Syllabus

Course Description:

Choir class will cover the topics of singing as an ensemble, reading music, ear-training, music theory and history, and audience/performance etiquette.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Goals:

In this class, students will:

• Learn to work together, demonstrating cooperation and responsibility to the group.
• Endeavour to improve skills by trying new things, learning from mistakes, and applying constructive feedback.
• Demonstrate technical skills in breathing, posture, diction, ear training and music sight-reading.
• Develop listening skills to enable them to evaluate individual performance objectively.
• Expand their knowledge of musical terms.
• Demonstrate knowledge of performance and audience etiquette through concerts and festivals throughout the year.
• Develop increased self-esteem through successful practice and performances.
• Developing grit and perseverance in the face of challenges.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SOAR in Canyon Choir!

Safety-Organization-Achieve Goals-Respect

1. SAFETY- The only things allowed in your mouth are those that live there. Chewing on anything (gum, candy, food, cough drops, erasers, rubber bands, paper, etc.) is strictly forbidden. This is a choking hazard and would put your safety at risk. It also makes it easier for you to sing proper vowels and diction without foreign objects in your mouth. Water with a tight cap is permitted. Please make sure backpacks and lunch boxes are tucked all the way under your chair so aisles are clear.
2. ORGANIZATION- Please arrive on time with all necessary class materials. Regular daily attendance and being on time to class is required for all choir classes. Take care of restroom breaks and getting water before or after class. (Think: Before School, Lunch and/or Nutrition Break)
3. ACHIEVE GOALS- In order to achieve our goals as an ensemble, please participate at all times and do the best that you can. Cell phones should not be seen or heard during class. Phones must be turned OFF or on SILENT and in your backpack or locker. For privacy reasons, no pictures should be taken by students during class, at concerts, and on field trips. We will have designated photographers and videographers. Please participate responsibly in class and refrain from socializing.
4. RESPECT yourself, your teacher, instructional aids, piano accompanist, substitute teachers, your fellow students, and materials. Please be kind with your words and thoughtful with your actions. Celebrate diversity!

Be sure to practice and respect CODE SILENCE.

Listen carefully and follow all directions immediately and exactly as they are given.

Students- please keep these SOAR principles in mind to help our choir have a successful year!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grading Policies:

Concerts and In-Class Performances: 50% of the grade.

Concert attendance is required. Full credit is earned by being on time, focusing during the warm-up time and concert, and remaining calm and quiet for the entire concert. Students will lose partial credit for arriving late and/or leaving early. Students are expected to follow correct performance procedures on stage, backstage, and in the audience. Each student must take ownership of their own behavior and do their best to remain focused even though they will likely be excited and/or nervous at the concert and on field trips. Please also be sure to help clean up the space at the conclusion of each concert (the choir room, cafeteria, gym, warm-up/green room, and CFA auditorium).

Choir Behavior Warning System:

It is unfair to other students to have their concert negatively impacted by any student or students who are making bad choices and behaving inappropriately. Therefore, the Canyon Choir Department has a “3-strikes and you’re out” policy at concerts and on field trips.

Students will be granted 3 warnings for bad behavior choices/disruptions.

1st Disruption- verbal reminder/warning from a teacher, chaperone, or administrator.

2nd Disruption- time out with a teacher, chaperone, or administrator.

3rd Disruption- student will not be allowed to perform and will instead sit in the audience and complete a written reflection during the concert.

Any student that chooses not to follow proper performance procedures and continues to disrupt the warm-up or concert 3 times will be given an additional writing assignment to be turned in and graded by Ms. Burke. The due date is one week after the day of the concert. This writing assignment will give the student the opportunity to make up some of the points that they lose for not performing in the concert.

Excused Absences: A concert absence will only be excused in cases of serious illness, death in the family, extreme family emergency, or travel/other commitments that were already in place BEFORE receiving this syllabus and performance calendar. Any events/commitments that comes up AFTER today that are not illness/death in the family/emergency will be considered unexcused.

If possible, please have a parent or guardian contact Ms. Burke by e-mail before the concert to notify her of the absence. If that is not possible, Ms. Burke must be contacted by a parent or guardian through e-mail or a written letter with the reason for the absence within 48 hours after the concert. It will be up to the discretion of the teacher to decide whether or not it will be excused.

Students will not be excused for family vacation/travel, sports/dance events or any other outside of school activities or events including playoffs and championships that were not already in place before Friday, September 8th.

Every single student and voice are important to each performance. We can only do our best if we have every member of the choir performing together. If something does come up that prevents a student from participating, the more notice I have, the better. This will allow me to try to make adjustments to the performance and create the least amount of disturbance to the rest of the singers. This is especially important if a student was assigned a solo, so that we can prepare the understudy to perform. If a soloist is tardy or not present for any of the warm-up time before the concert, the understudy will be asked to perform during the concert in their place. It is essential for each soloist to experience the sound check with the microphones and walk through the blocking on stage in order to have a safe and successful performance.

If a student misses a concert performance with an unexcused absence, the grade is lowered two letter grades.

The student will have the opportunity to complete an alternate assignment if they miss a concert. If the absence is unexcused the highest grade that can be earned on that assignment is a C, if the absence is excused, the student will have the opportunity to earn an A.

In-Class Performance Check-Points:

We will also have performance checks in class to assess knowledge of singing in tune, singing assigned music memorized with accurate pitches and lyrics, and use of proper posture and breathing technique.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Homework/Classwork: 10% of the grade.

Homework will mostly consist of listening to practice recordings to learn pitches/rhythms and memorize lyrics. There will be practice tracks posted on online. I will send out the link to students and their families and post it on the Canyon Choir Department website.

Along with learning to sing music for performances, the course will be covering basic music theory, notation, and elements of choral performing. There will be quizzes, tests, and written assignments that will be averaged into the quarter grades, semester grades, and the final grade. Grades will be based on fulfilling the assignment, quality of the work, turning it in on time, and following the directions carefully.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Attendance/Behavior/Participation: 40% of the grade.

The student must attend class on a regular basis. Tardiness or unexcused absences will result in a lower grade. Full participation is expected at all times and in all activities. The student is expected to act in a respectful manner and participate to his or her best capabilities. Disruptive behavior will lower the student’s grade.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CHOIR PERFORMANCE UNIFORMS

Beginning Condor Choir Concert Attire (Zero Period & 4th Period)

Black dress pants or skirts (knee length or longer), black socks/tights, all-black closed-toe shoes (no boots or sandals), and red Canyon Choir Polo Shirt- please see attached Polo shirt order form.

2nd Period Treble Choir & 3rd Period Choral Ensemble

Formal:

• Black button down collared shirt (long-sleeve)
• Black pants or skirt (knee length or longer)
• black tights or socks
• all-black shoes closed-toe shoes (no boots or sandals)
• black belt

Everything must be covered in black clothing from the shoulders down including ankles.

Casual: Dark Blue blue jean pants & CMS Red Music Polo shirt. Shoes: closed-toe sneakers (any color) with white or black socks.

No yoga pants, sweatpants, lounge pants, pajama pants, or other unprofessional clothing please!

Please contact Ms. Burke if you have financial difficulty obtaining the choir outfit. The school has a limited number of items available for loan to those who need them.

Borrowed uniform shirts must be cleaned and returned after the spring concert. Please put uniform shirts in a large plastic baggy and label the size and the student’s name on the bag before returning to school.

If a shirt is damaged or lost, the student will be charged for the price to replace it.

Reminder: Polo Shirts must be tucked in for performances.

• For concert performances, all students must wear their hair pulled back away from their faces/tucked behind their ears. Both eyes and your mouth must be fully visible so that students can communicate a full range of facial expressions the the audience and festival judges.
• Please refrain from extreme hairstyles and flashy jewelry that may distract from the performance.
• Due to asthma/allergies, please refrain from wearing perfume/body spray/cologne/scented hand sanitizer or lotions in the chorus room and especially during field trips and other performances.

Please donate old uniforms: If you have choir uniform pieces that no longer fit your student or that belong to an older sibling that you would like to donate, please send those into school to loan to other students.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Music Selection:

CVUSD Choral programs perform literature that is both sacred and secular. Balance of music selected and performed from among historical and contemporary composers, genres, and periods is achieved through the course of a year’s instruction and not within any individual concert. Ms. Burke is happy to accept suggestions for musical selections, however she reserves the right to make all final decisions on concert repertoire to be practiced and performed by the choirs.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The choirs are off to a great start already. I am looking forward to collaborating with you and your students this year. Thank you in advance for your support!