We are now accepting registrations for Fall 2024!
Interest Form
To start, fill out this simple inquiry form and Artistic Director Ryan LaBoy will be in touch! Contact him with any questions: ryan [@] berkshirechildrenschorus.org. Rehearsals will take place during the school year on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm in Sheffield or on Thursdays at 5:00 pm in Pittsfield. Families can choose which rehearsal location works better for them.
Tuition
SLIDING SCALE TUITION: Berkshire Children’s Chorus is offering a sliding scale tuition model, in which families will pay tuition according to their yearly family income. Please see table below to understand how your family
CARD TO CULTURE: We are proud to participate in Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program. Please see below for more detail about the program. As a participant of Card to Culture, Berkshire Children’s Chorus offers an automatic 50-100% discount on tuition (based on self-reported household income, following our sliding scale framework) for the children of families with EBT and WIC cards. Tuition includes a full season (Sept-May) of weekly rehearsals, and at least two public performances. To receive this discount, complete the Chorus registration process, and please indicate your family’s annual income and mark the check box for EBT or WIC on the registration form.
HOW TO: When filling out our registration form, we ask families to self-identify their income level (column A), based on what their household earns in a typical year, and plan to pay the corresponding tuition (column D). The Chorus will automatically apply a scholarship (column B) according to your family’s income level.
WHY: Tuition has always been an important part of our budget, but we have never turned a child away due to inability to pay. Following that precedent, the intention of this model is to make participating in Berkshire Children’s Chorus even more accessible to families of all backgrounds by granting automatic scholarships according to income.
SUPPORT ANOTHER SINGER: These scholarships are made possible by donations from community members and community businesses. We welcome contributions from families who choose to pay more than their tuition level, in order to support accessibility for other singers.
MORE DETAILS: We happily offer payment plans upon request (7 monthly installments, September through March). We also offer a 10% sibling discount for the second child from the same family to register. If cost is still an issue, please reach out to us at [email protected].
MORE ABOUT CARD TO CULTURE: Berkshire Children’s Chorus is proud to participate in Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health’s WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier. See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
Payments may be made by check or credit card. Make checks payable to: Berkshire Children’s Chorus, P.O. Box 18, Sheffield, MA 01257. For payment by credit card, contact our office (email [email protected]).
We hope you and your children will enjoy your time as members. The Berkshire Children’s Chorus began in 1990 and has been the source of serious musical education for hundreds of students. This exceptional voice training has been the starting place for many a college-bound musician.
The annual tuition amount covers only 30% of the total money needed to fund the chorus. The balance of the funds needed are garnered from fundraising efforts, donations, grants, and ticket sales.
We understand that the cost of tuition may be a hardship for some families. The Board of Trustees allocates funds each year for the purpose of supporting chorus families in need of scholarship assistance. Please contact our office at [email protected] to set up a time to learn more about our process and possibilities.