About
Hi, I’m Jack Senzig, director of Children’s Choir of teh Internet and formerly the Gifford Children’s choir and AppleChor of Racine, WI. I also lead the Composers of Choral Music Community on Facebook (formerly on ChoralNet). I have been a choral director for 30+ years and am trying to provide a useful service for my professional colleagues. My choirs’ success with our performances of several pieces on YouTube has been an education that I would like to share. We have received almost 3 million views of our performances. I have spent far too much time online trying to find other choirs’ videos to see what is going on in the world of choral music. I have made some delightful finds but would much rather have a website I could check regularly. So this is my attempt to provide a service for others like me, choir directors that believe we have something to share with each other. The best way to experience new repertoire is to see it performed live. If you are like me you don’t have time to attend concerts of colleagues. This is a site under construction and once I get a better understanding of actual web design I may move this all to a website that will allow advertising, so enjoy this service for free.
I take no responsibility for the display of copyrighted material. No videos will be uploaded to this site, just embeds from sites such as YouTube.
Note to publishers: This is meant to be a boon to your industry. If you find any of your copyrighted materials on this site and object feel free to contact me and I will remove them. If you want to promote videos of your copyrighted works you may submit two links to the Promoted Video page. Composers and copyright holders that direct their own ensembles are welcome to post to the regular topical pages.
Although the original idea was to have directors share their videos with me that was fruitless. I will now be posting videos that I could imagine programing for a school, church or community choir. Many videos may be from my colleagues and friends from the Composers of Choral Music Community. If you are from my community and you don’t see your video please do not be offended. It may be I just haven’t got to your video or perhaps I honestly don’t see your piece as programable. I want this site to be useful so I am going to have to be real.
Only videos with live accompaniment or a cappella will be posted. Only videos of an actual performance or studio recording of a choir will be posted. Virtual recordings and videos where one person lays down multiple tracks will not be displayed. Videos that show the choir singing are also preferred.
I encourage you to ask permission of the publishers to post your video to YouTube. It has been my experience that they don’t mind it as it gets people to purchase their music. If you don’t get permission you risk having the piece taken down (rare), an advertizement placed on your video or other action taken. I also strongly encourage you to include the publisher and octavo info in the description of your videos to help support the publishers.
If you find your choir’s video or a video of your piece here please comment description of the performance, self critique, critique of the composition etc. Include publisher, octavo # or composer contact info or links if possible. Expect comments and be honest but polite to other directors. Try not to dwell on the quality of the recording as the videos are usually made by volunteers and we don’t want to discourage anyone from helping.
I have been chasing down the info available on the web and through email conversations with the powers that be. It is very clear to me that YouTube has a public performance license from both BMI and ASCAP. The typical fare that we choir directors produce (and is put on YouTube by us or the parents of our singers) is covered by those licenses if the composers belong to BMI or ASCAP. If we make a video that uses prerecorded music or video that is another ball game. (this is not legal advise)
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Warning: This blog is intended for adult use only. Material contained here may be offensive to some viewers. This is a personal blog and does not represent the views of anyone but it’s author and it’s users. Artistic content will be critiqued by author and users. If you have a video that is embedded here that you do not want to appear, change your settings on your video channel so that it can not be embedded. Nothing on this site should be viewed as legal advice. Use at your own risk.
Use Links at Own Risk: This site contains links to other places on the web. You assume responsibility by clicking on those links. The author of this blog takes no responsibility for nor endorses the content found by using those links.
Text on all posts and pages are the copyright of Jack Senzig, if you want to share the post for other than K-12 and post secondary educational reasons, please ask.
Choir Directors' Brag Blog 
Hi Jack
I like your plans. It is a little daunting to run around YouTube to find good choir selections. Your blog will be a great forum for all the wonderful choirs out there. I expect that you will get so many posts that it could turn into a substantial enterprise and a full blown website. Very exciting. When we have a chance, we will send along a few videos of choirs who have performed pieces by Donna Rhodenizer. For now, folks can go to our front page to see a few selections.
Thanks again for this great site.
Andy Duinker
Red Castle Publishing
Hi Jack, I am working with a Rock band that has sold over 40 million records and is about to release their first album in 10 years.
This band will be out this summer and I think there is a song that would be enhanced by preforming it with local and regional choral groups.
I am not sure how to go about this and came across your blog and thought you might be of help.
I can give you more details as well as a clearer vision of what i had in mind. Let me know if there is a contact i can reach you at.
Best Regards,
Bob Divney
Contact info for Gifford Children’s Choir business is through my school account: jon.senzig at racine.k12.wi.us and other blog or personal business at jacksenzig at yahoo.com. I check the later much less often. Leaving a comment on any of my blogs also works during or around the school year as I check them a couple times a day http://giffordchoir.wordpress.com or http://joinchoir.wordpress.com In the summer I am difficult to reach, so the sooner the better. I am interested in your project.
Hi Jack,
Great job on the blog. Appreciate your efforts in creating a valuable resource for others in the community.
I work for RightsFlow, a licensing and royalty service provider. We represent artists, labels, distributors and online music services helping them to license, account, and pay songwriters and publishers.
We recently launched Limelight (www.songclearance.com), a simple service to clear any cover song. Designed by musicians for musicians, Limelight allows any artist, choir or musical group to secure the necessary mechanical license for your CD, digital download or ringtone release. I wanted to reach out and share this resource with you as we ensure compliance and that 100% of royalties due are paid to the correct songwriter/publisher.
Although Limelight does not address the issue concerning Youtube and sync licensing, it is a simple way to clear cover song. We’ve had many, many choirs and a cappella groups using it, and wanted to share it with you. We’d love to know what you think.
Thanks, and keep up the great work!
Warmly,
Michael Kauffman
RightsFlow
Jack,
INTO THIS WORLD is a new, unpublished (copyright 2010) Christmas Carol performed by the Belleville Philharmonic Choral and orchestra ensemble at St. Lukes Catholic Church, Belleville, Il December 12th 2010. Directed by Robert Howard and written by Charles DuMontier MD it is one of 20 songs in a new Christmas musical “MIRACLES”. Is it possible to post the YouTube site on your blog?
thanks
Charles,
Very nice piece. I have posted it in the “Promoted Videos” category. Happy Holidays!
Jack,
Thanks for taking the initiative to create this wonderful choral resource!
Here is a video I would like to add:
“I Will Lift Mine Eyes” by Jake Runestad. Published by Boosey & Hawkes. Performed here by the Peabody Chamber Singers of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD. Jake Runestad, conductor.
Purchasing information:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/I-Will-Lift-Mine-Eyes/19507385
About the composer:
http://www.jakerunestad.com
Thank you!
Jake Runestad
Jake,
What a beautiful performance of a glorious piece. Your harmonies are rich and bright. Someone get this choir to sing this piece at my funeral please (No hurry).
Do you have a video that includes the choir? This is beautiful to listen to but part of the joy of video is seeing the choir and other performers. Even if the audio isn’t as great I would sure like to watch the choir sing and would post it under the college videos as well as in the feed. I really like it. I will post it as is to the promoted videos. Thanks for sharing your creative talents.
Thank you for your kind words! I don’t have a video of the live performance right now but Choral Arts Seattle is performing the piece this weekend and I believe they’re shooting video of the concert. I’ll be sure to send that along when I get it!
Best,
Jake Runestad
http://www.jakerunestad.com
That would be fantastic!
Hey Jack
I like that you are trying to highlight the efforts and successes of other choirs that have posted on youtube. I am a part of a fairly popular group called BYU Vocal Point, and I think you will enjoy the music video we just put out. Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyxXGdG3-Io
It is a collaboration with the largest collegiate men’s ensemble in the US–BYU Men’s Chorus. We would love for you to feature our music video on our blog. Thanks for being a good influence in the choral industry.
Andy Nielsen (Bass of BYU Vocal Point)