Dear Parents, WALNUT HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1/27/17 Can you believe how quickly this year is flying by?! I would like to thank everyone again for their help during the first semester. Everyone who helped out by working at an event, chaperoning, and even getting your kids to the rehearsals/performances on time helps to make each year smoother, yet more successful and busy than ever. I appreciate all of the support, nice comments, and cooperation that help maintain the program. I truly believe in the value of a music education for all students and appreciate your support in encouraging students contribute to the group. Hold on to your hats, since the busy Spring season has begun! Most of our dates for the second semester are now included in this letter. Please put all the dates on your calendar, as choir members are expected to be at events, or resolve conflicts now, rather than just before the concert or event. Also, this will help ensure that outfits are in the proper place when needed. Please check all newsletters, as some dates/times are subject to change. CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Adrienne Caparaz, Jocelyn Chow, Eugene Lo, Matthew Huang, Raji Rajkumar, Mia Dimalanta, and Pauline Crelencia. All of these students will be representing us in San Jose for the High School and Middle School All-State Honor Choir performances On February 18. Way to go! Great job! BOOSTER MEETING, February 21 and March 14 Parents- we need more of you! If you have been waiting for just the right opportunity, or didn t know if you might be needed, you are!! Our next meeting is at 6 pm on Tuesday, February 21. We will be discussing any remaining concerts, next year s parent officers, and Spring Pops. It s also a good way to keep up with what is
going on and just help out by being informed and vocal about our successes/needs. Please remember that contact for events is handled through our wonderful boosters, so you will want to address any booster or volunteer questions directly to them to save time. Also, please remember that if you wish to volunteer at an event, you MUST be cleared. The form is on the choir webpage at www.walnuths.net and is also available in the front of the choir classroom for your child to pick up. Thanks! DONATIONS Thanks for your help this year with donations and fundraisers. When the ACLU lawsuit happened, the effects on music programs everywhere were felt very quickly. Many choirs in the area lost show choir and choreography all together. Even this year, some more prominent show choir programs have dropped out of competing. In the same time, with the exception of the 2012-13 school year, we have managed to survive and (pretty much) thrive. For our choirs this year, we have done pretty well. Since we are not allowed to keep records of individuals and let you know what you have pledged and actually donated, we can tell you the percentages each choir has raised. If your choir has not reached their full amount and you feel that you may have forgotten, go ahead and check your records and PLEASE feel free to keep those donations coming. You will see that we still need help, especially for Mustang Singers. We would love for them to have choreography for Spring as well! We really appreciate the commitment from parents to keep our program running at a high level and still offer extra opportunities to our kids. CONCERTS THIS SEMESTER For the first time ever, we will have the Suzanne Middle School Choir AND South Pointe Middle School as our Special guests for our Prelude to Spring Concert on February 9 and 10. Suzanne will perform on the 9 th, and South Pointe will perform on the 10 th. This concert will feature our festival music for each choir (Classical and Folk songs), Chamber Singers will perform some of their contemporary a cappella music, Rhapsody in Blue will perform their show choir set. Tickets are already for sale online at www.walnuthigharts.com The highlight of each year s concert is the combined performance of the Suzanne Middle School choir and our Mustang Singers. Then, on April 21 and 22, we will present our Pops Concert. This is the favorite concert of the
year for most of our students, since it features a live band and choreography. This year s theme is music from the 1960 s! It s going to be a very fun show! We are already rehearsing songs from several of your favorite singers, but there will be many more great tunes, as well as choreography and a live band. Tickets will be available online soon! NEXT YEAR S CHOIRS Due to our busy theater calendar, our concerts are all very early this year. Because of this, auditions for students in choir will take place in Late April, the week after our concert and results announced on May 5. However, pre registration for next year s classes will begin taking place in February and March. For now, please discuss with your child which ensemble he/she would like to be in next year, and sign up for a choir on the preliminary registration sheets. It will be changed during the summer to reflect the correct ensemble, but for now we need to be sure that students sign up for the choirs so that spots will be reserved and we will keep the same number of choirs for next year. Thank you in advance for your help with this. For your planning, the choir Information meeting is Tuesday, March 28, at lunch and after school. Preliminary auditions for current choir members will take place in class the week of April 24. Call backs for Chamber are May 2, and Call Backs for Rhapsody are May 4. Results should be announced on Friday, May 5 or Monday May 8. All of this information will be given with the packet at the March 28 meeting. CHAMBER PARENT TOUR MEETING Our Chamber kids are touring to Seattle! Yay! Thanks so much to the parents for being so conscientious on donations and paperwork. You received an email regarding the mandatory parent meeting. You may choose one, either Feb 21 or March 14, after our booster meeting. It should be about 45 minutes. PLEASE plan on attending, even if your child has already been on tour with us. Air travel adds a few more wrinkles to the trip, so we really need you to be in the loop!
DATES Times are subject to change as confirmation letters are received. Please mark all dates in your calendar, watch your newsletters, encourage your child to keep an accurate calendar and LISTEN for announcements in class.) A permission slip with final detail regarding wardrobe, exact call and return times, etc, will be given for EVERY field trip. ONGOING: CHAMBER SINGERS AND RHAPSDY IN BLUE- REHEARSALS ON THEIR REGULAR DAYS (CHAMBER, Mondays- 3-5 pm) (Rhapsody Thursday 3:30-5:30) for all of January and February, with some possible added rehearsals in early March). Weds, February 1: MUSTANG SINGERS to Suzanne- We will walk over during lunch. You will miss Period 4, and return to school a little after 2 pm, in time to change for our tech rehearsal. If your teacher does not allow you to miss class, you will go to Per 4. ALL CHOIRS: PRELUDE TO SPRING DETAILS Monday- Weds, Feb 6-8: ALL CHOIRS- CONCERT TECH AND DRESS REHEARSAL- in PAC 3:15-6:00 pm (Weds, Mustang 2:15 Start. (Bring homework- you will be sitting). BRING PERFORMANCE OUTFITS TO ALL REHEARSALS FOR THIS CONCERT UNLESS TOLD OTHERWISE- Yearbook pictures may be taken during these rehearsals. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 th and 10th: PRELUDE TO SPRING CONCERT: ALL CHOIRS Call time for Concert: Mustang: 5:15 pm- Men s/chamber boys 5:30 pm All other Choirs- 5:55 pm- lined up(officers will help) by MPR ready to sing ********* February 15- TREBLE- Exchange with Nogales High School Wear Choir t shirts to school we will leave during Period 4 and return at about 3 pm
************FEBRUARY 22:CHAMBER and TREBLE: PICTURES: BRING OUTFITS TO SCHOOL, (Hair makeup done before school, quick change into performance outfits at the beginning of the period.) RHAPSODY IN BLUE- COMPETITION DATES Feb 4- Brea Olinda HS Competition Feb 25- Chaparral HS Competition March 4- Burbank Blast Competition (NO MARCH 11 Rhapsody Competition- DUE TO NUMEROUS CONFLICTING SCHOOL ACTIVITIES) MARCH 1 District Festival- CANCELLED *****MARCH 2- Open House- Chamber, Rhapsody, Men s and Treble (This date was changed by the school) Times TBA ************MARCH 9 MUSTANG, RHAPSODY, MEN S: PICTURES (Mustang WEAR outfits to school, all others: BRING OUTFITS TO SCHOOL, (Hair makeup done before school, quick change into performance outfits at the beginning of the period.) Weds, March 15- CHAMBER SINGERS- MSAC Festival. Leave school at 2:15 pm Formal Outfits (Lead Roles in the Musical Excluded) MEN S ENSEMBLE MUSICAL SCHEDULE: Monday- Thursday, March 6-9, 3-7 pm (You may not be needed all of these days, but please keep them on your calendar) ****Friday, March 10 3-6 pm ****Saturday, March 11-all day (begin at 8 am) March 13-16 3 pm until done (Possibly 8 pm) Performances March 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 Call Time 5 pm March 30- MUSTANG- FESTIVAL at WHS (NO TREBLE) 4-8 pm APRIL 7-11- CHAMBER SINGERS SEATTLE TOUR April 21 and 22 - ALL CHOIRS - Spring Pops Concert (Tech dress April 18, 19, 20) 3-6pm)
April 25-28 Preliminary Auditions (In class for current members, after school for 8 th graders and new members) May 2 and 4 Call backs for Chamber and Rhapsody. ********* Wednesday, May 10 - ALL CHOIRS - Choir Banquet - All Choirs and Parents invited (location, price TBA) more info to come- More dates to come! MORE DATES TO COME IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER, If we receive any dates in the meantime, they will be announced in each individual choir class, emailed to parents, and put on the school calendar. PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE- www.walnuths.net (go to teachers, Lisa Lopez) for updates and digital copies of the newsletters, etc. SEE PARENTS SIGNATURE LINE. PLEASE PRINT OUT AND RETURN THIS PAGE BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2. I have read the November/December newsletter and marked down the dates and important fundraiser information. STUDENT NAME CHOIR NAME PARENT SIGNATURE PARENT NAME I can: *****chaperone a field trip. (Please list date and event, but be sure to sign up with the volunteer emails and wait for confirmation) I am interested in being a part of the boosters. Please include me on the email list for meeting reminders.