That success has many parents is not always a bad thing. Such is the teamwork end result of a dream by Tessanne Chin, through her startup eponymous foundation, to host a summer intensive with youngsters to unearth their talents and breathe life into their dreams.

From August 8 to 21 some 30 youngsters formed the first cohort of what is hoped to be an ongoing effort to nurture the ambitions of the creative artists, particularly those interested in singing.

“This is something I’ve been trying to do for the last three years, but I became a new mom again and all that other stuff, but finally my friends at Ashe said, ‘We’re doing it!’ So we had to work hard to find a venue, first and foremost, to move forward,” said Chin of her brainchild.

Out of the search came a partnership with International Youth Fellowship (IYF), home of Voice Box.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer, Chin said: “This is, for me, the start of what I would like to see a facility to be able to train young people and give them a space to do what they love and offer them opportunities for college and scholarships to realise that this not just a hobby, it can be a worthwhile career… so they can navigate their way throughout the world.”

The Voice Box activities saw presentations in vocal coaching, choral/ensemble training, solo performance development, musical theatre, and an introduction to performing arts.

There were also mentoring and life coaching opportunities afforded to the children to fuel the ambitions of young talents between the ages six to 18 years old from across varied social backgrounds.

The close-out performance was a showcase of spectacular talent with superb displays of vocal variety, stage presence, and choreography.

The items featured selections from modern and pop music among them Girl on Fire (Alicia Keys), Part of Your World (from The Little Mermaid), and We Found Love (Rihanna).

“This evening is a testament to what teamwork and vision can do,” said Chin at the end of the showcase. She charged the attendees to “create waves beyond what we can imagine” as they go on with the lessons learnt.

One Voice Box participant Sasha gay Sutherland gave a powerhouse performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel) which earned a standing ovation. A recent graduate of Eltham High School, Sutherland will begin tertiary studies at Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts this September.

For her part: “The programme was truly encouraging. I learnt a lot.”

Asked about her song selection, she indicated that she had always harboured a love for the tune, even though the song could be considered beyond her years.

Another standout performance was from little Anya Chin with Girl on Fire.

Tessanne credited the team from Ashe for throwing themselves fully into the project, among them Conroy Wilson, Michael Holgate, Ifidel Williams, as well as Michael Sean Harris, Evad Campbell, Kevin Moore, Ruth Browne, among others in the collective effort.

She told the Observer that the hope is to do the Voice Box programme on a larger scale to allow more children to benefit from this free summer programme for even a longer duration.

Among the other on board partners and sponsors were Digicel Foundation, Lasco iCool, Tastee, Jamaica Biscuit Company, international superstar Shaggy, AIM Online Academy, and Meet the Mitchells.