Honors Choir Women’s 1, II, II White Station High School 2015-2016
Honors Chamber Singers (Chorale)
Honors Men’s Choir
Honors Vocal Music (Key of She and DoReHe)
Syllabus
Instructors:J. Powell
Office: Room M022 Main Building
E-mail: ,
Phone: (251) 656-8460
Website:
Facebook: White Station High School Choir – Group Page
D. Massey
E-mail:
Phone: (228) 263-0970
Introductions
The Choral Program at White Station High School offers a unique educational experience in which you may gain not only musical skills and a lifelong appreciation of music, but also discipline, self-confidence, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment by working with others toward the common goal of excellence. As a member of the White Station High School Choir, you are expected to be an asset to your choir, your school, and your community.
The Chorale is open to students in grades 10-12 who have successfully auditioned and been selected for this specific class. The Advance and Intermediate Choruses are also open to grades 10 -12 for those who have successfully auditioned and been selected for this specific class. The Freshman Women’s Chorus is for 9th grade girls only, and the Men’s Chorus is open to 9-12, both also auditioned. The ensembles will perform, analyze, and research music from Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods as well as 20th century compositions. Rehearsals and performances are curricular and therefore required as a part of your grade.
In addition to the vocal experience, this class will equip you with basic music literacy skills-clefs, notes, staves, keys, rhythm, etc. With these skills, you can continue to enjoy music at a deeper level throughout your life.
Course Materials
Sheet music, provided by WSHS
Pencil (ALWAYS HAVE A PENCIL IN YOUR FOLDER)
Behavioral Policy/Travel/Social Media
- If you listen to a recording of any choral ensemble at White Station High School, then you know that we strive for a result that can only be described as professional. Our behavior should match the level of excellence we pursue in our music.
- While at school, we abide by the school handbook as it pertains to attendance, subordination, dress code and general decorum. (continued on next page)
- We are a traveling group, and thus must also have rules that are specifically for out of town and in town trips.
- General decorum and subordination will be on a three-strike system. On the second strike, the parents of the students will be contacted by phone and made aware of the problem, and on the third strike, the parents will be immediately purchasing a bus/plane ticket home for their child.
- Any issue arising with the possession or consumption of alcohol and/or non-prescribed drugs will result in the students immediately being sent home. Upon their return, the student will also be subject to further consequences handed down from the school administrators.
- Sexual activity will fall in line with the school handbook. Excessive public displays of affection are not appropriate, and anything beyond that will merit severe consequences.
- In regards to social media, students are never to write anything on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media outlet that puts the instructors or the WSHS Choir program in a negative light. This will result in consequences in accordance with the WSHS handbook as it pertains to insubordination and slander. If the behavior continues, the consequences will intensify, and will result in expulsion form the WSHS Choir program.
Grade Policy
- Choir is, in essence, a collectivist activity. People hear an entire ensemble, not a group of individuals, when they come to a performance. Our main goal as a choir is, in fact, homogeneity. Therefore, your full participation in rehearsal everyday determines the success of the choir. The grading policy reflects this. The following page details the grading breakdown.
Daily Class Participation
-Includes being prepared for class, being on time, staying on task, following directions, and giving one hundred percent. Your behavior directly affects your ability to fully participate in class each day, thus it will affect your overall grade. Each day of rehearsal per week is worth 2 points, with a total of 10 points per week. Every day a student is missing from rehearsal without an absentee report when they return, their grade will be deducted by two points.
Concert and Rehearsal Participation
-THERE ARE NO MAKEUP GRADES FOR MISSED CONCERTS. Your contribution to the choir cannot be realized without your attendance. Concerts are planned an entire year in advance and are placed on the calendar at such time. Only emergencies will be excused from concerts. These must be approved in writing by Mr. Powell or Mr. Massey and signed by a parent or guardian. If you are to have a conflict or even a potential conflict, you must bring it to Mr. Powell or Mr. MasseyIN WRITING more than two weeks ahead of time. Otherwise, you will be expected to attend that rehearsal or concert. Reasons for emergency excused absences are death in the family, life threatening illness or injury requiring a hospital stay,
Concert Evaluations, In-class quizzes
-This includes classroom tests on music theory, sight-reading, and singing tests given in preparations for concerts, auditions, etc. After each concert, we will listen to the concert. Students will evaluate the choir’s performance.
Classroom Expectations
General Expectations
- Be punctual (if you’re on time, you’re late) and prepared for every rehearsal and performance.
- Respect yourself, others, your directors, and the music
- Only use equipment like the computer, piano, recording equipment, etc. with the director’s permission.
- Every moment of rehearsal is important, and students should be engaged for the entire rehearsal time.
Rehearsal Expectations
- As soon as you walk in the door, grab your folder and begin your bell work. This bell work will include exercises in music theory, sight singing examples, and quizzes.
- WSHS tardy policy will be enforced.
- Always have your folder, mechanical pencil, music.
- NO GUM. It inhibits proper vocal production.
- Practice good posture. We do not use chairs during rehearsal (unless medically excused).
- Watch and listen to the directors at all times.
- Only talk when prompted by the directors.
- Cell phones are not permitted in the rehearsal. This is also school policy.
- Be gracious about the directors’ corrections towards you. Remember that this is an educational experience. If you already knew every about singing and music, you wouldn’t be here.
Attendance Policy
Choir is a performance-based class. Concerts and rehearsal are required. We have made every effort to schedule these around other school activities, including theater, band, sports, etc. Choir is a team activity and when students are absent, regardless of the reason, the reality for the rest of the group is that we must work without them. Please see above for the exact break down of attendance based grades.
Solo and Voice Part Policy
Occasionally, solos occur in music we perform. The directors will conduct the solo auditions as we see fit. Because we are preparing each child for the college and professional world, we want only the student to ask questions about his or her performance in regards to a solo audition. This allows them to learn more from the experience. The directors will notdiscuss audition results with parents.
Classroom Procedures, Policies and Consequences
-Students are required to bring their music folder and a pencil to class. If they do not have their folder with the correct music and a pencil, the student will be redirected to find their binder. After the first week of classes, if the student continues to break this rule and/or be insubordinate about it, they will be sent out of rehearsal. This is non-negotiable.
-If the student arrives late to class, they are to report to the main office to attain an admit slip.
Performance Expectations
-Because performances are the main opportunity that exists for chorus members to demonstrate what they have learned in class, and the quality of performances given by the ensemble is dependent on the presence of all its members, therefore, all members of the White Station High School Choir program are expected to be present for all public performances of the ensemble. Mr. Powell and Mr. Massey must excuse the student from a performance after discussing it with the student/parents; otherwise, the unexcused absence can result in 0/100 test grade for the missed concert and the potential expulsion of the student from the choir program at WSHS.
-Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner befitting White Station High School students, both on and off stage
-Students are expected to demonstrate the highest level of musicianship and performing skills at concerts.
-Students are expected to arrive at performances and pre-performance warm-ups on time
Activity Fee
The activity fee is necessary to cover the extracurricular costs involved with being an active member of one of our vocal ensembles. This includes putting on concerts, participating in festivals, hiring an accompanist, and ordering music, among other things. Per Title I, there is no required fee for being in choir class. Students can go to class each day, work hard, and make an excellent grade without paying any sort of fee. The following contains the per-person breakdown of the activity fee:
Music: $15
Accompanist:$15
Festival/Honor Choir:$20
Bus/Travel (In Town):$10
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Uniform (Girls)$60
Uniform (Boys)$100
Everyone pays what is above the line and only those needing a uniform also pay for the uniform. Add up the total for your fee. This fee is due no later than October 1st.
**This does not include the costs for the Spring Choir Trip. The Choir Trip is much later in the year, is open to everyone, and will only cost those who choose to go. It is not required.
Honors Women’s Choir I$120
Honors Women’s Choir II/II (no dress needed)$60
Honors Women’s Choir II/II (dress needed)$120
Chorale (no dress needed)$60
Chorale (dress needed)$120
Chorale (no suit needed)$60
Chorale (suit needed)$160
Honors Men’s Choir (no suit needed)$60
Honors Men’s Choir (suit needed) $160
Dates of Importance
(Subject to change so PENCIL IN PLEASE)
Saturday September 24– Senior High All West Auditions
*Cordova High School
*Required for Chorale Members
Monday-Tuesday September 26-27 – SICC
*USM, Hattiesburg MS
Thursday October 20 – Fall Fundraiser Dessert Concert
*Church of the Holy Communion
Saturday October 29– Junior High All West Auditions
*Colonial Middle School, Memphis
Thursday November 10- Saturday November 12 – SH and JH All West
*Bellevue Baptist Church
MondayNovember 28 – Fall ConcertCall time 4:30pm, Concert time 7pm
*Christ United Methodist
Saturday December 3 – All State Auditions
*Location TBA
Saturday January 28 – All State Octet Testing
*Trinity-Jackson, tentative
(Tentative)Thursday 9-Friday 10– Valentines Dinner Concert
*Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
Wednesday March 1-Friday March 3 – District Choral Festival
*First Congregational Church (we will only perform one day)
Wednesday April 5-Saturday April 8 – TMEA/All State Honor Choir
*Opryland, Nashville
Friday May 5– Spring Concert 4:30pm Call, 7pm Concert
*Christ United Methodist
I HAVE READ THE SYLLABUS FOR WSHS CHOIRS AND AGREE TO MEET THE EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS THEREIN.
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