NWSA choral Ensembles
Middle School Ensembles
6th Grade Chorus – Students enrolled in this class will learn the foundation and the building blocks for which they will use throughout their choral career. Foundations such as sight-reading, solfege skills, takadimi rhythm counting, choral skills (tone quality, balance, blend, diction, etc.), and more will be instilled in the young singer to create contributing musicians in the choral ensemble. Students will learn to sing and perform in two-part harmony.
7th & 8th Grade Chorus – Students will build on those foundational skills learned through their beginning year at Northwest School of the Arts. Their sight-reading skills become more proficient as they learn to read music in difficult melodic skips or leaps and challenging rhythmic patterns. Students new to Northwest in 7th or 8th Grade will be guided through the foundational skills through classroom review. All students gain a wealth of performing experience through their quarterly concerts. Students will learn to sing and perform in two- to three-part harmony.
High School Ensembles
TeBa (Tenor-Bass) Ensemble – Tenor, Baritone, and Bass Students in grades 8 through 12 will be enrolled in this ensemble if they have beginning to intermediate choral skills. We will place emphasis on foundations of choral singing (tone quality, balance, blend, diction, etc.) and develop high school choral skills. This ensemble helps lower voices work through the changing voice and the challenges that come with it. Some students choose to be a part of this ensemble along with Mixed Chamber Choir. Voices in this choir must sing tenor, baritone, or bass; unchanged voices accommodated with appropriate repertoire.
Intermediate Treble Ensemble – Soprano and Alto Students in grades 9 through 12 will be enrolled in this ensemble if they have beginning to intermediate choral skills . We will place emphasis on foundations of choral singing (tone quality, balance, blend, diction, etc.) and develop high school choral skills. Higher Voices in this ensemble explore their vocal range by differentiating their voice parts throughout the school year. Some students choose to be a part of this ensemble along with Women’s Chamber Choir and/or Mixed Chamber Choir. Voices in this choir must sing soprano or alto.
Advanced Treble Ensemble – This treble choir is for the advanced choral student in grades 9 through 12. Students in this ensemble sing challenging SSA-SSAA literature at a late-high school to early-college difficulty. This course offers honors credit and, therefore, students are expected to complete rigorous assignments in and out of class. Students are also expected to be contributing members to extra-curricular choral activities, such as, auditioning for 9-10 All-Carolina Select Choirs, NC Honors Chorus, Mars Hill (11-12), CMS Honors Chorus, etc. Some students choose to be a part of this ensemble along with Mixed Chamber Choir.
Mixed Chamber Chorus – This mixed choir is for the advanced choral student in grades 10 through 12. Students in this ensemble sing challenging SAB-SATB divisi literature at a late-high school to intermediate-college difficulty. This course offers honors credit and, therefore, students are expected to complete rigorous assignments in and out of class. This ensemble has a heavy rehearsal and performance schedule due to the high demand of this prestigious group. Students are also expected to be contributing members to extra-curricular choral activities, such as, auditioning for NC Honors Chorus, Mars Hill (11-12), 9-10 All-Carolina Select Choirs, Masterworks solos, CMS Honors Chorus, etc.