Marin Mommies presents a sponsored article from Marin Girls Chorus.

The old joke goes like this: a person with a violin case stops another musician on the streets of New York and asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The other musician replies: “Practice!” And it’s true! It takes decades of hard work to get there. But for a group of hardworking young Marin singers, their path to that famous stage is expedited through an invitation to participate in a choral festival at Carnegie Hall next June.

This won’t be the first time Marin Girls Chorus has performed at Carnegie. In 2015, middle and high school age singers traveled to New York on their annual choral tour. Other recent tours include Disneyland and Hearst Castle, the Pacific International Choral Festival in Oregon, Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans, and the inaugural Texas International Choral Festival.

But older singers aren’t the only ones who get to have fun. Singers as young as kindergarten perform all at festivals, community events, retirement homes, and at season concerts.

Classes for grades K-12 are held all over Marin. Recently, Marin Girls Chorus has begun offering classes on site at several public schools, with plans to expand those on-site offerings and increase access to quality music education.

In an environment that is increasingly competitive and results-oriented, Marin Girls Chorus is committed to offering an alternative, in which collaboration, harmony, and shared joy are paramount to the success of the group. With the competitive element removed, MGC empowers girls to be part of something bigger than themselves and bond and grow around the experience of doing something difficult together.

That approach seems to be working. Here’s what some of the middle and high school singers have to say:

“Marin Girls Chorus means family, and everyone in the group means everything to me. I couldn’t imagine life without it. It’s a chance to step out of reality and be with people you love with your whole heart.” – Ava, age 13
“I came for the music but I stayed for the family.” – Zoe, age 12
”It's a second home, I feel comfortable around all my friends, I know them all really well. It’s a place to be who you want to be and to have a fun time. It’s a big part of my life.” – Amanda, age 13

In addition to the Carnegie Hall tour, this season includes performances with the Golden State Warriors, Marin Symphony, at the Nicasio Valley Pumpkin Patch, and Redwoods Retirement Home.

MGC offers five levels of weekly classes in age-appropriate vocal technique, ear training, note reading, harmony, rhythm, expression, performance technique, and music theory, tailored to all ages and abilities. The music taught and performed comes from all over the world. For more information, check out www.marinchorus.org.