Chester Children’s Chorus has a proud 30-year history of helping Chester’s at-risk kids make beautiful music.

More than 950 children have participated over the years, writes the 6abc staff.

The nonprofit group operates year-round out of Swarthmore College for children and youth ages 7 through 18 and performs concerts regularly.  

Choir members either live or attend school in the city of Chester.

“I had no goal when I started the program,” said founder John Alston. “I didn’t know anything about how to teach music, and now I have 115 kids in the choir, and we can sing.”

Alston founded the chorus in 1994 with just seven children.

Beyond developing the musical talent of the youth, being in the choir has sharpened math skills through individualized instruction provided to choir members by Swarthmore College students.

Alston hopes to add a language arts program one day.

“I’m proud I made it to 30, and I wish I had 30 more in me, but I’m pretty creaky these days. We’ve come so far, but we do have a long way to go before we can offer these children all the opportunities they need,” he said.

Find out more about how the Chester Children’s Chorus made a difference in the lives of so many children at 6abc.