demand a certain level of ability and achievement and commitment. There would be auditions and we would truly train the kids both as singers and as actors all through the school year. Our intent was to meaningfully extend a child's day at Lincoln School with serious training in the performing arts.


JS: How did you go about running such an ambitious program?

JHS: I have to say that there was a 'right place at the right time' quality about it. Very serendipitous. There were several children in the school whose parents had not only a strong interest in the project but who also had either unique abilities or great connections. We had Nat Warren-White, an actor, who was a big reason why PALS caught fire because of his wonderful way of working with children. There was Bob Ingari, our conductor, who was working at the Boston Conservatory. They were our first teachers. Another early contributor was Lorraine Lee Hammond, the well-known folk-artist, whose daughter was in school then. Another parent was a successful visual artist. There was just a lot of vested interested in the arts. Initially, I was to be the administrative person. I wasn't going to teach. However, shortly after the program began our conductor had to withdraw and I realized that it would be necessary for me to step in as an educator and conductor.

We started with a program of two classes held twice a week. One hour of singing followed by an hour of acting. I feel that an essential component of our success is that the classes met so frequently. At such a young age, students learn quickly and we were able to reinforce the process by having the classes so often.


JS: What are your rehearsals like? How do you keep the children's interest and focus?

JHS: Our older group (grades 4 thru 8), for example, has about 60 in it. With that many children, the rehearsal plan has to be organized and fast-paced. You have to keep very busy all the time. We go at different pieces of music, not quickly, but in such different ways that there's no time to get bored. Not a lot of learning by rote or just boring drilling. But learning the exciting musical parts of what you're trying to do at the same time that you're trying to learn the notes. Sometimes it borders on complete anarchy and chaos. They're not the type that will sit there and just absorb and then give it back without putting up a bit of a fight, chomping at the bit. So you have to play to the positive and ignore the negative, not stop to dwell on things that are maybe a waste of time. It looks slightly crazy but there's a lot of forward motion going on.

Two things that I insist on from the children; rules, if you will. If they talk when they're supposed to be singing, they're made to leave the room for maybe 20 minutes. Then, when they come back, I don't dwell on it. But they come to understand the need to not interrupt the group. Also, they're not to mock a song by, say, rolling their eyes or insulting a composer. They learn to show respect for others and the music.

Rehearsals are searches. Each piece has a key that unlocks why you're even singing it. Every piece has a job to do which is to penetrate through to the audience and communicate to them. In a rehearsal you're using both technical tools and interpretational tools to find how this piece is going to 'pop right out' and do its job. You're not exactly sure sometimes what the magic route into that piece is. It might take two years to find. But it's so exciting when you realize the children understand it. An example of this was at a performance we did at Trinity Church about two weeks ago. We had sung this one piece a couple times last year. It was okay. It was alright. It was pretty. Then, at Trinity, it somehow 'popped', the piece emerged. They understood. They know where things 'happen' in the music. The kids aren't so much aware of all this, but they show it in their faces, they feel it.

Right now we have eight or nine pieces that we are performing. (The 4th Annual Songs of Hope Concert was held at Temple Israel in Boston on November 21.) They're all in different states of this process and the truth of some of them will take some time to find.

Another secret or 'trick' both to a good rehearsal and to our success is having a great accompanist. There's a lot of collaboration going on between me as the conductor and Bret Silverman, my accompanist. Bret, our composer and arranger and who also conducts for us, has a genius for what will work, musically, for these kids. For me, the teaching part is what I do the best. I have good instincts that way. And Bret provides both support and wonderful ideas to bring the music to life. Together, we mine for the truth in the music.


JS: These days children are expected to participate in so many activities, especially sports. How do you get a commitment from them so you can plan a successful year?

JHS: The scheduling of rehearsals has been intentionally placed right after school. So even if they have soccer practice at 4:30 we still have them for two hours. When there are other commitments, we sit down with them and try to work out a fair compromise. In PALS we very much believe that sports are an important part of your life. We don't want kids to feel that, if they have a conflict, we've made it too hard for them to do both. We accept that they have obligations. Also, by getting to them to buy into what we're doing early (the Circle of PALS group begins with 2nd graders), you have a better chance of keeping them.


JS: PALS has become a much sought-after chorus for some very important musicians. How were these relationships developed?

JHS: Our first opportunity came in 1996. Seiji Ozawa wanted the BSO to do a piece by Elliot B. Goldenthal called 'Fire, Water, Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio'. (Goldenthal is the composer of such film scores as 'Alien 3', 'Titus' and 'Interview with the Vampire'). The piece calls for a Vietnamese children's chorus but they couldn't locate one. The BSO contacted Bill Cutter (Dr. William Cutter, Director of Choral Activities at Boston Conservatory) to see if he knew of any children's choirs. Bret, our accompanist, was working with him and he mentioned our group. We were preparing for the American Choral Directors Eastern Regional Convention so I was feeling pretty good about the level we were singing at. I contacted them right away. Tony Fogg (the Artistic Administrator of the BSO) and Felicia Burrey (Chorus Manager of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus) came to hear us. They liked our sound, the way the sound was supported, a full sound, not forced, and they decided to use us. F rom that opportunity have come many of the others.


JS: What are some of your dreams and hopes for the future?

JHS: I'm very proud of the fact that we are introducing new music into the repertoire. Music like Henri Dutilleux's 'Shadows of Time and Tod Machover's 'Toy Symphony' which was premiered both in Boston and New York. We even have commissioned some works. (see below) We want to continue this.

Right now the highest priority on our 'to do' list is to find an additional staff member who will be responsible for Summer Programs, Concert Tours and Educational Outreach. We're always trying to surprise and 'shock' our audiences with the unexpected. We hope to find someone who will help us to inject our performances with a little more of the visual, to expand our programs. Get the kids down from the risers and do some more movement. Someone with Musical Theater experience would be a good.

Another long-term goal is having our own facility, apart from the school, for rehearsals and performances. We see this as a step toward the creation of a shared community arts center. Also, we want to establish an endowment to help provide the resources to fulfill our mission and vision.


JS: You've had much success with your earlier goals so it's not surprising that your vision of the future is so ambitious.

JHS: Singing has always been the heart of PALS and will continue to be so. We've had some great, good luck in the past. But we don't focus on those successes. We just keep on doing good work, doing what we believe in. Good things will happen because of that.

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To learn more about the PALS Children's Chorus and the various PALS programs logon to www.palschildrenschorus.org.

Upcoming appearances of PALS:
* Winsor Music Chamber Series. Featuring the PALS GirlChoir. Saturday, November 27 at 8:00 at the Follen Community Church, Lexington MA.
* Hammond Realty Performing Arts Series. Sunday December 5 at 4:00 at the Brimmer & May, Chestnut, MA.
* 7th Annual Voices Concert, 15th Anniversary Celebration! Sunday, February 13, at 3:00 at NEC's Jordan Hall, Boston. This concert will introduce five new works, some commissioned by PALS, including music by Bret Silverman and William Cutter.