Divisions

We assess each student’s musical ability, experience and maturity before finding them a home among our six divisions: Preparatory, Junior, Intermediate, Senior, the Young Men’s Ensemble and the Concert Chorus.  While prior singing experience is not required, it may influence division placement.

All of our students get the chance to perform: beginners at our self-produced concerts; the advanced at professional concerts and contracted engagements.  At each level, our students progress in their musical skills, from the most rudimentary introduced in the Preparatory Division, to the more complex required for professional-level performances of sophisticated and challenging choral music.

Most students begin their training at BYCA as members of the Preparatory or Junior Divisions and advance to the next level training chorus, the Intermediate Division.  We introduce the art of choral singing and the study of music notation to the Preps and Juniors.  They explore differences between their speaking and singing voices, learn basic vocal technique, begin sight-reading with tonic solfege, learn to follow a printed score and sing at least one song per semester in a foreign language.  Repertoire at these levels includes unison and two-part singing.  Intermediate division features selections in up to three voice parts, more complex rhythmic and melodic material and additional foreign languages.  

Preparatory Division: ages 7 (at least second grade) to 9, rehearses once a week for one hour and ten minutes at both our Cobble Hill facility and our Bedford-Stuyvesant Music Annex.

Junior Chorus:  ages 9 to 14, rehearses once a week for two hours.

Intermediate Chorus: ages 10 to 17, rehearses once a week for two hours.

Our advanced singers join the Senior and Concert Choruses or the Young Men’s Ensemble, which is for boys with changed voices.  Advanced singers study and perform a wide range of diverse choral music in three to six voice parts and in many languages, including choral masterworks with orchestra.  With more rehearsal time and a vigorous training program, these choristers reach the highest standards of vocal performance.  They also enjoy increased opportunities for contracted performance engagements, concert tours and professional recording sessions.

Senior Chorus: ages 11 to 17, rehearses twice a week for two hours.

Young Men’s Ensemble:  ages 14 to 21, rehearses once a week for two hours and is open to tenor and bass voices (changed male voices).
 
Concert Chorus: ages 11 to 18, rehearses twice a week for two hours and fifteen minutes each time, with two additional rehearsals per month.