NCJHS Singers’ Handbook

Purpose

    This document has been written for the Nauvoo-Colusa Singers and their parents to give them information regarding the vocal program here at Nauvoo-Colusa.  All students and their parents are urged to read this and keep a copy handy through the year, to help avoid conflicts and promote teamwork within the department.

NCHS Music Dept. Philosophy

We believe that students who are offered a strong curriculum in all of the arts develop the broad knowledge base and positive appreciation for aesthetics that traditionally has been the hallmark of the Liberal Arts education.  From that base have come the great ideas of our world. In creating the performer-audience relationship, great care is taken by directors and students to develop individual talents while working within the artistic requirements of the chosen media: art, dance, music, or theatre. By producing offerings each year that stretches the imagination of both the participants and the audience, we intend to create a broader interest in the arts for all people and an appreciation for how the arts permeate our lives. As we strive for excellence in our artistic endeavors, we create an enthusiasm for good artistic production that impresses every student with a lifelong appreciation for quality arts productions, whether as a performer or as a member of the audience. Through our “excellence in the arts” program, we intend to continue building the good reputation of the Nauvoo-Colusa Fine Arts Program far into the future. To that end we subscribe to and teach the Illinois Learning Standards for Fine Arts:

Know the Language of the Arts. (State Goal 25)

• Understand the sensory elements, organizational principles and expressive qualities of the arts.
• Understand the similarities, distinctions and connections in and among the arts.  

Through creating ad performing, understand how works of art are produced.(State Goal 26)

• Understand processes, traditional tools and modern technologies used in the arts.
• Apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform in one or more of the arts.

Understand the role of the arts in civilizations past and present. (State Goal 27.)

• Analyze how the arts function in history, society and everyday life.
• Understand how the arts shape and reflect history, society and everyday life.

Also we subscribe and utilize the guidance of the National Standards for Music Education as outlined by the Music Educators’ national Conference:
Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

• Performing on instruments, alone and with  others, a varied repertoire of music.
• Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
• Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
• Reading and notating music.
• Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
• Evaluating music and music performances.
• Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
• Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Choral Goals

Nauvoo-Colusa vocalists will. . .
1.  Develop the skills needed to become lifelong musicians.
2. Sing in a healthy, resonant, and pleasing manner.
3.  Develop the important life skills of personal responsibility, cooperation, teamwork, and punctuality.
4. Continue a standard of excellence in behavior and performance.

Website and email information:

Keep informed on the music program by visiting  HYPERLINK "http://www.nauvoo-colusa.com" www.nauvoo-colusa.com .  Our site is listed as Music Department.  There is also a Music Booster page explaining expectations and how parents can be involved with their student’s musical education.  Be sure to visit the other links listed on the Music Department page as well!

“The woods would be silent if only the best birds sang!”

The music department is a unique combination of curricular and co-curricular activities.  The curricular aspects of the program include daily classwork which can include sight-reading activities, vocal exercises, training in both small and large group singing, rehearsal time, as well as performances, which are often not scheduled within the school day, but are required nevertheless. These performances include the Fall Concert, Christmas concert, Solo and Ensemble Contests, Elementary School Tour, the Fine Arts Concert, and 8th Grade Graduation.
Students also have other opportunities to participate which are not required.  Auditions are held in October for the District IMEA Festival.  Students wishing to participate will learn the required music and vocal exercises and travel to an audition site to try out.  Those selected will sing with a 100+ voice choir at Western Illinois University in November.
Solo and Ensemble Contest is held each year in February.  Students may participate in solo or ensemble events.  Practice for these events begins in class in January. 

Procedures

Food, gum, and soda are not permitted in the Music Room.  Bottled water is acceptable.  Students will dispose of all trash in the trash cans provided.
Backpacks, purses, bags, and cell phones are not permitted in classrooms. Please leave your bags and these other items in your locker or on the landing outside of the doors.

Students need to check the white board each day for pertinent announcements.  Future performance dates are listed, as well as the day’s work to be accomplished, and other messages that are important to the music Dept.

Students will be expected to follow the tardy policy listed in the regular school handbook. 
Students will be assigned a seat and a folder to be shared with a partner.  Seats are assigned to get a balanced sound from the group, and to provide opportunities for peers to help others.   Often the best person to sing beside is not your best friend!  Folders are numbered and may be picked up each day out of the cabinet.  Folders must be returned to the correct spot in the cabinet after each class. If you wish to take a folder home to practice, see Mrs. Wilson to check out the folder.

We are fortunate to have an air-conditioner and a nice CD Player in our room.  Both may only be controlled by Mr. Dowell or Mrs. Wilson.

Attendance and promptness – an important life skill

  “An enjoyable, strong, vibrant, and educational choral program cannot exist without the prompt attendance of all personnel at all events and rehearsals.”  Every individual is very important to the whole.  One person being gone or even late has an adverse effect on the whole group and group morale.  This  is a valuable life skill for all students to learn to make them a success in whatever they do in life. 

Concert times are posted in the music room several weeks in advance.  Most are already in the student handbook for the year.  It is the student’s responsibility to get these times and dates onto their personal calendars. Generally, students are expected to be in the music room an hour before concert time.  This allows time for both the chorus and band to warm up and tune, which is a necessity for a quality performance.  Missing a performance requires a written excuse signed by a parent or guardian. An unexcused absence from a performance will result in a whole grade reduction.  All excused absences will be at the discretion of the director. Alternative assignments will be given to make up the performance opportunity missed.  Assignments are due five school days after the missed performance.  If not completed within this time frame, no credit will be awarded.

Concert Attire

 Concert attire will be the following: 
Ladies:  Black Concert dresses, a slip of some sort (long or short is acceptable), hose, dress shoes.  Jeans will not be considered acceptable under dresses!!   Concert dresses plus red polo-style music shirts are rented from the Music Dept. at an annual cost of $10.  Checks may be made out to NC Music Boosters. 
Gentlemen: Black dress pants (no exterior pockets, please), white tuxedo shirts, choir vest and tie, dress shoes, black socks.   Tuxedo shirts, vests and ties, and polo-style music shirts are rented from the Music Dept. at an annual cost of $10.  Checks may be made out to NC Music Boosters.

For less formal performances, music department polo shirts and dress pants or jeans will be worn, at the directors’ discretion.

Audience Etiquette

In order to make any performance more enjoyable for all involved, there are five rules that all audience members should follow.
1. Never enter or leave a performance during a song.  Since this draws attention  
away from the performance, you should wait until an appropriate break.
2.  Always have your full attention on the performers.
Talking during a performance distracts others around you, as well as the performers. 
Save your comments until afterwards.        
Avoid taking flash pictures or using cell phones.
5.  Always clap at the end of a performance.

A few final thoughts about music education:
Researchers at the University of California and the Niigata Brain Research Institute in Japan have found an area of the brain that is activated only when reading music scores.
- "Musical Brain - Special Brain Area Found for Reading Music Scores," Nevermore, 1998.
The average scores achieved by music students on the 1999 SAT increased for every year of musical study. This same trend was found in SAT scores of previous years.
- Steven M. Demorest and Steven J. Morrison, "Does Music make You Smarter?," Music Educators Journal, September, 2000.
A ten-year study indicates that students who study music achieve higher test scores, regardless of socioeconomic background.
- Dr. James Catterall, UCLA.
In a 1999 Columbia university study, students in the arts are found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more self-confident, and better able to express their ideas. These benefits exist across socioeconomic levels.
- The Arts Education Partnership, 1999.

Have a wonderful, musical year – I know I am looking forward to it!

                                                                                                                                Joni K. Wilson,
Director, Nauvoo-Colusa Singers