Rise Up Chorus Inc. Mission

 

The purpose of Rise Up Chorus (“RUC”) is to enrich lives through musical experiences. We are an inclusive community that nurtures meaningful connections and human interaction. Inspiring good. Changing lives. Making music.
 

Background of Strategic Outreach Statement and Implementation Plan

 

This Outreach Policy and Implementation Plan (“Strategic Outreach Plan'') was reviewed and approved by the RUC Board of Directors on November 10, 2022. It was effective immediately thereafter, and will be in effect until future amendments are made.

 

Rise Up Chorus is committed to ensuring that a high-quality musical, educational, and community-building experience is available to all those who desire to have such an experience regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, identity, orientation, affiliation, socioeconomic status, or any other defining characteristic not listed here. RUC works to amplify marginalized voices through equity and justice in membership, community engagement, and musician representation. We believe that all voices deserve just representation in the following areas:

 

• membership

• audience

• collaborating partners

• community-at-large

• the music that is performed

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RUC's Artistic Staff and Board of Directors work to ensure that all of these areas are being represented in its programming throughout any given season. This Strategic Outreach Plan is reviewed regularly to ensure its core values are being met, and a copy of this plan is made available to all volunteers, contractors, staff, performers, audience members, and all other members of the community; it is published on RUC’s website.

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Areas of representation

 

Membership​​

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1. RUC currently ensures that there is a broad representation of all marginalized populations among its chorus members.

   • This will be accomplished through targeted advertising that helps to illustrate the welcoming and inclusive nature of RUC, focusing especially on those marginalized groups that are typically underrepresented.

2. RUC currently ensures that it is known there is a place for all people to participate in Rise Up Chorus.

   • This will be accomplished through continued community outreach and performances that illustrate the welcoming and inclusive nature of RUC.

3. RUC currently ensures that there is no financial burden in being a member of Rise Up Chorus.

   • This will be accomplished by continuing to keep our choruses completely tuition-free and free of membership dues.

4. RUC has membership and ensembles for children as young as third grade (approximately 8 years of age) through teens, adults, and seniors of all ages.

 

Audience

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1. RUC currently ensures that there is a broad representation of all marginalized populations among its audience members.

   • This will be accomplished by programming music with a wide spectrum of appeal to people of all groups, especially those marginalized groups that are typically underrepresented.

2. RUC currently ensures that it is known there is a place for all people to attend a Rise Up Chorus performance.

   • This will be accomplished by demonstrating a broad interest and appeal in our advertising of all public performances.

3. RUC currently ensures that there is no financial burden in attending an RUC performance.

   • Although we do charge for admission into our Cornerstone Concert Series, we will ensure that there are tickets set aside for those who are in financial need.

   • We will also ensure that each concert season is balanced with several free performances in addition to our ticketed performances.

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Collaborating partners

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1. RUC currently ensures that all partners with whom we collaborate share our core principles and ideals.

   • Our Artistic Director and Board of Directors will make sure that all collaborating partners fully understand the mission of Rise Up Chorus and its dedication to lifting all marginalized voices.

   • Our Artistic Director and Board of Directors will further ensure that all collaborations are executed with equity and justice for all involved.

2. RUC currently continues to actively seek-out community partners that represent marginalized populations, and these partners will actively be involved in the planning of collaborative events.

   • The RUC Board of Directors currently actively works with community partners whose focus is on issues of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, identity, orientation, affiliation, socioeconomic status, and other defining characteristics that are not listed here.

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Community-at-large

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1. RUC is situated in Metuchen, NJ in the heart of Middlesex County in Central New Jersey, approximately 35 miles southwest of Manhattan. Our target area is an approximate 25-mile radius around our rehearsal venue of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Metuchen, NJ. This is a diverse area. Middlesex County alone (according to the US Census Bureau based on the 2020 Census) consists of a population of 860,807 residents of whom approximately 40% are White, 13% are Black or African American, 26% are Asian, and 23% are Hispanic or Latino. Around 33% of the population was born in another country. The median home value was just over $350,000 with an average of 2.77 persons per household. The median household income is nearly $92,000, and 7.4% of people are living in poverty. Around 45% of people speak a language other than English at home. Around 90% of adults hold a high school diploma, and roughly 44% hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

2. RUC believes that its work goes far beyond the concert halls directly to our community-at-large, as defined above. As such, it is important that the work we do benefits all marginalized groups within our community-at-large.

   • Our Director of Outreach will ensure that we create several free performances where members of the Rise Up Chorus Community go into venues of disenfranchised populations to give them musical experiences of the highest quality.

     • These performances may be choral or large-ensemble in nature; however, they may also be solo, duet, or small group performances.

   • Our Director of Outreach will ensure that our members are also doing good in the community through philanthropic efforts and volunteerism.

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The music that is performed​

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1. RUC currently continues to intentionally program and perform music composed by marginalized voices as is evidenced in our current and past concert programs.

   • The composers of the music that we perform come from vast and diverse backgrounds including many marginalized voices.

   • Our Artistic Director and Board of Directors ensure that entire performances are dedicated to the representation of marginalized voices.

   • Our Artistic Director and Board of Directors ensure that several pieces of music on nearly all of our concert programs have representation by composers of marginalized voices.