Launched in 2003, the nationally renowned Boston Children’s Chorus was founded by the former dean of Boston University’s School of Social Work, Hubert “Hubie” Jones, as a way to bring together and unite Boston’s diverse communities through the power of music, and to inspire social change.
Comprising children and teens between the ages of seven and eighteen-years old, the organization contains 500 singers representing over 50 of Boston’s inner-city and suburban neighborhoods and twelve different choirs in five locations: the South End, Allston-Brighton, South Boston and Dorchester.
For the past nine to ten years, the goal of the BCC has been about focusing on the music programs and building musical collaborations. Now, the group wants to zero in on “how we continue to make an impact, especially on the social piece of our mission,” according to Ben Hires, BCC’s Director of Programs.
One of the unique features about the Boston Children’s Chorus is that it not only “teaches musical harmony but it also teaches social harmony.” Hires discussed at length how they’re steadily working to bring diverse groups of people together and are asking the question, “How can music be used to unpack these societal issues that our country is facing right now?”
