Tacoma Refugee Choir, A Welcoming Space for All - Interview with Erin Guinup

J.W. Pepper sat down for an interview with Erin Guinup, the founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Tacoma Refugee Choir. TRC is a non-auditioned choir for refugees, immigrants, and friends seeking belonging within a new community. Based in Tacoma, Washington, the organization is committed to creating safe spaces for authentic expression and healing through music, song, and dance. In its first eight years, the choir has welcomed over 800 members from 70+ countries and performed for over 50,000 people at community, educational, and government events, including the National ACDA Conference in 2023. In this interview, Erin shares stories about the impact of the choir, how she approaches music selection, effective rehearsal techniques, and more.

Visit the Tacoma Refugee Choir website: https://tinyurl.com/2zyr3pdp

Read the blog "Vocal Belting 101: How to Help Your Students Use Their Full Voice" with Erin Guinup: https://tinyurl.com/yp6uv9ud

Shop multicultural choir sheet music: https://tinyurl.com/5d8my4fk

Shop all community and collegiate choir sheet music: https://tinyurl.com/3mywdbas

0:00 - Intro
1:32 - Welcome, Erin Guinup
3:21 - Mission Statement of the Tacoma Refugee Choir
4:14 - What impact has the choir had on its singers?
6:13 - How do you go about choosing music?
7:54 - Learning by rote
9:23 - Have you considered publishing?
11:09 - Tell us about the symposium you are hosting
13:50 - How do you measure the success of the choir?
17:18 - What traditional choir rehearsal techniques do you apply?
19:47 - How do you incorporate instruments?
21:05 - How do you prepare for performances?
22:31 - Can you tell us a favorite moment with the choir?
23:21 - Tell us about your music videos
24:21 - How can we get in touch with TRC?
24:42 - Thank you, Erin, for joining us! SUBSCRIBE!

#choir #community #refugees