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Nelson’s Today 11/02From: Nelson’s Today Nelson’s Today Feature Article By Jerry Nelson As a choir director who loves music she believes...
Oksana Rodak, whose Ukrainian-born parents encouraged her love of music, talks about the group and why she loves teaching young children to sing. Educated at the University of Toronto in choral music, she held similar positions with other groups. Her job, she says, is to teach children to love music, not necessarily to become professionals. “What are the Young Naperville Singers?” Oksana Rodak—“Our mission is to promote choral artistry by teaching great choral music and to develop musicianship and thinking skills, self-esteem and self-confidence. If the kids are learning something and doing it well, they know it because they can hear it.” “How old are the children in the Young Naperville Singers and how many singers are there?” Oksana Rodak—“We have about 230 children over five ensembles, ages seven through 15. Our youngest group is the Treble Singers, then Lyric Singers, Ensemble Singers, and our more advanced group, Concert Singers. The most advanced is called Chamber Singers. So there are five ability levels from Treble to Chamber Singers.” “How many times does the Young Naperville Singers perform a year?” Oksana Rodak—“We do two major concerts a year: one in December, a holiday concert and then one in the spring, which is in May, 2003, as well as performances throughout the area, City council, senior homes, the Rotary Club. The choir has gone to a children’s choir festival in Iowa and to Washington and right now we’re deciding on a spring tour somewhere in the states.” “Do you accept children on the basis of auditions?” Oksana Rodak—“Yes, all the children have to audition. But we accept all children because we believe with the proper training all children can sing. With the proper training all children can have great singing voices.” “So a child doesn’t have to have exceptional ability to get into the group?” Oksana Rodak—“No, you need to match pitch, which means if they can sing woooo, then they can get in.” “Do you do voice training on an individual level?” Oksana Rodak—“No, we work just with the group. Working with the group with the kids is good because not only do they get better by themselves but they learn from their peers. They help each other learn.” “Have your singers gone on to professional careers in music or studied music in college?” Oksana Rodak—“We have had graduates who have gone on into education-based programs at the university level. But we try to develop lifelong consumers of music. It’s great if some do go on to become professional singers but our mission is fulfilled if they stay involved in the arts in some way, whether they sing in a university choir, a glee club, a community choir or a church choir. Or whether they just continue going to concerts and become patrons.” “So you are all about love of music?” Oksana Rodak—“Love of music and education. I think so many people think it’s so easy to do that they forget there’s so much thinking involved in music. It’s like developing math or science skills. It’s a different way of thinking and we need to make the kids realize they are thinking and it’s not just a fluff activity...that they need to apply themselves and realize what they are doing, how they’re doing it and why they are doing it.” “Is your job as artistic director a full-time paid position?” Oksana Rodak—“Yes, it is. We have an office administrator and three other conductors and two accompanists. A board of directors is our governing body and loads of parent volunteers make it work.” “How do you get the financial support?” Oksana Rodak—“Like any organization, we’re always looking for grants and funding. We actively seek grants.” “If someone wants to help out with a donation, how do they do that?” Oksana Rodak—“We are a not-for-profit organization so that if anyone wants to make a contribution to the choir, we do offer the tax breaks allowed by the law. We have an annual fund called the Circle of Song with various levels of contributions that individuals or corporations can make. They can just call our office at 630-369-9679.” “Does a child have to be a resident of Naperville to join the choir?” Oksana Rodak—“No, absolutely not. Most of our children are from Naperville but we do have many from other communities...from a good portion of the surrounding area.” “How often do they rehearse?” Oksana Rodak—“The children rehearse once a week, from an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. They are expected to do a lot of things at home and practice. We encourage them to take part in their school choirs as well and a lot of them take piano or violin or voice lessons, as well.” “How did you yourself get interested in music?” Oksana Rodak—“I started playing the piano at the age of three. It’s something I’ve always done and I couldn’t imagine my life without music. I always sung in my school choirs and played violin and cello in my school orchestra.” “Were your parents musicians?” Oksana Rodak—“My mom was a church choir director but was not a professional musician. She was a very good amateur. My dad sang in the church choir. We always had music at home.” “You seem very dedicated to music and to the children in the choir.” Oksana Rodak—“It’s something I’ve always loved, I’ve never looked on it as work. I feel very lucky I’m doing something I love.” “Are there any instruments you play today?” Oksana Rodak—“I play a Ukrainian folk instrument called the Bandura, a stringed instrument that’s like a harp. I’ve been playing it since I was eight years old. I do a lot of classical music on it. It sounds like a harpsichord so I do a lot of baroque music, Bach and Händel.” “Did you ever want to do anything else when you were younger?” Oksana Rodak—“I wanted to be a concert pianist but my professors at the University of Toronto so impressed me with what you could do with children’s choirs that I decided that’s what I wanted to do.” “What satisfaction do you get out of teaching children music?” Oksana Rodak—“You start off with a clean slate and just see how they develop and how much they can accomplish. They are like sponges, they soak up everything. Within a few months, they’re matching pitch, they’re able to phrase, able to read music. Just seeing how far they can rise is exciting.” |
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The Young Naperville Singers, as they have since 1984, are ready to bring down the house at their annual Holiday Concert at North Central College on Sunday, December 15. The group was formed by a composer and mother-of-six, Helen Grubbs, who started with 70 original members. The organization now has 230 singers in five ability levels, a paid artistic director Oksana Rodak, and a loyal corps of volunteers. They practice weekly and invite every child, who can carry a note, to join.