About ICC: Everyone Counts

A little history on ICC’s Everyone COUNTS……

Explanation of need for the program
The mission of the Indianapolis Children's Choir is to offer music education to all children in Central Indiana, thereby assisting in community development by providing a means through which children's characters, morals and values can be positively influenced. For at-risk children, this translates into ultimately steering them away from potential delinquent and/or destructive behaviors by providing positive coping skills as well as a creative outlet for self expression. It is in this vein that ICC created its Everyone COUNTS (Community Outreach Uniting & Nurturing Through Song) program. ICC's Everyone COUNTS program extends its unique music education into rural communities via its regional-satellite choirs, and to urban sites serving children at-risk for future delinquency. For many central Indiana children, ICC may be the only music education available, due to state budget constraints.

Additionally, the National Association for Music Education (MENC), "students in strong music programs have better school attendance and higher graduation rates, especially for minority students…also cases of low self-esteem, shyness, and school delinquency are decreased." MENC further states, “Music education develops better communication and cognitive skills, actively contributes to brain development and leads to success in developing intelligence. Music education brings countless psychological, emotional, and physical benefits and shapes individual abilities and character through decreasing use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs)." Subsequently, ICC's music education plays a role in developing successful, productive members of society as well as contributing to the public safety of its schools and its community.

Number of youth to be served
Through its Everyone COUNTS program, and in keeping with its mission, ICC serves over 700 families and children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate due to developmental, financial, transportation, or other challenges. The majority of this programming is offered to at-risk youth at little to no cost thanks to underwriting and funding from community foundations and sponsors. ICC’s Everyone COUNTS programs include:

• Eastside Choir - This area of Indianapolis has notably higher incidents of crime and this choir serves as a viable, constructive alternative to potential delinquency, as well as a means to personal growth and self-esteem building for these at-risk youth. Rehearsals are conducted at La Plaza, a community center serving the Hispanic/Latino population.
• St. Mary’s - St. Mary's Child Center serves children ages three to five years. ICC is able to offer First Steps in Music classes to more than 200 preschoolers without a fee, who have developmental, learning, or emotional problems, or are at-risk for having such problems.
• Charter School Choir - In a community partnership, ICC offers its programming to charter school students, in 4th – 6th grade in every Indianapolis charter school. This initiative is vital in obtaining our diversity goals as the charter schools are made up of 70.3% minorities, and more than half being on the free lunch program. The Charter School Choir meets on the Butler University campus so that these at-risk children have the added bonus of being exposed to a college setting. Moreover, some charter schools have no music teacher, which makes ICC a vital part of their curriculum.
• Regional-Satellite Choirs - The ICC regional-satellite choirs are choirs for children ages 4th-8th grade and are located in Brownsburg, Carmel, Columbus, Greenfield, Greenwood, and Zionsville. Regional-satellite choirs were formed to provide choral music education and performance opportunities in communities outside of Indianapolis, thereby alleviating families from driving to and from Butler University and enabling more children to participate in the ICC. Three additional regional-satellite choirs have been added for the 2008-2009 season in Fishers, Franklin Township and Lebanon.
• After-School Programs - ICC provides programming to St. Vincent’s Unity Development Center, and ICC’s 40 + member class is made up entirely of African-American youth.

The total cost of ICC’s Everyone COUNTS program exceeds $360,000 annually – won’t you please make a donation to support this initiative?