IU Children's Choir

Academy faculty

Brent Gault

Brent Gault is professor of music education and interim chair of the Music Education Department at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He has served as a presenter and guest lecturer for colleges and music education organizations in the United States, Canada, China, and Ireland, and Singapore.

Amy Price graduated from Anderson University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Spanish. After launching her career as an elementary music specialist, Amy completed Conversational Solfege with Dr. John Feierabend and earned Kodaly Certification through IU’s Summer Kodaly Institute. Currently Amy teaches music privately in Bedford, Indiana.

Jenna Sears (she/they) is an educator, ethnomusicologist, and vocalist whose work specializes in community music and arts-based research practices based in Ireland and the United States. They have a B.M.E/B.M. in Music Education and Voice Performance from Indiana University. Recently completing their M.A. in Ethnomusicology at the University of Limerick, they researched the impact of community-led soundscapes during the Covid-19 pandemic. As an educator, they design music curriculum focused on aspects of mutual aid, social inclusion, and world music-informed pedagogy. Currently, they are the Vocal Director for Brown County Middle School and the founder of the Brown County Spoken Word Project, an initiative that engages rural communities in collective storytelling projects. Sears is also an active poet and vocalist, and performs locally. 

Mary Steps

Mary Stees graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. She is currently the music specialist at Rogers Elementary School, marking her 6th year of teaching music in Indiana public schools. She is also an instructor for IU’s Musical Beginnings program. Mary is passionate about including all learners and is pursuing a Master's in Special Education at Indiana University.

For more information, please contact musicsp@iu.edu.

Schedule

Spring semester
DateEvent
January 17Allegro, Descant, & Chamber Choirs: Placement sessions
January 19Descant, Allegro, & Chamber Choirs: First rehearsal
February 9First Voices: First rehearsal
March 12-19Spring Break, no rehearsals
April 20Final rehearsal
April 22IUCC Spring concert (1:00 PM, St. John the Apostle Church)

Location: First Presbyterian Church (221 E. 6th St. Bloomington)

Placement sessions

Placement sessions will be held at the First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, from 4:30–6 PM. Singers do not need to prepare anything and will be heard in the order that they arrive. Placement sessions generally take 10 to 15-minutes. If previously enrolled in IUCC, you may register sans placement session. Children interested in First Voices (Kindergarten-Grade 1) do not need to attend the placement sessions but should complete the online registration as soon as possible to reserve a spot.

Program offerings

Conductor: Amy Hartzell Price
Meeting Times: Thursdays, 4:30–5:20 PM or 5:30–6:20 PM
Location: First Presbyterian Church

Enrollment Limit: 15

Time is devoted to choir rehearsal and musicianship training with games and songs geared toward teaching the rudiments of music. 

Conductor: Mary Stees
Meeting Times: Thursdays, 4:30–5:30 PM
Location: First Presbyterian Church

Enrollment Limit: 25

Rehearsal consists of vocal development training along with the development of musicianship.

Conductor: Dr. Brent Gault
Meeting Times: Thursdays, 4:30–5:35 PM
Location: First Presbyterian Church

Enrollment Limit: 25

Time is devoted to a choir rehearsal that incorporates music theory into the rehearsal. This choir performs widely.

Conductor: Jenna Sears
Meeting Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:30–5:45 PM
Location: First Presbyterian Church

Enrollment Limit: 30

Tuition and deadlines

Tuition

  • First Voices (incl. Non-Refundable Registration Fee - $15) - $145
  • Descant Choir - $160
  • Allegro Choir - $160
  • Chamber Choir - $210

Deadlines

  • Financial aid - January 5, 2023
  • Registration and payment due - January 19, 2023

How to apply

  1. Application process: To apply, complete the online registration form. With the exception of First Voices, auditions are required for admission. Late registrations may be accepted pending space availability.
  2. Financial aid: To request a Financial Aid application, please contact musicsp@iu.edu. For those individuals awaiting merit or financial aid decisions, please register in full (e.g., specify the class selection) and select the option to delay payment.
  3. Payment: Accepting payment via credit card or check. Please do not send checks or any other forms of payment to the Office of Jacobs Academy.

Register for spring

Once you have completed the previous steps, please submit the Participant Agreement Form