Our History

An authority on vocal and musical development in children, Betty was internationally recognized both for her expertise as a pedagogue, and for her extensive contributions to choral music literature. Her compositions and arrangements for children’s voices, published as the Betty Bertaux Choral Series by Boosey and Hawkes and by several other publishers, have been a staple of children’s choral music for more than 40 years, and are known to music educators around the world. In addition to her own contributions to the repertoire, Betty also commissioned significant works for children’s chorus by other composers, including “Miracles” by Theodore Morrison and “A Midge of Gold” by Elam Sprenkle.

Betty received her Master of Music with Kodály Emphasis from Holy Names College in 1975, where she also taught Kodály methodology and supervised student teaching. In 1992 she received a Masters of Music in Composition from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, continuing her post graduate education with studies in Gordon Music Learning Theory, Voice Care, and Musicianship Pedagogy. In 2001 she was awarded the Doctor of Music Education Honoris Causa by VanderCook College of Music. In addition to her work as Artistic and Education Director for CCM, Betty was a member of the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory, Holy Names College, and Baltimore County Public Schools Program for the Gifted and Talented. She was frequently invited to be a featured presenter at state, national and international conferences, and to serve as a guest conductor, choral adjudicator and vocal clinician for children’s choirs and festivals. In recognition of more than 50 years of contribution to the field of music education, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Organization of American Kodály Educators in 2011.

In a 1986 interview with the The Evening Sun, Betty said, “A singer has a responsibility to be musically literate just as much as an orchestral member. I thought we needed a children’s choir which offered good choral performance but also a solid program of training. Well, you know how they say, ‘Somebody ought to do this’? I decided I was going to be the one to do this.”

Colleague and friend Patricia Amato, who has also been the chorus’ pianist since 1981, says  “Her living legacy are the children of the Children’s Chorus of Maryland and the continuing generations of children. She had respect for the children and the art of the music that she encouraged them to make. Her former students are all over the country and the world. The effect she had was far-reaching and broad.” CCM faculty member Lauren McDougle sums up Betty’s deep regard for her students, as she recollects the moment that Betty told her, “I know they’re just children, but we must never underestimate the depth of their souls.”