The Newark Boys Chorus School: Transforming Young Men Through Music

Just two miles from Newark, New Jersey's City Hall stands a building that houses Newark's Musical Ambassadors. While unelected and too young to vote in an election, this group of choral singers has brought the charm of Newark to more than six continents, Hawaii and a majority of states in the continental United States.

Since 1969, the Newark Boys Chorus and the Newark Boys Chorus School (NBCS) have occupied the intersection of music, primary education and the arts for a city that has benefited profoundly from their united voices.

"For our son and family, Newark Boys Chorus School was an oasis," said Mary Bentley LaMar, a NBCS parent and founder/executive director of the Sickle Cell Association of New Jersey. "High academic standards and a legacy rich in Newark's history and its jazz roots."

While performing a plethora of musical genres, including traditional classical music, spiritual, folk music and jazz, the students of NBCS continue to lift their voices and spread good cheer at a time when U.S. public schools are seeing more cuts in music and art education.

As one of the country’s last remaining independent choral schools for boys, NBCS’ success comes as the Arts Education Data Project (AEDP) finds a disproportionate number of public school students in urban communities lacking access to music and art education.

Educating young men from third to eighth grade, NBCS has operated in the heart of Newark as a tuition-free independent school that has infused musical training, rigorous academics, community service and sound character while utilizing travel and concerts to inspire and empower an entire generation of students.

"When a young man comes to us in the third or fourth grade, up until the time he leaves us after eighth grade, he generally improves his academic position by two grade levels compared to his peers," said Robert Wright, NBCS’ board chair and a managing partner at the White and Williams law firm. "We're very successful in terms of our academic preparation for these young men."

This success story supports AEDP’s findings about the social, emotional, physical and educational benefits of learning music. With musical experiences affecting lifelong brain function, the report determined that tapping into the brain's ability to learn music supports overall learning "and is most critical for disadvantaged and under-served students."

"Equity in education determines whether students can learn and grow with music and arts," said Robert Morrison, lead researcher for the report and CEO of Quadrant Research, in a press statement.

The urgency for equity in education and a unique love of music has kept Donald Morris, a Jamaican native, in his role as the school's music director since 1996. With 47 years of choral directing experience, Morris believes musical education can help shape young men into responsible and connected global citizens.

"As a vocation, music allows young men, especially in urban settings, to strive for excellence and connect with other people," Morris said. "Through our curriculum, we stress social connectedness and the importance of personal and social connections. We are all connected, and we teach that value by way of music."

And with choral tours in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Barbados, Jamaica and throughout Europe under NBCS's belt, there is no question that this connectedness stretches far beyond Broadway Street in Newark. The school and the magic emoted from the collective voices of its students have also been heard at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the White House.

NBCS students, including seventh grader Daniel Gunwa, speak highly about these musical and academic accomplishments.

"I enjoy the singing the most because Mr. Morris really makes me feel like my voice is special," said Daniel, 13. "I keep good grades and practice my voice a lot so that I can reach perfection.”

NBCS is trying to develop this pathway despite the harsh economic and social realities in Newark and other urban centers laid bare by the pandemic.

"Music is our vehicle to inspire our students," said Paul Chapin, NBCS’ head of school. "It's not simply academics, music and character, it's all of that happening, and that is our school's magic."

The generosity of individual donors, corporations, foundations and nonprofits keeps the doors at NBCS open. However, Chapin admits that NBCS has struggled to meet the new demands created by the current economic conditions facing the United States.

"The pandemic has hit our school right between the eyes," Chapin exclaimed.

"Because of all the things that are happening in the world, both with the economics, the stock market, inflation, people wondering how they're going to support themselves, much less support a school,” he continued. “And we're at the point where we are facing financial challenges that are so severe that we run the risk of pulling back on what we do or changing dramatically what we do from an institution that is educational base."

It costs approximately $20,000 annually to educate one NBCS student.

The school has taken to GoFundMe and other methods to raise the funds necessary to keep the boys choir alive. The question is, will they raise enough capital to keep their doors open for more students to benefit from the gift of music?