Auburn High School



Auburn High School

Choral

Guidebook

2008-2009

Kim Ladage, Director

Table of Contents

Attendance Policy..........................................................................................................................................5

Awards...........................................................................................................................................................9

Awards Points Record..................................................................................................................................10 Calendar of Events.......................................................................................................................................12

Classroom Policies.........................................................................................................................................5 Code of Conduct............................................................................................................................................6

Concert Attire.................................................................................................................................................4

Contact Information.....................................................................................................................................12

Extra Credit....................................................................................................................................................8 Grading Policy.. ............................................................................................................................................7 Mission Statement..........................................................................................................................................3

Music Quick Facts.. .....................................................................................................................................11

Music with Sacred Texts...............................................................................................................................6

Program Goals………………………………………………………………………………………………3

Required Materials.........................................................................................................................................4

Mission Statement

The goal of the Auburn Choral Program is to equip and inspire all students to be intelligent music consumers, creators of quality vocal music, persons of moral and artistic integrity, and life-long learners of music from every historical and cultural context.

Program Goals

After 4 years in the AHS Choral Program, students will:

Be able to produce a good, healthy vocal tone.

Understand the basic mechanics of healthy vocal production.

Be able to demonstrate a knowledge of music theory, including its vocabulary, and how it relates to the repertoire through written assessments and classroom performance.

Have learned and authentically performed music from a wide variety of cultural and historical contexts.

Understand and appreciate music from a wide variety of cultural and historical contexts.

Have developed aural skills and sight-singing abilities through the use of solfege.

Be able to demonstrate an understanding of conducting by conducting basic patterns themselves in class, and by appropriately and expressively responding to the conductor’s gestures.

Have developed critical listening skills that are demonstrated by describing and evaluating live and recorded performances of choral music.

Have expanded their worldviews through the acquisition of knowledge, the development of musical skills, and interaction with music and ideas from a wide variety of cultural and historical contexts, many of which differ from their own.

Required Materials

- Pencils: Every student is required to bring a pencil for every rehearsal. Only pencils may be used for writing in music.

- Music & Folders: Choral music and folders are school property and must be treated as such. Replacement of damaged or lost property costs the student:

- $2.00 per piece of music

- $30.00 per folder

Concert Attire

Each member of the Concert Choir will be provided with choir robe and stole, both of which are school property and should be treated as such. Under the choir robes, students must wear the following:

Girls: Black dress shoes, black panty-hose/tights, skirt or dress that is shorter than the robe. If a skirt is worn, girls should wear a dressy shirt or blouse of some kind. If a collared shirt is worn, then is must be a white shirt.

Boys: Black dress shoes, black socks, black dress pants (no jeans), white dress shirt, dark colored tie.

Hair: All students must wear their hair secured back from their faces. Even boys with longer hair must have it fastened back from their faces.

Jewelry: Minimal jewelry(earrings, rings, bracelets, etc.) may be worn. Do not wear super dangly or sparkly jewelry.

Swing Choir: Everything above applies. Girls must wear a black sleeveless top to wear under the school owned cardigans and a black knee length skirt.

**If you have any questions regarding attire, see Mrs. Ladage well before the concert. It is impossible to solve a problem if it is only mentioned half an hour before a performance

Attendance Policy

Learning in musical ensembles is a group endeavor. Therefore, students’ attendance in class and at performances is not only mandatory, but vital to the success of the ensemble.

Excused Absences

Concerts:

* Illness: Students who are absent from school the day of a concert may not participate in the concert. They must bring a note from their parent/guardian explaining the absence the next school day they are in attendance.

* Death or serious injury in the family: Students must bring a note from their parents/guardians when they return to school.

*Sports playoff, regional or state contests: Students are responsible for notifying all instructors of conflicts as soon as schedules are posted. Schedule conflicts with regular season games must be resolved between the director, coach, and the students in advance. Sports practices are not excused absences from concerts.

****If you know you are going to be absent from a concert, notify Mrs. Ladage as soon as possible, even if that is only a few minutes before the performance!

Class:

Students are responsible for making up any work they missed. They have the number of days they missed to turn in the work. Work turned in after that will be late. Students must follow these steps:

1. Get a worksheet from the make-up binder for participation points.

2. Check with Mrs. Ladage for any homework that was assigned

3. Get score markings from the missed rehearsal from another student.

Unexcused Absences:

Class: Work missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made-up.

Performances: Points missed due to an unexcused absence from a concert cannot be made up.

*Part-time Jobs: Points missed due to a work conflict cannot be made up because the choir schedule has been available all year.

Classroom Policies

All Auburn High School handbook policies apply and will be enforced in the choir room.

High school students are old enough to understand and follow rules and instructions. Therefore, no warning needs to be given to students before disciplinary action is taken.

Dress Code: Violation of the dress code in the choir room will result in the student wearing a covering garment provided by Mrs. Ladage.

Materials: The second time a student does not have his/her music or pencil in class, he/she will receive a 20-minute detention.

Gum: The second time a student is chewing gum in class, he/she will receive a 20-minute detention.

Late Work: Work may be turned in 1 day late for half credit. After that, it receives a zero, but it will still be counted as completed.

Profanity: Includes “shut-up,” “sucks,” and all other crude language.

Code of Conduct

1. Be on time.

2. Bring all your materials to every class.

3. No gum, candy, food, or beverages besides water.

4. Show respect for others and their property.

5. Treat all school property with respect and care.

6. Follow instructions the first time they are given.

7. Be physically and mentally prepared for rehearsal.

8. Accept criticism positively.

9. Respect the opinion and discretion of the director.

10. Speak positively and without profanity.

Music with Sacred Texts

The First Amendment of the Constitution does not forbid all mention of religion in the public schools; it prohibits the advancement or inhibition of religion by the state. The public schools are not required to delete from the curriculum all materials that may offend any religious sensibility.

It is the position of MENC (The National Association for Music Education) that the study and performance of religious music within an educational context is a vital and appropriate part of a comprehensive music education. The omission of sacred music from the school curriculum would result in an incomplete educational experience.

One goal of the Auburn choral program is to expand the knowledge and experience of its students. To accomplish this, it is important that the school music curriculum include the study of music of all styles, forms, periods, and cultures. Since music with a sacred text or of a religious origin, particularly choral music, comprises such a substantial portion of music literature and has such an important place in the history of music, it should and does have an important part in music education. All music in the Auburn choral program is studied for educational, not religious, purposes.

If parents/guardians do not wish to have their student studying or performing music with sacred texts, a written objection must be submitted to Mrs. Ladage. Mrs. Ladage will then work with the parents/guardians in order to decide upon an appropriate course of action so that the student may be excused from the literature, and make-up work may be assigned.

Grading Policy

Students earn grades in choir by completing work in the categories that are listed and explained below.

Participation—30%

Includes attendance, effort, attitude and behavior in class and at performances. Students walk in the door with 5 participation points every day. Those points can be lost due to behavior and unexcused absences. Students with excused absences must make up the participation points for the days they missed.

Classwork—25%

Includes all in-class writing, theory, singing technique, and history assignments, as well as various exercises in composition, conducting, and singing and ensemble skills.

Homework—15%

Includes all homework assignments, graded either for completion or accuracy.

Quizzes—15%

Includes all scheduled and pop performance and written quizzes.

Tests—15%

Includes all performance and written tests.

Grading Scale

A 93 - 100%

B 85 - 92%

C 77 - 84%

D 69 - 76%

F 0 - 75%

Extra Credit Opportunities

Various extra credit opportunities are available throughout the school year. Extra credit is only available to those students who have turned in 100% of their classwork and homework (even if it is turned in late). All extra credit points are added to the “Quizzes” grading category.

Due Dates:

1st Quarter: Oct. 17 2nd Quarter: Dec. 17

3rd Quarter: March 5 4th Quarter: May 16

Options:

*Write a 1-page paper about the role music plays in your life. (5)

*Bring in the program of a concert you attended. Any kind of musical event is acceptable—except a school concert in which you performed.(5)

*Write a summary/reflection of a concert you attended.(5)

*Work at a Market Day(10)

*Bring in a magazine/newspaper article about music and write a reflection on it(10)

*Write in the solfege for every part of a piece of music you get from Mrs. Ladage(10)

*Compose a 16-bar piece and perform it for Mrs. Ladage.(10)

*Watch a movie and write a paper describing how music was used either as part of the story or in the soundtrack. (10)

*Write a 4-page paper on a composer or performer. See Mrs. Ladage for specific details and ideas.(20)

*Perform somewhere outside of class and write a 2-page summary and reflection of the experience.(20)

*Composer a 32-bar piece and perform it for the class.(20)

**Your own ideas for extra credit are always welcome. However, those ideas must be approved by Mrs. Ladage BEFORE you begin the project!!!

Awards

Choir Pin: Awarded after 30 points.

Junior Varsity Number: Awarded after 50 points

Varsity Letter: Awarded after 100 points

Varsity Pin: Awarded for every 50 points above 100.

National Choral Award: Awarded to the senior with the highest point value.

**Students are responsible for turning in their points as well as recording them in their handbooks.

** Awards are given in the Spring, regardless of when the point totals were achieved.

|Point Scale |

|10 |Each semester in Concert Choir with a grade of A |

|5 |Each semester in Concert Choir with a grade of B |

|5 |Each semester in Swing Choir with a grade of A |

|2 |Each semester in Concert Choir with a grade of C |

|2 |Each semester in Swing Choir with a grade of B |

|10 |Perfect attendance in class for one semester |

|5 |Serving as section leader or officer (pts given per semester) |

|5 |Auditioning for an honor choir (e.g. IMEA) |

|10 |Selection and participation in an honor choir |

|10 |Participation in Solo/Ensemble Festival |

|10 |Accompanying any choir or solo (points for each piece) |

|5 |Sing the National Anthem at school events (max. 20 pts) |

|2 |Attending outside choral/vocal performances (max. 20 pts.) |

|5 |Participation in each choir fundraiser |

|1 |Auditioning for a solo (in class) |

|5 |Performing a solo on a concert |

|5 |Private voice lessons (5 points awarded for each 8 lessons) |

|10 |Sing in a community or church choir (pts given for year) |

|20 |Participate in a summer music camp (vocal or instrumental) |

Awards Point Record

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Music Quick Facts

Note Names

-Always name notes beginning with the bottom note of the staff and count up.

-Bass Clef: Lines---GBDFA Spaces---ACEG

-Treble Clef: Lines---EGBDF Spaces---FACE

Key Signatures

- last flat = fa; last sharp = ti.

- Order of Flats: BEADGCF

- Order of Sharps: FCGDAEB

- Centers around “do” = Major; Centers around “la” = minor

Time Signatures

- Top number: the number of beats in a measure

- Bottom number: what type of note gets the beat.

- 1=whole note -2=half note

- 4=quarter note -8=eighth note

Common Symbols

b flat: lowers the pitch ½ step

# sharp: raises the pitch ½ step

§ natural: negates a sharp, flat, etc.

º double flat: lowers the pitch a whole step

X double sharp: raises the pitch a whole step

Øcoda

$ sign

> accent: emphasis

^ super accent: the strongest accent we have in music

. staccato: short and separated

- tenuto: stress and hold the note longer than written

( fermata: hold the note until the conductor cuts it off

Vocabulary

Accelerando: gradually get faster

Adagio: quite slow tempo

Allegro: quick, lively tempo

Alla breve: cut time—half note gets the beat

Allargando: gradually get slower, louder, and more broad

Andante: moderately slow, walking tempo

Animato: animated, with spirit

Con: with

Crescendo: gradually get louder

Decrescendo: gradually get softer

Largo: slow, solemn tempo

Legato: smooth and connected

Lento: slow

Marcato: marked, accented, stressed, emphatic

Meno: less

Molto: very

Mosso: motion

Piu: more

Poco: A little

Ritardando: gradually getting slower

Staccato: short and separated

Tenuto: perform a certain note longer than its duration

MY NOTES

Calendar of Events

Date Event Time

10/ 3 Homecoming Parade afternoon

10/ 13 IMEA Auditions all day

10/ 14 AHS Fall Concert 7:00pm

10/16 AMS & AJHS Fall Concert 7:00pm

11/ 1 IMEA Festival All Day

12/ 9 AHS Winter Concert 7:00pm

12/ 11 AMS & AJHS Winter Concert 7:00pm

1/13 Tri-M Induction Ceremony evening

2/ 20 Hues & Harmony evening

3/ 7 IHSA Solo/Ensemble Contest All Day

4/ 3 or 4 IHSA Organizational Contest All Day

5/1 IESA Organizational Contest All Day

5/ 7 AHS Spring Concert 7:00pm

5/ 13 Jr.H./H.S. Spring Concert 7:00pm

5/ 29 H.S. Graduation 7:00pm

**Bold: required for all Concert and Swing Choir members

**Italics: tentative required date for all Concert and Swing Choir members.

**Regular: optional events in which students may participate, or for which they can volunteer to help

**Senior members of choir and swing choir perform at graduation.

Contact Information

E-mail: kiladage@auburn.k12.il.us

School Phone: 438-6817(before or during the school day (AHS)

628-3414( directly after school (AJHS)

School Address: 511 N. 7th St. Auburn, IL 62615

Home Phone: 416-7868

**The best way to contact me is by e-mail, especially since I am at the junior high for the last period of the day. I also check my email at home.

**If you want to call the school to speak to me, call the AHS number during the school day. I am available before school on most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. My planning period is from 8:15-9:03am, so that is the best time to get a hold of me. I finish the day at the junior high, so if you call me after school, you can reach me at the AJHS number.

**If a student is going to miss an event, or will be late, please do not hesitate to call my home number.

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