Bloomington Area Choir for Home Schoolers (BACHS)

The Bloomington Area Choir for Home Schoolers (BACHS) was formed in September 1998 when several home schooling families agreed that a choir would meet a specific need for local home school children. The choir is the result of a prayerful idea of Angela Lusk, wife of our director and founder. Our initial group began with only 27 students, growing to our over 135 students in 2011.

There are two functioning choirs in BACHS. The Treble Choir provides ear training, using unison and two-part group exercises.  The goal of this group is to prepare the students for more intensive work as they grow musically.  The rehearsal time is designed to teach rhythm skills, matching pitch and other exercises using the selected music.

The Treble Choir is open to students 8 to 12 years of age, and will accomodate those students over age 12 who are not involved in music lessons.  Established in 2006, Miss Jessica Doddek served as director until June 2011.  Under her leadership, the repertoire of the Treble Choir was expanded to include many patriotic and classical selections.  The choir is accompanied by students who are well versed on piano and have the ability to assist the director. 

The Concert Choir offers the opportunity for musically advanced students to learn more challenging music (four-part) at a rigorous pace. Those students who currently study music, or are involved in private music lessons may participate in the Concert Choir.  

The goal of the Concert Choir is to improve tone quality and breathing techniques, and to help the student’s voice to mature.  Sight reading is strongly emphasized, using the notation from the sheet music to reinforce the learned skills.

A spring concert is presented each year during the last week in May, where both choirs are featured. In addition to the May concert, the Concert Choir performs at local luncheons, civic or church functions, and Christmas season activities.  Some previous functions include: 

• The Bloomington “Festival of Trees”
• McLean County Annual Senoir Expose’
• The Bloomington Public Library
• Westminster Village Retirement Residence
• Bro Menn Regional Medical Center’s Christmas Celebration
• Evergreen Village Retirement Residence
• McLean County Nursing Home; Jackson Heights Nursing Home & Blair House Retirement Residence
• First Baptist Church (Mason City, IL) Christmas Services

Concert Choir Director

Mr. Don Lusk is an honor graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.  He studied voice and choral conducting with Professor Shelton McGee, director of the University’s Vesper Choir for 41 years.  As a member of the Vesper Choir, Mr. Lusk was tenor soloist for two years and president during his sophomore and senior years.  After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 1979, he taught high school choral music in the Ashley County School District in southern  Arkansas.  He has done graduate work in choral conducting at Arkansas State University, Northeast Louisiana University and the University of Wisconsin.

Mr. Lusk serves on the Board of Directors of SMI-CREDO Chamber Music and is also choir director at Christ Church, PCA in Normal, IL.  He is employed as a Property and Casualty Consultant for a major insurance company.

Treble Choir Asst. Director–Miss Anna Bates

Anna is a 2011 graduate of BACHS, where served as accompanist for the Treble Choir and member of the Concert Choir.  She has also been featured as instrumental soloist during several performances.  Anna is an active member of LeRoy Christian Church, where she participates in Bible Bowl, Children’s Church and Teen Group.  She has also participated in the two-week Summit Ministries Seminar in Wisconsin.

Anna enjoys playing piano and flute and works as a sales associate at a local retailer.

Our Accompanist – Mrs. Patricia Cole

Accompanist

Mrs. Cole received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois.  She has offered music classes for pre-elementary and elementary students in which tunes from “The Christian Mother Goose” by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker were featured.  She and her husband have also coordinated music at their church for the Independent Baptist Convention.

Mrs. Cole is a former private school music teacher and has several musically talented children who have studied flute, violin, viola, cello, organ, piano and horn.