About

History

John Alston’s passion for music was sparked at the age of 10, when he joined the Newark (NJ) Boys Chorus.  His experience in the chorus inspired him to earn a degree in music and a Doctorate of Music in Choral Conducting.  In 1990, Dr. Alston joined the music faculty at Swarthmore College.

Recognizing the tremendous impact the Newark Boys Chorus had on his own development, Dr. Alston founded the now-acclaimed Chester Children’s Chorus (CCC) in 1994.  John’s extraordinary ability to imbue young people with the joy of learning through music and performance is manifest in the success of the chorus.   He soon realized that Chester’s children also needed a rigorous education that would prepare them to effectively navigate the challenging world they will enter.

Today John Alston’s work touches over 700 children in Chester, more than 10% of the city’s children, through innovative arts programs including:

1. The Chester Children’s Chorus
2. Sing-to-Learn
3. The Chester Upland School of the Arts (CUSA)

CUSA represents the boldest and potentially most important of these high-impact initiatives

Today John Alston’s work touches OVER 700 children in Chester, MORE THAN 10% of the city’s Children.