Announcements

In this email:

• Tuxedo turn-in (holds)

• Pop Show

  • Rehearsal Schedule

    • Transportation

  • Performance Schedule

  • Outfits

  • Ticket Sales

• Choir Banquet

• 24-25 Booster Board

Tuxedo Coat Drycleaning

All choir men should have already returned their dry cleaned tuxedo coat. Holds have been placed on any student account that has not returned their coat. These holds can keep students from Prom, Senior Field Day, Graduation, and may cause complications with non-senior schedules if they are not removed in a timely manner. IMPORTANT: Coats will not be accepted unless they are in the clear plastic dry-cleaning bag WITH THE TAG ATTACHED that shows the name and dry-cleaning date. Photos of a correctly turned in coat have been sent to students via Remind to ensure that we don't have complications with this.  

If tuxedo coats have been lost or damaged, the replacement fee is $95.

To be clear: We only need the coat. All other tuxedo pieces were purchased by, and belong to, the student.

Pop Show

(All rehearsals and performances are MANDATORY for all singers!)

Pop Show Costumes

Each number in the show has a theme, and classes have voted on outfits for those numbers. Please see the attached graphic for details. Students should plan to bring all of these items to each rehearsal beginning on Tuesday, May 7. Because the Junior High will still have classes that week, we will not be able to leave items at the school when we leave. We recommend that students have a plastic hamper with their name labeled on it to contain all of their costume pieces. Finally, we strongly encourage students to not use expensive clothing as costume pieces as it is not out of the ordinary for items to get lost.

Rehearsal Schedule

A note about our Pop Show rehearsals: The FHS Choir program tries to be as respectful of the time of our students and families as we can. Compared to virtually any other performing arts group or athletic group, we have the fewest number of required rehearsals outside of the school day. With that said, when we do have required rehearsals, it is absolutely vital that our students make it a priority to rearrange their schedules to be with us. Music and choreography are taught at these rehearsals that are NEVER re-taught - if a student misses one day, they will likely miss the ONLY chance they would have to learn the material, which can result in them missing out on being a part of a major number in our show. Please help us to ensure that ALL of our singers attend each rehearsal for the full duration. 

• Monday, April 22, 4:00-6:00pm at Friendswood High School (Opener music and choreo)

• Monday, April 29, 4:00-7:00pm at Friendswood High School (Men's/Women's number music and choreo)

• Monday, May 6 (Rehearsal cancelled due to scheduling conflicts at the Junior High)

• Tuesday, May 7, 4:00-9:00pm at Friendswood Junior High * (Large group number staging, class song runthroughs)

• Wednesday, May 8, 4:00-9:00pm at Friendswood Junior High * (Friday evening show run through)

• Thursday, May 9, 4:00-9:00pm at Friendswood Junior High * (Saturday evening show run through)

• Saturday, May 11, 9:30am-1:00pm at Friendswood Junior High (Saturday matinee show run through)

  • Note that when kids arrive at 9:30am they will remain with us for the rest of the day until after the evening show concludes. We ask that they make sure to eat breakfast before they leave home, and plan to bring a lunch with them (please don't have them use Door Dash or Grub Hub). A pizza dinner will be provided by the booster club between 5:00-6:30pm. 

* - On Tuesday thru Thursday, May 6-9, some groups may be required to stay later. This is likely to include all Seniors for the "Senior Number," our Tech Manager officer and potentially other officers, and may include Kantorei on one night.

Students that do not drive will be offered bus transportation on May 7-9 from FHS to FJH. We will be taking a head count for this on Monday next week - make sure your kiddo knows whether they will need this bus ride and that to secure it, they must turn in the transportation form! We will NOT have bus transportation after rehearsal is over each night. Parents will have to pick their kids up each evening.

Performance Schedule

(All performances will be held in the Friendswood Junior High Auditorium)

• Friday, May 10 Evening Show

  • Student call time: 6:00pm

  • Doors open for audience: 6:40pm

  • Show begins at 7:00pm

• Saturday, May 11 Matinee

  • Student call time: 9:30am

  • Doors open for audience:  1:40pm

  • Show begins at 2:00pm

  • (Unlike last year, this year’s matinee performance is a full length show!)

• Saturday, May 11 Evening Show

  • Student call time: 6:00pm

  • Doors open for audience: 6:40pm

  • Show begins at 7:00pm

Pop Show ticket sales - $15 each

For the first time, we are exited to be selling tickets for specific seats as you would at a movie theater or major concert venue. Tickets are available NOW for all performances using the following link:

Purchase Pop Show Tickets (click here!)

If your child is performing a solo or duet, make sure to check the choir website "Announcements" page to see which day they will be singing. We will not be able to honor any requests for students to switch between shows.

FHS Choir Website – Announcements (click here!)

Choir Banquet

(OPTIONAL for all singers)

South Shore Harbor Resort, Crystal Salon, Rooms B/C (not to be confused with the "Crystal Ballroom")

6:00-9:00pm, Thursday, May 16th

2500 South Short Blvd., League City, TX 77573

We are already looking forward to our our fabulous end-of-the-year Choir Banquet held at the South Shore Harbor Country Club. This event is a lovely opportunity to celebrate our successes of the year and honor many students that have worked so hard to improve and excel. We will also announce our 2024-2025 Choir Officers at the end of the evening.

Planned meal: Plated 3 course meal, chicken dish (chicken florentine with cream sauce)

Ticket purchases

The Booster Club covers a large portion of the ticket price for the students. Parents are welcomed to attend this event, but they must purchase tickets at the full price. We would ask that you keep family attendance limited to parents, and not include siblings or extended family. Please note that the students will sit at tables near the front, and parents at the back tables (with the exception of the Booster Board) -- Parents typically do not sit with their kids on this evening.

• Ticket purchase for STUDENT tickets ($30)

• Ticket purchase for PARENT tickets ($55)

2024-2025 FHS Choir Booster Club Board

We are happy to announce the proposed Booster Board for the 2024-2025 school year. If anyone has concerns or questions, please reach out to Mr. Tyer. We will hold a Zoom meeting on Monday, May 13 at 6:00pm to confirm the Board.

President: Michelle Rowe

Vice-President: Chelsea Chase

Secretary: Lisa Smith

Treasurer: Maria Karg

Asst. Treasurer: Chris Lipari

Member At Large: JR Denson

Member At Large: Karen Armstrong

Member At Large: Jessie George

We will send out the Zoom link a day or two prior to the May meeting.

On Saturday, February 17th the Friendswood High School Choir competed in the UIL Solo & Ensemble competition at Friendswood High School. 92 singers represented our school and received incredible reviews from their judges. 

For reference, there are three levels of song difficulty with Class 3 being the easiest and Class 1 being the most challenging. They each receive ratings on their performances ranking from 1-5, with 5 being the worst rating and 1 being the best that they can achieve. We generally shoot for 1's and 2's on our ratings, and many of our singers reached that mark this year!

Singers receiving a rating of 1 on a Class 1 solo: 

Reagan Beaver, Avery Buras, JP Caldwell, Charlene Chapman, Thatcher Chase, Kyleigh Chilton-Fernandez, Logan Crider, Sammy Davies, Whittni DeVita, Ralyn Dye, Jai Foster, McKenna Fritts, Lexie George, Katherine Gilbert, Tyler Goins, Ava Hanning, Daisy Harris, Ryan Hatfield, Ariana Herrera, Lauren Junge, Gisele Kehres, Aliz Kidd, Sophia Koerner, Drew Koester, Caroline Krebs, Rylee Lambert, Beau Laviolette, Phoebe LeMay, Savannah Lormand, Paige McCray, Brie McDowell, Elijah Meaux, Ronni Orr, Matthew Rapp, Maddy Rempel, Adria Reyes, Charles Brody Rodgers, Brendon Romell,  Beth Seifert, Pearl Senter, Hailey Setoudeh, Zoe Sharp, Aidan Slack, Mia Standley, Zoey Steingas, Hannemann Te'o, Samuel Turpin, Ashe Wainscott

Ensemble Trio: Avery Buras, Julia Houting, & Maddy Rempel

Singers receiving a rating of 2 on a Class 1 solo: 

Megan McDonald, Aidan Ostermayer, Andrew Rowe

Singers receiving a rating of 1 on a Class 2 solo: 

Kaley Barden, Brooklyn Beaver, Aidan Bynum, Ella Chandler, Jaylen Cross, Sergio Cruz, Dillon Davis, Kate Duggleby, Jaxson Findley, Dylan Garcia, Avery Gray, Roxie Harris, Christian Johnson-Eby,  Annily Karg, Adriana Lipari, Kaitlin McBride, Erin McKinney, Sofia Medina-Nevarro, Taylor Nelson, Connor O'Rear, Navya Patel, Carter Payne, Mahrosh Saqib, Aidan Stephenson, Harley Wright

Singers receiving a rating of 2 on a Class 2 solo: 

Oakley Abbott, Lexie Jackson, Taylor Jones, Katie O'Brien, Alyssa Price, Allie Reed, Josalyn Robichaux, Arisa Spencer, Alex Trieu

Singers receiving a rating of 1 on a Class 3 solo: 

Landon Baker, Nathan Ellisor

Singers receiving a rating of 2 on a Class 3 solo: 

Maia Sutherland

The FHS Choir held an "alternate date" UIL Solo & Ensemble competition on Thursday, February 22nd to accommodate students that had school related conflicts the day of our Saturday competition. We are so proud of the 17 soloists and one ensemble that competed today! Once again, the reviews from our judge was filled with praise for our incredible performers. 

Singers receiving a rating of 1 on a Class 1 solo: 

Morgan Armstrong, Trinity Bosley, Hannah Brueggeman, Madison Feaster, Mireya Ferstl, Elly Gamero, Claire Gibson, Avery Hunter, Jordyn Hunter, Levi John, Jacob Mayfield, Sophia Niles, Cooper Thompson

Ensemble quintet: Bella Vozzo, Hannah Brueggeman, Sophia Niles, Logan Crider, & Ryan Hatfield

Singers receiving a rating of 2 on a Class 1 solo: 

Paige Garcia

Singers receiving a rating of 1 on a Class 2 solo: 

Rebecca Davis, Valeria Restrepo, Trevor Slaback

In this email:

• UIL Solo & Ensemble Competition

• Parent Orlando Trip Informational Meeting

• Choir Section Parties

• Pre-UIL Concert

UIL Solo & Ensemble Competition 

(Required for all singers that registered to audition)

• Saturday, February 17

• Hosted at Friendswood High School

We are thrilled to have 120 out of our approximately 160 singers competing in UIL this year. Singers will be assigned a performance slot that will be posted up in the choir room some time soon. Singers should plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before their performance time, and they should be finished within 10 minutes of that time (this is, of course, assuming that we stay on schedule). 

They will be expected to dress nice: 

• No blue jeans or sneakers.

• Men should wear khaki pants or slacks with a button down dress shirt (tucked in). Ties and suit coats are nice if you have them, but not required. They should also have nice shoes with dark socks.

• Women may choose to wear dresses, skirts, or blouse/pants that would be appropriate for a business or scholarship interview. Wear closed, nice shoes instead of strappy sandals or sneakers.  Avoid thin/strappy sundresses and choose a more professional outfit for this occasion.

IMPORTANT: There is a required $23 fee for this competition that should be paid via Square ASAP. This covers their $10 registration fee, $10 for their accompanist fee (the booster club pays the remaining $15 for the accompanist), and a $3 processing fee charged by Square. The link to pay can be found below - please specify which student you are paying for at checkout.

Solo & Ensemble Fee Payment (click here!)

Parent Orlando Trip Informational Meeting

• Tuesday, February 27, 7:00pm in the High School Cafeteria

• Please plan to enter the building via door number 8 (This is in the parking lot where the new Performing Arts Center is located, and the entrance farthest from Greenbriar)

• All final trip information will be given out at this meeting, and we hope to be able to answer all questions at this time. 

While we cannot require parents to attend, we would consider it to be HIGHLY recommended!

FHS Choir Section Parties

Our section parties, normally held near the beginning of the school year, had to be postponed due to scheduling complications. We are THRILLED that these fun events are finally closer to happening. 

There will be three parties happening all on the same night, Friday March 1 (All addresses are in Friendswood). Parties are currently scheduled for 6:00-9:00pm. We will let you know if the time for any of the parties changes:

• The Soprano party, including ALL sopranos from ALL classes.

  • Daisy & Roxie Harris' House

  • 23 Windsong

• The Alto party, including ALL altos from ALL classes

  • Caroline Krebs' House

  • 1106 Rymers Switch Ln

• The Tenor/Bass party, including ALL men from ALL classes

  • Matthew Rapp's house

  • 1811 Sterling Creek Dr.

Pre-UIL Concert

(Required for ALL singers)

• Tuesday, March 26, 7:30pm

• Friendswood United Methodist Church

• FREE Admission

Please join us for our Spring UIL concert. At this performance we showcase the music that our singers will be singing at their UIL Contests the following week. This is typically the most challenging and polished music that we perform all year and should prove to be an outstanding evening of music. The concert should last about an hour. 

This past Saturday, January 6th, six incredible singers represented the Friendswood HS Choir program at the Area Audition at Deer Park High School. These singers began working on this music back in July, and advanced through three incredibly challenging rounds to reach this final audition. Only 2% of the thousands of singers across Texas that began the audition process are selected to be members of the prestigious Texas All-State Choir, and this year two of our singers were chosen by their judges. They will join their directors in February travelling to the Texas Music Educators Association convention for an experience of a lifetime. Please join us in congratulating these  young women on their incredible accomplishment!!

Claire Gibson - Soprano 1

Julia Houting - Soprano 2

In This Email:

• Holiday Concert Rehearsal

• Holiday Concert

• Holiday Party

• Area Auditions

• Final Trip Payment

Holiday Concert Rehearsal - Monday, December 11

(MANDATORY for all singers)

Location: Friendswood Methodist (This is the same location as the Fall Concert)

Our Holiday concert is a giant undertaking, and we only get one afternoon to put it together (normally we would have a week or more in our auditorium). Because of this, it is absolutely VITAL that all of our singers are present, otherwise they won't have any idea what is going on once we reach the performance the following evening. 

We will run the program in concert order beginning as close to 4:00 as we can arrive and get started. Most students will be dismissed at 6 PM, but choirs are expected to stay for their class's run-though. The entire run-through may not be completely over by 6 PM. They are welcomed to stay and support their peers as they run their songs, as they will not be in the house to watch the concert during the actual performance, but that is not required beyond 6 PM. 

This is our HOPE for Monday's REHEARSAL, assuming that we really aren't able to get rolling in any meaningful way until around 4:30pm. This is also with the understanding that there a LOT of factors that could leave us running behind:

• Cantabile finished by 5:00

• Choros finished by 5:20

• Bel Canto finished by 5:50

• Schola Cantorum finished by 6:10

• AcaBellas finished by 6:40

• Chamber Singers finished by 7:00pm

• Kantorei finished sometime between 7:30-8:00

  • Kantorei has staged choreography that will require extra work after the other students are finished. 

• Soloists will run in order, so students that perform later in the program will run their solo later in the evening

• (There is a chance that things will go VERY smoothly and we will be finished much earlier - we are just trying to be realistic by accounting for possible/likely logistical delays)

Other notes for the REHEARSAL:

• Students that CAN drive, are expected to to get themselves to the church.

• We will have a bus that will leave at 4:00pm, RIGHT after school is out to carry students that cannot drive. Singers intending to right the bus should HURRY!!'

  • There will not be a bus bringing them back to the high school after rehearsal. Parents will need to pick them up from Friendswood Methodist when they call home to let them know that they are dismissed from rehearsal.

• Schola Cantorum (our first choir to rehearse) is expected to make their own way to the church and get right on stage. Much of the expediency of the afternoon hinges on that choir getting there quickly and starting to rehearse ASAP.

Holiday Concert - Tuesday, December 12

(MANDATORY for all singers)

Location: Friendswood Methodist (This is the same location as the Fall Concert)

Call time for singers: No later than 6:30pm

Doors open for Audience: 6:40pm

Concert Start Time: 7:00pm 

Admission is FREE!

.

Please keep in mind that this will be a long performance (probably a bit over two hours in duration). There will be a cry room as well as an overflow room with the concert streaming for parents with young ones that get restless or upset. 

Other notes:

• Concert attire will be our concert formals (tuxedos and black formal dresses)

• Members of Kantorei should make sure that they have a "standard" red santa hat for this concert. 

• Members of Schola Cantorum are being provided with accessories.

• Members of Bel Canto will wear holly crowns made in class.

• Members of Cantabile have been asked to accessorize with winter scarves, hats, earmuffs, and/or red ribbon hair bows.

• Members of Choros have been asked to wear an "ugly" Christmas sweater (in place of their tuxedo shirt/bow tie/coat) along with their tuxedo pants and dress shoes. 

Holiday Party - Friday, December 15 6:00-9:00pm

(Optional, but highly encouraged, for all singers!!!)

We are looking forward to one of our favorite long standing traditions: the FHS Choir Holiday Party!! This is typically one of our most well-attended events of the school year, and we’ve already heard exciting buzz about it drawing near. 

Leavesley Park, Jones Hanger

901 Buckingham Drive, Friendswood, TX 77546

• Parking is VERY limited! Kids are encouraged to carpool or to be dropped off/picked up.

• Dinner will be served from 6:00-7:00-ish

• Pizza will be provided by the booster club

• Each ensemble will be asked to bring certain items:

  • Kantorei: Desserts and other sweet items

  • Schola Cantorum: A special holiday snack to add to the table to share.  (Discussed in class - bring a favorite thing and surprise us!)

  • Bel Canto: 12 packs of soft drinks or a gallon of tea (sweet or unsweet is fine!)

  • Cantabile: A bag of a salty snack (chips, pretzels, popcorn, or some other salty snacky favorite)

  • Choros: 12 packs of soft drinks or a gallon of tea (sweet or unsweet is fine!)

• One of the biggest events of the evening is the annual largest white elephant gift exchange in Texas! This will take place from appx 7:00-9:00 (it usually takes just about the entire time!)

  • Students are encouraged to bring a wrapped gift (plan to keep gifts to appx $10 and under)

  • Guidelines:

  • No live animals

  • No used “junk” from your home. Gifts should be either thoughtful or fun, but not trash

  • Keep things school-appropriate

• What happens:

  • When a student arrives with a gift, their name will go in a spinner. 

  • When their name is called, they can either choose an unopened gift, or they can “steal” a gift that someone else opened. (Who will bring the most coveted gift?!)

  • Gifts may only be stolen a total of two times before it is “locked”

• We hope that all of our students will be able to join us!!

Area Auditions

Please join us in cheering on our students that have advanced to the final audition in the Region/All State process. They will compete on Saturday, January 6th with hopes to be selected as members of the Texas All State Choir. Auditionees are: Claire Gibson, Brie McDowell, Madelyn Rempel, Julia Houting, Tyler Goins, and Drew Koester. 

Final Trip Payment

Our final payment will be due on Wednesday, Jan 10. This payment of $325 will also include any remaining balance including chaperone fees for those not staying in quad rooms (pretty much all chaperones)

Last night, the Friendswood High School Choir competed in the third round on the way to becoming a member of the Texas All-State Choir. This audition, called the Pre-Area Audition, is typically considered to be the most challenging as 15 singers compete in each of the eight voice part sections, and only the top five advance. Many of these voice part sections started with around 150 singers back in September! Out of the 27 FHS singers that competed last night, six ranked in the top five and will be representing our school at the State audition in January. Please help us in congratulating the following outstanding musicians (rank in parenthesis):

Advancing to the All-State Audition

Soprano 1: Claire Gibson (2), Brie McDowell (5)

Soprano 2: Madelyn Rempel (1), Julia Houting (5)

Tenor 1: Tyler Goins (3)

Bass 2: Drew Koester (5)

The following singers are alternates in their sections and may be called to compete if someone is not able to participate: 

Trinity Bosley, Zoey Steingas, Jacob Mayfield

In This Email

• 3rd Trip Payment

• Holiday Concert Solo Auditions

• Region Clinic & Concert

• Pre-Area Auditions

3rd Trip Payment – November 8

(Mandatory for ALL trip participants)

Mark calendars for November, 9. Please plan to make your second trip payment ON THIS DAY. The payment amount should be $325 unless you are ahead on payments or have already paid off the trip.

Holiday Concert Solo Auditions - November 8

(Optional for all singers)

We will be holding auditions for solos and small groups to perform at the Holiday Concert on December 12th. Some thoughts for these auditions:

• Songs should be cut down to 3:00 if possible

• Songs should be memorized

• Streaming services (Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, etc) will not be accepted at the audition. You must OWN the track.

• If you are planning anything out of the ordinary it would be a great idea to let Mr. Tyer know in advance (instruments, props, choreography, etc). 

• Please consider singing upbeat songs! They are much more entertaining to the audience!

• We encourage singers to show during their audition that they can be visually entertaining and engaging. Staring at the ceiling is boring!

• We will not accept group numbers using siblings, friends outside of choir, or choir alumni

Side Note: Because there are currently almost 70 soloists and groups signed up to audition for as few as 20-22 slots for the concert, we are pursuing a possible local performance opportunity for singers that do not make it onto the Holiday Concert program. If these plans pan out, this opportunity would only be available for students that had strong auditions (memorized, in tune, etc). More info about this performance will follow in the December email if it looks like it is going to happen. 

Region Clinic & Concert

(REQUIRED for students that placed into the Region Treble or Region Mixed Choirs)

Region Clinic - Thursday, November 9

• We will meet at Friendswood HS at 7:00am and depart via School Bus at 7:15. The clinic is held at Moody Methodist Church in Galveston

• The clinic is a long rehearsal where singers will prepare the music that they will be singing at the Saturday Concert

• All singers should plan to wear their black FHS choir shirt and jeans

• Please note that students that miss this Thursday clinic will forfeit their position in the Region Choir

• After the clinic is over, the bus will stop for a time at the intersection of 528 and 518 for students to get lunch

  • Options include Taco Bell, Starbucks, Jack-In-The-Box, Schlotzskys, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, Summer Moon, and Jersey Mikes. (MOD can sometimes be VERY slow. We encourage kids to avoid this option)

• We expect singers to be back in classes no later than 6th period that day

Region Rehearsals & Concert - Saturday, November 11

• We will meet at Friendswood HS at 7:15 and depart via School Bus at 7:30. The concert is held at Gloria Dei in Webster. 

• Singers will rehearse all day and then perform in the evening concert at 5:30pm

• They can dress casual for the day, but must be wearing school appropriate attire

• ALL SINGERS SHOULD BRING: 

  • Their full formal uniform in some kind of hanging bag, whether cloth or a dry cleaning plastic covering. Please make sure their things are labeled clearly -- most of these uniforms look VERY similar!

  • REAL copies of their Region Music to be performed. They can USE photocopies, but MUST have the real copies with them. 

  • A pencil (or two.. or three..)

  • Water bottles and small snacks are a good idea. 

• Lunch Plans

  • A Chick Fil A lunch will be provided for $8 that includes a Chick Fil A sandwich, chips, cookie, and a bottle of water. We may or may not try to take this money up in advance - stay tuned!

IMPORTANT!

The concert begins at 5:30pm. There is limited seating, and often people end up standing in the back. If you want to have a seat, you might considering arriving a bit early. With the cancellation of the Concert Choir, this MIGHT not be a problem, but it wouldn't hurt to be early just in case. 

• There will NOT be a bus taking students back to Friendswood after the concert. We expect that parents will come support these incredible kids for this amazing accomplishment. When the concert is over, the students are no longer the responsibility of the directors!

Pre-Area Audition - November 30

(REQUIRED for all singers that ranked in the top 15 at the Region Audition)

More information about this event will be delivered to the singers in class the week leading up to the event.

• We will take a bus from Friendswood HS (departure time, TBA). 

• This is often a pretty late night with an estimated arrival back at FHS between 9:30-10:30pm. Make sure to send money with the kiddos for concessions. 

• At this audition, the top 5 singers in each section advance to the final round, Area (also known as the State Audition) in January. 

• In many ways, this is the round that we consider to be the hardest to get through. Continue to support and cheer the kids on as they prepare, and help us make sure they don't grow weary and slack off. 

On Saturday, October 18th fifty incredible singers represented Friendswood High School at the Region Choir Audition, the second competition in a series of four rounds leading to membership in the prestigious All-State Choir. The first round narrowed each of the eight voice part sections to 48 singers, and today that group was narrowed down to the top 15 that will compete at the third round, Pre-Area, on November 30th. In addition, singers that ranked in the top 20 will perform with the Region Mixed Choir on Saturday, November 11th, while the rank 21-48 girls will be members of the Region Treble Choir. Please congratulate the following singers (ranks listed in parenthesis):

Advancing to Pre-Area, and members of the Region Mixed Choir

Soprano 1:  Claire Gibson (3), Brie McDowell (10), Ella Chandler (15)

Soprano 2:  Julia Houting (1), Hailey Setoudeh (2), Madelyn Rempel (4), Reagan Beaver (10), Claire McCarty (11)

Alto 1: Trinity Bosley (2), Avery Buras (6), Caroline Krebs (7), Paige McCray (8), Haley Smith (9), Ronni Orr (12)

Alto 2: Zoey Steingas (6), Paige Garcia (7), Aubrey Smith (9), Elly Gamero (11), Sophia Niles (14)

Tenor 1: Brendon Romell (5), Tyler Goins (11), Jimmy Perry (13), Logan Crider (14), Carter Payne (15)

Bass 1: Matthew Rapp (7)

Bass 2: Jacob Mayfield (3), Drew Koester (4), Aidan Ostermayer (11), 

Not Advancing, but still members of the Region Mixed Choir: 

Soprano 1: Bella Vozzo (18)

Soprano 2: Roxie Harris (17)

Alto 2: Lexie George (18), Pearl Senter (20)

Tenor 1: Samuel Turpin (16), Andrew Rowe (19)

* The above singers are alternates to the Pre-Area Audition and may get called up to compete if someone in their section becomes ineligible or is unable to perform. 

Members of the Region Treble Choir:

Soprano 1: Madi Feaster, Daisy Harris, Phoebe LeMay

Soprano 2: Charlene Chapman, Sofia Medina

Alto 1: Kate Duggleby, Ava Hanning, Savannah Lormand, Valeria Restrepo, Mia Standley

In this email:

• 2nd Trip Payment

• Homecoming Parade

• Fall Concert

• Patriotic Half Time rehearsal and performance

• Region Auditions

• Calendar Date Changes

2nd Trip Payment – (October 11)
(Mandatory for ALL trip participants)

Mark calendars for OCTOBER, 11. Please plan to make your second trip payment ON THIS DAY. The payment amount should be $325 unless you are ahead on payments or have already paid off the trip.

Homecoming Parade
(Optional for all students)

The theme for this year's homecoming parade is "famous bands" and the choir has chosen ABBA! Put together your favorite costume and come on out to be in the parade and greet the Friendswood community!

This Sunday afternoon (Oct. 1), we will be meeting up at the house of our Choir President, McKenna Fritts, from noon to 4:00pm to build and decorate the float for the parade. Any students that are available are encouraged to come help -- It's a big job! Students that want to have some time ON the float will need to come help put it together. If you're not able to help, you can definitely still walk with the float (this is also fun because you get to be closer to the families and kids watching the parade).

Fritts address:
404 Independence Dr.
Friendswood, TX

Parade Day

We will meet at approximately 6 PM at First Baptist Friendswood - our exact lineup time and location will be shared the week of the parade. The parade is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM and should last about an hour.

• Parking is extremely limited. It is usually best to drop kids off and then pick them back up at the end.

  • The parade will end at Chase Bank and culminates in a pep rally in the parking lot, and you will be able to pick kids up here - please make sure phones are charged and you can communicate well.

  • Students that will be driving themselves may want to park at a nearby area, such as Perry's, SnoBeach, Mary Queen Catholic Church, etc and walk over to the parade start point.

Fall Concert - Tuesday, October 17, Friendswood Methodist
(MANDATORY for all choir singers)

Church location: 110 N Friendwood Dr.
Concert Start time: 7:00pm (concert should run about 1 hour)
Admission is FREE!

• Singers need to arrive no later than 5:00pm in full performance attire

  • Explanation: On normal years we would not call students this early, but we will never have sung in this room prior to this day, and we want to make sure the singers have time to rehearse in the room to get acclimated to the acoustics. Thank you for understanding!

  • Because so many of our students have parents who work, and who do not drive themselves to school, we have secured a bus as a courtesy to get kids to the church.  Students have the OPTION to report to this bus, which will roll out at 4:45, or to ride with older siblings, available parents, driving friends, etc.  Know that each student is responsible for themselves - we will roll at 4:45 with or without your student, as they are all responsible for knowing how they are getting to the church by 5 PM.  

  • We are emphasizing that as this is a high school event, students are independently responsible for being where they need to be.  Please make sure your child has made decisions/arrangements for travel on this day and understands that drivers will not wait for them if they are not where they need to be on time. 

• Concert attire

  • Men: Full tuxedo, including tuxedo shirt, black bow tie, cummerbund, black pants, black dress shoes (black sneakers or converse are NOT acceptable), and black socks

  • Women: Black choir dress, black closed-toe dress shoes.

Patriotic HT rehearsal and performance
(MANDATORY for all singers that are academically eligible)

Rehearsal - Thursday, October 19, 4:00-4:30pm

• The rehearsal will take place at FHS in the Front Mall (near the nurse's office).

• While this short rehearsal may seem insignificant, it is a vital one as we organize over 250 students from choir, band, Wranglerettes, and theater for the Friday night program. Please help us to be sure that your child is present!

Performance - Friday, October 20

• All students should plan to arrive at the stadium no later than 6:30pm. Please remember that traffic is worse than usual this year due to construction.

  • All singers should plan to enter via the gate farthest from the school building (closest to the water tower), and will join us in the stands on that far end behind the Wranglerettes.

  • When singers arrive at 6:30, they MUST stay with us (or their other organization at the game) until after the program is over.

    • They will not be allowed to visit friends/family until after halftime, and should not be leaving to get food/drinks. It is a LOT of kids to keep up with, so we cannot have them coming and going at will.

    • Please do not send little siblings/boyfriends/girlfriends with concessions for them (the nachos can wait until after halftime), or for them to sit with the Choir.  We are not responsible for these individuals and this is a mandatory Choir event for our students that is graded.  Thank you for respecting our requirements on this - we will abruptly shoo boyfriends/girlfriends/food away until after halftime.

• Singers should all wear blue jeans (shorts are not acceptable), closed toed shoes (no flip flops), and their Patriotic Half Time t-shirt. This t-shirt was sent home with all new students last week.

  • Students involved in other organizations for varsity football games (Wranglerettes, ColorGuard, Band, Blue Crew, Mighty Crew, Cheer, etc) are encouraged to wear their uniforms for THAT organization instead of their PH shirt and jeans.  We love to see all the different organizations represented within the choir! 

• Singers are released as soon as the Half Time program is completed. There will be no supervision of students after this time. They may stay at the game or go home as they wish.

• Booster Board members will serve as chaperones in the stands before halftime for this event. Other parents, family members, siblings, friends,etc  will not be allowed to sit with the choir - there is simply not enough room.  Thank you for respecting this.

Region Auditions - Saturday, October 28 - Angleton HS
(Mandatory for singers that advanced at District)

• All singers that advanced through the first round last Saturday will be auditioning for the Region audition. The format for the day will be very similar to the District audition, but should be a shorter day as there will be half the number of singers auditioning. Our best guess would be a return to FHS sometime between 3:30-4:00pm.

• At this round, the top 15 singers in each section will advance to the third round, Pre-Area.

  • ALL women that have advanced to this round will be members of one of the Region Choirs, with the top 20 being members of the Mixed Choir, and chairs 21-48 being members of the Treble Choir.

  • The top 20 ranked men will be members of the Region Mixed Choir. Because there is no Region Men's Choir, any men that do not rank in the top 20 will not be a member of a Region Choir.

• IMPORTANT: ALL SINGERS THAT PLACE IN A REGION CHOIR WILL BE COMMITTED TO THE FOLLOWING FUTURE EVENTS:

  • Region Clinic Rehearsals - Thursday, Nov 9. These rehearsals will take place during the school day. We will take buses in the morning before school, and students should be back in class for 6th and 7th periods.

  • Region Concerts - Saturday, Nov. 11. This is a full day event. We will take buses to the rehearsal location, and the performance will be in the afternoon. Parents are expected to attend the concert, which is a tremendous honor for your child, and transport them home afterwards. There will NOT BE A BUS HOME AFTER THIS EVENT. More information regarding this event will be sent in the November "Choir Notes" email.

Calendar Date Changes
Because of a couple of conflicting campus events that were going to affect a large number of singers, a couple of our calendar dates have had to move.

• Section Parties (Optional for all singers)

  • Originally scheduled for November 4th, these parties have tentatively been moved to Friday, March 1st.

• Holiday Solo Auditions (Optional for all singers)

  • Originally scheduled for November 14th, these auditions have moved to Wed Nov 8

On Saturday, September 23rd eighty-one incredible singers from the FHS Choir program competed at the first round of the All-State choir process, called the District Audition. This year we saw nearly twice as many singers compete in many rooms than we normally see, which produced a far more competitive atmosphere than normal for the first round. We are thrilled to announce that 51 of our singers have advanced, and will compete at the second round, Region, in October. Please help us to congratulate the following singers (their rank is in parenthesis):

Soprano 1, Zone 1: Claire Gibson (1), Brie McDowell (3), Bella Vozzo (9) 

Soprano 1, Zone 2: Ella Chandler (4), Phoebe LeMay (18), Daisy Harris (23), Madi Feaster (24)

Soprano 2, Zone 1: Julia Houting (1), Hailey Setoudeh (4), Reagan Beaver (5), Roxie Harris (9), Sofia Medina (20)

Soprano 2, Zone 2: Maddy Rempel (1), Claire McCarty (9), Charlene Chapman (20)

Alto 1, Zone 1: Avery Buras (3), Ronni Orr (4), Haley Smith (5), Savannah Lormand (9), Paige McCray (13), Ava Hanning (18)

Alto 1, Zone 2: Trinity Bosley (1), Caroline Krebs (7), Valeria Restrepo (16), Kate Duggleby (20), Mia Standley (21)

Alto 2, Zone 1: Elly Gamero (7), Lexie George (9), Zoey Steingas (10), Sophia Niles (12), 

Alto 2, Zone 2: Pearl Senter (6), Paige Garcia (7), Aubrey Smith (9)

Tenor 1: Tyler Goins (7), Carter Payne (9), Brendon Romell (10), Sam Turpin (12), Logan Crider (16), Andrew Rowe (17), Jimmy Perry (19)

Tenor 2: Dillon Davis (30)

Bass 1: Thatcher Chase (12), Matthew Rapp (13), Sammy Davies (22), Brody Rodgers (24), Aidan Slack (25), Aiden Stephenson (28)

Bass 2: Jacob Mayfield (8), Drew Koester (10), Aidan Ostermayer (13), Ryan Hatfield (20)

We also had several alternates that may be called up if someone ahead of them cannot audition at the next round (this happens somewhat frequently at this level so there's a good chance they may get called up! Alternates are:

Katherine Gilbert, Kaitlin McBride, Jai Foster, Aiden Dean, Nic Luna, Hannah Brueggeman, Elijah Meaux, and Rylee Lambert.

Once again! Please offer a BIG congratulations to any of these amazing singers if you see them! 

The next round will be held on Saturday, October 28th at Angleton High School. 

It appears that the Square site that we use to make payments for Choir, and is incidentally also the site that we use for PastaPalooza ticket purchases, has gone down nationwide for at least some portion of the day. While it appears that it may be back up, just to be safe we are requesting that you bring a screen shot of your ticket purchase when you come to the dinner tomorrow. If you are still needing to purchase tickets, we will be happy to take cash or check, made out to FHS Choir, at the door at $12 per ticket. Remember that, if you want to watch the performance but are not planning to eat, you will still need a ticket – the $12 cost covers food AND entertainment!

Some reminders about tomorrow while we have your attention:

• Only singers that are members of Kantorei, Schola Cantorum, and Bel Canto, as well as singers that were selected as solos or duets are performing. Singers in Cantabile and Choros are not performing, as the event this year was simply too early for them to be able to have a song prepared.

  • • Performers will need to stay after school to come directly to us in the Cafeteria at 4:00. We will do run-throughs and sound checks from 4:00-5:00pm, and plan to begin the performance (and serving food) as close to 5:00pm as possible. I expect the performance to run until around 6:30pm, but it’s hard to be sure exactly how long we will go. 

    • We have asked singers that do not have Football Game related responsibilities to stay the entire time to support their peers and help with tear down at the end. 

    • Note: singers that want to eat will still need a ticket! You don’t have a good fundraiser by giving away things for free!

    • Performers should be wearing blue jeans and their black choir t-shirt to school tomorrow since they won’t have time to go home. Exceptions include anyone that will be wearing game related outfits (Football players, band, color guard, blue crew, mighty crew, etc).

      1. 1. Kantorei singers will need to bring these items to wear for the pep rally even if they will be dressed in a costume later in the evening

• Desserts for this program are always provided by families in the choir program. We have asked singers in ALL classes (including the ones that aren’t performing) to bring pre-packaged desserts tomorrow morning to drop off in the choir room. 

  • • Good items are things like cookies and brownies that you have put into zip-lock bags (one or two to a bag depending on what you feel is best). If you have things that are gluten or allergy sensitive, please label them as such. We don’t have a gluten or allergy sensitive meal, so I know these people will appreciate finding something that they can eat!

    • Please do not send things like cakes or pies. We don’t have personnel available to be cutting and plating items like this. 

    • These items to not need to be home made! We are all busy people – if you just want to purchase pre-made items from the grocery store and put them into small bags, that is GREAT!

• Entering

  • • I will attach a photo that shows entrances into the school for the Pre-Game dinner. In this photo there is a back entrance shown to the Cafeteria, but it is nearly impossible to get to that entrance without going through the stadium itself. Please enter from the lots labeled 1 and 2 on the sides of the school. 

• Sign up genius

  • • It looks like we still need a few more volunteers for this event. Please use the link below to sign up!

    • PastaPalooza Volunteers (click here!)

Finally, Mr. Tyer would like to respectfully request that, if you have questions about ANYTHING and plan to send an email, you copy BOTH directors. Mrs. Smith is flattered that you all love her so much and trust her to provide timely and correct answers, however the sheer volume of email questions that she is receiving can sometimes be overwhelming (Mr. Tyer receives almost none of these). If you copy both of us on these emailed questions, we can be much more effective in tag-teaming in assisting our 160+ choir families. Thank you for understanding! We are so thankful for all of you!

Bonus pro-tip of the night: Every choir singer has a Sight Reading Factory assignment due by tomorrow at midnight (this happens nearly EVERY WEEK!). Ask your kiddos if they have submitted this assignment to be sure they don’t get a zero!

FHS Choir Meet & Greet

Hello Choir Parents!

This is a friendly reminder that TOMORROW (Thursday, August 31st) we will be hosting the FHS Choir Meet & Greet beginning at 6:00pm in the FHS Cafeteria. This event is MANDATORY for all choir students (it's a grade!), and highly recommended for all parents. At this event we will be delivering a wealth of information about the year and events that we will be taking part in. We will also provide detailed information related to our Spring Trip to Orlando, FL as the first deposit is due next week. This is a great opportunity to remove your kids as the "middle-man" when you want to ask questions -- hear everything directly from us!

We will also open with the combined might of the FHS Choirs performing the National Anthem and will close with the FHS Alma Mater. 

I will also take this opportunity to remind you to bookmark the FHS Choir Website, which we use as a MAJOR communications tool. All emails that we send out are copied to the Announcements page of this website. 

Check it out!

www.friendswoodhighschoolchoir.org

Kantorei - Dig A Little Deeper

Kyleigh Chilton-Fernandez - Mother Knows Best

Trinity Bosley - Fly Away

Thatcher Chase & Brie McDowell - I See the Light

Whittni Devita & Harley Wright - Did I Mention

Haley Smith - When You Wish Upon a Star

Bel Canto - We Don't Talk About Bruno

Dillon Davis - Shiny

Ella Chandler & Roxie Harris - Fallin' for Ya

Ceci Morales - Reflection

Annily Karg - The World Above

AcaBellas - That's How You Know

Rylee Lambert - I Won't Say I'm in Love

Elijah Meaux - Lost in the Woods

Paige McCray - A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Hailey Setoudeh - Home

Schola Cantorum - Under The Sea

McKenna Fritts - When Will My Life Begin

Brendon Romell - Out There

Ronni Orr - Part of Your World

Avery Buras - Journey to the Past

First, we would like to extend a welcome to all of our new choir families! We are thrilled to have you join our team. Near the beginning of most months you should receive a "Choir Notes" email from us. These emails tend to be very lengthy, but we try to cover every detail regarding what we have going on in that month rather than sending a million tiny emails that can be hard to keep track of. If you ever feel that you may have missed a "Choir Notes" email, we also post them to the Choir

Website (bookmark it!!) under Announcements.

www.friendswoodhighschoolchoir.org

Mr. Tyer - mtyer@fisdk12.net
Mrs. Smith - msmith@fisdk12.net

Second, the choir will be meeting in the Cafeteria this year, as we do not currently have a class room. Any time we name "Choir Room" as the location, we are talking about the Cafeteria.

In this email:

• Forms & Fees

• Uniform Fitting

• Meet & Greet

• PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner

  • Auditions

  • Performance

  • Parent Volunteers

• Back to School Bash

• District Auditions

  • District Workshop

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IMPORTANT - PLEASE DO THIS NOW
(MANDATORY for all families)
Due by the end of the day on Friday, Sept. 1st.

Choir Handbook and Emergency Contact Information

The choir handbook includes important policies and procedures maintained by the choir program throughout the year as well as a link to the choir calendar. All singers travel with us at least once during the school year (UIL Concert & Sight Reading competition in March), and we will need emergency information from all singers before we take them off campus. This is a convenient time to take care of collecting that information.

Handbook Link (Click here!)

Choir Order Form

ALL singers will need to pay a fee for the 2023-2024 school year.

• NEW students in the FHS Choir program will need to pay $105 for the required student fee.

  • New Student Order Link (Click here!)

  • Click “view products” under New Student Order

• RETURNING students in the FHS Choir program will need to pay $30 for the required student fee.

  • Returning Student Order Link (Click here!)

  • Click “view products” under Returning Student Order

• OPTIONAL items include:

  • PastaPalooza tickets $12 each

  • Booster Club Membership $10

  • Yard Signs $35

  • Car Decal $5

  • Parent Black Choir Shirt $10

  • Replacement items for lost items (returning singers) 

Uniform Fitting - Thursday, August 24 during class

All singers that are new to choir will be fitted for a choir dress or tuxedo on this date. If there are any returning choir members that have outgrown their uniform, please send an email to Mrs. Smith ASAP so that she can take care of them. 

Meet & Greet - Thursday, August 31. FHS Cafeteria, 6:00pm
(REQUIRED for all singers! Highly recommended for all parents)

Our first event of the year, the Meet & Greet is the parent's first time to hear the combined might of the FHS Choirs as they present the Alma Mater and National Anthem at a full 170 voices strong! We will go over choir policies, important calendar dates, and field questions. At this time we will also give out very detailed information regarding our Spring Trip to Orlando, Florida. The trip will be SO fun -- your kids won't want to miss it!! The program should last about an hour. 

PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner
(REQUIRED for all members of Bel Canto, Schola Cantorum, and Kantorei!)

Note: Because this event is SO early this year (only three weeks into the school year), Cantabile and Choros will not be performing. It is, unfortunately, simply too soon for them to be able to learn and polish a song, as many of these singers are just starting their journey in reading music. On the other hand, we have added these two ensembles back to the program for Patriotic Halftime! More info on that event as the year progresses. 

PastaPalooza Auditions - Thursday, August 24, Choir Room, 4:00-7:00pm
(Optional for all choir students including those in Choros and Cantabile)

Students may audition one solo and one small group, and are limited to one of each (for a maximum of two auditions, total). Some notes:

• We do not allow a cappella singing. All auditions must be with a track. If you cannot find one, we recommend trying karaoke-version.com as many of our singers have had success there.

• We do not allow streamed tracks from Spotify, Apple Music, etc, nor streamed videos from YouTube and the like. You must OWN the track. 

• "Canned piano" recordings, such as a friend playing a song that is recorded onto a phone, is typically not acceptable. 

• If students are able, we would like them to try to cut their song down to appx. 3:00. If they don't know how to do this, we can take care of it if they get selected to perform. 

• The more entertaining they can be, the better - engaging the "audience" (their choir directors) in the audition is a BIG plus!

• We will NOT have room for any live instrumentation this year

• Upbeat songs receive some brownie points!

• No one is allowed to sing or play that is not a member of the FHS Choir Program

PastaPalooza Performances - Friday, September 8, Cafeteria, 5:00-7:00
(MANDATORY only for members of Bel Canto, Schola Cantorum, & Kantorei)

Tickets will be $12 per person, purchasable via Square. The link can be found below and at the bottom of the choir website. (Remember that performers don't eat for free!)

Pre-Purchase Tickets (Click here!)

• The ticket covers the meal AND the performance. If you want to watch the show, but aren't planning to eat, you will still have to buy a ticket!

• Students will report to the Cafeteria immediately when school is out for setup and sound checks. 

• The performances will start somewhere around 5:00 and typically run about an hour (sometimes a bit less). 

• Because of the construction complications, we will only be using one side of the cafeteria, so it will be more crowded than usual. Plan ahead!

• Food will be served from 5:00-7:00pm

Parent Volunteers

More than ANY other event during the school year, THIS is the one that we need LOTS of help! There are shifts for set up, food serving, ticket taking, clean up, and more. Please consider signing up for a shift using the "Sign Up Genius" link below:

Sign up to volunteer to help at PastaPalooza (Click here!)

Back To School Bash - Thursday, September 14, Cafeteria, 4:30-7:00pm
(Optional for all choir students)

This is our first all-choir social event of the year. Students will be sorted into teams and play crazy-fun games organized by our incredible Choir Officers. This is typically one of our most highly attended events of the year. Food (usually pizza and sodas) will be provided by the booster club. We will discuss more details with the kids in class as the event draws closer.  

District Auditions - Saturday, September 23, Manvel HS
(Optional, but highly encouraged for all choir singers)

District is the first of a four-audition process (you will hear us refer to it as the "Region" or "All-State" process). Students will work on their own to learn 3 to 4 pieces of collegiate level music for each round that they advance to. We encourage even singers that are new to HS Choir to give it a try! We have practice tracks available for them to work with, and students are typically great at helping each other out. It's challenging, but this is often one of the best ways for a student to acheive rapid growth as a singer. If interested, the first step will be to order a music packet ASAP. Info for ordering (as well as the practice tracks) can be found on the FHS Choir website under "Region/All-State". There will be about 6 weeks to learn the music before the first round of auditions. 

District Workshop - Saturday, August 19, FHS Choir Room
(Optional for all auditionees)

We are excited to announce our first annual FHS District Workshop day! On this day singers will spend one hour per piece (with an hour dedicated to foreign language text) working with one of our directors or voice teachers. Singers that have had experience with the music already from summer camps can help guide newer singers, and those that are just beginning will get an early boost as they start practice. Our intended schedule will look like this:

8:00-12:00 - All Soprano 2, Alto 2, Tenor 2, Bass 2's practice
Lunch Break
1:00-5:00 - All Soprano 1, Alto 1, Tenor 1, Bass 1's practice

There will be NO FEE to participate in this workshop, so we hope to see everyone come out!!