• Classes
    • AP Music Theory
    • Band >
      • Band News
      • Band Auditions 2020-2021
    • Choir >
      • How are Choir grades determined?
      • Choir News
      • Voice lesson teachers
    • Orchestra >
      • Orchestra Website
      • Book a String Ensemble
    • Rock and Roll Methods
  • Extra-Curriculars
    • Chamber Orchestra
    • Chromatics >
      • CTX Resources
    • Festival of Carols
    • Jazz Band
    • Marching Band >
      • BMB Past Awards & Honors
      • How Do I Sign Up for Batavia Marching Band?
    • Pep Band
    • Showchoirs
    • String Theory
    • Tri-M Honor Society
    • Winterguard
  • Faculty
  • Calendar
  • Incoming Freshman
  • Music Buffs
  • Batavia Band Festival
Batavia High School Music Department

Choir Newsletter; December 18, 2015

12/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Choir parents and families,
  • Here's this week's newsletter. Key points and new information are in bold type. 
    ​

    A link to each post will be sent through the choir Twitter and Facebook accounts, to whatever parent emails I have on file, and to the students through Google Classroom. 

    The beginning section will always be about curricular choir and the following information will pertain to the extracurricular activities, so you only need to read what applies to your student.  The most updated and comprehensive calendar is always on bataviamusic.org. ​
  • ​Curricular Choir:
    • What a great first semester for me at BHS! Students were wonderful, parents were helpful, colleagues were supportive; I couldn't have asked for more!
    • The first semester is in the books! (pretty much).  Tests are in and graded except for a couple students who have missed due to illness, and a couple who are in more than one music class. The students stepped up for the aural final, with an 86% average score. The final exam grade is made of two parts, the aural test and an average GLE score. 

Amazing performances!
  • We had such tremendous performances at Kaleidoscope and Festival of Carols! I'm so proud of everyone's hard work. It all paid off! 
  • Please see the slideshow at the top of the page for some photos. If you have more, I'd love to see them!  Usually I'm too busy at these concerts to take pictures! 
Picture

Save the Date! The Batavia Music Buffs presents "A Night at the Grammys", this year's Gala event. 
  • In its 7th year, the Annual Gala serves as a significant music booster event that raises funds to support the Batavia Music Programs. 
  • This year’s theme centers on Batavia High School, recognized for the 3rd straight year as a Grammy Signature School Semi-finalist!
  • Have an enjoyable evening out while continuing to support our excellent Music Education programs - with a plated dinner, live music, dancing, raffles, auctions and much more! 
  • Watch the Buffs website for more Gala details as they become available at bataviamusicbuffs.org.
  • It takes over 50 volunteers to make this event a reality, so we'd love to have your help! 


A Special note for Chamber Choir students and parents:

Hello All!

I will be point of contact for the Annual Gala fundraiser raffle basket for Chamber Choir. As you know, this year's theme is "A Night at the Grammy's". Our group's basket is entitled "Goodies at the Grammy's - Hors d'oeuvres to desserts!"

This could include everything and anything associated with appetizers and desserts: actual food donations i.e cheeses, crackers, olives, dip mixes, spreads, sausages, jars of bruschetta and pesto, nuts, cookies, chocolates, candies, just about anything you can munch on to skewers, cheese trays, tiered serving plates, dip bowls, appetizer plates, dessert mini tins/cups, napkins, cheese knives, toothpicks, recipes, spices etc...etc...

If you would like to make a monetary donation, instead, that would be great, too!!
Everything and anything is greatly appreciated.

World Market in St.Charles on Kirk Rd and Rte. 64, Homegoods and Marshalls on Randall Rd and Trader Joe's all have lots of stuff to choose from! Of course, there are the various chocolatiers in the area, as well.
You can send your donation to school in a bag marked "Laura Hix - Raffle" or drop it off at my home. I live just a few blocks from the high school at 337 Taubert Ave. I am sandwiched between McKee, Western Ave. and Mill Street. You can access Taubert Ave. from McKee via Holter which gets you into the subdivision. My phone number is 630-761-8277. I am home after 5:15 pm during the week.
Thank you so very much for your generosity!

Sincerely,
Maureen Hix


​Showchoirs
  • Showchoir rehearsals are underway! The most updated and comprehensive calendar is always on bataviamusic.org. Just select the groups you are interested in, and you'll see their rehearsal and performance schedule. If you find what you believe to be an error or discrepancy, please bring it to my attention!​
  • We had a Parents' Meeting about Show Choir in the choir room on Thursday, 10/8. Here is the Powerpoint from that evening.
  • Please get those participation fees in. Note that the $135 building fee is assessed through Powerschool. None of that money goes toward the Showchoir itself; it goes to pay for the facility, lights, heat, etc. The $300 fee is how we pay for the music, choreography, costuming, etc. To pay this, please enclose a check to Batavia High School in a labeled envelope. Have your student drop it into the black lock-box in the choir room. The fee was due by the start of rehearsals on November 9. Any show choir student who has not paid the fee by the first competition will not be allowed to compete. For information about the BPS101 fee waiver policy, please see this page. 
  • Volunteer sign-ups for Show Choir will be set up on www.BataviaMusicBuffs.org soon. 

2015-16 Concerts​​​
  • Tuesday, February 23: BHS Music Festival­ Concert 1 (Chorale & Alpha) 
  • Wednesday, February 24: BHS Music Festival­ Concert 2 (Treble & Varsity) 
  • Thursday, February 25: BHS Music Festival­ Concert 3 (Chamber) 
  • Tuesday, May 3: Spring Choir Concert (Please note this change)
  • Tuesday, May 17: Music Senior Awards night (Please note this change)
  • Other Important Dates: 
    • Wednesday, March 2: Showtime! 
    • March 7-­11 ­Curricular Choir Placement Auditions
Happy Holidays, everyone! 
Picture
Chamber decorated the board a bit today!
0 Comments

Detailed Kaleidoscope information

12/7/2015

0 Comments

 
KALEIDOSCOPE CONCERT INFORMATION!
 
We are anxiously awaiting our performance for our annual Kaleidoscope Concert on December 9th at 6:30 and 8:15 PM in the Batavia Fine Arts Centre (BFAC). This E-Mail should serve to answer many of your questions about this event.
 
Performances – There are two performances of the same concert. You need tickets to this event. They are completely free but must be obtained in advance. Please go tohttp://www.bataviafineartscentre.org/tickets/ and follow the links to get your tickets. This concert has been known to sell out – get them quickly!
 
Attire – Students should dress in the same uniform as they did for the Fall Concert: Black pants or skirt, black socks or hose, black dress shirt or blouse, black belt as appropriate, black shoes. Bear in mind that your student may have to go up and down stairs and stand for a significant amount of time; choose shoes wisely, please.
 
Call Time – All choir students are called to be in the Choir Room no later than 5:30 to get robes on.
 
Dinner for Students – We recommend that students either eat dinner before they come to the concerts or bring something to eat in between performances. Please do not bring a dinner for your student – simply put, it will be challenging to find your son/daughter in between performances. If your student wants to have dinner between performances, please have them drop off their food in a clearly labeled bag or container in the cafeteria PRIOR to the 5:30 Call Time.
 
Seeing Your Student in Between Performances – If you insist on seeing your student in between performances, we send ALL student performers to the cafeteria between performances. Parents and family should plan to meet there, NOT in the BFAC lobby.
 
Audience Etiquette – This performance is unique in that there is no applause in between ensembles until the final selection. We explain this before the concert begins, however, it is important to know ahead of time.
 
Audience Entrance/Exit – BFAC Policy dictates that we open doors to the Main Stage thirty minutes prior to the performance. This means we open at 6:00 PM for the first concert and 7:45 for the second concert. All patrons for the first concert must leave before the second concert’s patrons can enter. We ask kindly that patrons for the first performance exit quickly out the BFAC doors to the north to expedite the change between the two concerts. Additionally, arriving earlier than thirty minutes prior to the performance will have you standing in a line waiting to get in. 

Again, we are VERY excited to perform for you this week. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.


0 Comments

Choir Newsletter; December 4, 2015

12/4/2015

0 Comments

 
Choir parents and families,
Here's this week's newsletter. Key points and new information are in bold type. 
​

A link to each post will be sent through the choir Twitter and Facebook accounts, to whatever parent emails I have on file, and to the students through Google Classroom. 

The beginning section will always be about curricular choir and the following information will pertain to the extracurricular activities, so you only need to read what applies to your student.  The most updated and comprehensive calendar is always on bataviamusic.org. ​
​Curricular Choir:
  • ILMEA All-State lists are out. Unfortunately, none of our singers made state this year. We're very excited for Madeline Rydholm, however, who earned a spot in the Future Music Educator's Seminar! Maddie is one of about 50 future music teachers from around the state who will attend workshops together and even attend some of the same Professional Development sessions that the other BHS music teachers and I will be in. I've had three students attend this in the past, and all have found it tremendously rewarding. Congrats also BHS Orchestra's Alyssa Gao who made it to state on violin!
  • MusicTheory.net (MTN): Students have assignments on MusicTheory.net to work on issues like note ID, key signature ID, Intervals, ear training and more. These are due every Tuesday. Those will show up in PowerSchool under the "Written Assignments" category. Here's a link if you want to give it a try!  These assignments can always be re-done for a better score. I expect students will get better at these skills as the year goes on, so they are welcome to go back and fix old grades. The next MTN's are due Tuesday, 12/8. 
  • The Grade Level Expectancies (GLE's) will also use SightReadingFactory, as it is important for the test to look like what they've been practicing. On weeks when GLE assignments are due, the normal Thursday assignments will no be there. Instead, students will have two SRF drills that are matched to the difficulty level of their choir. These GLE drills will be due on certain Fridays at 5pm. The next GLE is due on December 11, and is now available on each student's SRF Dashboard.  Also, SRF now has an iPhone app, so assignments can be completed that way. No Android yet!
  • The syllabus for all choirs is on the choir page of the BataviaMusic.org. Students received a hard-copy in class. You should have been shown the syllabus and signed off on it. You can see if your student has turned theirs in by checking PowerSchool for the "Syllabus Contract" assignment, due 9/4.

Picture
Festival of Carols tickets
  • Madrigal Season is fast approaching! Performances are Friday and & Saturday, December 11-12 at 7pm. 
  • Here is the remaining schedule regarding this event: 
    • Thursday, Dec 10: Festival of Carols Dress Rehearsal at Shannon Hall (3-6 pm, estimated) 
    • Fri-­Sat. Dec 11-­12: Festival of Carols at Shannon Hall; 7pm performances
  • Tickets are almost sold out! 89% of the tickets are gone! Saturday is almost sold out, and Friday is getting there!  Get your tickets HERE.
  • We had a Parents' Meeting about the Festival of Carols in the choir room on Thursday, 10/8. Here is the Powerpoint from that evening. 
  • All volunteer sign-ups are on the www.BataviaMusicBuffs.org (Click Volunteer Sign-up). If you have any questions about how you might help, please contact Mr. Barsch at peter.barsch@bps101.net. ​


Picture
Kaleidoscope tickets
  • You can still reserve tickets at http://www.bataviafineartscentre.org/tickets/ 
  • Click on "Purchase Individual Tickets" and then click the "Buy Tickets" icon next to the Batavia Music logo. Tickets are available free of charge. You really don't want to miss it!

BHS Choir kids on stage this weekend
  • BHS Choir kids will be on stage this Saturday & Sunday in the BFAC. They have put together One Acts, with students both acting and directing! Come support Adi, Sarah, Justin, Marcelo, Matt, Natalie, Cam, Cassady, Meghan T, Joe, John, Emily, Ian, and Megan R! Break legs!
  • The Fox Valley Childrens Chorus is performing  on Sunday afternoon, and will feature several current BHS Choir kids!

Picture
Save the Date! The Batavia Music Buffs presents "A Night at the Grammys", this year's Gala event. 
  • In its 7th year, the Annual Gala serves as a significant music booster event that raises funds to support the Batavia Music Programs. 
  • This year’s theme centers on Batavia High School, recognized for the 3rd straight year as a Grammy Signature School Semi-finalist!
  • Have an enjoyable evening out while continuing to support our excellent Music Education programs - with a plated dinner, live music, dancing, raffles, auctions and much more! 
  • Watch the Buffs website for more Gala details as they become available at bataviamusicbuffs.org.
  • It takes over 50 volunteers to make this event a reality, so we'd love to have your help! 


Picture
Showchoirs
  • Showchoir rehearsals are underway! Please get those participation fees in. Note that the $135 building fee is assessed through Powerschool. None of that money goes toward the Showchoir itself; it goes to pay for the facility, lights, heat, etc. The $300 fee is how we pay for the music, choreography, costuming, etc. To pay this, please enclose a check to Batavia High School in a labeled envelope. Have your student drop it into the black lock-box in the choir room. The fee was due by the start of rehearsals on November 9. Any show choir student who has not paid the fee by the first competition will not be allowed to compete. For information about the BPS101 fee waiver policy, please see this page. 
  • We had a Parents' Meeting about Show Choir in the choir room on Thursday, 10/8. Here is the Powerpoint from that evening.  
  • The most updated and comprehensive calendar is always on bataviamusic.org. Just select the groups you are interested in, and you'll see their rehearsal and performance schedule. If you find what you believe to be an error or discrepancy, please bring it to my attention!
  • Volunteer sign-ups for Show Choir will be set up on www.BataviaMusicBuffs.org soon. 


2015-16 Concerts​
  • Tuesday, December 8: Kaleidoscope Concert Dress Rehearsal – During school day 
  • Wednesday, December 9: Music Department Kaleidoscope Concert 
  • Thursday, Dec 10: Festival of Carols Dress Rehearsal at Shannon Hall (3-6 pm, estimated) 
  • Fri-­Sat. Dec 11-­12: Festival of Carols at Shannon Hall (Chamber & Treble)  7pm performances
  • Tuesday, February 23: BHS Music Festival­ Concert 1 (Chorale & Alpha) 
  • Wednesday, February 24: BHS Music Festival­ Concert 2 (Treble & Varsity) 
  • Thursday, February 25: BHS Music Festival­ Concert 3 (Chamber) 
  • Tuesday, May 3: Spring Choir Concert
  • Tuesday, May 17: Music Senior Awards night
  • Other Important Dates: 
    • Wednesday, March 2: Showtime! 
    • March 7-­11 ­Curricular Choir Placement Auditions
Did you notice...
  • ...that Festival of Carols tickets are almost gone?  And that Kaleidoscope tickets are available? Good! 

Picture
0 Comments

Mini-Newsletter

12/2/2015

0 Comments

 
There's so much big news, I can't wait until Friday! 

Aliano's Dining Night!
  • Aliano's has very graciously offered 15% of all proceeds between 5-9pm tomorrow (Thursday), December 3rd to go to the Batavia Music Buffs!
  • To celebrate, the Chamber Singers and Troubadours will be performing periodically between 5:30-6:30. Come get some wonderful food and a preview of the Festival of Carols!

Kaleidoscope tickets!
  • You can still reserve tickets at http://www.bataviafineartscentre.org/tickets/ 
  • Click on "Purchase Individual Tickets" and then click the "Buy Tickets" icon next to the Batavia Music logo. Tickets are available free of charge. You really don't want to miss it!
Festival of Carols Tickets!
  • These are going fast! As of 5pm Wednesday, 12/2, we are over 75% sold out!  
  • Festival of Carols tickets can be purchased HERE. 

A full newsletter is coming Friday!
0 Comments

    The Latest News from BHS Choir

    Contact: peter.barsch@bps101.net with any questions

    Archives

    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Music Classes
AP Music Theory
Band
Choir
Orchestra
Rock 'n' Roll Methods
Extra-Curriculars
Chamber Orchestra
Jazz Bands
Madrigals/Troubadours
Marching Band
Show Choir
Tri-M Honor Society

Picture
Batavia Music Department - 1201 Main Street - Batavia, IL 60510