Buffalo Grove High School Choral Department
General Information: Choir
Instructor:
Ms. Debora Utley
Help available before/after school – Choir office
School Phone: 847.718.4161
Email: debora.utley@d214.org
Textbooks:
Miscellaneous scores of choral music
Sight-reading handouts
Required Supplies:
Pencil
Choral folder with music
Staff paper (to be provided)
Homework Policy:
Students who work on the choral literature individually will find their skills improving rapidly. Practice outside of class in strongly encouraged.
Expected Time Commitment:
Choral Literature Practice – 45 – 60 minutes per week
Concert Performances – see Choral Calendar
District VII/All State Selections – 20-30 minutes per day (Sept-Oct)
Class Attendance & Tardiness:
Daily attendance, timeliness to class, and participation will positively affect your grade. There is no substitute for the classroom experience that is gained by regular attendance and participation in all class activities.
Conversely, unexcused absences, repeated tardiness, and truancies can only have a negative effect on your overall classroom experience and, therefore, on you quarter grade. You are accountable for your grade. Your effort, attendance, punctuality, and participation are all elements you control.
Grading Policy: Choir
Grade Scale:
A 90 – 100%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
D 60 – 69%
F 59 – 0%
Semester Grades:
Semester Grades are based on the letter average of two Quarter grades (each worth 40%) and the Semester Exam (worth 20%). The Semester Exam may consist of a Quartet performance, individual sight-singing test, tonal skills, and a written exam.
Quarter Grades:
Quarter Grades will be based on a numerical (not letter) average of performance in the activities listed below.
40% Daily Class Participation
Exceptional effort A
Good effort B
Average effort C
Below average effort D
Poor effort F
35% Concert Performance
Points are same as for Daily Class Participation Please note: Concerts are mandatory. Non-attendance at a concert for
any reason will result in a loss of all the points designated for that concert. A make-up assignment may be issued if the absence is excused.
15% Written Assignments/Tests
Standard Grading Scale
10% Vocal Testing
Sight-singing Sung correctly = A
Triads Sung incorrectly = F
Tonal Memory
Choral Literature
Concert Attendance
Concert attendance in the Buffalo Grove High School Choral Program is MANDATORY! It is of the utmost importance that we have 100% attendance for all our choral performances. Each member of the choir is crucial to the success of our performance. Each choir is a team and any absence is unfair to the rest of the group. We all work very hard to do our best and one person can make all the difference. EACH STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, NO EXCEPTIONS. A MISSED PERFORMANCE WILL RESULT WITH A LOWERED GRADE. (See syllabus for concert percentage)
Missed Concerts
Students who miss a concert performance with an EXCUSED ABSENCE only, must complete the following Composer Report in order to receive full credit for the missed performance.
Composer Report
Follow the guidelines below:
1. See Ms. Utley the first day you are back in school following your performance absence. Ms. Utley will give you a composer to research and the date the report is due. Typically the report will be due one week from the day it is assigned.
2. Report must be two (2) pages typed, double-spaced, 12pt, Times New Roman font
3. Bibliography must include at least three (3) sources, only two (2) online sources. Copies of the on-line sources must be included.
4. Final paper should include:
a. Cover Page
b. Body of Paper
c. Bibliography
d. Copies of on-line sources
10 Rules for Success in Choir
1. Be on time
2. Respect your director
3. Respect your peers
4. No gum
5. No food or drink, except water
6. Drink lots of water
7. Be prepared
8. Be present
9. Give as close to 100 % as you can
10.Have fun!
Musical Literacy
As a choral student at Buffalo Grove High School, you will have knowledge of healthy vocal technique, ensemble performance and musical language.
Vocal Technique
• Tone Quality
• Breath Management
• Dynamics
• Pitch
• Rhythm
• Diction
Ensemble Performance
• Individual skills and ensemble synergy
• Blend, balance and unity within sections and ensemble
• Conductor responsiveness and score reading
• Independence
• Written performance assessment
Musical Language
• Understanding and application of music symbols and vocabulary
• Working knowledge of all presented in the Musical Literacy Handout
Musical Literacy
1. Oral Skills
• Major scale
• Minor scales – natural, melodic, harmonic
• Chromatic scale
• Whole-tone scale
• Triads – major, minor, diminished, augmented
• Intervals
• Sight-singing
• Tonal memory
• Dictation – rhythmic, melodic
2. Musical Language – Unit One
• Staff
• Bar lines
• Measures/Bars
• Clefs
• Musical Alphabet
• Lines and Spaces
• Leger lines
• Notation
3. Musical Language – Unit Two
• Simple and Compound Meter
• Articulations
• Rhythm Counting
• Tempo
• Accidentals
• Solfege
• Dynamics
• Keyboard knowledge
4. Musical Language – Unit Three
• Key Signatures
• Chords
• Modulation
• Form
I.M.E.A. All-District/All-State Information
All students from Concert Choir may be invited to audition for All-District/All-State Choir. Only 32 students may actually audition. Auditions for All-District Choir will take place on Tuesday, October 6 at Libertyville High School. Our times will be decided at a later date. If you are selected for the All-District Choir, you will attend the festival on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at McHenry High School all day.
All students from “By Popular Demand” will be required to audition for All-District/All-State Vocal Jazz. Auditions for All-District Vocal Jazz will take place on Thursday, October 15 at New Trier High School. Our times will be decided at a later date. If you are selected for the All-District Vocal Jazz, you will attend the festival on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at Glenbrook North High School all day.
If you are selected for All-State Choir or Vocal Jazz, you will attend the All-State Conference to perform in Peoria, Illinois. The conference takes place January 27 - 30, 2010.
Auditions for All-District/All-State Choir include:
•Score selections
•Triads
•Major Scale
•Minor Scales – natural, harmonic, melodic
•Sight-reading
Auditions for All-District/All-State Vocal Jazz include:
•Score selections
•Chromatic Scale
•Sight-reading
•Improvisation/Scat
B.G.H.S. Solo & Ensemble Information
The Choir and Orchestra Solo & Ensemble Contest will be open to all students in the Choral and Orchestra Programs. You may enter with a solo or small ensemble that you have prepared on your own or with your voice teacher. The contest will take place at B.G.H.S. on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 beginning at 6:00pm. More info will be given to all that sign up for the contest.
District 214 Honors Music Festival Information
The Concert Choir will participate in the annual District 214 Music Festival. This year’s festival takes place on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at Forest View Educational Center (FVEC). The festival takes place during the school day with a concert in the evening. There will be a sectional rehearsal on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at one of our District 214 High Schools (TBD). More information will be presented to those participating.
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