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The Voices of LHS
2006-2007 Choir Handbook
Welcome
back to school! We look forward to this
year being a year to build on the tradition of excellence that was so evident
last year as well as in years past.
We
believe in music education as a vital part of social, academic, and emotional
growth.
- Social: Choir is a group to belong to and a
way to invest yourself in people.
In choir, you can be yourself without any fear of being
judged. Choir provides a number of
social opportunities and is a great place to practice you “life skills” as
you work towards becoming adults.
- Academic: It is proven that music education
enhances academic performance. Statistics
show that students who study music score higher on the SAT than students
with no experience in the arts (Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test
Takers, The College Board, 1977).
The study of music enhances academic skills as it contributes to
the development of cognitive thinking.
- Emotional: Students need to develop their
ability to express themselves in some way, through some form of art. Music in innate and the students can
benefit from finding that part of themselves for a lifetime.
Thank you for investing your time, energy and
effort in this program. Your experiences
here will be SO valuable to you both now and in your future. We are so glad that you chose to be in choir!
ALL CHOIR MEMBERS SHARE THESE GOALS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The pursuit of excellence in musical performance.
The understanding and appreciation for a variety of musical
styles.
The encouragement and development of a positive attitude
for all of our students.
A High School Music Program has
to begin with
standards of literature and
performance and in neither regard is compromise tolerable.
The Young Person of High School
Age has the intelligence, vitality, and physical ability to cope with a
considerable amount of the world’s great literature, and to give him anything
other than this or to demand less than a near professional standard of
performance is to
betray both the student and the
art.
-Robert Shaw (world famous choral director)
Please
read over this handbook CAREFULLY. Both you and a
parent need to sign the
last
page of this handbook after you have read this through. If you have any questions, please contact us
at school (469) 713-5190 ext. 4134 or email us at jarvist@lisd.net
or hornsbyv@lisd.net.
THIS IS
GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR!!
Terri
Jarvis Valerie Hornsby
Director Associate
Director
Pride: the
quality or state of being proud as: a reasonable or justifiable self-respect
.
Classroom Rehearsals
Classroom
rehearsals are the primary source of daily grades. Quality work done in class lessens the need
for extra rehearsals. Daily
participation is required. Failure to
contribute in a positive manner will affect a student’s grade. Students who are unable to sing due to
illness will still be expected to fully participate in the rehearsal process.
Performances
Students
are required to participate in all scheduled dress rehearsals and
performances. There will be times when rehearsals outside of regularly
scheduled choir classes will be necessary.
Notification will be given as soon as possible and attendance will be expected. Any question of conflict MUST be
discussed with the director PRIOR to the scheduled date. NEVER
ASSUME AN ABSENCE WILL BE EXCUSED.
Excused Absences are:
death in the family, medical
emergency or personal illness, religious holiday.
Unexcused
Absences are: family trips, personal business or entertainment,
transportation concerns.
School
Activities: The LHS calendar is a busy one. If a student has a conflict with another
school activity, we must be notified as soon as possible. Students will be asked to work with their schedule
to allow attendance at both activities.
**Performance opportunities cannot
be duplicated. They are the
representation of our preparation and class work. They are the very heart of choral
singing. When a student misses a
performance, he/she misses a vital part of the music education experience.**
Consequences for Missing
a Performance/Dress Rehearsal
Each
concert and dress rehearsal constitutes TWO TEST GRADES, therefore, if you have
an unexcused absence to either a performance or a dress rehearsal, you will
receive a “0” for both grades. If your
absence falls under the Excused Absence list, you will be given the opportunity
to complete an alternative assignment for a maximum grade of a 70.
Please have enough pride in being a member of
the LHS Choral program to avoid scheduling conflict’s with the planned
calendar.
Evaluation
Your nine weeks grade will be
constructed in the following manner:
Summative – 60%
Performance
and Dress Rehearsals, duets, trios or quartet testing
A
student’s summative grade will consist of concert performances and dress
rehearsals. Each concert and dress rehearsal
constitutes TWO TEST GRADES,
therefore, if you have an unexcused absence to either a performance or a dress
rehearsal, you will receive a “0” for both grades. If your absence falls under the Excused
Absence list, you will be given the opportunity to complete an alternative
assignment for a maximum grade of a 70.
Formative – 40%
Daily
class rehearsals, written work, sight-reading
Class
participation includes attitude, attention, cooperation, and punctuality. Rehearsal time is impossible to make up;
therefore, repeated tardiness will affect a student’s grade. If a student must sit out of a rehearsal for
illness, sore throat, etc., they will be expected to have their folder, music
and pencil and actively participate. Students sitting out of rehearsal will not
be allowed to do work from another class.
If a student is excessively ill
and must sit out of rehearsal, a note from a parent and/or doctor will be
required.
Each
week is worth a total of 100 points. The
daily grade is determined by the student’s level of participation during class
(on-task behavior, posture, singing, etc.).
Common
deductions from the daily grade are:
* Tardies (10
points) * No folder/music (30 points)
* No pencil (10 points) *
Sent to Office (all daily points)
* Food (10 points) * Unexcused Absence (all daily points)
* Gum (10
points)
* Cell Phones/Electronic Device
(30 points)
Written
work will consist of theory practice including: key signatures, musical
definitions, dynamic markings solfege, and other
musical concepts. Students will
periodically have sight-reading exams.
Tardy/Attendance
Policy (LHS Policy)
- A
student who comes in 15 minutes after the period begins will be considered
absent.
- A
student who is not in the classroom when the tardy bell rings will be
counted tardy and sent to the tardy table.
NO EXCUSES.
- A
student who is not on the risers with their folder, pencil and the
optional bottle of water will be considered tardy for loss of weekly
points.
The
“When we believe in
ourselves, we can make anything happen.”
Materials
Fees
Every student will pay a Choir Registration Fee of $35.00.
This fee covers:
1.
A one time cleaning
and alteration of uniform
2.
Supplies (choir
folders, pencils, highlighters, practice CDs, and membership in the LHS Choir
Booster Organization).
Every student will also need to pay
$20.00 for their Official LHS Choral
Polo Shirt.
Folder/Music
Students will be provided a folder for music. If a student loses the folder, he/she will be
required to pay the $10 fee to replace the folder and music. Students are responsible for having all music
with them at all rehearsals and are expected to put their folder away at the
end of every rehearsal. Daily points
will be deducted every time a student is not prepared or leaves their choir
folder out at the end of a rehearsal.
Students will be expected to have a pencil and mark music during
rehearsals.
Uniforms
Students will be provided with:
Girls: long, black choir dress
Guys: tux pants, tux coat, black tie, black
cummerbund
Students will need to have:
Girls: Black dress shoes, black hose
**Shoes will be ‘character
shoes’ – which will be available for purchase when we have our
uniform registration.
**Dresses will be hemmed
to 1-1/2 inches off the ground.
**No jewelry on arms or
neck.
**Small stud earrings
only.
Guys: wing-tip tuxedo shirt, black dress shoes, no
tennis shoes or boots, black socks.
All students: Hair
should be out of the face and of a natural color.
Each
student should purchase a garment bag ($23 or $27) in which your student
uniform should be kept. Please keep your
uniform in your bag when you are not wearing it!!
It is
recommended that uniforms be dry cleaned on a regular basis. At the end of the year, students will be
expected to return their uniform on time.
Mrs.
Jarvis and Ms. Hornsby want you to take pride in being a
member of the LHS Choir Department.
Your appearance is one way to show a classy attitude. Therefore, when you have a performance,
you are expected to be in full uniform from the time you arrive for the
concert to the point where you are either changed completely out of it, or
in you car. (Guys, that means no walking around with your shirt unbuttoned, untucked and your bow tie off.) If you are staying behind after a concert
to help break-down the stage, clean up, etc., please change completely out
of your uniform.
Fundraising Guidelines
A choir
program of this size and quality could not function without a substantial
operational budget. With the help of the
LHS Choir Boosters, students are encouraged to participate in several
fundraisers per year.
The
fundraisers this year include Sonic Hops, Poinsettia Sales, Madrigal Dinner,
Celebration of Music.
These
monies are all used to offset the cost of the end-of-the-year trip, purchase of
new sound equipment, scholarships, travel, and the purchase of music throughout
the year.
v
Please make checks out
to: LHS CHOIR BOOSTERS
v
Please follow the new
guidelines regarding payment procedures.
v
ALL of the money is
due on the assigned turn-in day. No
partial payments will be taken. We will
be requiring you to collect your money for your fundraiser when you turn your order
form in. You will not be allowed to take
your items home once they’ve been delivered unless you have ALL monies turned
in.
v
Multiple checks will
not be accepted. If paying
by check, only one check
originating from the student/student’s parent will be accepted. All checks MUST have a driver’s license number printed or written on
the check.
v
Once the student takes
his/her order from the choir room, they are responsible for all of the
contents. It is the student’s
responsibility to inform the director within
24 hours of any missing or damaged items.
v
Receipts will be
issued for all transactions. Maintain
your receipts in case a question arises.
Payment Information
There
will be times during the school year when payments will need to be sent to
choir. To help with bookkeeping, please
use the following guidelines each time that money is sent to school for choir
purposes:
v
Please make all checks
payable to LHS CHOIR.
v
Please include the
choir student’s name in the “memo” area of the check.
v
All money (cash or
check) needs to be placed in an official LHS CHOIR envelope marked with the
choir student’s name, class period and LHS CHOIR written on the front.
v
NEW THIS YEAR…A Money
Drop Box in the choir room. Please place
all monies into this box. NO MONEY IS TO BE GIVEN TO MRS. JARVIS OR
MS. HORNSBY AT ANY TIME.
Eligibility
The LHS
Choirs have several activities that students need to be eligible to participate
in:
v
Region XXIV Choir Auditions
v
Region XXIV Clinic & Concert
v
Pre-Area Auditions
v
Area/State Auditions
v
UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest
v
LISD Solo and Ensemble
v
UIL Solo and Ensemble
v
State UIL Solo and Ensemble
v
In-State Competitions (non-varsity choirs only)
Please refer to the Eligibility
Chart at the back of the handbook.
Mrs. Jarvis and Ms. Hornsby reserve the right
to determine who is and who is not eligible for choir trips. Other factors may also include, but not be
limited to: Classroom behavior,
excessive absences or tardies or if another teacher
has requested that a student not attend a choir trip during the school day if
that student is behind or missing assignments in their class.
Travel Policy
Traveling
to an event is a privilege provided by the choir, not a right.
The following policies are designed to make our travel as efficient and
enjoyable as possible while representing our school and community with the best
intentions.
As a
student of
v
LHS Code of Conduct
v
LHS Extra-Curricular
Code of Conduct
v
School Dress Code
v
UIL eligibility
requirements
v
LHS Choir Handbook
Policies
v
All travel will
require complete medical/release forms.
In addition to regular school policies, there
are several rules that are specific to our program that help us function better
and travel faster:
1. No talking on buses when in parking lot.
a.
Directors and student leaders will tell you when talking is
appropriate.
b.
No talking on cell phones in parking lots.
c.
At the directors discretion, talking may be permitted when
remaining in the parking lot for
an extended period of time.
2. Singing, yelling, gesturing or body parts
out the window are inappropriate at any time.
a. We are representing a professional and
successful organization
everywhere we go.
3. Parent’s must notify us in writing at least
one day in advance if student is not traveling back
to LHS
with us from an event.
a. There must be a legitimate conflict with our
transportation schedule.
b.
Do not ask the directors at the event.
c.
Without the one day notice, we are assuming that you will be traveling
with us both
to and from the trip.
4. There will be assigned seating on all
buses.
a. You will be
allowed to pick which bus you would like to ride on and one person that
you would like to sit next
to. The assignments will be at the
director’s discretion.
b.
Directors and/or chaperones reserve the right to modify seating
assignments at any
time.
Remember…people will judge our choir AND our school
by your actions, both on and off the stage.
Your behavior must be exemplary and well beyond what is expected of you
as a private individual. Years of building
a great reputation can be destroyed by one individual in one
unfortunate incident. The Lewisville
High School Choirs should have a great reputation as a classy
organization.
v
Parents/Guardians
are encouraged and welcome to join the choirs on any of their outings. District policy states that parents/guardians
MUST have a Volunteer Application on
file with the school district to be allowed to chaperone.
Private Lessons
Private
voice lessons are available as a
supplement to classroom instruction.
These lessons are designed to give the student one-on-one specialized
lessons either during your scheduled choir class or after school. If you are interested in private lessons,
please fill out the request form available at Uniform Check-Out. The directors will match you with the
instructor that we feel best fits your needs.
You will be subject to your private lesson teacher’s policies and
payment schedule.
Extra-Curricular
Activities
All-Region
Choirs
·
9-12 All-Region Mixed
Choir
·
9-12 All-Region Treble
Choir
Students
will be expected to attend after-school sectionals and be fully prepared in
order to audition. The directors will
not allow an unprepared student to audition.
Students must maintin eligibility for both
audition and performance. Students
interested in Region will have a $20 fee which included music, entry fee and
learning CD. (If a student has their own
music, their fee is $13).
Students
who audition must commit to all dates involved in the All-Region
process. If you cannot, do not audition,
please.
October 5 “Phase 1” audition for 9-12 girls only.
October 15 All-Region Audition for all guys and the top
36 girls from the previous
Audition.
October 23 Region Choir Sectionals
November 3 & 4 All-Region Choirs Clinic & Concert
November 7 Pre-Area Auditions
January 6 All-State Area Audition (those who move on from
Pre-Area)
Solo & Ensemble
Students
who desire an additional challenge may prepare for a solo for the LISD solo
festival. This and the UIL solo & ensemble
festival are geared for the strong individual singer. All preparation will be done outside the
school day. Students who study voice
privately will prepare with their private teacher. The choir directors will help those students
who do not study privately. There is an
entry fee of $10 for each competition.
Students may be responsible for securing and paying an accompanist.
Practice Room Policy
The
practice rooms will have locks on the doors during the first week of
school. These rooms are off-limits
unless a director has opened the room up for you (department store fitting
room-style). If a student is found to be
in a practice room that they did not have permission to be in, they will be
given a warning. The second offense will
result in an automatic office referral.
Music Library/Uniform Room
Policy
The
Music Library/Uniform Room has been moved to the same hall as the practice
rooms. The only students allowed in this
room are the librarians from each choir, the Uniform Goddess and the directors. If a student is found to be in the Music
Library/Uniform Room without permission, they will be given a warning. The second offense will result in an
automatic office referral.
Duties of the LHS Choral Department Officers
The
officers of the LHS Choral Department are the student leadership of this
organization. The council was voted on
by students the previous year as a testimony to their devotion to the LHS
Choral Department and for their obvious leadership skills. The section leaders will be appointed by the
Directors and are chosen for their outstanding musical skills and ability to
assume leadership within the concert/competition situation. Please review the various responsibilities of
these students. The Directors
Duties of the Officers
President:
Oversees all officers, arranges and
leads officer meetings, assigns duties to other officers, may temporarily step
into any other officers’ responsibilities if needed. The Choir Council President is the main
student representative at concerts, competitions, LHS president’s club, and
booster council meetings. Also acts as
student director for combined choir performances. Reports to Mrs. Jarvis.
Vice President: Assist
president as needed, must prepare to assume the position of President the following
year, assists in keeping track of lettering policy and who has lettered, and
takes attendance at officer meetings. If
the President is incompacitated at any time, the Vice
President assumes his/her responsibilities.
Reports to Mrs. Jarvis.
Librarians:
Assigns music to their choir,
numbers and stamps all new music, enter new music into computer system and
tallies all music passed back in.
Informs Ms. Hornsby of any music destroyed or lost. Reports to Ms. Hornsby.
Secretary:
Keeps minutes from officer
meetings, updates choir calendar in choir room, and notifies Boosters of
accomplishments to be sent to Media. Reports
to Ms. Hornsby.
Spirit Leader: Leads in
all spirit decorations of the choir room before school year starts. In charge of the making of posters for
competitions and any other significant choir events. Coordinates goody bags for special events and
organizes Big/Little- Brother/Sister tradition.
Main person in charge of keeping choir traditions as week as presenting
new ones to the Council. Reports to
Mrs. Jarvis.
Uniform Officers: In
charge of helping the Boosters in assigning uniforms for the school year. This will include maintenance, fitting,
organizing, and maintaining a list of current uniforms assigned/returned. Reports to Ms. Hornsby.
Section Leaders: Section
Leaders are the main student leadership on the risers during rehearsals and
concerts. They will be the lead
sight-reader in all S/R activities on the risers and at UIL competition.
Riser/Equipment Crew: This is
a group of gentlemen chosen by the directors to assemble all equipment
necessary for performances.
Choir Letters
To
letter in choir, students must meet the requirements in one of the following
ways:
Letter Policy to be Given at a Latter Date….
WE EXPECT MEMERS OF THE LHS CHORAL DEPARTMENT-
·
To
get an education
·
To
give your total effort and to make the most of what you’ve got.
·
To
demonstrate unselfish love and respect towards your fellow singers.
·
To
rehearse to the best of your ability.
·
To be
extremely proud of your school, administration, teachers, conductors, coaches,
teammates, families, friends, and most importantly…yourself.
·
To be
prompt
·
To be
courteous.
·
To
display traits of positive self-esteem
·
To be
passionate and enthusiastic about life and music.
YOUR CONDUCTORS HAVE A COMMITMENT-
·
To be
loyal to and honest with you in all areas of accomplishments and failures.
·
To
teach you that problems are a constant part of life and to treat them as
challenges.
·
To
provide the leadership and training necessary to set and achieve goals.
·
To
work you harder than you’ve ever worked before.
·
To
assist you in any way possible.
·
To
treat you as a young adult and to love and respect you.
·
To
set boundaries and expect you to work within them.
·
To
teach you to exhibit poise in all situations.
·
To
teach you important skills you can use the rest of lives.
CLASSROOM GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- Be ready with music, folder and pencil, and be in
your place on the risers when the bell rings everyday!
- Actively participate throughout each rehearsal
100% effort!
- Water in clear, contained bottles is welcome.
- Any other food or drink is not allowed in the classroom at anytime.
- No gum in the classroom.
- Encourage other members and be respectful to the
directors.
- Disruptions (for example, speaking out lout to the
class without permission from the director or talking to one another
during a rehearsal) are forbidden because they keep others from learning.
CONSEQUENCES
Consequences
for infractions of the Guiding Principles can include director-member
conference, director-parent conference, detention hall, office referral, or
remove from the rehearsal.
If a
student’s behavior becomes so severe as to elevate itself to “conduct
unbecoming an LHS Choir member”, the student, at the director’s discretion, may
be immediately removed from the ensemble or program and may not be allowed to
return.
Please
note that certain offenses will automatically result in an office referral and
(please pay attention here…!) any
trip privileges will be revoked.
Booster
Club
As with
any large organization, there are many people that help to make the group
successful. Our biggest support group is
the LHS Choir Booster Club. The group is
made up of parents, friends, and relatives of the LHS Choir members. We strongly encourage parents to become part
of this organization and get involved with their kids. The Booster Club does a variety of things to
help the band throughout the year.
Our
current LHSCBC Board and Committee Heads for the 2006-2007 school year are:
President…………..Tammy Hopkins
VP of Ways and Means………..
Tammy Heaton
VP of Membership………….
Heather Ferguson
VP of Activities………………Dennis Michelsen
Treasurer………………….……Holly McGaugh
Treasurer……………………..…Jacci Mozingo
Secretary……………………….Cheryl Johnson
chohnson@signaturebankdallas.com
Dir. Of Pr & Hospitality……Beverly Michelsen