Lancaster Fairfield Youth Choir
About LFYC
Lancaster Fairfield Youth Choir was established during the summer of 1992 with the purpose of providing treble boys and girls a high-quality, performance-based music education, regardless of previous musical experience. It was founded when the choral director at Lancaster High School, Ms. Terri Leisten, and junior high choir director, Ms. Catherine Brown, held auditions and hosted a 2-week summer camp culminating in a performance at the Lancaster Festival. LFYC remained a summer-only program until 1995 when it became a year-round singing opportunity for young singers.
Director Lisa Springer joined the group as Brown’s assistant and director of vocal development, and LancasterChorale adopted LFYC as its chief educational outreach ensemble to support it financially and provide opportunities for boys and girls to perform with the professional musicians of LancasterChorale. In 2000, Mrs. Springer assumed the role of LFYC director. When she stepped down, she was followed by Mr. Clarence McCoy, the late Mr. Andrew Brown, Mrs. Marcy Layne, and Mrs. Kylie Ogg. In November of 2023, Mrs. Kathy Smith, an educator with excellent training and years of successful teaching and conducting, accepted the directorship.
This youth choral program aims to empower members with a life-long appreciation of quality choral music while developing friendships, music literacy, and promoting a positive presence of vocal music in Fairfield County and beyond.
Schedule
Tuesday, January 9, 5:30-8:30 pm Auditions
First Presbyterian Church, Lancaster
Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/LFYC-Auditions
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 6:30pm
Community Concert
for the residents of Reflections Retirement Community
2750 W. Fair Ave, Lancaster, OH
Saturday, May 4, 2024 3:00 Concert
First Presbyterian Church, Lancaster
Title: "Keep a Song in Your Heart"
Admission: Free Will Offering
Enrichment
A major facet of the LFYC Mission is to not only enrich young people musically, but to also make them better humans. This is done through three pillars that are paramount to the enrichment/educational plans for each and every LFYC rehearsal and event. Those are Empowerment, Friendship, Performance.
Empowerment: Singers are treated like adults, taking an active role in the selection of music and themes for concerts. They are given the opportunity to show their maturity and accountability by learning advanced music in a timely fashion. Skillsets acquired during rehearsals translate well to other team/group activities, and eventually the workplace. Messages from songs are discussed openly so that singers are growing emotionally as well.
Friendship: Singers learn to find common ground and purpose with singers from different schools, backgrounds, ethnicities, and faiths to achieve musical excellence, and in the process, learn to connect with people whose experiences differ from their own. Trips to theme parks, competitions, and local bowling days/picnics also allow our singers to further bond and develop friendships that will last a lifetime.
Performance: Fundamentals of music literacy learned in school programs are reinforced and expanded upon in our concert preparations. This is done in a variety of ways including Kodaly Methodology, ear training, and foreign language study. Singers learn to comport themselves professionally and are given opportunities to showcase individual talents (visual arts, poetry, musical solos, and public speaking).
Contact
About the Director
Kathy Smith earned her B.S. and M. Ed degrees in Music Education from Capital University and also holds an M. Ed. in Reading from the University of Dayton. She has furthered her training at the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary.
Kathy is a passionate music educator who is currently serving as an elementary music specialist with the Lancaster City Schools. Throughout her career, she has taught for the Diocese of Columbus at Hilliard St. Brendan and Lancaster St. Mary Schools, and at Lakewood Local Schools. She has experience with band, choral, and general music. She also has served as parish music director and choir director for St. Mark Church in Lancaster.
Music is an integral part of Kathy’s life. In addition to teaching, she sings with the Lancaster Community Chorus, is a member of the Standing Stone Strings and Things Dulcimer Club, and performs as a solo artist and workshop leader on hammered and mountain dulcimers.
Kathy resides in Lancaster with her husband Jim. They have three grown children and three grandchildren.
Kathy Smith was appointed director of the Lancaster-Fairfield Youth Choir in November, 2023. Please email lfycdir@gmail.com if you know a child who is interested in auditioning for the choir.