Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
This Friday, Swarthmore music professor John Alston is being honored as part of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity’s Achievement Week, which celebrates outstanding members of local communities who have made a noteworthy contribution toward improving the quality of life for black Americans. The award ceremony will be held in Aston, PA, with Swarthmore Vice President Maurice Eldridge ’61 presenting the award.
Alston is being honored by the Epsilon Pi chapter of Omega Psi Phi which is based in Chester. “My guess is that the school got their attenion,” said Alston, referring to the Chester-Upland School of the Arts, a new school for 120 Chester children, kindergarten through first grade. Alston is one of the leading visionaries behind the school, and he serves as president of the Chester Fund, the main fundraising institution for the school. Alston even appears in the classroom four days a week, helping students learn how to create original music.
His experience with the school has made him even more ambitious. The Chester Children’s Chorus, a music program which takes seventy-five children from Chester and teaches them to sing, is raising money to hire a new Assistant Director, according to Alston. A large portion of this position would involve going into Chester’s four elementary schools and leading music classes.
“The first year, it won’t exactly be a chorus,” explained Alston. “But after 2-3 years, you’ve got hundreds of kids signing regularly. That … that is going to be awesome.” The program will be a serious one, with the director visiting every classroom at least twice a week. “Once a week is just not enough for children to develop,” said Alston, flatly.
The program is part of his broader vision for the Chorus. “The best of those kids will join the [Chorus],” he said.
Meanwhile, Alston continues to roll out new plans for Chester. A science-in-the-summer program has expanded into the normal school year. The Chorus’ staff has grown to take over the offices that once housed the Lang Center. Alston plans to release a CD in the coming months which he hopes to hear playing on Philadelphia’s FM Gospel station.
In a previous interview with the Gazette, Alston responded to critics who worried he was another in a long line of educational misadventures for the Chester community. Then, he noted that “I came in fourteen years and I’m still here. I’m not going to leave.” The Omega Psi Phi fraternity’s award gives even more credence to his commitment to the Chester community.
The Gazette was not able to reach the Omega Psi Phi fraternity for comment.
