Glenbard West High School

Choir Handbook

Mr. Andrew Jeffrey, Choir Director Mrs. Colleen Ortega, Accompanist

Please visit our website for updated choir information! www.glenbardwesths.org/teachers/westmusic/

Welcome To Glenbard West Choirs!

Dear Parents and Students:

Welcome back! I am very excited about the coming year with a marked increase in new student participation and a continued success of students in all areas of the program. This is all due in part to strong parental, student, and administrative support. I am keen to continue to build upon the traditions of Glenbard West choral music and to work together with all of you and members of the community to build a program that will be a source of pride for many years to come. I have updated our Choir Handbook. It contains very important information that you will need in order to make this year successful and rewarding. Included within the handbook you will find general choir information including the choir calendar, concert attire, grading system, attendance policy, and other information you might find helpful this year. Please read the handbook carefully and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me.

Best regards,

Andy Jeffrey Choir Director 630.942.7452 [email protected]

Membership in West Choirs is available to any student who possesses a desire to improve and excel in their musicianship. This invitation is a two-way agreement, if you elect to take choir, we elect to work with you to improve and excel. Each singer is placed into one of four curricular performing ensembles.

CURRICULAR CHOIRS

TREBLE CHOIR is a beginning vocal ensemble for female students. Instruction includes music theory, music history, advanced vocal techniques, advanced sight singing, performance decorum, and advanced ensemble performance techniques. Special emphasis will be placed on the specific mechanics of the female voice and understanding proper vocal production and good tone. Treble Choir will perform on all major concerts and at some festivals. Enrollment is open to any female student. No audition is required.

ADVANCED TREBLE CHOIR is an auditioned vocal ensemble for treble voices. Instruction includes music theory, music history, advanced vocal techniques, advanced sight singing, performance decorum, and advanced ensemble performance techniques. Specific focus is given to advanced literature for women. Styles from the Renaissance to the present will be covered. The ensemble performs during the school year, including community service concerts and festivals. Enrollment is by audition and/or instructor permission.

CHAMBER CHOIR is an auditioned vocal ensemble for males and females. Instruction includes music theory, music history, advanced vocal techniques, advanced sight singing, performance decorum, and advanced ensemble performance techniques. Specific focus is given to small ensemble skills and literature. Styles from the Renaissance to the present will be covered, including madrigal and jazz. The majority of the repertoire will be performed a capella. The ensemble performs during the school year, including community service concerts, festivals, and a spring tour. Enrollment is by audition and/or instructor permission.

CONCERT CHOIR is an auditioned vocal ensemble for females. Instruction includes music theory, music history, advanced vocal techniques, advanced sight singing, performance decorum, and advanced ensemble performance techniques. Specific focus is given to large ensemble skills and literature. Styles from the Renaissance to the present will be covered. The ensemble performs during the school year, including community service concerts and festivals. Enrollment is by audition and/or instructor permission.

BARITONE CHOIR is an auditioned vocal ensemble for males. Instruction includes music theory, music history, advanced vocal techniques, advanced sight singing, performance decorum, and advanced ensemble performance techniques. Specific focus is given to large ensemble skills and literature. Styles from the Renaissance to the present will be covered. The ensemble performs during the school year, including community service concerts and festivals. Enrollment is by audition and/or instructor permission.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR CHOIRS

MADRIGAL SINGERS is a select ensemble of advanced singers who rehearse and perform in the fall semester. They sing renaissance music and traditional carols in full period costume, host a Madrigal Dinner in December and perform throughout the community during the holiday season. The performance at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church includes the performance of a play and dessert.

SHADES OF GREEN is a select vocal jazz ensemble that rehearses and performs in the spring. They perform vocal jazz repertoire accompanied by a jazz quartet and host a Cabaret night in the spring. Performances also occur throughout the community in during the spring semester.

A CAPELLA ENSEMBLES are part of the a cappella club that will meet monthly together in the choir room. Students will form ensembles that will rehearse with Mr. Jeffrey or on their own as their schedules permit throughout the year. Performances will be by audition at choir concerts, Cabaret Night, and A Capella Night. CONCERT ATTIRE

Returning choir students, PLEASE HAVE YOUR UNIFORM ALTERED. PLEASE READ THROUGH ALL OF THE FOLLOWING AS SOME UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS HAVE CHANGED. Alterations on a uniform are the responsibility of the student. Dresses should touch the tip of your shoes toe. Pants should fall with a 2 inch break. PLEASE CUT NOTHING WHEN MAKING ALTERATIONS. Fold hems under several times if necessary, but avoid cutting fabric.

We want to look as professional as we sound! Long hair must be pulled off of the face. Women should wear make up if they are comfortable doing so and men should be clean-shaven. All jewelry must be taken off. Concert attire should be clean and neatly pressed for each performance.

Should you outgrow your uniform please let the director know at least ONE WEEK before a performance. This will give us time to refit and alter a costume. There will not be time or facilities available to outfit you in a new uniform right before a concert.

Concert Choir and Baritone Choir Robes are provided for all members. Men and women should wear black dress shoes and men should wear black dress pants underneath their robes.

Chamber Choir Ladies: Black Concert Dress and Pearl strand necklace $68.00 (black opaque tights, black closed toe dress shoes) Men: Tuxedo $100-125

Advanced Treble Choir Ladies: Black Concert Dress and Pearl strand necklace $68.00 (black opaque tights, black closed toe dress shoes)

Treble Choir No uniform is purchased. Women will perform in black dress clothes. Skirts and dress trousers are acceptable. Black dress shoes are required. Please no strapless or spaghetti strap dresses. All dresses and skirts must be appropriate length.

Checks or cash only please. Checks can be made payable to Glenbard West Choir. You will receive your dress/tux upon payment. If payment at that time is not possible, please see Mr. Jeffrey to make arrangements.

If you have a dress or tux that you purchased last year and do not need or want to keep, the AMP sponsors a dress and tux buy back program whereby you can sell your dress or tux to another choir, band, or orchestra member. See Mr. Jeffrey or an AMP board member for details.

ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC PARENTS The Association of Music Parents (AMP) is a group of dedicated music parents that support the Glenbard West music program in providing funds and other support above and beyond what the school provides. They also assist in the planning and production for major choir events throughout the year including the Madrigal Dinner, Cabaret Night, and other major concerts. Meetings are held monthly, generally on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00p.m. in the band room. Choir parents are encouraged to become a volunteer, hold an office, or simply attend meetings. By having a child in choir, you are automatically a member of the AMP. It is impossible to have a successful choir program without the support of parents and the community. We hope to see you there!

FUNDRAISERS Fundraisers will be available to all Choir members at least twice during the year. Depending on the fundraiser, profits will be distributed into students’ personal accounts and/or a general AMP fund. Students can use money from their individual accounts to pay for trips, uniforms, or private lessons. These are great opportunities to earn money to enhance your experience in the choral program at West!

IMEA Festivals The Illinois Music Educators Association is the professional organization formed by music educators across the state. Divided into nine geographic districts, each district has an elite ensemble chosen by audition within that district. Glenbard West resides in District 9. After a school audition, students prepare for the District Audition, which takes place in October. If students score well, they are selected for the “District Chorus” Festival in November. Based on their placement at District Chorus, students could be selected for “All-State Chorus” which takes place in Peoria at the end of January. Being an “All-State” musician is a distinct honor and is reserved for only the best musicians. All students in advanced groups are encouraged to audition. These students have the opportunity to sing with students from other programs and work with excellent guest conductors.

Music with a Sacred Text West Choirs sing music of high quality. Some of this music (often taken from required lists) contains sacred text. It is our intent to expose students to as many cultures and varieties of quality music as possible. It is not, however, our function or desire to impose a series of beliefs upon a student or group of students. Sacred and or gospel music of any kind will be examined from a musical standpoint within the context of the genre only. This statement is supported by material printed in the ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) Journal.

VOICE LESSONS! VOICE LESSONS!

All singers are encouraged to study voice privately with a voice teacher. We are very fortunate to have a staff of five highly qualified private voice teachers at West. Some of the benefits include:  Improve your vocal technique  Strengthen music reading and theory skills  Increased musicianship and independence  Personal achievement and goal-setting  Performing diverse repertoire for recitals and solo festivals  Assistance in preparing for auditions and festival competitions  Individualized attention from a trained professional  Greater confidence and stronger contribution to the choir  Improved stage presence and expression which benefit communication, presentation and interpersonal skills

Private lessons are 25 minutes and cost on average $20. Scholarships are available through AMP (Please see Mr. Jeffrey if interested). Lessons can be scheduled during a student’s lunch hour, study hall, before or after school and during choir rehearsal. Singers will have the opportunity to sign up for lessons in the fall and spring and should contact Mr. Jeffrey if interested in studying at any point during the semester.

West Voice Teachers:

Antonio Quaranta

Erin Pettitt

Chad Ballantyne

Adrianne Blanks

GRADING POLICY

Participation in a musical ensemble is a privilege and a responsibility. Preparing music and learning skills for public performance is an exciting opportunity. To do our best as a choir there is individual responsibility and group responsibility that will be needed daily in rehearsal so that our goals of excellence may be achieved. All daily rehearsals, extra rehearsals, tests, quizzes, homework, and concerts are assigned a point value. At the end of a marking period, each student’s accumulated points will determine academic grade.

1) Daily Participation Grade 45% Punctuality, Attitude, Participation, Materials, Behavior, Concert Attendance

2) Musical Performance/Progress 25% Periodic Evaluation of vocal skills, part-singing, music theory. Practice is considered homework!

3) Homework 30% Including theory assignments, reflective journals, and other assignments See individual course syllabus for full description of homework policies

Late homework will be accepted until the beginning of the last week of the quarter and can be corrected as many times as possible to receive full credit. Homework is intended to practice and reinforce theory skills.

Rehearsal Attendance Policy: Additional rehearsals beyond the school day are essential in building the musical quality of our performances and may be called occasionally. I will do my part to keep the amount of rehearsals reasonable and to give at least 2 weeks notice of all rehearsals. It is my goal to get most of our work done in our daily rehearsal. However, the difficulty of our music and the production demands of our performances may require us to meet additional times. These rehearsals are essential to a successful performance, and therefore I will expect you to make accommodations to your schedule to attend. Most of these rehearsals are already listed in the handbook. Students will only be excused from rehearsal in the case of a game, illness, death in the family, or other extreme situation. If a student has this type of conflict with a rehearsal, they must notify Mr. Jeffrey in writing via email no less than one week prior to the conflict (Please notify me as soon as you know of any conflicts!). If the excuse falls within a different category, the student must still approach Mr. Jeffrey with at least 1 week of written notice and a judgment will be made to determine if it is excused. Excuses such as having to work, not having a ride, or forgetting will not be accepted.

Sectionals: Sectionals are an integral part of the ensemble experience. Students may be required to attend a maximum of 12-14 sectionals per semester. Points will be awarded for mandatory sectional attendance. Failure to attend sectionals, as in the case of mandatory rehearsals and concerts, will result in disciplinary action. For students who are unable to make a specific assigned sectional, opportunities for make-up will be provided. Sectionals will run before school from 7:00-7:30 a.m. Tuesday – Friday based on group assignment.

Concert Attendance Policy: Attendance for the entire concert is mandatory. It is essential to support our fellow musicians at West. Important musical factors such as balance and blend are easily affected by the absence of even just one performer! You accept the responsibility to be at required concerts when you join choir. Concert dates are given well in advance in order for students to make accommodations to their schedule. The only excuse for missing the concert is a serious personal illness or death of a close family member. In that case, I will expect a note from a parent explaining the reason for absence from the performance. If the excuse falls within this category and the absence is considered excused, the student must schedule an appointment for after school to sing the concert music for me for a grade. This must be done within 5 school days of the concert or the singer’s return to school, whichever comes first. Failure to comply with these guidelines will mean a grade of “zero” for the concert. Excuses such as having to work, not having a ride, or forgetting will not be accepted. Your concert grade is based on arriving on time, performance, proper dress, expression, punctuality, and set-up and clean-up obligations.

CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

Please visit our website for a link to our new online calendar: You can also follow our Facebook Group Page for updates at Glenbard West Choir or on Twitter at @gbwchoir I will also use Remind to let students know about upcoming events and assignments that are due. Directions on how to receive these updates are on the Glenbard West Choir webpage www.glenbardwesths.org/teachers/westmusic/