Choir Newsletter; September 25, 2015

Choir students and families,
I hope that you are having a great start to the year! I'm sure I'll still be learning the ropes for a while, but I'm thrilled to be here at BHS this year. 

This is the first of the weekly newsletters that I plan to send throughout the year. In an effort to cut down on the amount of emails that you need to read, I will include the entire week's information in this post. This email will also be sent to all parents' emails that we have on record in PowerSchool. A link to each post will be sent through the choir Twitter and Facebook accounts, 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. 

I am looking forward to a very rewarding school year!  I hope to meet and talk with you throughout the school year at concerts, Music Buffs meetings, Parent-Teacher Conferences, and other BHS events!  If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or complaints, I'd love to meet you. 

I. Curricular Choir

• 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. 
• Concert Dress code for all choirs: ​Black dress pants or skirt, black dress shirt, black socks and dress shoes, which each student must provide for themselves. Most performances will include robes, which BHS will provide

• SightReadingFactory.com (SRF). Rather than using SmartMusic (which doesn't work well for choir), all BHS choir students will have assignments on SightReadingFactory.com to complete. There will be four of them due every Thursday at 8:30am. 
  
• The 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 October 16.   
• Chamber only: The ILMEA auditions (10/6) are coming up quickly! We have been working hard in class to master the songs and skills to be tested there. Students can choose to 1). Ride the bus to Addison Trail HS and get picked up by a parent or carpool or 2). Drive themselves there and back or ride with a friend. Students must document their choice by filling out the correct permission slip and having parents verify their knowledge of their choice. Both permission slips are available from Mr. Barsch. The audition costs $8. If students are not able to audition, they must make that known to Mr. Barsch ASAP. The Festival itself will be held November 7th at Glenbard East HS. 
• 9th grade ILMEA: For the first time ever, District 9 of ILMEA will be having a 9th grade choir. Students from Chorale had a chance to audition with Mr. Barsch. One soprano, one alto, one tenor, and one bass will join quartets from all of the District 9 schools for a festival choir, to be held at the same festival as the Senior Chorus on November 7th at Glenbard East HS. 

II. Upcoming Concerts

• Thursday, October 22: Fall Choir Concert 
• 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 (TBA) 
• Fri-­Sat. Dec 11-­12: Festival of Carols at Shannon Hall (Chamber & Treble) 
• 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) 
• Thursday, May 12: Spring Choir Concert 2015­2016 
• Other Important Dates:

                 Tuesday, October 6: ILMEA District 9 Chorus Auditions (Chamber) 
                 Wednesday, March 2: Showtime! 
                 March 7-­11 ­Curricular Choir Placement Auditions (During Class)

III. Help wanted! 

• I'll need a few more people to help take leadership in specific ways and make Festival of Carols a reality. Please read the Madrigal section below. 
• I'd love to update the website and social media with pictures from last year. If you have any you would be willing to see displayed publicly, even if it is a student who has graduated, please send the picture or a link to peter.barsch@bps101.net.

IV. Madrigals

• Madrigal Season is fast approaching! Initial plans for the event are under way. This year, every student in Chamber and Treble Choirs will be performing at this magical event. 
• We will have a parents' meeting in the choir room on Thursday, October 8 at 8-8:45pm, at which I'll be able to share how we are revising the process. I'm thrilled to get started! 
• We will need a few parents to help supervise a particular area of the event (Decorations, Costumes, Programs, T-Shirts, Tickets, Serving) and a few more to help those people with specific tasks (simple alterations, baking cookies, decorating Shannon Hall, ticket sales, etc.). If you are willing to help in any way, please contact Mr. Barsch at peter.barsch@bps101.net.  

V. Showchoirs

• Showchoir rehearsals will start on November 9, but we may have informal vocal rehearsals as our songs arrangements come in. Ideally, we'd like to be able to focus on the choreography as soon as possible once the season starts. 
• We'll have a parents' meeting on Thursday, October 8 from 7-7:45 for anyone whose student is in SwingSingers or Legacy. At this meeting we'll answer any questions you may have and share more information about what's in store for this season. 

• 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!
  

VI. National Anthem Auditions

• Students can audition to sing the National Anthem at certain sporting events this year.  
• Auditions are by appointment, and after getting approval students can sign up for events for the rest of the year.
• Students may audition in as many variations as they would like (solo, duet, men's/women's ensemble).
  
• Mr. Barsch reserves the right to choose certain singers for certain events (A senior singer would have preference for a "Senior Night" for example).

VII. Did you notice...

• The Showchoir and Madrigal parent meetings on Thursday, October 8th?  Good!

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