Art Reach Youth Chorus

Youth Chorus Expands Music Access for Mt. Pleasant Kids

“People often think the arts are a ‘luxury,’ but we think of them as a necessity,” said Amy C. Powell, executive director of Art Reach. “Music is a universal language, one that unites us.”

Powell began building that vision close to home. Inspired by her own children’s interest in music and a lack of specialized local options, she made a youth chorus her “pet project.” In early 2025, she drafted a business plan and spent the year recruiting: promoting the program at the local Farmers Market, summer reading events and back-to-school programs and encouraging schools to share flyers in the digital folders sent to families.

The Art Reach Youth Chorus is open to students ages 8 to 10, and thanks to support from Community Impact Funds at the Community Foundation, no child is turned away based on ability to pay. The inaugural fall session enrolled 26 students.

The program provides training that many children wouldn’t otherwise have access to unless they took private voice lessons. Instruction includes healthy vocal technique to protect developing voices, including breathing, “chest voice” and “head voice,” and the physical skills needed to sustain singing and standing during performances, alongside music theory and music history.

Powell’s goal is both immediate and long-term: give younger singers a strong foundation now and strengthen future school and community choral programs as these students move into broader ensembles. Her longer-range hope is to expand choral opportunities for all ages, including the youngest learners. “I believe that everyone can sing; they just need the proper training and support,” she said.

Three adults facilitate the program: a director, an accompanist, and a support position that covers administration, classroom help, and vocal training. The chorus is also a community collaboration. Rehearsals mostly take place at Renaissance Public School Academy, and their first performance was at the Isabella County Commission on Aging. Just last week, the Art Reach Youth Chorus shared their voices at the Community Foundation’s Annual Breakfast.