central dauphin east high school choir handbook

CENTRAL DAUPHIN EAST HIGH SCHOOL

CHOIR HANDBOOK Welcome! Welcome to the Central Dauphin East High School Choir Program. Last year’s efforts have set the stage for tremendous success in the journey that awaits us. As we build upon a strong foundation, all members are invited to strive for leadership and excellence in vocal music throughout the year. This handbook contains important information, including many wonderful opportunities of the CDEHS Choral Program as well as expectations and guidelines. Being aware of the information it contains will ensure a rich and fulfilling experience with the choral program. It is important to remember the vital role of effective communication for any successful organization. Keep in mind that communication works in two directions; from the organization to the individual and from the individual back to the organization. We encourage you to keep the lines of communication open. Remember students and parents, you are the program! Let’s make this the most successful year in choral music that East High School has ever seen!

Mr. Gregg Mauroni [email protected] (717) 541-1662, ext. 462 Central Dauphin East High School 626 Rutherford Road Harrisburg, PA 17109

CDEHS CHOIR HANDBOOK

CDEHS CHOIR HANDBOOK CONTENTS

I. Expectations and Accountability.....................................................................3

a. Class Participation; Concert Participation............................................3

b. Attendance............................................................................................5

c. Musical Expectations............................................................................6

d. Conduct and Discipline.........................................................................7

II. Uniform...........................................................................................................7

III. Student Accounts.............................................................................................8

IV. Curricular Choirs.............................................................................................8

V. More Singing Opportunities............................................................................9

VI. Special Awards..............................................................................................10

VII. Student and Parent Verification Form...........................................................11

The CDEHS Choral Program emphasizes the enrichment of young

musicians within the choral art through discipline, experience and perseverance

with the intent to expand on our students’ musical interests and abilities.


I. Expectations and Accountability

It is our goal to educate and inspire the inner musician of all students. The CDEHS Choral Department strives to foster a welcoming environment so that all students are able to enjoy great music making. Students are expected to demonstrate healthy and beautiful singing. All choir students will be able to look at and analyze a score using musical terms. They will also be able to sight-read at a proficient level. All students are expected to be able to reflect upon and write expressively about music as well as their personal growth through music and the music-making process. East High Choir students will learn the importance of being a productive and positive member of a group working together to achieve a goal. Therefore, assessments may take many forms, such as daily aural evaluation, written class work and homework, musicianship tests, class and concert participation, recorded solo performance and sight reading quizzes. Your grade will be determined as follows: 30% Class Participation/Preparedness 20% Written Assignments 20% Written Tests/Quizzes 30% Performances/SmartMusic Class Participation Students will be active participants in all classroom activities. They are asked to demonstrate proper rehearsal etiquette (posture, energy, focus, attentiveness, and productiveness) every day. It is expected that students remain silent (other than singing and questions) during the entire rehearsal. Students will be prepared for every class with musical scores and pencil. Please see Ensemble Participation Rubric on next page. Concert Participation Students are required to attend all performances and out of class rehearsals as listed on the Calendar. While daily classroom rehearsals are the bulk of our learning, concerts are an important goal for the ensemble, as well as a major opportunity to showcase our achievements to the public. Please keep up to date with the “Calendar” link on the Choir website. Additional performances or rehearsals may be added with as much advance notice as possible.


Attendance The success of all performing teams depends upon each member being in attendance. Every individual makes our ensemble stronger; one person missing makes us weaker. Attendance for all rehearsals (in-class or after school) and performances is mandatory. Note that an unexcused absence will result in the lowering of the final grade and in some cases expulsion from the group. Sudden Unanticipated Absence (Extreme illness or family emergency) 1.Contact your choral director. 2. Leave a voice mail or an email stating your name, reason for absence, and phone number where you can be reached. 3. Bring a note describing the reason for absence and signed by your parent/guardian on the day you return. Anticipated Absence Submit a parental note to your director for consideration at least two (2) weeks in advance of the performance. Please be aware that unless you have extenuating circumstances, are extremely ill, have an unavoidable religious event, or have a family emergency, almost all absences will not be excused. You are given the choral & musical calendar very early and are expected to plan around it. If you are involved with another school activity that conflicts with a choral event, see your director immediately so that an arrangement can be worked out.

• Do not tell someone else to tell your director. It is your job to take responsibility for yourself. • Failure to give proper notice will be considered unexcused and will result in the lowering of your grade and may result in expulsion from the group. • Excused absences from a performance or after school rehearsal absences will require make-up work.

(Continued on next page)


Examples of Unexcused Absences/Tardies: - Work (Schoolwork must come first: notify your employers of your school schedule as soon as possible.) - Going out of town - Non-emergency doctor or dentist appointments (These should be scheduled around choral/musical events) - Claiming someone “made you late” - Attending an extraneous concert - Other school and after-school activities, unless arrangements have already been made between the director and coach/sponsor

Examples of Excused Absences:

- Extreme illness - Sudden emergencies - Religious Observances - Death in the family - Unforeseen events (dealt with on an individual basis)

Musical Expectations The Central Dauphin East High School Choir holds the highest expectations regarding vocal music development. Students will be guided in an active process of music comprehension through performance preparation. Primary skills include:

•Artistic Singing - fundamental vocal technique that includes posture, breath control, freedom and resonance of tone, articulation, intonation, and vocal flexibility and range. •Comprehension of written notation. In addition to reading notation, students are expected to be fluent in Solfege and Curwen hand signs. •Understanding and Meaning - critical listening skills relative to structure, interpretation, and performance quality; understanding of the cultural and historical perspective of works being performed; understanding of the meaning of the text and its relationship to the musical score; understanding of the author’s and composer’s suggested intent.

•Expansion of Taste - Students are expected to develop positive attitudes and values toward a wide spectrum of choral music styles and cultures. •Energy - The core of excellence in vocal music is energy. Students are expected to energetically approach all vocal music situations.


Conduct & Discipline Expectations Respect… ...your school and its choral program. Students conduct themselves at all times with pride and continually display excellence. ...your teachers and instructors. They will always give the best of their energy and ability – return the favor. ...the other members of the choral program. You are a part of a larger whole. In order for the whole to achieve greatness, you must encourage each other to succeed. ...the music you are performing. You will have opportunities to perform exciting pieces, perhaps in styles you may never have tried before, custom picked just for you. Give the music your all, and you will be amazed at the rewards. ...yourself, perhaps most importantly. Set your goals high, and expect only the best from yourself. RESPECT will carry every choir member to the highest levels of excellence, musicianship, and personal achievement! II. Uniform Polos All choir students wear the standard CDEHS Performing Arts Polo for all performances during the academic year. Choir polos are ordered once a year, and they cost $15.00. In addition:

• Black pants (not jeans) • Black socks and black dress shoes (not sneakers) • Modest jewelry and hairstyles

Robes Members of Choraliers and Select Women’s Ensemble are assigned a robe to be worn for certain performances. The choir polo, black pants, black socks and black shoes must be worn underneath robes. After every use, each student is responsible for returning their robe and accessories to the exact hanger and assigned rack. All misplaced robes will be subject to a dry cleaning fee, to be paid by the student.


III. Student Accounts All profits a student earns from fundraising are placed in a financial account for the duration of the student’s tenure at East High. Funds are available to be used for music-related expenditures such as Uniform Polos, trip payments, or shoes for the Spring Musical. Remaining balance will be retained by the choral program if the student does not participate in trips, music events, or leaves the program for any reason.

IV. Curricular Choirs It is the goal of this program that choir students will develop their singing

voices, learn to perform in an ensemble, learn to read music, learn the basics of music history, genres and styles, and develop self-discipline, concentration and cooperation. A great deal of class time is spent on vocal and musical techniques as well as performance standards which will be demonstrated in performances throughout the school year. Choir is a full year elective and students may be dropped from the class only at the request of the director.

We are extremely proud of the hard work our students do. Each choir is of great importance to the overall success of the choir program. Auditions for choir placement are held in the spring for the upcoming year. As part of the spring selection process, the following criteria are taken into consideration for placement in the appropriate choirs for the following school year:

• concert and rehearsal attendance • focus during rehearsals • cooperativeness/behavior • vocal quality • vocal range • part-singing ability • sight-reading ability • grades (eligibility) • dedication to the choral program

For more information regarding each ensemble, please refer to the links on our choir web page.


V. More Singing Opportunities A Night on Broadway – This is our annual cabaret featuring Choraliers, Select Women’s Ensemble and selected members of East High’s choral students and faculty. The music is comprised of a wide range of Broadway’s best shows, classic and current. The evening showcases the best in singing, dancing and acting. Auditions and the performance are in the Fall. Students of any grade are eligible to audition. Spring Musical – Auditions are comprised of a singing portion (selections are provided by the directors) and a movement portion, taught by the choreographer. Callbacks may include readings and additional singing or dance. Auditions, held in the Fall, are open to any East High student in good academic standing. PMEA District 7 Chorus – Auditions are in late Fall and the performance is at the end of January. This choir is made up of students from several mid-state counties. Students wishing to audition for District Chorus must learn several predetermined choir selections. All students in grades 10-12 are eligible to audition. PMEA Region V Chorus – All students selected for District Chorus have the opportunity to audition for Regional Chorus. During the District Chorus festival, students audition for placement in the Regional Chorus. Students audition using the District Chorus repertoire. The six top-scoring students from each voice part will continue to the Regional level. PA All-State Chorus – All students selected for Regional Chorus will have the opportunity to audition for All-State Chorus. The audition process is similar to acceptance for Regional Chorus. The four top-scoring students from each voice part will be invited to participate in All-State Chorus. Tri-M Music Honor Society - The Tri-M Music Honor Society is the international music honor society designed to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements, reward them for their accomplishments and service activities, and to inspire other students to excel at music and leadership. All members of the CDEHS Music Department are eligible to be a member of Tri-M. Membership is attained by auditioning and performing in a specified number of Tri-M-sponsored concerts and being involved in several hours of community service.


VI. Special Awards The special awards described below are given to East High Choir students at the end of the year. These special honors are designed to recognize students for their time and dedication to the East High Choir Program and to their musical craft. The National School Choral Award This award is the Choir Department’s highest honor. The National School Choral Award is given to the one or two graduating senior(s) who have provided outstanding musical and service contributions to the East High Choir for the past four years and who intend to pursue a career in music. Each year, the recipient’s name is engraved on a special plaque. The Choir Department Award for Excellence This is the East High Choir’s second most prestigious award. The Department Award recognizes the student who has most embodied the ideals of the Choir Department by using his or her outstanding musicianship to help better the overall program. The senior need not plan a career in music to receive this award. Like the winner of the National Award, each recipient’s name is engraved on a plaque. The Choir Musical Service Awards The Musical Service Awards are designed to single out one or two students from each grade who have consistently used their musicianship to serve the group. These students are not only excellent singers, but have also improved the choral program by showing leadership. Music Boosters Scholarships The Music Boosters sponsor various scholarships each year. Objective: To further the educational opportunities towards post secondary education for senior students currently enrolled in Central Dauphin East High School’s choral and orchestra music programs. Scholarship Amount: $1,000.00 scholarship fund per year to be split into two (2) $500 scholarships. The yearly amount is subject to change depending upon the availability of funds. Stay alert for announcements of qualifications and deadlines.


Please return to Mr. Mauroni no later than September 5th.

Central Dauphin East High School Choirs

Syllabus Student/Parent Agreement I have read and understand the rules and regulations as outlined in the CDEHS Choir Handbook. I agree to support and abide by all of these regulations. Student Name ______________________________________ Date ___________ Student Signature ___________________________________________________ Parent Signature ____________________________________________________ Parent Email _______________________________________________________ Parent Phone _______________________________________________________ Preferred method of contact (please check one): □ Email □ Phone

central dauphin east high school choir handbook

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