Marcos Carreras Children's Chorus of Springfield

Marcos Carerras, director of the Children's Chorus of Springfield, leads a rehearsal on March 31, 2015, at the Trinity United Methodist Church on Sumner Avenue.

(Brian Steele | MassLive.com)

SPRINGFIELD - About 50 children stand in two rows in a performance space at Trinity United Methodist Church, following the instructions of Marcos Carreras.

Starting at stage left, Carreras gets the children to snap their fingers. The sound slowly sweeps across the room like a wave. Then he adds in whistling, leg slapping, foot stomping and, once the sound builds to a crescendo, the singing begins.

Carreras and the Children's Chorus of Springfield simulated the sounds of birds singing in a rainstorm, getting them in the right frame of mind to rehearse a piece with a Caribbean vibe.

"I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly difficult this is," Carreras says to the group when he hears a mistake, and makes them start over. "And for a children's choir, you have to be elite."

Elite is a good word to describe Carreras' career and the expectations he has for his students.

The choir at the prestigious Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, Conn., flourished under his leadership and won numerous awards in nationwide competitions. But Carreras wanted to move on and run a strong children's chorus in a city that needed him more, so he took over the Children's Chorus of Springfield as executive and artistic director last fall.

"The city's on a tremendous rise and I feel like I want to be a part of it," he said in a wide-ranging interview with MassLive. Carreras, a man of God, said, "I really believe it was planned for me to be here."

Carreras has so much energy he can barely sit still. In his office at the church on Sumner Avenue, he wheels around in his chair, gesticulates wildly, even allows his shoes to fall off as he kicks up the passion in his voice. He laughs freely and never runs out of patience for questions, encouraging conversations about anything and everything.

During rehearsal, he commands attention, keeping the kids engaged in the music even as he runs individual exercises.

College preparedness is a major focus of the work he does, even though the chorus is for children ages 8 to 14.

"The students that I'm trying to teach now will be the first generation to go, God willing," he said. He's trying to work out an affiliation with American International College that will let the chorus use the school's branding and facilities.

A college education was mandatory for Carreras and his siblings. Starting when he was 5 years old, his father would sit him down every Friday and instill in him the importance of continuing to learn.

Carreras' father was the first Latino trustee at The University of Hartford, where Carreras earned two degrees from the Hartt School of Music. His father handed him his diploma at graduation. Two decades later, Carreras himself is a trustee at the school, only the second Latino to hold that position.

"My father opened the door for me," he said. "I want to do better for people like me. ... I can't think of many (Puerto Rican) families that every member of the immediate family is college-educated. It doesn't happen, let alone if you come to the mainland."

Learning music allows children to become comfortable in leadership roles and it helps them discover who they are, Carreras said. Some of his students are uncomfortable with public speaking, maybe to the point they won't raise their hands to answer questions at school, but as part of the chorus, they will introduce songs and perform for large crowds.

Carreras understands the personal struggles that may keep children from seeking the spotlight, even briefly. The 43-year-old is learning disabled and he started reading music before books. His own child has special needs.

Even though it can be tough for some to stay focused, succeed and excel in the face of those challenges, Carreras has done it and he's making sure others can, as well. And he doesn't accept excuses.

"Don't tell me 'I can't,'" he said to students who griped about the difficulty of the rainstorm exercise. "I don't want to hear it."

So what does he want to hear? Excellence.

The group is competing for a chance to perform live as part of WGBY's "Together in Song" series. The top two vote-getters win a trip to the Regional Choral Awards show on April 26. Viewers of that program will choose which group they like better, and they will become the subject of a 30-minute special broadcast.

(To vote, follow the instructions at this link. Voting ends April 12 at 8 p.m.)

Carreras is eager to give his students that opportunity, and if they're successful, it could mean a fundraising boost. Despite generous support from the community and organizations like Baystate Health, the chorus only has enough money to operate until June 1, and it can't rely on grants forever.

When asked about the group's biggest obstacle, Carreras was ready with an answer before he even heard the whole question: "Funding!"

"You know what I can do in a year in this community? Look what I've done in six months!" he said, speaking rhetorically to potential philanthropists. "If you don't help me, I'm done."

Donations would help the CCS move closer to what Carreras believes it could be: Elite.

He envisions 100 students and three choirs run by three staff members. The top-tier choir would record music, go on tour and perform on television.

Right now, the CCS performs original songs in multiple languages, some of which Carreras and collaborator Jim Papoulis invented by combining others like Spanish and Yiddish. They put Arabic lyrics over reggaeton and Celtic lyrics over South African beats.

"At the end of the day, we're all trying to make a difference," said Carreras. "Any time somebody says I can't, I do it."

Children of all backgrounds can join the CCS, as long as they are Springfield residents between 8 and 14 years old. Rehearsals are held on Tuesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The cost is $20 per month or $180 for a full year.