Bloomington High School Choirs SINGING RAIDER HANDBOOK 2017-2018 Concert Choir A Cappella Choir Director Mrs. Sandy Welcome to YOUR BHS Choir Program! Let s look forward to a great year of music making and learning!
Membership The BHS Choirs offer their members an opportunity to develop musically, personally, and socially in a caring, supportive environment. Singers can attain life-long benefits in social development, teamwork, leadership skills and personal friendships. Membership in the choral program is open to all BHS students. There are three curricular choirs, each meeting daily for one period. Concert Choir is a non-auditioned mixed-voice ensemble. Grades 9-12. A Cappella Choir is an auditioned mixed-voice ensemble. Grades 10-12. Treble Choir is an auditioned women s ensemble. Grades 10-12. Description The Bloomington High School Choir Program provides students, through the study and performance of quality choral literature, with the opportunity for musical aesthetic experiences, the aural artistic experiences which are expressive of the life of human feeling. The BHS choirs serve as an important means of Music Education: the education of human feeling through the development of responsiveness to the intrinsically expressive qualities of sound (Bennett Reimer, A Philosophy of Music Education, second edition, Prentice Hall, 1989, p. 53). The choral music selected for study and performance represents a wide variety of musical styles, periods, and cultures, including popular, folk and art music of both sacred and secular nature.
Grading Policy Grades will be based on: Daily Participation, Homework, Quizzes & Tests and Concert Attendance Daily Participation - Students are expected to participate in class activities on a daily basis in order to grow and mature vocally and musically, benefiting both themselves and the choir as a whole. This includes assignments and activities completed in class, as well as having class materials, including a pencil and choir folder, each day. Phone and other electronic use in Choir class is not permitted unless by invitation. This will be occasional and only for educational purposes. Consequences In a situation where a student breaks a rule, the following order of consequences will be applied. There may be times when, at the teacher s discretion, it would be effective to skip to more severe consequences. Skipping class will not be tolerated and will result in the removal of that student at Semester s end. 1) Verbal warning/loss of participation points 2) Detention with parent phone call or email notification 3) Referral to the office with detention and parent notification 4) Conference with student, parent, teacher and administrator (at this time a performance contract will be signed that contains expectations in order for the student to remain in choir). 5) Permanent removal from chorus Homework - In order to supplement class lessons and activities, students are expected to complete assigned work outside of the choir classroom. Homework will be occasional. Quizzes & Tests - Students will be evaluated on concepts taught in class. Evaluations will assess aural and written skills. Students are never required, although they are encouraged, to sing alone in front of their classmates. Aural assessments will be graded on a specific skill set. Quality of the singing voice does not factor into the grade. Concert Attendance - Choir performances are culminating activities of the music studied throughout the semester, similar to unit exams in the purely academic subjects. Choir members are expected and required to participate in every major performance in which their choir participates. This includes four home concerts and may also include Organizational Contest (A Cappella only). Students are excused from concerts if they have a same day excused absence from school or if they turn in a written note from a parent/guardian (detailing a serious family conflict, e.g. wedding, vacation or religious obligation) at least two weeks before the concert. Students are unexcused from concerts if they have a same day unexcused absence from the attendance office. Work related absences, sporting events, and routine appointments also count as unexcused for concerts. An unexcused absence from a major concert will result in a lowering of a student s overall choir grade. Students and parents must be proactive in dealing with conflicts regarding scheduled concert dates.
Concert Attire Concert Choir Choir Purple Polo: Students are responsible for obtaining, with the help of the director, an official BHS Choir Polo, Black Pants and black closed toed shoes (no flip flops)! A Cappella Choir Choir Robes: Students will be assigned a purple choir robe. Attire underneath the robe will be discussed in class. These are to be worn with black closed toed shoes (no flip flops)! Note: Black sweatpants, excessive jewelry or other distracting objects, sneakers and short skirts are NOT to be worn for concerts. Students that fail to wear appropriate concert attire will not be allowed to participate and will not be marked present. Concert Dates (Required) Important Dates October 24 th, 2017-Fall Choir Concert-6:30pm December 12 th, 2017-BHS Holiday Concert-6:00pm February 15 th, 2018-BHS Winter Concert-6:30pm May 3 rd, 2018-BHS Spring Concert-6:30pm ILMEA Dates (Optional Please see descriptions under Other Opportunities ) October 9 th, 2017-ILMEA Auditions at BHS November 18 th, 2017-ILMEA District 3 Festival @ Olivet Nazarene (All Day, Concert at 4:30pm) January 24 th -27 th, 2018-ILMEA All-State Conference in Peoria (for those students selected) Extra Opportunity Dates (Optional Please see descriptions under Other Opportunities ) October 26 th, 2017-Youth In Harmony Festival March 3 rd, 2018-IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest Fundraising Fundraisers are held each year to support both the BHS Choir account as well as students personal choir activity accounts. There are typically three fundraisers: Puffins in the Fall, Wreaths for the Holidays and Cheesecakes in the Spring. If there is money left in a student s chorus activity account upon graduation, the funds may be left for a sibling who will become a choir member. Otherwise, the unused balance goes into the choir activity account. Balances are Non-Transferable.
Parents/Guardians Parental Support Choir members with sustained parental support typically succeed musically and academically in choir. One of the greatest ways to meet the needs of our students and improve the choir program is to ask parents and guardians to accept, encourage and congratulate their children as they participate in the music program at BHS. Please plan to attend performances whenever possible and model appropriate audience behavior by remaining seated for the entire concert, refraining from cell phone use or other distracting behaviors, and respecting each performance group. Other Opportunities Illinois Music Educators Association - The ILMEA District III Festival is comprised of several of the area s most talented singers. Students learn six required pieces of music and complete a competitive audition process in October. Selected students will attend a festival made up of group rehearsals and a final concert with a master conductor in November. Please see specific dates in the Important Dates section. Solo & Ensemble Contest - Singers looking to gain performance experience as a soloist or in a small group may be interested in IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest in March. Singers prepare a piece of music (typically art song, folk song or aria) and perform for a judge at a local high school. Performances are evaluated on musical criteria and receive ratings. BHS Musical - Each year the BHS drama department produces a Spring musical. Students that have had singing experience (including choir) typically involve themselves in these productions. Auditions, rehearsals and performances occur outside of the regular school day. BHS Soundwaves - The Soundwaves will begin its 3 rd year this Fall. This Choral group is by audition only for any interested BHS student. Auditions will take place in September. Dates will be listed on our Website. Youth In Harmony Festival- The YIH Festival takes place at the BCPA each Fall and is run by the Sounds of Illinois and the Vermillion Valley Show Chorus Groups. It is a great day of learning from clinicians with a special evening performance. This will be our 4 th year attending! Contact and Connect Email- Mrs. Sandy is most effectively contacted via email. If you have any questions regarding this handbook or any other aspects of choir, please do not hesitate to e-mail. sandyj@district87.org Phone- Mrs. Sandy can also be reached by calling Bloomington High School (309) 828-5201 Ext. 6166. You may leave a message if I am in class or out of the building. I will get back to you as soon as I am able. Website- Information about Attendance, Specific Choirs, Concert dates, Handbook info and more can be found on our District 87 Choir Website. http://wordpress.district87.org/sandyj/ Facebook- Please like and join us on Facebook at BHS Singing Raiders. I will provide Important Date reminders here!