Houston Boychoir

"It gives me peace of mind..."

The mission of the nonprofit Houston Boychoir is to build men of character through music. Since 1962, the Houston Boychoir has been setting the standard of excellence for artistic achievement and educational outcomes in children’s performing ensembles, and is the only program of its kind to reach out to the inner city of the nation’s 4th-largest metropolitan area. By melding inner-city youths with others from the outlying regions, boys create lifelong friendships and a sense of community. Through the mastery and public performance of music, boys between the ages of 8 and 18 develop discipline, confidence and a loving understanding of art. The program’s three choirs supplement many district schools’ academic and music programs with a core curriculum based on state and national criteria and helps boys learn such subjects as use of the voice, music reading, music theory, and music history in a variety of languages.

Executive Director Pam Henjum recalls that she was introduced to Your Part-Time Controller when YPTC presented at a financial seminar staged by the United Way of Greater Houston. “We were in a position where we could afford them, and it sounded like they could provide services that would benefit us,” she says. “We had a reserve that we had started to invest. It would have taken too much of my time to try to figure out how to record our investments and PPP loans in our accounting software. And I’d still have no confidence that I was doing it correctly. Even with my background in math, I’m not an accountant and I was reaching the limit of my ability. It made sense to go with a company where that’s their business.”

YPTC is helping the Houston Boychoir in several ways, including preparing quarterly financial reports for the board of directors. “It’s really working well. The reports are all standardized and in a proper nonprofit presentation style. It gives me peace of mind and I feel confident that we’re doing and recording things correctly,” she adds. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, YPTC alerted them to programs that they could apply for. And when Henjum has a question YPTC is always very responsive with an answer. “It’s been perfectly fine.”