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Youth Choir 'Vocal Coalition' Spreads Message Of Unity, Amplifies Music Of Colorado Songwriters

(CBS4) - Sanya Bhartiya loves to sing. It's the art form the Cherry Creek High School senior believes can change the world, which is why she teamed up with the Vocal Coalition, or VOCO for short.

singing
(credit: CBS)

"VOCO is a youth choir program where we work with local artists and we sing their music with them. So instead of singing traditional choral music, we sing the music of Colorado with the people making it," Bhartiya said.

VOCO's roster is made of 5th-12th grade Colorado singers aged 10 to 18. They sing with Colorado artists of all genres like The Reminders, a hip-hop group that mixes in the soulful sounds of R&B.

Vocal Collation was started by Travis Branam, who is a former music teacher that has a passion for music and youth empowerment.

"We want to help young people claim the power of love in their voice," Branam said.

Braham helps the youth find their voice away from the microphone. The singers in Vocal Collation send out daily email messages of kindness and hope through the "Be the Love" Campaign. Since last November, nearly 5,000 messages have greeted the eyes of their readers every morning.

"I'm going to give you my favorite example, which is 'Today I hope that you drink water and that you stay hydrated.' It's just a cute and optimistic way to start your morning," Bhartiya said.

Bhartiya has also started and runs the Be the Love Podcast, discussing a wide range of issues and how they can create change around those issues by choosing to "Be the Love" across the universe.

No matter the medium, Sanya, and her team of young voices hope to unite others through the power of music.

"We always want to be striving to be the love to ourselves and others. To make our society a place where everybody can feel validated in their humanity and where their identity is loved," Bhartiya said.

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