SHS Choral Program Handbook Mr. Brady McNeil Director of Music Slocomb High School 591 South County Road 9 Slocomb, AL. 36375 1
Table of Contents Choral Welcome/Philosophy...3 Contact Information...3 Ensembles...4 About Mr. McNeil...5 Folder Requirements/Calendar...6 Dress Code...7 Audition Information...8 Reading Music...9 Choral Parents Association/Spring Trip Information...11 Grading and Behavior Expectations...12 Attendance Policy...13 Forms...14 2
SHS Choral Program Welcome! We are glad you child has decided to join the instrumental program at SHS. We are looking forward to watching your child grow in his or her musical abilities! Music is very important for many reasons. Many students feel uncomfortable expressing their true selves for a variety of different reasons, but music gives them the outlet to feel comfortable doing so. When words fail, music can speak. It conveys emotion that a speaking language may not. It also fosters creativity among students involved by giving them the opportunity to interpret how music should be performed, as well as even compose their own music. Music encourages multitasking and incorporates various forms of mathematical and linguistic knowledge. Not only do students involved in music learn about the repertoire they are performing, but they also have the opportunity to learn about techniques, characteristics, and more, that are attributed to the musical style. In all, there is much to be learned through that act of performing music other than just the music itself. We are so excited to introduce your child to the greatest language of the arts! Contact Information School Phone...(123) 456-7890 Choral Office Phone...(987) 654-3210 Choral Department Email...choral@shs.org Mr. McNeil s Email...mrmcneil@shs.org Program Website...http://shsmusic.org/choral 3
What Ensembles Are Available? Chamber Choir The Chamber Choir is composed of 24 mixed voices (6 sopranos, 6 altos, 6 tenors, 6 basses) and is open to all freshmen through seniors by audition. The primary goal of the Chamber Choir is to expose students to relevant choral literature, and for the students to have the opportunity to grow on their skills as well as their overall musical knowledge. Mirage Mirage is Slocomb High School s premier show choir. It is composed of 36 students (9 sopranos, 9 altos, 9 tenors, 9 basses) and is open to all freshmen through seniors by audition. The goals of Mirage are: (1) to provide entertainment to all audiences, (2) to promote leadership among the choir and its members, (3) to serve as ambassadors for Slocomb High School, and (4) to provide an enjoyable experience for all involved. 4
About Mr. McNeil Brady McNeil was named Director of Music at Slocomb High School and has served on faculty since 2006. Prior to Slocomb, Brady served as Director of Music at Girard Middle School for 3 years. Mr. McNeil's education includes a Bachelor of Music Education from Auburn University, and a Master of Music in Music Theory from The Florida State University. Personal Goals: My goal is to teach students to share the passion for the foundations of music that I do. I want to make a mark on my students lives and be responsible for giving them a passion that changes their lives for the better. Philosophy: Music gives students an outlet for expression and aids students in other areas of education. Personal: I have a wife (Catherine) and two children (Brady, Jr. and Glenn). We have two dogs (Abbie and Sampson) and a cat (Milo). 5
Black Folder Requirements Every student will be issued a new black 3-ring binder. If this binder needs to be replaced, it will be the responsibility of the student. How to Use/Take Care of Binders and Music Materials Just a little information (more for the students) on how to treat their music and folders... Binders: Each student will be issued a new black 3-ring binder in which they can keep their music, sight-singing materials, pencil and other necessary materials. These folders should be kept in good condition (barring everyday wear). Replacement of binders will be the responsibility of the student. Music: All music must be kept in good condition (not torn, scratched on, etc.) and will be returned to the choral department. Students who lose their music or return it in a condition where it is no longer usable will be charged the price of the music. Grades for these students will not be released until this happens. Concert Schedule Fall Concert...6:00 PM, SHS Auditorium Tuesday, October 15, 2013 National Peanut Festival Choral Compeition...Cultural Arts Center Tuesday, November 5, 2013 Fall Sounds of SHS...6:00 PM, SHS Auditorium Monday, December 9, 2013 Spring Concert...2:00 PM, SHS Auditorium Thursday, March 19, 2014 Spring Sounds of SHS...6:00 PM, SHS Auditorium Tuesday, May 13, 2014 6
Dress Code for Concerts All scheduled concerts will be formal. Women: Dress: o All women wear a formal black dress that is ordered by Mr. McNeil. The price for these dresses is $80 each. All women will be given a deadline to pay for their dress. If the dress is not paid for by the given deadline, the student will be dropped from choir. If you would like to set up a payment plan, you may do so by contacting Mr. McNeil. Shoes: o All women must supply their own solid black, closed-toe shoes. Men: Tuxedo: o All men wear a formal tuxedo that is ordered by Mr. McNeil. The price for these tuxedos is $95 each. All men will be given a deadline to pay for their tuxedo. If the tuxedo is not paid for by the given deadline, the student will be dropped from choir. If you would like to set up a payment plan, you may do so by contacting Mr. McNeil. Shoes: o All men must supply their own solid black, closed-toe shoes. For any informal performances, students will wear their SHS Choir t-shirt and jeans. Students must purchase their own SHS Choir t-shirt for $12. 7
Audition Requirements Unless noted otherwise, students are assessed in the following areas for each of the choral groups: Prepared solo (piano, accompanist, CD player, line-in cable, and USB port available if needed) Note: Each student should prepare a song written specifically for solo voice, the style of which should reflect the type of music typically performed by the Chamber Choir. Vocal Range Pitch-matching Tonal memory Intonation Voice quality Sight reading Choreography* (Mirage only) Major scales *For auditions for Mirage, students will be judged on all of the above with addition to choreography. Students auditioning for Mirage will be taught a brief and simple dance to be sung to the prepared pop tune melody. 8
Learning to Read Music Over the three years that students attend WWMS and participate in choir, they will obtain music reading skills that will allow them to successfully continue in music either at the high school, or in the community. Like reading words, music reading is important to the development of musicianship and music literacy. As students skills in reading increases, their ability to perform higher-level music also increases as well as their abilities with higher order thinking skills and problem solving skills (associating notes on a page with the correct pitches and then producing the correct pitch vocally). Solfège and Hand signs Students will use the following hand signs (on the left) to begin developing their aural skills in music as well as their pitch reading skills. As their time progresses they will learn to read fluently in the keys of C Major (A minor), F Major (D minor), and G Major (E minor). They will have experienced other keys as well, but will be expected to be proficient in these keys. Young men will learn to read in both Treble and Bass clefs. Women will occasionally read in Bass clef, but primarily read in Treble clef. See the following website for the original image of the solfège hand signs. We have this poster on the choir room wall for classroom reference. http://www.musicmotion.com/images/6052_l.jpg The following page shows the chromatic scale and the scales and key signatures for all of the major scales. 9
Chromatic Scale Starting on C -----------------> Major Scales and Key Signatures ---------------> 10
Choral Parents Association Officers: Parent Support Needed Sheila Andrews, President...(123)123-1234 David Bryant, Vice President...(321)321-3210 Caroline Jemison, Secretary...(434)583-4390 Lindsey Carter, Treasurer...(334)745-8765 Craig van Damm, Equipment Manager...(777)777-7777 The Boosters meet the third Tuesday of every month at 6:00 PM in the choir room. Our first meeting will be on Tuesday, August 20 th. Please make plans to attend! Chaperones We rely on parents/guardians to help chaperone students during any performances that require us to travel. If you would like to volunteer please contact Mr. McNeil or one of the Booster officers. We will also need chaperones for our spring trip. This year s spring trip will be a concert tour of New York City and the surrounding areas! If you are interested in going, please sign up with Mr. McNeil. The cost of attendance will be the same as the students and can be found below. Choir Trip Information Every four years, the choir takes an annual trip to a different location of the senior class s choice. This year the students have chosen to take a trip to NYC. The trip will be a 7-day, 6- night stay on June 2-9, 2014. The itinerary will be available soon. The total cost of the trip will be $1200, and will be split into five payments: 1 st deposit: $200; due by September 1 st 2 nd deposit: $300; due by December 1 st 3 rd deposit: $300; due by February 1 st 4 th deposit: $200; due by March 15 th 5 th deposit: $200; due by May 1 st 11
Grading and Behavior Expectations Grade Breakdown Behavior 40% - Singing Exams (complete 4 modules per grading period) 30% - Weekly Quizzes (music theory, literature, etc.) 30% - Active Participation (following directions, concert attendance, etc.) Students in the choral program are expected to act appropriately. Respecting each other and oneself is key! When in rehearsal (either during school day or after), concert, or other event, positive behavior is expected. If a behavioral issue arises and is not changed after several corrections, the student will not be allowed to attend concerts, or other events and may be removed from the choral program. See below for rules and consequences for the choral program. Classroom Management Policies Rule(s): The classroom management policy for the choral department is as follows: Mr. McNeil makes the rules. If something is done or said that either teacher feels in inappropriate, consequences will ensue. We understand that this puts responsibility on the teacher to be fair and impartial at all times. We are committed to educating students and committed to a fair and accepting classroom environment where everyone feels welcome to be himself/herself. Please contact us if you have any concerns about this policy. Negative Consequences: Most often, behaviors will be addressed in the classroom. However, if necessary, a student or students will be sent to the office. This is usually a result of hitting, fighting, extreme use of foul language. If this occurs, parents will be notified as soon as possible by either the office or by Mr. McNeil. If inappropriate behavior continues after several (2-3, or more) warnings from the teacher, the parent will be called and a conference will be set. No one student has the right to keep other students from learning. Positive Consequences: Because we feel that students also need positive consequences, occasionally there will be in class rewards or phone calls home to talk about positive events that have occurred. We expect to have many of these with the groups this year! 12
Attendance Policy Each student s participation affects the group s performance. It is important to understand that each student plays a valuable role in this process. It is imperative that we establish attendance guidelines that amplify this learning process for both the student and the group. Attendance is related to both self-discipline and learning. If a student is not in rehearsal, his or her absence negatively affects the ability of others to perform and maximize learning. Students are expected to attend each choral function and should plan to remain the entire length of the activity. If a student misses a choral function, it should be due to serious illness or family emergency. In addition, students and parents constantly juggle work schedules, vacation schedules, and other responsibilities in order to maintain band membership. For these actions, we are grateful. However, it is not fair for the majority of our students to sacrifice their time in order to attend choral functions while a small group ignores the schedule and attendance rules. Students should notice the following policy guidelines: 1. Unless serious illness or family emergency is present, students will be expected to attend all rehearsals and performances, being present from start to completion. 2. Non-emergency doctor and dentist appointments should not be scheduled on rehearsal days if at all possible. 3. Students will not be excused from rehearsals or performances in order to work, take pictures, attend concerts, etc. 4. Students should be on time to all rehearsals and scheduled events. 5. If you are sick then that is understandable, but if you are not, then you need to be at rehearsal. WITH PROPER PLANNING, REHEARSAL CONFLICTS CAN BE AVOIDED!!!! Reporting an absence: In the event that a student must be absent due to an unforeseen emergency such as personal illness, a parent or the student should call the choral office to inform us of the absence. The high school number is (111) 111-1111. Students and/or parents may also email the Mr. McNeil with this information. Students should not contact staff members other than directors to report an absence! Additionally, the student is to bring a note to the director on the day of his or her return to school. Failure to notify directors will automatically result in the absence being recorded as unexcused. 13
FORMS TO BE RETURNED RETURN THE NEXT THREE PAGES (COMPLETED) BY THE END OF THE 2ND WEEK OF SCHOOL 14
SHS Choir Information Sheet Student Info Student Name: Grade: Address: Phone Numbers: Home, Cell Phone Parent/Guardian Info Parents/Guardians Name(s): 1. 2. Phone Numbers: 1. Work, Cell Phone Phone Numbers 2. Work, Cell Phone Email: 1., 2. Student Musical Information Voice Part: Previous Choral Experience: Years of Participation: Do you take private lessons? ; If yes, from whom? Student Medical Information List Physical Restrictions or allergies (if any): Student Musical Interests (circle all that apply) Chamber Choir All-District Honor Choir Solo and Ensemble Contest Mirage Show Choir All-State Honor Choir All-County Honor Choir College Honor Choirs 15
Travel Authorization Form Return this page by the end of the second week of school! As the parent/guardian of, I hereby Grant consent for him/her to participate in teacher and principal approved field trips during the 2013-2014 school year. It is my understanding the school will advise me by written or verbal notification of the nature, date, and time of each trip or activity in sufficient time to enable me to communicate any withdrawal of consent for the specific trip or activity. AUTHORIZATION FOR TREATMENT As the parent/guardian of the above named student, I hereby give authorization to the staff to take my child to an emergency room of the nearest hospital should, for any reason, they require any minor medical or surgical treatment and/or medication while participating in an approved field trip activity. I further authorize the hospital and its medical staff to administer treatment as deemed necessary by them for the well-being of said student. I understand that staff will make attempts to notify me in all medical emergencies, and I will be contacted, if possible, for my permission if hospitalization or treatment of a serious nature is required. PLEASE PROVIDE EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION: Name: Name: Name: Name: Phone: Phone: Phone: Phone: I have read and understand the above and I freely give my consent and permission of all things contained herein. Parent or Legal Guardian Signature Date 16
I HAVE READ THIS HANDBOOK SIGNATURE PAGE RETURN THIS PAGE BY THE END OF THE 2ND WEEK OF SCHOOL. We will go through this handbook in class and it will also be posted on the choral program website (http://shsmusic.og/choral), but please go through this together, students and parents/guardians so you and they know its contents. Please sign below that you have read this handbook and are familiar with the policies and information provided within it. If you have questions, please feel free to contact either Mr. Bunny or Mr. Duck. We will be glad to speak with you! Sign after you have read this together: Student s Signature Date Parent/Legal Guardian Signature Date 17