"SING AND MAKE MUSIC IN YOUR HEART TO THE LORD."  Ephesians 5:19

The Festival

​IT’S TWO DAYS OF GREAT MUSIC AND FUN! A Saturday practice and a Sunday afternoon worship concert under the baton of a distinguished guest director. Participants will taste the richness of sacred choral music in a fun setting with other children and young people who love to sing.
Open to all students in grades 3 through 9 from any faith community, the festival is held at First Mennonite Church in Berne, Indiana. It culminates in a Sunday afternoon 2 o’clock concert. The children prepare for the festival by listening to music and learning the sheet music sent to them. In some geographic areas where enough children have registered for the event, group practices are also held in the weeks leading up to the festival.
2024 Festival: 
Practice on Saturday, March 2, 2024 (9:00 am – 4:15 pm)
Concert performance on Sunday, March 3 @ 2 p.m.(free and open to the public)
  • Who: Children from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and beyond who love to sing—grades 3 through 9.
  • Cost per child: $35 for registration
  • Location: First Mennonite Church, Berne, Indiana
  • 2024​ guest director:​  Don Ester

Guest Director Don P. Ester, Ph.D.

Don Ester is Professor Emeritus of Music Education at Ball State University, having retired in 2022 after 30 years as professor and area coordinator of music education. A 1980 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, he holds a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Ester has taught in the public schools and has served as a full-time church musician. A frequent guest conductor and clinician for choirs of all ages, he has conducted All-State Children’s Choirs in Indiana, South Dakota, Colorado, and Florida. Since 1990 he has presented over 150 clinics throughout the nation and served as guest conductor for over 75 festival choirs. His research interests include music literacy pedagogy, the adolescent voice, and instructional strategies; he is the author of Sound Connections: A Comprehensive Approach to Teaching Music Literacy. Dr. Ester received the 1998 Ball State University Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2006 Indiana Outstanding University Music Educator of the Year Award, and the 2011 Ball State University Outstanding Faculty Academic Advisor Award. He is a past National Chair of the Society for Music Teacher Education. In 2020, Dr. Ester was named an Outstanding Hoosier Musician by the Indiana Music Educators Association. 

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The Mission of MYCF

Your Child,
One Weekend,
​Loving Sacred Music

Each March, the Mennonite Youth Choir Festival brings children and youth together from various faith communities.  During the two-day festival, participants put the finishing touches on sacred music they have been learning over the past two months in their area rehearsals, culminating in a Sunday afternoon worship concert.
The Mennonite Youth Choir Festival was formed in 1992 with a vision for continuing and strengthening the Church’s tradition of singing in worship. At the festival and in the weeks leading up to it, children gain musical skills and an appreciation for a broad range of sacred music. Singing under the direction of gifted guest conductors, participants lead the assembly in worship.
Our children are the future of the church. Experiences like the annual Youth Choir Festival help ensure that it will be a future full of praise and music.
The mission of the Mennonite Youth Choir Festival is:
  • To assist the church with the responsibility of nurturing our children in music by training young voices to sing and appreciate the music of the church.
  • To bring together young people from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois for a quality festival experience.
  • To introduce them to professional musicians who model a love for the Lord and a profound desire to nurture young people in music of the church.
Check out this YouTube video from Sharon Lehman.
 FESTIVAL REGISTRATION FEE
$35 per singer before November 15
$45 per singer after November 15
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