Mrs. P's Singers and Ringers Blog

It’s that time of year when we get very busy with performances.  Beginning Chorus will kick everything off by singing at Barnes & Noble on December 1st.   Yes, that is a Saturday, but it’s a very short performance.  Everyone needs to arrive by 11:45.  We will sing at noon, and our mini-concert lasts only about 20 minutes.  As soon as we’re done, you are free to leave.  It’s also very informal.  You will need to wear your Chorus shirts, but you can wear them with jeans.

Winter Arts Festival is our opportunity to show off all the music programs at Landings.  This is actually a series of concerts that takes place over three nights, but each group performs just once.  (I know some of you will need to come twice, if you are in both chorus and band and your groups are playing on different nights.  Sorry!)  Beginning Chorus will sing at the Wednesday evening performance, and Concert Chorus and Handbells will perform on Thursday.  The Wednesday evening concert will be short, probably less than an hour, because there are just two groups performing that night.  Unfortunately, we have no beginning handbells this year; that would have been their night to perform, which will make the concert shorter.

Concert Chorus will have one more performance, on December 14th at the Kravis Center.  I will be sending home more information about that in a few days.  I turned down another performance request for December, because I think we have more than enough to do!

You can probably tell from the fact that I haven’t put up a new post in a few weeks that it has been a very hectic time for Chorus and Handbells.  Yesterday’s performances for next year’s sixth graders went very well, despite a few “blips” that we’ll discuss in class.  And Wellington Ringers will perform this evening at Seminole Ridge High School, as part of their Spring Fling choral concert.

Now is the time to make sure that our spring concert is on your family’s calendar.   The concert will take place on May 22nd, a Tuesday, at 7:00pm in the WLMS cafeteria.  The performance will include both choruses and both handbell ensembles (no band).  Handbell students need to be here at 6:30, and chorus students have a report time of 6:40.   This performance serves as our nine-week exam, and attendance is mandatory.  If you need to, you can check out the attendance policy in the Chorus Handbook or the Handbell Handbook.

Concert Chorus also needs to add Wednesday, June 6th, to their performance calendar.  We will be singing for the eighth grade awards program, which will take place this year at Wellington High School.  I will have more information for you soon as to the time, and what we will be singing.  So pay attention in class!

So, we’re less than four weeks away from MPA.  After that, we will start to concentrate on music for our Spring Concert, which will take place on May 22nd.  I have found a new medley for Concert Chorus, called Rock and Roll All Nite.  I know, that isn’t correct spelling, but that is how it is spelled for this song.   the medley lasts about six minutes, and includes four different songs.

I have ordered the music and the rehearsal CD.  Once I get the rehearsal CD, I will see if I can link you to the entire medley.  In the meantime, here is an exerpt:

RockRollAllNite

For Beginning Chorus, we’re going to look at a medley of three Beatles songs, called Ticket to Ride.  Follow this link to listen to an exerpt.  Concert Chorus did this medley about five years ago, and we had a lot of fun with it.

The images in this post are from the website for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  If you’re interested in rock music, this is a fun website, with lots of interesting information, and some neat videos, too.

Is everyone ready for the new school year?  The train is going to leave the station on Monday, and it’s going to pick up steam pretty quickly.  I’m excited for the new year.  I have some great things planned, new music ordered, and I’m looking forward to getting started.  As you may have heard, we have a new principal, Ms. Bennett, and she loves music.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she drops into the chorus and handbell classrooms on a regular basis. 

You might want to mark the following dates on your calendar.  I think I have all of them up on Edline, but I want to keep this up-to-date, too.

• September 14:  Our Enjoy the City coupon book fundraiser kicks off.
• September 15:  Concert Chorus will sing for the PTO volunteer breakfast.
• September 24:  All-State Chorus musicianship and sight-singing tests.
• October 11:  Combined choral concert at Wellington High School for both beginning and concert choruses.
• November 18 and 19:  Solo and ensemble MPA.  We’ll be talking about this very soon.
• December 3:  Beyond the Stage performance at the Kravis Center for  Concert Chorus.  This is also the date of WLMS Day at Barnes & Noble, and I may take Beginning Chorus for that, too, if I can figure out how to clone myself
• The dates for Winter Arts Festival aren’t finalized yet.  I’ll let you know as soon as they’re approved.

And that’s just first semester!  I’m tired just typing it!

Spring concert is over, and I’m really pleased with how everything went.  We had a few glitches, but that’s to be expected.  While we strive for perfection, it doesn’t happen.  All I ever ask is that you do your best, and most of us did that last night.

We got a great response from our audience, and many compliments.  One of the good things about this concert, too, is that you all get to hear the other groups. 

So, what was your favorite?  What song do you think your group did the best?  What did you think of the other ensembles?  What did you like about what they performed?

We have had an opportunity, in our recent performances, to “sell” our handbell and chorus programs.  That was the whole purpose of our performance for the 5th grade students from the elementary students.  Our goal was to convince them to join chorus or handbells (or both!) next year.  We have publicized our upcoming spring concert to the elementary schools, as well, so hopefully we will have some of the students coming to hear our performance.

We also have to “sell” our music program to administrators and parents, and anyone who has a say in whether we continue to have music classes in our schools.  Some people think that electives, and especially music and art, are “fluff.”  They think these courses are there just to fill the time.  You and I know how much you learn in music class, not just about music, but skills that reinforce what you learn in academic classes, such as reading and writing.  And then there are all the life skills that you learn in music, especially about working with others and being part of a group.

What can we do to sell our program?  First of all, we need to do the very best job we can.  We don’t want to settle for a mediocre performance, but demonstrate to the best of our ability what we have achieved as musicians this year.  Secondly, we need to look like we enjoy what we do.   People will remember how you look and how you act as much or more than they remember how you sound.  A smile goes a long way toward telling your audience, “I really like being in Chorus or Handbells.  Don’t you want to do this, too?”

Anybody have any other ideas of how we can promote our Chorus and Handbells?

Fasten your seat belts!  Things are going to be moving fast for the next few weeks!

We’re now less than one week until the 5th Grade Articulation performance by Concert Chorus and Advanced Bells, next Tuesday, May 3rd.  This is during the school day, so you need to be sure that you check with your third and fourth period teachers that you get any assignments or work you will miss.  Also, I need as many people as possible to help set up that morning.

Beginning Bells will ring for the National Junior Honor Society induction the next evening, May 4th.  The program begins at 7PM.  Please plan to be here by 6:30 to set up your bells, notebooks, and mallets.  The ceremony should last about an hour, and we’ll put everything back in the handbell room before dismissal.  Your parents are welcome to stay and listen, but if they don’t stay, please make sure that you have a ride home by 8:15.

Finally, spring concert is less than two weeks away, on May 10th, at 7PM in the cafeteria.  That’s a Day 4, so advanced handbells will be able to set up in the cafeteria during last period.  I’ll need as many chorus people as possible to help after school to move and set up equipment.  And, of course, we have to get EVERYTHING out of the cafeteria after the concert.

Everyone is working very hard to get their music ready, and I am very proud of the effort you all are making.  Sometimes, it’s easy, after MPA, to feel that you want to just coast out to the end of the year.  Thanks for keeping up the effort.

Wait a minute!  I thought concert season was in December!  Isn’t concert season over?

Well, no.  For the past month, we have concentrated on soloists and ensembles, as we prepared for their performance assessment.  Now, it’s everyone’s turn.  For the next two months, our focus will be on concert  MPA.  So that’s why Mr. Houchins, the director at Palm Beach Central High School, made the comment on Saturday that this is the beginning of concert season.

What does this mean for us?  Well, we will be working very hard on the two songs each chorus will sing at MPA.  There will also be a lot of time spent on sight singing.  We may begin to look at some music for spring concert, but since MPA is earlier this year, we will have plenty of time after it is over to work on that music.  So if we sing through spring music, it will be for a break.

Just hang in there!  The time from now to MPA will fly, and we’ll have Spring Break the week before MPA.   And the harder we work, the more enjoyable MPA will be.