UNITY Performing Arts Foundation

About UNITY

Unity Performing Arts Foundation (UNITY): Was organized and founded in 2000 under the leadership of Marshall White, a native of Fort Wayne, IN.

UNITY is a multi-faceted performing arts organization with a focus on empowering and developing young people in the areas of character, artistry, and leadership. UNITY also focuses on promoting the soulful art forms through education, training, and performances in the areas of choral music, dance, drama, creative writing, oratory, and instrumental music.

The organization is an official company-in-residence on the Indiana University-Purdue University Campus in Fort Wayne, with office and program space located in the Rhinehart Music Center. In addition to providing UNITY with the facilities necessary to run its programs, the location on the IPFW campus also exposes the children/youth in the program—and their parents—to the university environment, which provides familiarity with, and inspiration for, pursuing higher education.

We are an innovative after-school organization designed to serve as a companion support system for young people to help prepare and equip them to be successful at home, school, church, work, college, and in their community. The model of UNITY combines professional arts programming and relevant training, coupled with character and leadership development to give young people a positive and effective platform to prepare them for success in life. UNITY is an innovative performing arts concept for artistic and youth development programming that is relevant for youth of the twenty-first century.

What is Voices of Unity?

Unity’s youth choral program was started on July 8, 2000, on the campus of Indiana-Purdue University of Fort Wayne, IN, under the leadership of Director/Life Coach, Marshall White. The Voices of Unity Youth Choir (VOUYC) is a unique and exciting soulful choral group comprised of young people ages 7 to 19 from various backgrounds in the Fort Wayne community and beyond. The program’s goal is to equip, educate, and empower youth for the world before them. The program prepares them to be successful leaders who will give back to their society and make a difference in their college life, adult life and in their professional careers. This program is much more than a choir.

We provide an educational platform for students to learn, study, and perform mainstream soulful music, such as blues, jazz, spirituals, gospel, R&B, pop, country, hip-hop, neo-soul, and some rap. Students are inspired to learn the historical significance of mainstream soulful music and taught to perform each style in its authentic form.

In addition to singing, students are also exposed to activities that develop and build character through interaction with adult volunteers, youth leadership opportunities and training. Our curriculum includes peer-to-peer group activities that bolster self-confidence and provides life lessons that engender success in life.

VOUYC’s positive and creative environment fosters discipline, teamwork, and professionalism. Our curriculum sets a standard of “excellence and nothing less” that draws even the most shy or most uncertain child out of his/her shell, instills confidence, and helps to improve every child’s ability to socially adapt to other people, cultures and environments. The empowering environment of the choir is simply a transformational experience for many children, teens, and adults.

Some of their Accomplishments

Endorsed by the Indianapolis Colts and has performed The National Anthem for several NFL Indianapolis Colts’ events, including the opening of Lucas Oil Stadium in 2008.

The choir has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Heather Headley, Roberta Flack, The Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Josh Groban, Livingston Taylor, Kirk Franklin and with R& B sensation Keyshia Cole on the nationally televised NFL 2007 Kick-Off Celebration for the Indianapolis Colts.

They have shared the performance stage with John Mellencamp, Stephen Still, and Kelly Clarkson.

They also were named one of the top 50 arts and humanities-based programs in the country serving youth beyond school hours. The recognition was announced as part of the 2009 Coming Up Taller Awards, bestowed by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Voices of Unity was invited to represent the United States of America in the 6th World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China in July 2010 to compete at the highest level. VOUYC is the first-ever Indiana choir to be selected to participate in the World Choir Games, which is the largest choir competition in the world and has become known as the “Choir Olympics.” Over 400 choirs from more than 80 countries were represented in this prestigious choral event competing in various categories of choral music. The Voices of Unity won two gold medals, one in the Popular Choral Music category and one in the Gospel and Spiritual category, and were also named Grand World Champions in the Gospel and Spiritual category.

The Voices of Unity Youth Choir attended the 2012 World Choir Games (The Choir Olympics) hosted in the United States for the first time, in Cincinnati, OH, July 3-14, 2012, where they defended their two gold medals in the Popular Choral Music and Gospel Music categories.

Some programs stats and outcomes since 2000

Unity has served 625 students since 2000, when the organization was founded.
Over 70% of students have been in organization for more than one year.
100% of our current seniors graduate from High School
89% of our students attend college or vocational school
We have had over 110 students enroll in 52 colleges in the United States.
More than 40 students have graduated from college and are pursuing their careers.
10 college graduates have returned back to Fort Wayne to begin their careers.
18 students graduated from college in May & June 2012
6 students are now pursuing advanced degrees
4 students have studied internationally
8 Alumni students have been on our staff
2 Alumni are currently working on our staff

Who is Marshall White?

Marshall White is the CEO and founder of Unity Performing Arts Foundation (UNITY), and the Director/Life Coach for the Voices of Unity Youth Choir. Mr. White has three children, Markeyta, Kamia, and Evan White and stepson Chad Edmonds. He is married to Cynthia White.

Mr. White has been shaping and molding young lives for more than 30 years. He is a trained and accomplished musician, vocal coach, choral director and also serves as a Life Coach to many of students. He is not only concerned with their artistic development but also focuses a great deal of attention on their development in the areas of character, social, academic, decision-making, leadership and preparation for adult life. His personal artistic philosophy is, “Making good music can be very rewarding, but making a good life that counts can be truly fulfilling.”

Mr. White founded a performing arts organization in 2000 called Unity Performing Arts Foundation (UNITY). This organization addresses two major areas of attention for the children and youth of the 21st century: Youth Enhancement and Non-Traditional Arts Education he calls “The Soulful Art Forms.” His desire was to create an environment where youth were trained and exposed to professionalism, discipline and leadership development before college life by providing them with a support system for success throughout their grade school years. Mr. White also wanted to create a multifaceted artistic platform where mainstream soulful arts, music, dance, acting, writing, speaking, and singing were offered in an educational environment. This allows students who aspire to pursue a career in the entertainment industry to have training, coaching, exposure and pre-college education prior to pursuing their dream.

Mr. White launched The Voices of Unity Youth Choir on July 9, 2000. This was the first of the six artistic programs of the organization. The Voices of Unity Youth Choir is a soulful choral program for ages 7 to 19. The choir performs soulful music styles such as jazz, blues, contemporary gospel, spirituals, R&B, early rock, hip hop, pop, and country. The organization’s offices and operations are located on the campus of Indiana-Purdue Universities - Fort Wayne.

Mr. White served for 22 years as music director at True Love Baptist Church where he worked diligently to develop an attitude and standard of excellence in the church choir arena. He inspired singers of all ages to reach their full potential. Mr. White led True Love United Voices to the first gospel concert at the Embassy Theater with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in 1984. He was instrumental in building an artistic relationship between the Philharmonic and the gospel music community in Fort Wayne. He also taught at Bunch Elementary, Timothy L Johnson Academy and Northrop High School in Fort Wayne, IN. He worked at Purdue University in Lafayette, IN as the music director for the Black Voices of Inspiration; a university choral group that represented the President’s Council as ambassadors from 1997-2000.

He authored a book entitled “The Choir Member’s Handbook”, a guide for church choir members. He travels as a consultant conducting choral workshops for churches, schools, and community choirs. He also provides training sessions for choirs wanting to learn the Soulful Choral Style of singing, improve their musicianship and performance. He is currently working on a book that presents the new unique soulful choral approach to singing which is much different from the traditional choral music style, mostly heard in schools and university choirs that perform the classical style of singing.

Mr. White has written several choral pieces for choirs and has arranged many soulful choral pieces for songs performed by mainstream artists. He has performed with his choirs in hundreds of cities in America and has traveled internationally to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji for concerts. He traveled to Shoaxing, China with the Voices of Unity Choir to participate in the 2010 World Choir Games, where they won two gold medals and the grand champion for the Gospel & Spiritual category, He conducted a workshop in the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, OH entitled” Giving Under-Appreciated Musical Art Forms an Educational Platform”. He has conducted choral groups for artists such as Michael Bolton, Clifton Davis, Bill & Gloria Gaither, Michael English, Sandi Patti, Barry Manilow, Heather Headley, Paul Anka, Josh Groban, Keyshia Cole, Livingston Taylor and Roberta Flack. His choirs have performed for notable organizations and businesses such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, United Way, K&K Insurance, Time Services, Youth for Christ, and countless others.

He attended Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, where he studied electronic technology. He later took courses at IPFW in vocal and music theory. He also studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago under the renowned jazz pianist Willie Pickens. Moreover, he has done extensive personal study in music theory, vocal development, and computer programming and electronic music. In 2005 he received an honorary doctorate in ministry from Fort Wayne Theological Seminary and Bible College of Fort Wayne, IN.

Some Accomplished Awards:

Received the 2003 Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne’s Margaret Ann Keegan Award for Program Development and Excellence.
Received the 2008 Great Men, Great Women Award for his outstanding commitment to diversity from Indiana/Purdue University of Fort Wayne Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.
Lead the Voices of Unity Youth Choir to their first international competition as representatives of the United States of America and won the World Grand Champion title and two gold medals at the 6th World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China in July 2010. Upon returning to Fort Wayne he was presented the General’s Award of Fort Wayne by Dan O'Connell, President/CEO Fort Wayne Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Mayor Tom Henry, City of Fort Wayne on July 30, 2010.
Lead the Voices of Unity Youth Choir to the 7th World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio where they defended their two gold medals in the Popular Choral Music and Gospel music categories. This was the first time the games were held in the USA.
Was selected by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels in July 2012 to receive the prestigious Governor’s Award, the Rev. Charles Williams Community Service Excellence Award, at the Indiana State House.

What is Expression?

Expression is UNITY’S creative writing program where students study various styles of writing and are given vital literary foundations for effective expression to become powerful creators and presenters of the written word. Students are also encouraged to experiment with and/or create new forms of written expression after learning about other forms of writing that have helped shape the literary landscape.

At the end of the second semester in May, students will present a recital of their works and a booklet of their writings will be produced. Students will also learn how to approach publishers about getting their works published. Some students will also be asked to produce and perform monologues for Voices of Unity Youth Choir concerts. Expression is the second artistic program to be offered by Unity Performing Arts Foundation and is made possible by grants from various foundations in the community.

To combat the steady increase each year of students who have poor reading and writing skills, Unity provides a fun and unique environment to inspire youth to read more and write better. We pose the challenge this way: If you can't read, you can't write. If you can’t write, you can't communicate effectively. If you can't communicate effectively, both in writing and in the oral presentation of writing, your job and life opportunities will be limited. Students will learn about our country’s great writers and the essential ingredients of good writing, then apply those skills to their own writing and oral presentation of writing.

What We Offer Youth

The Opportunity to Learn and Present Powerful Writing - Students in Expression will study various styles of writing (including soulful prose) and be taught vital literary foundations for effective expression to become powerful creators and presenters of the written word. They will also be encouraged to experiment with and/or create new forms of written expression after learning about other forms of writing that have helped shape the literary landscape.

Character Building and LIFE Development - Building good character prepares our youth to be unique and exceptional professionals. We equip youth with the tools to be successful and useful to society by teaching them how to communicate, lead, plan, respect authority, achieve, dream and be good citizens.

Developing Natural Artistic Talents - Virtually anyone who is passionate about written and oral expression can become skilled in written communication, in fact, some can become great at it! The goal of this program is to provide a positive environment where students can freely explore the written and spoken word.

Exposure and Incentives - Students will have an opportunity to write monologues and skits for consideration in UPAF’s choral performances; write query letters to editors seeking publication, and have their writing appear in a booklet produced by UPAF. Expression participants will also benefit from appearances by guest speakers who have had their works published.

What is Arts Academy?

The Arts Academy is a community partnership artistic program designed by Unity Performing Arts Foundation to provide professional artistic training for inner city and suburban youth.

The Arts Academy was launched in March 2011 in collaboration with Renaissance Pointe YMCA and Unity Performing Arts Foundation. UNITY is honored to be involved with the YMCA because this will expose more inner-city youth in our community to professional artistic training and character-building coaching.

The YMCA provides youth a Christian environment where physical education exposes them to healthy living and wellness as a primary focus. The YMCA also provides other activities and programs that help young people develop their talents, intellect, and social skills. The former Old Fort YMCA and the Southeast YMCA provided artistic programming for youth that exposed them to music, dance, fine art, and singing.

The new Renaissance Pointe YMCA project plans to offer inter-city youth heightened artistic opportunities by creating a partnership with Unity Performing Arts Foundation, a multi-faceted performing arts organization that provides youth a professional artistic experience in the areas of choral music, dance, drama, creative writing, oratory and instrumental music.

The Renaissance Pointe YMCA provides funding for 30 young members to participate in the Arts Academy, UNITY’S signature Voices of Unity choral program and our creative writing program, Expression. These students are exposed to empowering opportunities that help improve their confidence, character, and leadership skills. They will also receive overall development in the areas of artistic expression that will nurture and cultivate their creativity.

Professionally trained artists that span a variety of disciplines including professional dancers, musicians, professors, and teachers conduct Arts Academy classes.

Instructor

Windy Cobb
Kenneth Hayes
Jim Steele
Daniel Stewart
Jason Simon
Kenneth Hayes
Bryan Nellems
June McCullough
Marshall White
Latissha Williams
Latissha Williams

Arts Academy Classes

Program Director
Arts Academy Director
Jazz Piano Instructor
Gospel Piano Instructor
Classical Piano Instructor
Special Soloist Piano Instructor
Percussion Instructor
Voice Instructor
Soloist Instructor
Modern Dance Instructor
Movement & Rhythm Instructor

What are the Youth Development Educational Programs?

One of the unique characteristics of Unity is its ability to use the performing arts as a tool to capture the attention of the youth in the community and bring them into an environment where they develop more than just heightened artistic abilities. Students involved in Unity are given multiple opportunities to engage in life-changing, life-building dialogue with peers, adult coaches, mentors, and volunteers. They also gain insight and information prior to college, adult and work life from our many development programs that educate, empower, condition, and prepare them for the future.

Building Your Character, One Brick At A Time (BC Training Course) – Helping students build and understand the importance of true character.

Communication, Leadership, and Impact (CLI Training) – Training that prepares our students for the real world so they are competitive among their peers in high school, college, the work force and adult life.

Empowerment Weekend Break Out Group Sessions – Students are assembled by age groups to participate in activities and workshops on topics relevant to their ages. This program helps our students to improve their social and communication skills as they participate in group sessions.

Training Institutes - Various short-term classes designed to expose, equip and ignite our students’ interest in areas such as computer technology, database design, digital audio and video, photography and graphic design, sound production and many other exciting disciplines.

Business Round Table Forums – Exposing our students to Business Owners, Corporate CEOs, and Professional Executives, thus inspiring the next generation of business executives.

Shadowing & Internship Opportunities – Exposure is the key to enhancing a youth’s perspective of the future. We believe that to increase hope in the life of a child, you must increase opportunities and possibilities for that child to dream and think big for his or her life. Connecting our high school students to professionals who have achieved their career goals is key to helping them achieve their career goals. This program finds successful professionals from various careers who are willing to make themselves accessible to young dreamers and we unite them together for several shadowing opportunities. UNITY offers our students aged 14 and older the opportunity to work as interns in our office, which also makes it possible for them to seek internships at businesses with whom we have collaborated.

RAP with the Pros (UNITY’S Young Professional Guests Rap Series) – One of the greatest ways to inspire young people to develop their greatness within is to encourage the community of greatness to be accessible to our young people. Young people tend to be influenced by whatever example is accessible to them. If that example happens to be negative, then in most cases they are forced to be inspired by that negative example. Our lecture series brings in great men and women of excellence who can relate to this generation of young minds and be a tangible example of greatness for them by sharing their stories and experiences.

UPAFUnity Performing Arts Foundation - Events