First Lady Awards for Vision and Creativity
Choir Guidelines

The purpose of Verses and Voices is to develop learning experiences that teach students to see, shape and share the creative meaning of words. This special and unique program integrates the creative arts through poetry.

A school choir may earn a First Lady’s Award for Vision and Creativity by presenting a concert that includes a song by a Missouri composer and a song setting a poem by a Missouri poet. Refer to the Missouri composer and poet lists and festival programs on the Verses and Voices web site to help with song selections.

• The Missouri composer song may use any text.
• The song setting a poem by a Missouri poet may be by any composer.
• The printed program for the concert must include both the composer and the poet names for both songs enabling the audience to know the source of the text.

For example:
I Am Not Yours ........................ Z. Randall Stroope / Sara Teasdale, poet

If the school has other First Lady Award recipients, the choir concert should also include readings of the poems and displays of the artworks receiving First Lady Awards.

Download a PDF of these guidelines here.

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