Lift Every Voice: Expecting the Most and tGetting the Best From All of God's Children

The founder of the Boys Choir of Harlem recounts how he formed his Grammy Award-winning group through teaching the importance of discipline and demanding the best of his charges, lessons he learned through his own impoverished Mississippi childhood.

The Boys Choir of Harlem is known throughout the world, having toured in Europe and Asia as well as in the U.S. The individual almost single-handedly responsible for its success is Turnbull, who rose from poverty in backwoods Mississippi at a time when segregationists were fighting their last-ditch battles. An outstanding vocalist who earned a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music, he began with a small church choir and built it into the larger boys' choir that went on to have its own academy, which sends 98% of its graduates to college. The obstacles the deeply religious Turnbull faced are the problems that plague all of urban society-broken families, irresponsible or addicted parents, the lure of the streets-but he has defeated almost all of them. Prize-winning Boston Globe reporter Manly joins Turnbull in telling this truly inspiring story, supplemented with contributions from his students. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Turnbull, director of the Boys Choir of Harlem, started the group 26 years ago to "share the joy of music with African American children." His success with motivating and transforming the lives of the boys eventually helped the choir evolve into the Boys Choir of Harlem Academy. Music and the music instructors in Turnbull's life were instrumental in shaping his beliefs and desire to rise above his situation. His educational achievements, from an elementary one-room schoolhouse to master's and doctorate degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, are noteworthy for a poor child raised in Mississippi before the civil-rights era. The boys' stories of successes and failures shaped Turnbull's vision of providing musical, academic, financial, and emotional support for his choir members. It is evident from his own drive and ambition that he has instilled the same work ethic and courage in his young men of Harlem. Turnbull's musical triumphs have propelled him into international prominence, and his goodwill and philosophy are lessons for us all. Lillian Lewis