Neighborhood Duets is a partnership educational program with two downtown Reading elementary schools, Lauer’s Park and 10th & Penn. Beginning in 2006 at Lauer’s Park and in 2008 at 10th & Penn, the program offers selected, talented students training in the choral art in addition to what they receive during the academic school day.
The students meet weekly, after school, for one hour, with their school music director. The students follow a curriculum similar to that of the BCCC Training Chorus. BCCC provides educational materials as needed and complimentary tickets to its concerts to the students.
BCCC Executive Director and Interim Artistic Director, Dail Richie, and Business Manager, Susan Coughlin, visit the schools frequently during the year, attending school music programs and meeting with the students and their parents to build relationships between the schools and the chorus. At the end of the school year, interested students are invited to audition for the chorus. Since 2006, over a dozen students enrolled in Neighborhood Duets have auditioned successfully for BCCC.
