Regional Honors Choir Information

MSVMA Regional Honors Choir is just “around the corner”!  The event will be held at Western Michigan University’s Dalton Center this Saturday, December 3rd.  Please peruse the following information and requests:

1. We will need to transport all eleven Holt students to Kalamazoo Saturday morning. We will need to meet in the South parking lot of Holt High School at 6am. We will carpool from there.  If possible I would like to solicit the help of parent drivers (at most 3).  Please let me know ASAP if you are available to drive students to Kalamazoo that morning.  The concert is at 4:30pm.  Sometimes folks spend the day Christmas shopping at the various area malls!

2.  I also need to know of any students who need a ride back to Holt after the concert.  I have a personal obligation that will require me to leave directly from Kalamazoo heading toward Grand Rapids.  Most students ride home with their parents who attend the concert.  If your child needs transportation from the event home, please let me know.  I can arrange for their transport with another student.

3. There is no additional expense for attending on Saturday.  All expenses have been covered via scholarship by Holt Vocal Music Boosters!  Thanks, Booster family!

4. The following information has been forwarded from MSVMA regarding the Regional Honors Choir activities:

A. What will happen at this event?: Each student is expected to arrive at WMU’s Dalton Center no later than 7:30AM, in order to allow each student to check in at the information table in the lobby, find their rooms, find their seat in the Recital Hall for rehearsal, and leave their things in the choir room (women) or band/orchestra room (men) without feeling pinched for time. Students should bring with them the following items:

1) A folder with their name on it

2) their music with their name on each octavo

3) pencils

4) their performance attire (more on that in a minute)

5) water (in a CLOSABLE container please).

It is especially important your students put their names on their folders and music – there will be 121 other folders and copies of music which look just like theirs.

B. Students will be asked to provide their name, but NOT their school affiliation, at the check-in table (the check-in lists will be arranged alphabetically by students’ last names, with school affiliation OMITTED). Upon check-in each of your students will be given a name tag which contains their name, event number, part for which they’re auditioning, and audition time (remember, NONE of those items can be changed on the audition site).

The schedule for the day will be as follows:

7:30AM – 8:00AM § Check-in at the Recital Hall lobby of Western Michigan University’s Dalton Center

8:00AM § Morning announcements in Recital Hall

8:15AM – 10:00AM § All student rehearse in auditorium with Tamara Grove-Williams, this year’s Region B High School Honors Choir Director

10:15AM § SSAA auditions begin

10:15AM – 11:00AM § SSAA Choir go to Choir Room for sectionals – Two SSAA Pieces (and two SATB) § TTBB remain in Dalton Center to rehearse SSAA selections with Mrs. Grove-Williams

11:00AM – 12:00

noon § SSAA move to the Choir room to rehearse SSAA selections with Director § TTBB move to Choir Room for sectionals

12:00 noon –

1:00PM § Lunch in campus cafeteria (the $40.00 per student fee covers lunch)

1:00PM § TTBB auditions begin

1:00PM – 2:30PM § SATB Rehearsal (All Students) in the Dalton Center

2:30PM – 3:00PM § SSAA Rehearsal – TTBB moves offstage into audience.

3:30PM – 3:55PM § All rehearse in auditorium with Master Grove Williams

3:55PM – 4:25PM § Change into performance attire – TTBB in band/orchestra room, SSAA in choir room

4:25PM § Students on stage in performance order (determined during rehearsals)

4:30PM § CONCERT TIME!!! in auditorium

5:00PM § Concert ends – audition results posted in lobby and surrounding areas

5:00PM – 5:30PM § Students change back into casual attire – TTBB in band/orchestra room, SSAA in choir room § Students selected for State Honors Choir pick up State Honors Choir folders in lobby and surrounding areas

3. Attire: Students are to dress in casual attire during the rehearsal until 3:55PM, when rehearsal ends. Please remind students of the following two items:

* Students ARE NOT to wear anything, or bring anything, which identifies their school affiliation. The adjudicators ARE NOT to know what school each student is from during their auditions. As mentioned earlier, I have also extended this to the check-in table outside of the auditorium. Students SHOULD NOT have to identify their school at any time while they are at Western Michigan University.

* While casual attire is fine for rehearsals, students should wear clothing appropriate for wearing to school during the week. Remember, the “casual” outfit your student wears will be the outfit he/she wears when auditioning for the adjudicator.

Students will be permitted to change into performance attire (their school choir outfit if they have one – OR a white dress shirt/black dress pants/black dress shoes/black socks/necktie (NOT a bow tie) for the TTBB students, white top/black dress pants/black dress shoes for the SSAA students) at the conclusion of the rehearsal (3:55PM). Women will change in the choir room while men change in the band/orchestra room. Students will also be permitted to change BACK INTO CASUAL ATTIRE at the conclusion of the concert.

4. Audition procedure: Each student will be expected to leave the auditorium or sectional room approximately 5 minutes prior to their audition time. (NOTE: Each student will be responsible for monitoring the time themselves – they probably should bring a timepiece with them that day in case there are any problems with clocks). There will be NO WARMUP ROOMS and NO WARMUP TIME prior to the auditions (they will have been singing already during rehearsal, so warm-up time should not be unnecessary). At the appropriate time, the guide will ask the student to proceed to the audition room. The student will then audition by singing sections from the following pieces:

EVERYONE LEARNS:

* Sure on This Shining Night (Lauridsen)

o Peermusic Classical 62128-122

* Antiphon from Five Mystical Songs (Vaughn Williams)

o ESC Publishing 1.5028

SSAA ALSO LEARNS:

* Universal Song (Daniel Hall)

o HL 08501722

* Maggie and Milly and Molly and May (Joan Szymko)

o Santa Barbara Music Pub SBMP 588

TTBB ALSO LEARNS:

* Zion’s Walls (arr. Glenn Koponen)

o Boosey & Hawkes 48003922

* Shenandoah (arr. Jameson Marvin)

o Mark Foster MF1066

Your students will need to sing these pieces from memory, and a cappella, or points will be deducted. The adjudicator may ask that your students sing any or all of the songs in their entirety OR any portions of any or all of the songs on their voice part. STARTING PITCHES ONLY will be given for both the audition piece by the adjudicator with a small electronic keyboard. Adjudicators WILL NOT assist students by giving tempos, providing count-ins, singing portions of the audition pieces, or any other means OTHER than giving starting pitches.

Only the auditioning student will be allowed into the audition room. Directors, parents, and anyone else with the student WILL NOT be permitted to enter the audition room with the auditioning student.

Each audition slot is 5 minutes long (4 minutes to complete the audition, and 1 minute for the student to leave the audition room, and for the judge to complete scoring of the auditioner). Scoring will be on the following basis:

* Tone Quality – 25 points

* Memorization – 15 points

* Pitch Accuracy – 15 points

* Rhythm Accuracy – 15 points

* Diction – 10 points

* Interpretation (phrasing, dynamics) – 10 points

* Sight Reading Pitch Accuracy – 5 points

* Sight Reading Rhythmic Accuracy – 5 points

TOTAL – 100 points

A reminder – every student will be REQUIRED to sing for an adjudicator, regardless of whether or not they are auditioning for the State Honors Choirs and All-State Choir. This is to assure that every student has learned their voice parts. Students will also be expected to sing “Sure on this Shining Night” on the Regional Honors Choir Concert, but WILL NOT be expected to audition this piece again.

It is crucial each event be ON TIME – we have an extremely full schedule, and it is not fair to expect students who make the effort to be on time to accommodate other students who show up late. If the student is late for an AUDITION TIME, the student WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO AUDITION.

5. At no time is any director, student, parent, voice coach, or any other individual to talk with any adjudicator in regard to how he/she conducts auditions or about anything else. If there is a problem, please come find me.

6. PLEASE NOTE: Western Michigan University is a smoke-free zone. No smoking is allowed – either inside OR outside the building (smoking is completely prohibited on the property – including parking lots).

7. Please inform all individuals from your school attending this event that they are not to bring valuables of any kind. While the changing rooms will be locked and monitored during the day, neither MSVMA, nor Western Michigan University, will be responsible for anything lost or stolen at this event. Anything left at Western Michigan University at the end of the day will be left and disposed.

8. Students from WMU’s ACDA student chapter will assist in running the event. In spite of whatever performance anxiety individuals from your school may have, please let all individuals from your school attending the auditions know of the importance for them to be polite and considerate to all of these assistants. They have been instructed to be polite, but firm, in enforcing the schedule and guaranteeing the event will run smoothly. If there is a problem, please DO NOT complain to them or to other adult volunteers – please come see me.

9. Other behavioral expectations about which you and your students need to be aware:

· Students, parents, and directors are expected to conduct themselves in a pleasant and courteous manner at all times, demonstrating appropriate behavior which is a credit to them and their school at all times.

· Students will change clothes only in restrooms or designated areas, NOT in lobbies, hallways, women in men’s rooms, men in women’s rooms, etc.

· Students, parents, and directors are expected to refrain from making derogatory comments about students from their own as well as other schools regarding clothing, ability, looks, etc.

· Students, parents, and directors are expected to remain in designated areas and not roam the building.

· Students, parents, and directors will only have food and drink (including water) in designated areas, and NOT in audition rooms, sectional rooms, or the auditorium.

· Students, parents, and directors will quietly and politely leave an audition room if asked.

· Students and parents will inform their school director if they have any problem, who will then inform the Regional Honors Choir Supervisor.

· Socializing is to take place in designated common areas, not in audition rooms, hallways outside of audition rooms, or in rehearsal areas while rehearsal is in progress or while the choir is being addressed.

· Only workers authorized by the Regional Honors Choir Supervisor will be allowed in Headquarters. Please do not interfere with the workers performing their jobs.

10. Results: At the conclusion of the concert (5:00PM), the lists of students selected to participate in the State Honors Choirs will be posted in the auditorium lobby and surrounding areas. If any of your students are selected to participate in the State Honors Choirs, those students will need to pick up their State Honors Choir folder with their folder with music and information regarding the January rehearsals and concert IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CONCERT ON DECEMBER 3rd. ONLY THE STUDENT MAY PICK UP THE FOLDER – IN PERSON – directors, parents, voice coaches, friends, or anyone else MAY NOT GET A FOLDER FOR ANYONE ELSE! Failure to follow this procedure may subject your school to discipline from MSVMA as stipulated by the Honors Choir Attendance Policy.

FINALLY – for those students choosing to audition for the State Honors Choirs: If your students are chosen to sing with the State Honors Choirs, they are REQUIRED to participate in the State Honors Choirs Rehearsals in Grand Rapids on Thursday, January 19th (2:00PM to 6:00PM); Friday, January 20 (all day) and Saturday, January 21 (8:00 AM to early afternoon). They ALSO ARE REQUIRED to sing in the State Honors Choir Concert on Saturday, January 21 from 3:00PM to 4:30PM at the DeVos Ballroom in Grand Rapids. Your students will also be expected to have their parts learned and memorized for the additional selections they will need to sing. Each student will be tested individually or in quartets in the first hour of rehearsal for music memorization.Please refer to the MSVMA Website regarding the attendance policies for Honors Choir events and possible penalties for failure of students to attend required rehearsals and performances.

 

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