Photo by Norman Cooperman
choir concerts
Winter Concert: Thursday, December 14
Spring Concerts: Thursday, May 16
Concerts begin at 7 pm; call time is 6:30 pm.
Concerts are the midterm and final for the chorus. They showcase all of the work your child and the group work on throughout the year. It is important that every student perform in the concerts for several reasons:
Spring Concerts: Thursday, May 16
Concerts begin at 7 pm; call time is 6:30 pm.
Concerts are the midterm and final for the chorus. They showcase all of the work your child and the group work on throughout the year. It is important that every student perform in the concerts for several reasons:
- They are part of a team and work together as one cohesive instrument. Every member is important - an absence leaves a hole in the group.
- It is important that every student get the experience of performing. That in and of itself is a valuable skill that will help them gain confidence working in front of others.
- Performing in front of a large audience brings a whole new life to a piece - one that they cannot experience in the rehearsal.
- Performances are 30% of their 2nd and 4th Marking Period grades.
Concert Attire
Students are to dress appropriately for each concert. Adherence to the dress code is mandatory to sing in the concerts. Should a student fail to follow the dress code, he/she will not be permitted to sing in the concert. The student will subsequently receive a failing grade for the concert and will not be permitted to attend the Music in the Parks trip.
Winter Concert Attire
Winter Concert Attire
- Plain white shirt. It can be a t-shirt, polo shirt, or dress shirt as long as it is white and has no dicscernible writing or designs.
- Full-length black dress pants or black maxi skirt. Yoga pants, jeans, leggings, and sweatpants are not acceptable.
- Black or dark dress shoes. Uggs, sneakers, and flip flops are not acceptable.
- Black socks if need be.
- A tie can be worn if wearing a button down dress shirt.
- Small, tasteful jewelry only
- Hair must be out of the face.
- Holiday "flare" can be brought to wear for the last piece of our concert. Holiday flare includes: Santa Hats, reindeer antlers, blinky and/or gaudy christmas necklaces, Hannukah flare, etc.
- Solid-color shirt. It can be a t-shirt, polo shirt, or a dress shirt as long as it has no writing or designs.
- Full-length black dress pants or black maxi skirt. Yoga pants, jeans, leggings, and sweatpants are not acceptable.
- Black dress shoes. Uggs, sneakers, and flip flops are not acceptable.
- Small, tasteful jewelry only.
- Hair must be out of the face.
Choir expectations
Chorus is a wonderfully unique opportunity for one to create an intangible, fleeting form of art with others. As a member of a chorus, one is expected to adhere to a certain set of rules. Much like a sports team, every member must participate to the fullest of his/her ability. In order to do so, the following is a list of expectations every member must adhere to, otherwise known as . . .
Choir etiquette
- I must show up to class on time
- I am responsible for my music folder and all of its contents
- I have a pencil for class
- I participate in warm-ups and rehearsals
- I refrain from talking during rehearsals
- I behave appropriately in class; I respect school and personal property
Philosophy on vocal grouping
Placing students in voice part sections is a perennial issue for choir directors, especially at the middle school level. Often, girls outnumber the boys greatly . . . not to mention that boys voices at this time are in flux. In addition, true altos are hard to find and are greatly overwhelmed by the sheer number of sopranos. Therefore, balancing choral sections for optimal sound becomes a puzzle.
So, to ensure that every student gets the most out of choir during the year, I use alternative seating to the conventional Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Baritone model that we are used to for the Mixed Choir group. I assign all of my girls to one of two groups, labeled Group 1 and Group 2. These groups alternate singing Soprano and Alto, thus sharing getting opportunities to sing both voice parts throughout the year. At this level, the tessiture is such that it is neither too high or too low for any girl to sing. This benefits the girls and ensemble in a myriad of ways:
As for the boys in Mixed Choir, I group them all together. Most unchanged voice boys are very capable of singing the Baritenor line created specifically written for changing voices. Should the Baritenor line be too low at points, I rewrite/amend the vocal line to accommodate the boys. If the entire Baritenor line is too low for a boy, I will have them sing the alto line.
So, to ensure that every student gets the most out of choir during the year, I use alternative seating to the conventional Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Baritone model that we are used to for the Mixed Choir group. I assign all of my girls to one of two groups, labeled Group 1 and Group 2. These groups alternate singing Soprano and Alto, thus sharing getting opportunities to sing both voice parts throughout the year. At this level, the tessiture is such that it is neither too high or too low for any girl to sing. This benefits the girls and ensemble in a myriad of ways:
- Everyone will sing harmony at points throughout the year, thus strengthening aural skills.
- All girls will be taught how to sing in both their lower and higher tessituras appropriately.
- All girls will be given the opportunity to sing the melody.
- The choir sound will be balanced. When greatly outnumbered by Sopranos, Altos will either not be heard or will gravitate to the melody.
As for the boys in Mixed Choir, I group them all together. Most unchanged voice boys are very capable of singing the Baritenor line created specifically written for changing voices. Should the Baritenor line be too low at points, I rewrite/amend the vocal line to accommodate the boys. If the entire Baritenor line is too low for a boy, I will have them sing the alto line.
Grading policy
Class Participation: 70% of the grade 1st and 3rd Marking Periods
Concerts: 30% of the grade 2nd and 4th Marking Periods
Sight Reading: 30% of the grade for 1st and 3rd Marking Periods
Concerts: 30% of the grade 2nd and 4th Marking Periods
Sight Reading: 30% of the grade for 1st and 3rd Marking Periods
Concert Videos
Below you will find concert videos from the this year and the past. Enjoy!!!
Past Highlights
I will add more photos and videos as the year progresses.
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