The Boys' Choir of Tallahassee, a community outreach project of The Florida State University School of Social Work is a program for males who come from public and private schools throughout the Tallahassee area. The Boys' Choir of Tallahassee continues to prepare young men for the twenty-first century through music, discipline, and academic excellence. With its motto "No Excuses," the Choir continues to grow in popularity on the local, state, national and international level.

When our program began in August 1995, we had just 25 Choir members. We were able to increase the membership to 40 by the end of the first year. By the end of the second year our membership rose to 65, and we currently have 125 members. The age range of the young men who participate has increased from 8 to 19 years old. The Choir is most proud of its graduation success. Since its first member graduated in May 1998, all of its seniors have graduated and are on scholarships at a major college or university, majoring in electrical engineering, business, finance, architecture, sports medicine, physical therapy, computer science, and social work.

The Boys' Choir of Tallahassee focuses its efforts on counseling and tutoring choir members. When our program began, our study hall sessions lasted one-and-a-half hours three times each week. Currently, our study halls meet three hours three times each week. We have four major groups which boys are required to attend:

Self Esteem: all new members of the Choir are required to attend a four-week group counseling class which focuses on building the boys' self-esteem, helping them to believe in their own ability to achieve and excel academically and preparing them mentally to perform with a positive attitude about themselves.
Reading: this group focuses on 8- to 12-year-old boys by tutoring them in reading, and by teaching them to read appropriate literature and watch television programs and movies that are appropriate for their mental and emotional development.
Juvenile Justice: this group provides a stark introduction to the impact and consequences of crime and what will happen to them if they make the wrong choice.
Relationships: this group focuses on teaching young men how to treat others with respect and gives a great deal of attention to the development of social skills, etiquette, and dating.

We monitor closely each member who joins the Choir and provide the support needed to ensure full involvement in all of the study and counseling sessions.

The Boys' Choir of Tallahassee has performed at churches, convention halls, nursing homes, group homes, and juvenile correctional facilities throughout the United States and abroad. The Choir has opened for stars such as singer Natalie Cole, appeared on a program with actress Jane Fonda, and performed with gospel legend Albertina Walker. In 1998, the Boys' Choir performed on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage for its anniversary celebration. In August 2000, the Boys' Choir performed at the Elvis Presley birthday celebration in Tupelo, Mississippi. In August 2000, the Boys' Choir performed on program with the Mississippi Mass Choir at the Elvis Presley birthday celebration in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Boys' Choir hosts and participates in numerous workshops throughout the country each year. As a part of its annual summer tour in 2000, the Boys' Choir participated in a workshop with the nationally and internationally acclaimed Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York City. The Choir has appeared at several engagements with political figures such as General Colin Powell, and Reverend Jesse Jackson, and performed at Governor Jeb Bush's inauguration. The Choir was chosen to perform at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia in April 2001 at an event commemorating the life and recognizing the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On June 13, 1999, The Boys' Choir of Tallahassee traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to represent the City of Tallahassee in the All-America City Competition. The Boys' Choir stole the hearts of everyone in attendance and played a major role in Tallahassee being chosen one of ten All-America Cities. The Choir was asked to perform at the awards ceremony, something that had never been done in the competition's fifty-year history. The Choir was also asked to perform at the 2000 Competition. One of the Choir's most notable performances occurred when the Boys' Choir of Tallahassee traveled to Freeport, Bahamas, to participate in the International Music Festivals competition.

There the Choir competed against 165 ensembles from across the world and received First Place Gold Medal for the Men's Choir, First Place Gold Medal for the Choral Division, First place Gold Medal Overall Ensemble, and the Grande Sweepstakes Award recognizing the ensemble with the highest score (98.5 out of a possible 100 points).

The Boys' Choir was selected to represent the State of Florida at the Millennium celebration in Italy. The Choir was nominated by Senator Bob Graham and selected by a panel of music educators from Washington, D.C. In June 2000, the Choir spent ten days in Italy and presented concerts in Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan, hosted by the mayors of those cities. The Boys' Choir was recently featured in the November 2000 issue of Southern Living Magazine and selected as a recipient of a National Council on Crime and Delinquency New American Community Award. These successes have made tremendous impacts on the self-esteem of our Choir members. Each member now sees himself in a larger, worldwide context of personal possibilities and opportunities for the future. And with each performance they give, our Choir members learn they have the ability to achieve and excel.

If you would like to help the Choir off-set their expenses, you may do so by making your tax deductible checks payable to: