Madison City Honor Chorus Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are very excited to be able to offer 5th and 6th graders in Madison City Schools the opportunity to participate in the fourth annual Madison City Honor Chorus. This year the Honor Chorus will be featured at the Madison City Christmas Tree Lighting in December, and, in the upcoming spring semester, at both the Madison City Schools Arts Festival at Bob Jones High, and the James Clemens High School choral concert. (A more detailed performance calendar will be furnished to Honor Chorus Students at a later date.)
This packet contains information for you and your student about participation in this chorus. The MCS Honor Chorus ensemble will be comprised of performers selected through an audition process. Details regarding the date, time, location and expectations for these auditions are all found within the following pages. If you have any further questions you may contact the elementary music teacher serving your child’s school.
Honor chorus rehearsals will be after school on Thursdays, beginning October 27, 2016 at Rainbow Elementary school. (Spring semester rehearsals will be held at Columbia Elementary School – more details will follow about this shift in rehearsals.)
Thank you for supporting the arts in Madison City, and again we are looking forward to the Honor Chorus experience for your student.
Sincerely,
Madison City Elementary Music Educators
Kristina Newsome
(Heritage /West Madison/Mill Creek/Rainbow)
Traci Stewart
(Horizon/Mill Creek/Rainbow)
Audra Loftin
(Madison/Columbia/Rainbow) Madison City Honor Chorus [email protected]
Audition Information:
Auditions for the Madison City Honor Chorus will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at Rainbow Elementary school from 9:00am – 3:00pm. In order to sign up, please access the following website*: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b084faaa72ea64-madison
*Please note – you do not have to register for an account on signupgenius.com in order to access the MCS Honor Chorus sign-in site.
Auditions will be very brief, about 5 minutes per student. Therefore, parents need to remain seated in the hallway waiting area provided at Rainbow Elementary the entire time their child is auditioning.
Audition Requirements:
C Major Scale
o One octave from memory, in solfege syllables (ascending and descending)
One Prepared Piece:
o Dona Nobis Pacem (excerpt provided)
One Chosen Piece:
o Students may choose a piece to sing that showcases their own unique vocal talents for the judges. (Please note, students may be asked to only sing a small portion of this song.)
Links to assist students in preparing this piece can be accessed at the following web location: http://hrtg.madisoncity.k12.al.us/?PageName=%27Organizations%27 Madison City Honor Chorus (This link can also be accessed on the Heritage Elementary website; go to Clubs and Organizations; then find the MCS Honor Chorus link.)
Please Note: Auditions will either be sung a capella, or with an accompanist that you arrange for on your own (someone playing either piano or guitar while you sing). An electronic piano will be provided for accompaniment at the audition site.
Students are also required to bring a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the audition. This envelope will be mailed back to your home, along with a letter stating your audition results.
Audition Location:
Auditions for the Madison City Honor Chorus will be held on October 15, 2016 at Rainbow Elementary school from 9:00am – 3:00pm. On audition day we ask that you park in the back of the school, and enter the school from the doors near the cafeteria and sign in at the registration table. (Signs will direct you.) Please see the directions and map listed below.
Driving Directions: Rainbow Elementary is located at 50 Nance Dr. Madison, AL 35758. Driving directions are as follows:
From Highway 72: Turn onto Nance Drive; travel 0.2 miles. Turn right into the school’s first driveway that leads to the cafeteria and back parking lot (not the main driveway). Park in the rear and enter the back doors to sign in at the registration table and prepare for auditions.
What to Expect on Audition Day:
Before your audition:
o Prepare and bring your self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Arrive at Rainbow Elementary 10 minutes before your audition time.
o Park in the rear parking lot.
o Sign in at the registration table located just inside the marked doors. Madison City Honor Chorus o After signing in, students and parents will be directed to wait in a seating area in the cafeteria, and a separate area will provided for warming up before the audition.
o Parents must remain in the cafeteria during their child’s entire audition; they are brief.
o Students are not allowed to bring music into the audition room.
o While waiting in the hallway, an escort will call your name and lead you to the audition room (the music room) at your appropriate audition time.
During Audition:
o The escort will take your self-addressed envelope to the judges’ table, and will direct you on where to stand.
o A judge will ask you to state your name loudly and clearly.
o A judge will then play the note ‘middle C’ on a piano. This is your cue to sing the C major scale, (ascending & descending) using solfege syllables.
o You will then be asked to sing through the excerpt of “Dona Nobis Pacem,” followed by your chosen audition piece.
o The judges will then thank you for your audition, and you will be escorted back to the hallway to meet your parents.
After Audition:
o A letter of acceptance or declination will be mailed to your home in the self- addressed stamped envelope you provide.
o None of the audition results will be posted in a public forum.
o The judges’ score sheets and comments will not be mailed to your home, but each music teacher may be able to provide helpful feedback about the audition results at the request of a student or parent. Madison City Honor Chorus o If you are accepted into the Honor Chorus, your music teacher will give you the performance music and a schedule of the required rehearsal times.
o Honor chorus rehearsals will be after school on Thursdays, beginning October 27 at Rainbow Elementary School from 3:15– 5:00 pm.
What are the judges listening and looking for?
The judges will be giving you a score for your scale singing, as well as the excerpts required in the audition. It is possible to earn up to 45 points during your audition. They will be judging your performance in three major areas; Presentation, Accuracy, and Musicianship. A brief explanation of each of these areas is listed below:
o Presentation
Be confident in front of a crowd, make eye contact, and present yourself well on stage.
o Accuracy
Sing correct notes, stay in the same key, sing the correct rhythms, stay on beat, memorize the lyrics and perform them correctly
o Musicianship
Add personality to the music, breathe in good places, phrase the lines, demonstrate good tone quality (or sound) in your voice, and sing as high and low as you can without singing off pitch, straining, shouting or cracking (your range). A sample of the judges’ score sheet is included on the following page: Madison City Honor Chorus
Criteria Scale “Dona Nobis Pacem” Chosen Piece
Musicianship /5 /5 /5
-Singer has nice voice quality.
-Singer’s voice does not crack.
-Singer does not strain or shout.
-Singer is singing correct style of musical selection.
-Singer can easily sing a wide range of notes (low and high).
Accuracy /5 /5 /5
-Singer can sing the correct words for memory.
-Singer can pronounce words correctly.
-Singer can sing the correct pitches.
-Singer can sing the correct rhythms.
Presentation /5 /5 /5
-Singer has correct facial expression to match style of selection.
-Singer is standing with a tall back and shoulders relaxed.
-Singer is making eye contact with audience.
TOTAL: /15 /15 /15
GRAND TOTAL: /45
1 = Not Evident 2 = Fair 3 = Good 4 = Excellent 5 = Superior Madison City Honor Chorus Madison City Honor Chorus Helpful Hints to Prepare for Your Audition:
o A few weeks before the audition day:
. Practice your music at home as much as possible.
. Always warm-up your voice before you practice by singing long notes on an “oooo” syllable. (Pronounced “oo” as in the word “food.”)
. Practice in front of an “audience,” made up of your family or friends. (Remember you will be singing in front of judges who are strangers to you.)
. Rehearse without a CD. (You will not sing with recorded music during the audition.)
. If a song is too high or low for your voice you may sing it in a different key.
. You may want to ask an accompanist (a piano or guitar player) to rehearse with you.
. If you work with an accompanist you need to inform them of the audition date and time so they can prepare to come with you.
. Look over the judges’ score sheet and ask yourself how well you think you’re doing.
. You might want to seek a private music teacher for a few voice lessons in order to prepare for the audition. (This is purely optional. If you practice, you can have a beautiful audition without the help of a private music teacher.)
o On audition day:
. Try not to be stressed out.
. Drink plenty of water.
. Get a good night’s sleep the night before the audition.
. Do not consume any sugar or caffeine before your audition. (These are not healthy options for your voice, and they will make you feel even more nervous and jittery.)
. Arrive early to your audition so that you are not worried about time. Arriving early will also give you a chance to warm-up. Madison City Honor Chorus Items you MUST bring to your audition:
o Your self-addressed, stamped envelope.
o Your parent or the chaperones that will be driving you back home.
o Your positive attitude about how well you are going to perform!
Items you MAY want to bring to your audition:
o Bring a snack with you if you think you may be hungry.
o Bring along a bottle of water.
o You may want to bring some lip balm as well.
o Bring a sweater/jacket in case you feel cold while waiting to audition. Madison City Honor Chorus Permission Form
I, the undersigned parent/guardian, hereby grant my child permission to audition for the Madison City Honor Chorus. As part of the audition process, I understand that I must sign my child up for an audition time and have them at Rainbow Elementary School, on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at their assigned time. I understand that I must stay in the parent waiting area during auditions.
I understand that this audition is a valuable learning tool that my child may use to build their musical skills and stamina. I also understand there is a possibility that my child may not score in the top percentile and therefore, may not be admitted past the audition rounds.
I realize that the judges are community members who do not know my child’s past vocal experience. They do not hold allegiance to one school over another and will be judging based on solely what happens in the audition room.
I give the Madison City music teachers permission to mail the audition results to the address listed below.
Child’s First & Last Name: ______
Child’s Grade: ______Child’s Homeroom Teacher: ______Madison City Honor Chorus Child’s School: ______
Parents’ First & Last Names (printed): ______
Parent email address: ______
Parent phone contact: ______
Mailing Address: ______
Signed: ______Date: ______