Sing for Life!

Sing for Life Concept Now a Reality

Sing For Life

Michael Kysar, the Boeing Employee Choir’s former musical director, developed the concept of Sing for Life more than 30 years ago.

At the time, he was a junior high school music teacher in the Highline School District, teaching orchestra, choral music and directing musical theater productions.  He saw the potential in his students and enjoyed watching them grow musically.  “When they graduated and came back to visit, they were reluctant to say they weren’t pursuing anything musically.  Their voices were rusty and their lives were full of other things.  I thought it was such a shame,” he said.

“I started to think how I could  encourage them to integrate singing into their lives,” he said.  “Singing is one of life’s joys.  It keeps you young, healthy and emotionally connected.  It is an honor to be able to share beautiful music with others.  And performing for an appreciative audience brings enormous pleasure and spiritual satisfaction.”

Along the way, Kysar developed a popular seminar for performers, Psychodynamics of Music Performance, which he presented across the U.S. and Canada.  He incorporates some of this information into classroom sessions when his visits students preparing for the Sing for Life joint concerts.  Judging from the student reactions, his teaching techniques are highly appreciated, entertaining and inspiring.

As music director of the Boeing Employees Choir, his vision eventually crystallized.  His choir, which he often promoted as the “world’s oldest youth choir” would be the example, that vital conduit between the young students and singing for life.

In its first two years, Sing for Life touched the lives of more than 200 young singers.  In a survey, 94 percent said Sing for Life made an impact on them, and they want to continue to sing throughout their lives.  Sixty percent they would “definitely” find a way to continue to sing.