NILES — When 10th grader Justin Russo was in fourth grade, he signed up to for a workshop with Young Americans National Music Outreach Tour, a company of recent high school graduates around the world that travels to high schools to teach music and dance. He signed up again when Young Americans came when he was in seventh grade.

From Wednesday, Nov. 6 to Saturday, Nov. 9, after the school day ends, he will participate one final time with scores of other Niles third to 12th-grade students at the high school’s auditorium, 1441 Eagle St.

Before Russo signed up in fourth grade, the only music experience he had was in a required elementary music class. After, he has been in choir, area singing competitions, church choir and musicals.

Niles students Lorrie Corbit, Brandon Kosten, Ryan Kosten and Dakota Schneider will also be performing with Young Americans a third time as part of the company’s U.S. tour. Like Russo, each said they were impacted by the troupe’s members, their workshop and the final performance put on at its end.

“They teach you to kind of throw yourself out there and not really think about what people think of you. That allows you to have a more fun experience with [it] and in life,” Brandon, a 10th grader, said.

Darla Schneider, Niles’ volunteer coordinator, said she has seen the impact Young Americans has on students, parents and teachers time and again.

Schneider has had three children go through the program, Dakota included. The Schneider family has also hosted Young Americans performers during their few-day stay, providing food and essential items for the students.

At the end of each workshop, hosts and students alike are devastated to see the group go.

“It’s amazing how quickly they form bonds and relationships with these kids,” Darla said. “When those kids leave … those [students] will be in tears. They don’t want to leave the stage.”

Dakota had similar sentiments.

“They really get to know you, in a way,” he said. “They make it where they’re not just your dance teacher. They’re your friend by the time you leave.”

The group and participating students will spend two-and-a-half days practicing for two 45-minute staged shows of music and dance with the intention of helping students attain self-confidence, self-esteem and respect for others.

This tour’s theme is on the personal journey of believing in oneself and appreciating the people in life that inspire.

Corbit said she entered the program as a shy fourth grader. Now, she will join the workshop confident and energetic, traits she has taken into her show choir practices and performance.

She and others said they liked the program because Young Americans members were accommodating to people both extroverted and introverted. Oftentimes, students usually too nervous to take the stage with a solo would end up doing so.

Students have an opportunity to audition for Young Americans, too. Schneider noted that a number of Niles students have joined over the years.

One is Bill Brawley, a 1973 Niles High School graduate, who is now the program’s chief artistic officer.

“When [I] stand on the stage, I can remember doing ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ when I was in high school, singing with the choir,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing. It just seemed like yesterday.”

Brawley said his Niles teachers, such as his choral director and his theater teacher, and his opportunities, such as writing a musical on his city’s history for class, primed him for a 45-year career with Young Americans.

What he said was one of the most meaningful pieces of the program was what Dakota and Corbit said was meaningful, too: the personal connections made between students and the company of performers.

Brawley said that his members come from around the world, from a variety of family situations and with different interests. That diversity allows any performer to find a student like them, establishing a personal connection that builds confidence.

Forms for Young Americans registration can be picked up at any Niles school building. The cost is $59, but the Niles Education Foundation is providing scholarships to those that need it.

Students that sign up will be required to attend workshops from 3:30 to 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6; 12:45 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7; and 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8.

Performance times are from 7 to 9:05 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9.

One family is still needed to host two Young Americans members. Prospective hosts can contact Barb Garrard at (269) 683-4482.