This Week in Choir: Week 26

Good Afternoon Grissom Choir,

We have many Grissom Choir related events happening in the coming weeks.  Please be sure to read below concerning all of these exciting performances!


This Week in Choir…

Women’s Choir:
UAB Honor Choir
Music Theory Test
Continue learning Little Fishes, Don’t Cry! & The Music of Living
Finish learning Fire & Ice, Flight, & Love Never Leaves

Men’s Choir:
UAB Honor Choir
Begin memorizing The Water is Wide & Actus
Continue learning Bring Me Back to My Heart & The Music of Living

Concert Choir:
UAB Honor Choir
Finish learning Eternal & Like A River
Begin reviewing The White Moon
Continue learning Love: Then & Still & Insane et Vanae Curae

Chamber Choir:
UAB Honor Choir
Begin memorizing Responsorials #1 & I Should Be Glad
Continue learning Goodbye Yellow Brick Road & Keramus
Continue reviewing The National Anthem & Measure Me Sky!


UAB Honor Choir
IT’S HERE! This spring, all 4 Grissom Choirs will be traveling down to Birmingham for the University of Alabama in Birmingham’s annual Honor Choir THIS COMING  Monday, February 23rd for the University of Alabama in Birmingham’s Honor Choir.  This honor choir is designed to affirm the participation of young singers in the vocal arts. The choirs are comprised of high school students throughout the State of Alabama. Students work closely with the festival clinician in intense rehearsals focusing on musicianship skills, voice building, and ensemble performance. The choir also rehearses and performs side-by-side the UAB Concert Choir. Students will experience concerts and masterclasses, and will perform with seasoned professionals on traditional and exciting new choral repertoire.  A more detailed letter was emailed out & sent home last week.  We will see everyone bright and early Monday morning!

Pizza & Pop Ticket RSVP
All friends and family members of Grissom Choir students are invited to join us for Pizza & Pop, located in the Student Center of First Baptist Church, Gov. Drive NEXT Friday, February 27th at 6:00pm!  1 Ticket @ $15.00 each (sold online via RSVP form) includes a "showcase" style performance evening featuring our multi-talented Grissom Choir students, along with 2 slices of Pizza, a drink, chips, & dessert.  All attendees are required to RSVP & pay online by THIS COMING Wednesday, February 25th in order to attend.  Please visit www.grissomchoir.com/pizzapop to reserve & pay for your dinner & entertainment today!

Grissom Choral Assessment
In two weeks, our second annual Grissom Choral Assessment, newly renamed the District III Choral Assessment, will be held at Grissom High School on March 11th.  Each choir, alongside our three feeder middle school choral programs, will perform 2 songs in contrasting style that we have been working on this semester in front of a panel of 2 clinician.  These clinicians assess each choir in their execution and performance of these two songs, focusing on blend, balance, tone, rhythmic and note accuracy, musical phrasing, energy, etc.  Each choir will then be rated our performance based on a rubric and scoring sheet: I: Outstanding, II: Superior, III: Excellent,  IV: Good, & V: Fair.  Grissom Choir has had a history of being rated Outstanding & Superior in their performances, of which I am excited to continue with our students.  The on-stage choir is then given a post-performance one-on-one clinic & workshop with one of the adjudicators, which is designed to encourage, invigorate, and enforce the daily teachings of each department.  All of our choir’s assessments will take place during the normal school day.  All students will need to bring their complete concert uniform to school that day and may leave it in the women’s & men’s dressing rooms until their performance time (Concert Choir must wear their uniform to school).  As this is a performance, all students are expected to be at school and participate in this assessment for a 400 point Summative Performance Grade.  Please see below for the schedule for this day:

    Wednesday, March 11th: B-day
        B1 - Concert Choir (normal class time)
        Advisory/B2 - Men’s Choir (will be excused from class)
        B2 - Women’s Choir (normal class time with 1st Lunch)
        B3 - Chamber Choir (will be excused from A3 class)

Grissom Choir Course Registration
All students should have received their Course Registration sheets for next school year.  It is my expectation that all current underclassmen choir students will continue to take choir. Should there be any student who does not plan on taking choir next year, please come and speak with me privately.  For students who are wishing to audition for The Chamber Choir, please register for the class using Mixed Chorus IV, Course Number: 05110G1004, (Put it down on your registration sheet TWICE!).  All other students should register for The Concert Choir, which should be listed as Mixed Chorus III, Course Number: 05110G1003, (Put it down on your registration sheet TWICE!). This is this same Course Names & Numbers as years prior. Based on both Concert & Chamber Choir auditions, I will relocate students back to Women’s/Mens Choir or to and from Concert & Chamber Choir.  As discussed in class, please be reminded of the following requirements for these two courses as it relates to Traditional Block Scheduling:

**Chamber Choir is designed to be a year-long commitment (2-class spots), with no exceptions.  For those auditioning,  you must be wiling to sacrifice another course if scheduling constraints occur.**    
**Concert Choir is designed to be a year-long commitment (2-class spots).  For those that cannot schedule choir both semesters, you must speak with Mr. Ratcliff when registering.**