Adult Recreational Choirs – Something Good

The Cause

Adult Recreational Choirs (ARC) is a non-auditioned choir with a vision of “bringing the Calgary community to its feet by awakening, nurturing and sharing the magic of voices in harmony. Our mission is “to provide creative and challenging opportunities for adults to enrich their lives and our community through musical expression and performing arts.

Established in 2002, ARC grew to offer multiple ensemble options featuring eclectic and diverse repertoire in a community recreational setting. ARC’s membership represents people between the ages of 18-80 who come from varied backgrounds reflecting the diversity of our community. This creates a stimulating and supportive community environment for all.

ARC is running a new ensemble called “Something Good” as a pilot project during the 2022-23 season. This will be an ensemble with a socially conscious focus on giving back to the community through the gift of music. Moving away from the performance and movement focus of the other ARC ensembles, this group will rehearse together with a focus of sharing a love of music with seniors, vulnerable,
underprivileged and disadvantaged communities in Calgary. When sharing their music, the director and singers will actively involve members within these communities to sing along and play small instruments, so the music is experienced and created together rather than the typical framework of a choir performing to an audience.

Though running as a separate ensemble under the ARC umbrella, this group will be invited to join the other ARC ensembles at workshops, the annual retreat and larger performances at Christmas and in the spring. Outreach projects hosted by Something Good members will in turn invite members from other ensembles to participate by assisting with compiling and delivering donations to organizations visited
and as appropriate.

Something Good will include a director and accompanist specific to this ensemble along with support provided by the current administrative team. All other aspects will be member/volunteer driven. A choir coordinator will assist with communication to the membership and a performance coordinator will assist with community connections and bookings. Members within the ensemble will help with the execution of logistical plans (e.g. equipment transport and set-up/take down) and as singers will encourage and involve those they are sharing their music with.

Who Will it Benefit?

Something Good exists for the sole purpose of being out in the community with populations who are vulnerable, underprivileged or disadvantaged. Over the years, ARC has established relationships with Trinity Lodge, Revera Evergreen, and L’Arche. Something Good will expand on previous relationships by initially reaching out to these agencies to offer our interactive musical experience to their clients. The
director and volunteers have been working over the summer months (July and August 2022) to connect with and begin building rapport with several other agencies (e.g. Women’s Centre, CARYA, The Alex Centre). Ultimately, this project will focus on bringing the joy and experience of music to groups of people who may not typically have access to musical experiences otherwise.