INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The Indianapolis Children’s Choir is getting ready for its second-annual Sing-A-Thon fundraiser.

The event promises to be 12 straight hours of song in an effort to raise $35,000.

Those funds will go to educational and musical programs with the goal of keeping tuition costs down.

ICC Artistic Director Josh Pedde says it costs about $50 to $75 a year to provide sheet music for one student.

“We are already one of the lowest-costing community choir’s in the country, but it still costs money to provide all the amazing opportunities that we do to our students,” said Pedde.

Keeping costs down at a large scale can be a challenge. The ICC happens to be one of the largest community based choirs in the world, serving more than 5,000 singers in central Indiana.

Josh says the word “community” is important because it references students from all over the city coming together allowing them to meet people they might not normally know.

“Music is diverse. So when you’ve got students from Carmel, Fishers, Southport, Avon it makes a difference,” said Pedde.

But size isn’t the only characteristic going for this organization.

The ICC is also an ability based choir, which Pedde says allows for more tone and color in sound, but also for more mentoring both on and off the stage.

“There could be an 8th grader that can say to that 6th grade, ‘hey, it’s going to be okay, things are going to work out just fine.’ But, it’s through music that they form this bond where they can have that discussion about what’s really going on,” added Pedde.

Students rehearsing for the big day all said they agreed.

“I would say that I definitely look up to a lot of people in my choir. Their work ethic and how clearly they stood out showed me that when you put it in hard work, you really get great results,” said 13-year-old Sarah Pfleeger, who has been with the choir for three years.

While 12 hours of straight song seems like a lot, Pedde says they already have it all programmed out with a mix of pre-recorded video, group and solo performances, and some local celebrity guests.

The Sing-A-Thon kicks off Saturday at 10 a.m. at Butler University with a live-stream on Facebook and the ICC web site.

To donate or join a fundraising team, click here.