About us
“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams” ~ Arthur O’Shaughnessy
ChildrenSong of New Jersey, founded and directed by Polly Murray, is a choral music education and performance program based in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Established in 2000, the program serves children in three choirs between the ages of 8 and 18 from Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester counties.
Mission
ChildrenSong’s mission is to provide the highest quality choral music instruction and experiences to children regardless of their religious, racial, cultural, and economic background, instilling a lifelong love of music and singing.
Vision
ChildrenSong’s vision is to maximize each singer’s potential through innovative and artistic collaborations within the community and beyond.
Meet Ms. Murray, Founder & Artistic Director
Polly Murray is an accomplished choir director and music teacher who has served on the faculty of the Haddonfield School District for over 20 years. She created the ChildrenSong program to enhance performance experiences for South Jersey’s young vocalists who may not have such opportunities due to the circumstances of their schooling.
Ms. Murray received music performance degrees from Temple and Northwestern Universities. Her post graduate work includes studies at Westminster Choir College and Kodály Institute in Kecskemet, Hungary through a Geraldine Dodge Foundation Fellowship Grant.
Ms. Murray has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and Camden County Courier Post as an outstanding music teacher in the region and has received numerous education awards for her distinguished teaching practices and contributions to the arts in South Jersey. She has also directed children’s honor choirs on the regional and state levels including the South Jersey Elementary Festival Chorus in March 2023. In addition to teaching and conducting, Ms. Murray has presented numerous choral workshops both stateside and abroad.
Meet Mr. Nick
Nick Watts- Accompanist
Nick Watts was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. He enjoyed an active musical life as a young student, singing in the local church choir, playing in early music ensembles and youth orchestras, and studying piano, flute, and organ. He went to York Minster for organ lessons at age fifteen, learning from John Scott Whitely, assistant organist at the Minster. Following high school, Nick was awarded an organ scholarship to the Abbey School in Tewkesbury, England, where he accompanied the choir each weekday for evensong in the abbey. Advanced studies continued at Cambridge University.
Mr. Watts was the organ scholar at Queen’s College and had the privilege of directing both the chapel choir and St. Margaret Society Chorus. After earning his Bachelor of Music degree, Nick went to Guildhall School of Music in London, where he continued to study piano performance and earned a diploma in Music Therapy.
Nick came to the United States in 1983 as a music therapy intern at Norristown State Hospital and continued his training by earning a Master of Family Therapy degree from Hahnemann University and a certificate from the Music for People program. Nick as been self-employed since 1993, allowing him the opportunity to develop his career as both a musician and family therapist. He has spent many years working with adolescents in the foster care and juvenile justice systems at Ranch Hope and is the Minister of Music at Christ Episcopal Church in West Collingswood. He has freelanced as a pianist and accompanist for the Greater South Jersey Chorus, performed for weddings and parties, and collaborated with local singers and instrumentalists. He continues to enjoy associations with some of South Jersey’s most talented teachers and students and is adored by the ChildrenSong choristers who affectionately call him ‘Mr. Nick”!
Meet Shannon Lally- Voice Coach
Haddonfield native Shannon Lally is a classically trained mezzo-soprano specializing in operatic, musical theater, and early music repertoire. She holds degrees from Indiana University (M.M. Voice, 2023; Graduate Certificate in Vocology, 2024) and Westminster Choir College (B.M. Voice, 2021), where she studied under the guidance of Peter Volpe and Sean McCarther, respectively. Recent credits include Madame Flora (The Medium), Ramiro (La finta giardiniera), Stefanie Schmid (The Mensch, world premiere), Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas), and Zita (Gianni Schicchi). Her concert work includes performing as the Alto Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Philharmonic Orchestra and Oratorio Chorus at the Jacobs School of Music. She currently resides in South Jersey, where she teaches voice and piano privately.
What our singers say
~ Avery
“If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing.”
~ J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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