The mission of Uniting Voices Lexington is to inspire and change lives through music. Founded in 1956 in Chicago in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement, Uniting Voices leverages the power of music to foster unity and understanding between young people of all races, ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, and lived experiences.
Uniting Voices is the nation’s largest provider of choral music education programming, serving as a model for youth choirs across the country. Uniting Voices uses music to deliver culturally responsive curricula, performance opportunities, and social-emotional learning. Beyond developing musical excellence, Uniting Voices’ programs educate students in life skills that create global leaders. Our customized curriculum reflects the diversity of our singer community, using music as a tool for both students and their communities to build bridges, explore historic and contemporary issues, and find common humanity.

Launched in fall 2023 Uniting Voices Lexington is a youth empowerment and music education program inspired by Uniting Voices Chicago, a national leader in culturally responsive and accessible arts education. Through a citywide ensemble and School Programs in partnership with Lexington Traditional Magnet School, Morton Middle School, and Harrison Elementary School, Uniting Voices Lexington offers music education and performance opportunities to youth, ages 8-18, from across Fayette County and the surrounding Bluegrass Region. Programs include extensive music education experiences, learning resources, and world-class performance opportunities.

Through Uniting Voices’ culturally responsive programs, students learn about their homes, the experiences of their neighbors, and their place within the systems and structures that organize their worlds. It is critically important for us to offer a curriculum that reflects the identities of our singers, as well as musical experiences that are relevant and meaningful for young people and their families. Uniting Voices curricula are globally focused, including music from diverse genres, cultures, languages, and historical moments to expand students’ worldviews and foster social and emotional learning.

Uniting Voices is deeply committed to supporting equitable program access for all families and communities. All Uniting Voices programs are offered at deeply subsidized rates, and tuition is offered on a sliding-scale based on family income. No singer is turned away for financial reasons

• Arts Education/Youth Arts

Summary

Uniting Voices Lexington (UVL) respectfully requests $5,000 to support the production and expansion of its Summer 2027 Workshop.

Project Description

Summer 2027 Workshop

In response to community feedback calling for youth programming in the early summer, UVL is moving its fourth annual music and movement workshop, typically held in the spring, to June 2027. The workshop will be open to students grades 6-12 and will be promoted to existing UVL singers, as well as students in Fayette county and the surrounding counties.

UVL estimates a reach of 100-150 students for the Summer 2027 Workshop, expanding from an attendance of 33 in April 2026. It is expected that attendance will increase due to a number of factors. Mainly, current UVL singer families and community have expressed that Lexington youth experience a gap in extracurricular programming in the first few weeks after the end of the school year; families are actively seeking enriching programming with trusted mentors during this time. Compared to the 2026 Spring Workshop, UVL’s staff has grown; an additional conductor increases staff capacity, allowing for a larger group of singers to receive the same high-quality music education experience. Increased awareness and participation in our citywide ensemble and School Program during the 2026-27 season will also bolster participation.

Tentatively occurring at Gatton Park, workshop participants will receive a full day of vocal and choreography instruction, focusing on musicality, stage presence, and performance. Beyond musical skills, singers will also explore what it means to move and be present in their bodies, as well as public presentation skills and confidence. Students will participate in a guided conversation regarding the cultural context of the pieces learned, as well as collaborate with culture bearers, amplifying music as a positive tool through which students explore, understand, and engage with their peers and the world around them.

Proposed Summer 2027 Workshop artistic guests include:
Lexington Ballet Company
Divine Karama, a local hip hop artist
Josephine Lee, President, Uniting Voices
Chloe O. Davis, Choreographer

To conclude the workshop, singers will present to the public a concert combining music and choreography learned during the day. Singers will have musical accompaniment and experience a professional quality production. For all of our programs, performances play a key role in helping singers transition learning into practice, and experience connection with other students from across their city, many of whom may have otherwise never met. Performances offer singers the unique opportunity to serve as ambassadors for their neighborhoods and city, understand they are a valuable part of Lexington’s artistic vitality, and share their authentic voices and identities with a broad, diverse audience. In line with Uniting Voices’ long-term commitment to financial accessibility, the event will be offered at low cost, with a pay-what-you-can policy.

While strong infrastructure exists in Lexington for youth to participate in athletics, few opportunities exist for youth to engage in music education and performance that is accessible, culturally responsive, and relevant to their lived experiences. Uniting Voices Lexington provides equitable access to high-caliber music education for youth across the Bluegrass region, fostering community through song.

The Summer 2027 Workshop welcomes students from across Lexington and the surrounding counties to experience the benefits of our programming, which uses music as a tool to deliver culturally responsive curricula, performance opportunities, and social-emotional learning. By activating partner spaces such as Gatton Park, UVL amplifies the city’s cultural life and highlights diverse local traditions. Through participation in our programs, youth and their communities celebrate their shared humanity and see their experiences and cultural traditions as vital and vibrant.

Uniting Voices Lexington conductors have extensive experience facilitating meaningful dialogue among singers, encouraging self-reflection as well as connections between the music studied and other aspects of students’ personal or academic experiences.

Uniting Voices Lexington invites students and community members to participate in workshops and further programming through media stories, partner promotion, and digital channels. Along with digital ads through Meta, Uniting Voices Lexington partners with Transylvania University for social media, physical, and digital promotion.

Our main marketing and branding communication strategy consists of social and web promotions, partnerships (such as with local schools, universities, community organizations, and government), event signage, and video promotion. Local partnerships, along with community outreach through Uniting Voices Lexington staff and other advocates, help us to reach new audiences.

Uniting Voices Lexington has partnered with Visit Lexington and The Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA) to promote events and programming.

The Summer 2027 Workshop will serve students in grades 6-12 across Fayette and surrounding counties, alongside current UVL singers. The program culminates in a public performance open to the entire Lexington community. By supporting the voices of Lexington youth and fostering a sense of belonging and shared identity, UVL seeks to become an essential component of Lexington life, bolstering cultural vitality, producing educational and economic benefits, and improving the wellbeing of participants and residents.

Uniting Voices leverages the power of music to foster understanding between youth of all races, ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, gender/sexual identities, and lived experiences. By connecting a singer community that mirrors the Bluegrass region’s growing diversity, the program bridges social divides and creates pathways for communication and connection. The Summer 2027 Workshop expands this impact through creative collaborations with external artists and organizations. Creative collaborations with diverse artists are a key component of Uniting Voices programs, allowing us to represent music with cultural integrity and appropriately educate about the historical and cultural significance of each piece.

Proposed Summer 2027 Workshop artistic guests include:
Lexington Ballet Company
Divine Karama, a local hip hop artist
Josephine Lee, President, Uniting Voices
Chloe O. Davis, Choreographer

The workshop will tentatively be held at Gatton Park. A portion of the Uniting Voices Lexington singers present at the workshop are a part of our school programs, run in partnership with Lexington Traditional Magnet School, Morton Middle School, and Harrison Elementary School.

By welcoming students from across Lexington and the surrounding counties, this initiative serves as a recruitment tool for UVL’s broader programming, introducing youth to the opportunities and benefits of Uniting Voices. UVL’s transformative musical experiences expands students’ worldviews, builds crucial social-emotional skills, creates space with trusted mentors, and facilitates a safe, nurturing environment through which singers express themselves through a positive outlet and with community support.

Uniting Voices Lexington will measure program outcomes through post-program surveys administered to participating students and families. These surveys will assess both the impact of the program and the overall quality and accessibility of the participant experience.

Students will reflect on their growth in areas such as confidence, singing and performance skills, movement and dance skills, sense of belonging, and connection to peers and the broader community. Questions will help us determine whether participants developed new artistic skills, felt more confident as performers, built meaningful relationships, and experienced a stronger connection to their community. Families will provide feedback on the overall process, including ease of registration, communication, accessibility, and any barriers they encountered. Surveys will include both scaled responses and open-ended questions, providing quantitative and qualitative data.

Results will be reviewed to identify successes, areas for improvement, and participant needs. This information will help Uniting Voices Lexington strengthen future programming, improve accessibility, and ensure that our workshops continue to provide meaningful artistic, social, and community-building experiences for young people and their families. Project effectiveness will be determined by workshop and audience attendance and engagement, as well as any resulting program registration.
Along with informal video from staff, Uniting Voices Lexington hires a professional photographer to document its workshops.

• UVL-Letter-of-Support-S.-Crayton.pdf
• Judy-LexArts-Grant.docx