Announcements

On Saturday, February 21st the Friendswood High School Choir competed in the UIL Solo & Ensemble competition at Friendswood High School. 99 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.

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

Aero Anderson, Brianah Armstrong, Brooklyn Beaver, Ella Chandler, Ava Costales, Makenna Cottrell, Samuel Davies, Sofia Diaz De Leon, Kate Duggleby, Noel Ellard, Ibrahim Favad, Kenna Foster, Aurora Gettys, Roxie Harris, Austin Hillenburg, Christian Johnson-Eby, Lindy Jones, Annily Karg, Aliz Kidd, Phoebe LeMay, Jamie Lindsey, Adriana Lipari, Tatum Mantell, Holden McDonald, Erin McKinney, Elijah Meaux, Sofia Medina, Ashley Mendez, Alec Moreno, Carter Payne, Ananya Praveen, Chase Ramsey, Zaylee Randall, Caitlin Redmond, Ava Ridley, Mahrosh Saqib, Maggie Searfoorce, Beth Seifert, Hannah Setoudeh, Arisa Spencer, Mia Standley, Aiden Stephenson, Alexandria Swett, Noah Woolley, Harley Wright, Cassidy Zavala

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

Natalie Alnas, Kaley Barden, Charlotte Castillo, Whittni DeVita, Sophia Distefano, Anna Feith, Dylan Garcia, Averie George, Abby Hall, Cameron Keels, Emma Kemp, Hallyann Le, Zoe Niles, Caitlin Norris, Allie Reed, Taylor Simmons

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

Paige Armstrong, Sarah Bartlett, Braylen Bucholz, Jackson Chase, Grace Gates, Lily Hathaway, Logan Holbrook, Charlotte Horman, Madison Howard, Savannah Jennings, Ashley Johnson, Atticus Karch, Carter Kirkpatrick, Michael Lenderman, Ali Lipari, Violet Owuor, Bailey Perrin, Lauren Rowe, Katie Sims, Elaine Smith, Beckett Steele, Isabella Tuninetti, Myla White

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

Emma Campos, Lily Chaumont, Mina Homerstad, Mollie Mamartinierre, Olivia Whatley

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

Nathan Ellisor, Victoria Garcia-Lopez, Stormie Gray, Natalia McGill, Lilah Ruffin, Melody Vazquez

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

Vivianne Hernandez, Leroy Sanchez

The FHS Choir held an "alternate date" UIL Solo & Ensemble competition on Monday, February 23rd to accommodate students that had school related conflicts the day of our Saturday competition. We are so proud of the 16 soloists 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: 

Madison Feaster, Lexie George, Lacey Hebert, Navya Patel, Alex Trieu, 

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

Abie Beshara, Madelyn Byrd, Sarah Janish, Amanda Lopez, Ainsley Thai

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

Paelynne Allen, Avery Buratti, Brystol Del Bello, Charlotte Simon, Eliana Torres, 

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

Sara Muffitt

In This Email:

• Parent Trip Meeting

• UIL Solo & Ensemble
  
  

  • Competition Schedule

• Class Parties

• Pre-UIL Concert

New York Trip - Final Parent Meeting 

(Highly recommended for all parents of students attending the Spring Break Trip)

Monday, February 23rd

6:00pm in the FHS Cafeteria

This will be our final informational meeting before our Spring Break trip to New York City. At this meeting we plan to share our final itinerary, as well as final updates on bus, flight, luggage, chaperone, hotel and rooming situations. We will also provide contact phone numbers for directors and the hotel. We promise to try to make this meeting at short as possible!

Side Note: We will also be counting this as one of our required "full" booster club meetings, so there will be a brief booster report at the beginning of the meeting. 

UIL Solo & Ensemble - Saturday, February 21

Hosted at Friendswood High School

(Required for all students that registered with a solo)

• Plan to enter the building via door 45 (NOT the side the PAC is on. This is the door near the culinary room)

• Singers should plan to dress nice/professional
  
  

  • Men: Slacks or Khakis, button down dress shirt (not a casual shirt). Dress shoes, dark socks. Ties and suit coats are not required, but are certainly not considered to be overdressed for this - if you have them, wear them, but don't feel like you have to purchase them specifically for this day.  Jeans are not appropriate for this formal performance.

  • Women: Dress professionally as you would for an awards ceremony or a job interview.  Dresses, pantsuits, slacks/blouses/sweaters are perfect.  Dresses that are flimsy/strappy, show an excess of skin on back/shoulders/legs and are better suited for the beach should be saved for vacation time :) Shoes should be closed flats, heels, or boots - no sneakers, no strappy sandals.  Jeans are not appropriate for this formal performance.

• Students should make sure to memorize their song as well as the last name of their composer (they can ask their directors or voice teachers how to pronounce their composer name). 

• Students have already received their performance time (posted in the choir room). They should plan to arrive at FHS 20 minutes before their scheduled performance time. They will be in the competition room for anywhere from 5-10 minutes, and can depart as soon as they are finished performing.
  
  

  • It is always possible that the competition will run behind, and sometimes it even runs ahead. If singers want to arrive earlier, that's totally fine. If the competition is running behind, we ask families to be patient. It would probably not be a good idea to plan an event 25 minutes after the scheduled performance time in case we run late. 

• Results will be posted to the Choir Website later in the evening

Alternate Competition Date

For those students that have a school related conflict on Saturday, February 21, we have arranged an alternate competition date on Monday, February 23 during school. Those students have already made us aware of conflicts and this alternate day has already been planned. Please understand that we cannot accommodate non-school related conflicts such as family trips, reunions, parties, etc. 

Class Party Update

(Optional for all singers)

This year we decided to add a new party to our social calendar - our class parties. We think this will be an exciting opportunity for each choir to be able to get to know other singers in their class better. Unfortunately the logistics related to arranging five different parties in the middle of a very busy time of year has made settling the details down unexpectedly difficult. 

At this time, the parties for Cantabile, Choros, and Bel Canto have been postponed to a later, currently unsettled, date. Future info related to these class parties will be sent via CANVAS rather than via Choir Notes emails.

Schola Cantorum Party – Saturday February 21st

• This class has decided to go to Main Event and have reserved a private room with a catered dinner. 

• Each student attending needs to give $30 to Kaley Barden (Class Rep Officer) to cover the cost of the room

• The night will begin at 6:00pm and will be over at 9:00pm

• The "theme" is "I have no where else to wear this to" outfits. Wear your craziest outfit you have!

Kantorei Party

• Because of conflicts with the Theater 'One Act Play' group, this party has been moved to Saturday, March 28th. Further details will be sent via CANVAS at a later date.

Pre-UIL Concert

(Required for ALL singers)

Monday, March 23, 7:00pm

Friendswood High School Performing Arts Center

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. 

• Call time for singers will be 6:30pm, and we expect to open doors for audience no later than 6:40pm

This past Saturday, January 10th, five 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 one of our singers was chosen by their judges. She will join her directors in February travelling to the Texas Music Educators Association convention for an experience of a lifetime. Please join us in congratulating this outstanding young woman on her incredible accomplishment!!

All State Treble Choir
Roxie Harris - Soprano 2

PS: Roxie is the daughter of our amazing Art Teacher, Mandy Harris!

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 21 FHS singers that competed last night, five singers ranked in the top five of their sections, 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: Hannah Setoudeh (3)

Soprano 2: Roxie Harris (1)

Alto 1: Cassidy Zavala (2)

Tenor 2: Samuel Davies (4)

Bass 2: Elijah Meaux (4)

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

Mahrosh Saqib & Maggie Searfoorce, first alternates. Beth Seifert, Sherry Linklater, Alec Moreno, Carter Payne, and Beckett Steele, second alternates.

We are thankful to our voice faculty, who spend hours across months of preparation with our All-State Candidates, and to our music faculty from elementary through junior high, who prepare our musicians with an invaluable foundation for a lifetime of music making.

Please congratulate all these hard-working musicians!

In this email:

• Holiday Rehearsal and Concert
  
  

  • Information specific to the CHOROS boys

• Holiday Party

  • Sign up genius for parent volunteers

• "Jack's Project" Toy Drive

Holiday Concert

(ALL items below are Required for ALL Singers)

Rehearsal - Wednesday, Dec. 10, 4:00-7:00pm

• Singers should report to the PAC immediately after school

• This will be a full walk through of the entire show, and will also be the only time for students to hear their friends perform their holiday solos (they will not be sitting in the audience during this show).

• We would like for all singers to stay for the entire duration of this rehearsal

• Chamber Singers should be able to rehearse in the PAC in the morning on Wednesday. 

High School Concert - Thursday, Dec. 11, 7:00pm in the FHS PAC

• All students should are called 6:30pm 

• Singers should be wearing their black tuxedos and formal black dresses

• We expect doors to open for audience members at 6:40pm, and the performance will begin at 7:00pm

• This is a longer "Pop" style show that will run around (and possibly over) two hours with a 10 minute intermission in the middle

• Admission is FREE!

Choros performance at Friendswood Junior High

(All singers in our JV Men's Choir, Choros)

Our JV men will be performing one of their songs at Friendswood Junior High at their concert on the same day as our own. Parents can attend this concert if they wish, but please know that the song they will perform there will also be performed at the High School concert a couple of hours later. Don't feel obligated to attend both concerts. Other information:

• The boys need to be dropped off at FJH no later than 5:00pm (Thursday, December 11th)

• The concert begins at 5:30pm, and as soon as they are finished singing they will be taken back to the high school on a school bus so they will be ready for the high school concert that evening. 

Choir Holiday Party

(OPTIONAL, but highly encouraged, for all choir students!!)

Location: Leavesley Park Jones Hangar

Address: 901 Buckingham Dr., Friendswood, TX 77546

Time: 6:00-9:00pm

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. 

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

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

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

• 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 pillows with people's faces on them

    • 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!!

Parent Volunteers

• Parents, please use the link below to volunteer to help set up or tear down for this event:

• Holiday Party Parent Volunteers (click here!)

"Jack's Project" Toy Drive

(Optional for all singers)

The FHS Choir has decided to take part in collecting toys for "Jack's Project". 

For more information, visit this website: https://www.jacksproject.org/

All items can be sent to the FHS Choir Room. Our "Jack's Project" box is just inside the entrance to the room. Let's FILL THE BOX!!

Please do not wrap toys!

• Some great items to donate:
  
  

  • Bulk Crayons

  • Blankets

  • Stress Balls

  • Super Hero Action Figures

  • Art/Craft Kits

  • Sticker/Activity Books

  • Play-Doh

  • Colored Pencils

  • Legos

  • Construction Toys

  • Kinetic Sand

  • Sticker Pads

  • Small squishmallows

In this email:

• Section Parties

• 3rd Trip Payment

• Region Clinic and Concert

• Patriotic Half Time

• Holiday Concert Solo Auditions

Section Parties - Saturday, October 29th, 6:00-9:00pm

(Optional for ALL Choir singers!)

This Saturday we will be hosting our next exciting social event of the year - the Section Parties! These parties are held at the lovely homes of some of our families, and are a great opportunity for singers to be able to socialize with singers from other choirs.  See below for the information for each party:

Soprano Party

• Held at the home of Roxie Harris

• Address: 23 Windsong Ln, Friendswood, TX

• Wear your favorite pajamas. Please bring pancake toppings if you can!

Alto Party

• Held at the home of Kyleigh Chilton-Fernandez

• 2327 Brighton Park Ln, Friendswood, TX

• Best duo wins! Find another alto and dress up together as Tyer and Smith! Please bring desserts and snacks if you can!

Tenor/Bass Party

• Held at the home of Aero Anderson

• 2232 Lakeway Dr., Friendswood, TX

• Please bring sports activities (basketball, soccer ball, football etc). Also, bring snacks if you can!

Third Trip Payment - Wednesday, November 5th

(Required for all trip participants)

Mark your calendars for November 5th! Please let Mr. Tyer (mtyer@fisdk12.net) know if you will be paying late.

Region Clinic & Concert

(Required for all singers that made a Region ensemble)

Region Clinic Rehearsals - Thursday, November 6th. 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. 

• On November 6th: 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, Schlotzskys, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, Summer Moon, and Jersey Mikes. (MOD can sometimes be VERY slow. We encourage kids to avoid this option)

Region Concerts – Saturday, November 8th: We will meet at Friendswood HS at 7:15 and depart via School Bus at 7:30. The clinic day and culminating concert is held at Gloria Dei in Webster. 

• Singers will rehearse all day and then perform in the afternoon concert at 3:30pm

• 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 Jersey Mikes lunch will be provided for $10 that includes 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!

• 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.

• The concert begins at 3:30pm. There is limited seating, and often people end up standing in the back. If you want to have a seat, you might consider arriving a bit early. 

Patriotic Half Time Rehearsal & Performance

(MANDATORY for all singers that are academically eligible)

Rehearsal - Thursday, November 6th: 4:00-4:30pm

• The rehearsal will take place at FHS in the parking lot behind the stadium (where the band usually practices)

• 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, November 7th at the home varsity football game

• All students should plan to arrive at the stadium no later than 6:30pm. 

  • 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 half time 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 previously sent home with all new students.

  • 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 Halftime 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.

  • This year, after the performance, we plan to exit the stadium via the track on the SCHOOL side (different from past years).  

• 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.

Holiday Concert Solo Auditions - Thursday, November 13th

(Optional for all singers)

We will be holding auditions for solos and small groups to perform at the Holiday Concert on December 11th. 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

• Students can audition for one solo, and can be a member of one group (duet, trio, etc)

On Saturday, October 25th forty-three 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 the evening of Thursday, December 4th. In addition, singers that ranked in the top 20 will perform with the Region Mixed Choir on Saturday, November 8th, while singers that ranked 21st-48th will be members of the Region Treble Choir or Region Tenor/Bass Choir respectively. Please congratulate the following singers (ranks listed in parenthesis):

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

Soprano 1:  Sofia Diaz De Leon (5), Hannah Setoudeh (8), Ananya Praveen (11)

Soprano 2: Roxie Harris (2)

Alto 1: Cassidy Zavala (6), Colette Garcia (13), Kate Duggleby (15)

Alto 2: Sherry Linklater (6), Mahrosh Saqib (7), Lexie George (10), Kyleigh Chilton-Fernandez (15)

Tenor 1: Maggie Searfoorce (2), Dylan Garcia (14)

Tenor 2: Aiden Stephenson (5), Samuel Davies (8), Austin Hillenburg (13), Alec Moreno (14)

Bass 1: Carter Payne (5)

Bass 2: Elijah Meaux (2), Beckett Steele (15)

Also members of the Region Mixed Choir: 

Soprano 1: Beth Seifert (16), Annily Karg (18)

Soprano 2: Zoe Niles (20)

Bass 1: Jamie Lindsey (17), Aero Anderson (19) 

Bass 2: Holden McDonald (16), Noah Woolley (19) 

* These 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: Ella Chandler, Madi Feaster, Phoebe LeMay, Myla White

Soprano 2: Ava Costales, Charlotte Horman, Sofia Medina, Claire McCarty, Elaine Smith, Harley Wright

Alto 1: Olivia Green, Lilah Ruffin

Alto 2: Natalie Alnas, Sophia Distefano, Lauren Rowe

Members of the Region Tenor/Bass Choir:

Tenor 2: Christian Johnson-Eby, Michael Lenderman 

Congratulations to the students that have been selected to perform at the PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner.
Please make sure to visit with Mrs. Smith regarding any track cuts or edits.
(We expect the performance to begin as close to 5:00pm as possible!)

Kantorei - Cruisin' For A Bruisin'

Ava Vazquez -  Journey To The Past
Noel Ellard - Waiting On A Miracle
Averie George - Into The Unknown
Christian Johnson-Eby - Friends On The Other Side
Madi Feaster - Almost There

Schola Cantorum - Try Everything

Sammy Davies & Elaine Smith -  If I Didn't Have You
Brooklyn Beaver - Waiting On A Wish
Mackenzie O'Rear - If Only
Lacey Hebert - Touch The Sky
Sarah Janish - True Love's Kiss

AcaBellas - Vuelie

Roxie Harris - Colors  of the Wind
Dylan Garcia -  Remember Me
Charlotte Horman - A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
Brianah Armstrong - Speechless
Ella Chandler - Let It Go

Bel Canto - You're Welcome

Atticus Karch - What's This?
Annily Karg - Beyond My Wildest Dreams
Cailtin Redmond -  Just Around The Riverbend
Mahrosh Saqib - Float
Brendon Romell - Go The Distance

In This Email:

• Second Trip Payment

• Sight Reading Factory

• Fall Concert

• PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner

• Region Audition Info

• Musical Audition Website

--------------------------------------------------------------

Second Trip Payment - Wednesday, October 8th

(Only for those that are currently enrolled on the Choir Trip)

• Payments will be made via the Junior Tours website once again

• Remember:  If you link your bank account, you can avoid the service fee!

• Mr. Tyer is the organizer of the Spring Trip - please send all questions to him (mtyer@fisdk12.net). If you send questions to Mrs. Smith, she will just have to forward them on over to Mr. Tyer.

Sight Reading Factory - Weekly Assignment

(MANDATORY for ALL Choir singers!)

Parents, we would like to ask that you check in and encourage your kids to complete their weekly sight reading assignment. ALL choirs are now doing this assignment (Cantabile and Choros started this week), and this can make singers' grades drop in choir quickly if they forget. Generally speaking, it is just a completion grade - they just have to DO it!

Fall Concert - Tuesday, October 14th

(REQUIRED for ALL Choir Singers!) 

• Location: FHS Performing Arts Center

• Tuesday, October 14th starting promptly at 7:00pm
  
  

  • Doors for audience will open at 6:40pm

  • We expect this concert to last a little over an hour

• Admission is FREE!

• Remember that concerts count for 50% of each singers' total grade!

• Info for singers:
  
  

  • Call time for singers will be 6:00pm

  • Students should wear their formal concert attire
    
    

    • Men wear black tuxedo coat, pants, along with their tuxedo shirt, black bow tie, and cummerbund. Black dress shoes and black socks must be purchased for each student for this concert. 

    • Women wear their black formal dress, along with black, closed toed dress shoes. Hair should be pulled back from the face, and jewelry should be kept to simple, small items. 

PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner - Friday, October 17th

(Required for Kantorei, Schola Cantorum, and Bel Canto, as well as all students chosen as soloists)

• Location: FHS Cafeteria

• Friday, October 17th

• Call Time for students is 3:00pm (officers and section leaders may be called earlier to assist with setup)

• Dinner will be served from 5:00-7:00pm with entertainment provided starting at 5:00pm.

• Admission ($15) covers BOTH dinner and entertainment
  
  

  • If you are planning to come watch the performance, but not eat, you will still need a ticket

  • Performers do not eat for free - they need a ticket if they plan to eat!

  • Tickets may be purchased using this link:
    
    

    • PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner Tickets (Click here!)

The annual theme for the PastaPalooza Dinner night is princesses, princes, and heroes! We encourage you to bring your little ones dressed up as their favorite princess, princes, or super heroes and maybe they will get to meet and take photos with Jasmine, Elsa, Belle, Flynn Rider, Baymax, and more!

Dinner Menu

• Our meal for the evening is provided by the fabulous local restaurant, Sofia's Italian. The meal will include an option for Alfredo Pasta with Chicken, or a Pasta with Marinara Sauce. 

Parent Volunteers

We still have need for 21 more slots to be filled for parent volunteers for this event. There really is no other time during the year that we need more parent help than we do for this event. We are begging for more help! Please sign up to volunteer using the link below.

Parent Volunteers for PastaPalooza (Click here!)

Region Auditions - Saturday, October 25

(Required for all singers that advanced through the District round)

We are so proud of EVERYONE that auditioned last weekend at the first round of the All-State Process. The second round is the shortest turn-around, with only 5 weeks between contests (and the first week is already past!). Singers will be performing their music for their directors in sing-offs in only 3 weeks! Help us to make sure that our singers don't procrastinate in their private rehearsals. 

More info will be coming closer to the competition date.

Looking forward

ALL singers that advanced through District WILL be a member of a Region Choir. The second audition just determines which choir they will be in (as well as who advances to the third round). Make sure to keep Saturday, November 8th open on the calendar as that is the Region Concert date. 

Musical Auditions

(Optional for all singers)

For anyone interested in auditioning for "Les Miserables," please view the link below for information.

Musical Audition Website

On Saturday, September 20th ninety-three incredible singers from the FHS Choir program competed at the first round of the All-State choir process, called the District Audition. We are thrilled to announce that 44 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: Annily Karg (8), Hannah Setoudeh (9), Phoebe LeMay (19), Sofia Diaz De Leon (24)

Soprano 1, Zone 2: Ella Chandler (4), Madi Feaster (6), Ananya Praveen (7), Myla White (13), Beth Seifert (16)

Soprano 2, Zone 1: Zoe Niles (5)

Soprano 2, Zone 2: Roxie Harris (3), Claire McCarty (6), Harley Wright (8), Ava Costales (14), Charlotte Horman (17), Elaine Smith (18), Sofia Medina (23)

Alto 1, Zone 1: Cassidy Zavala (1), Kate Duggleby (9), Lilah Ruffin (19)

Alto 1, Zone 2: Colette Garcia (14), Olivia Green (15)

Alto 2, Zone 1: Mahrosh Saqib (4), Sherry Linklater (10), Lauren Rowe (22)

Alto 2, Zone 2: Kyleigh Chilton-Fernandez (4), Lexie George (11), Sophia Distefano (19), Natalie Alnas (20)

Tenor 1: Maggie Searfoorce (7), Dylan Garcia (25)

Tenor 2: Sammy Davies (7), Alec Moreno (8), Aiden Stephenson (11), Austin Hillenburg (17), Michael Lenderman (32), Christian Johnson-Eby (33)

Bass 1, Zone 1: Jamie Lindsey (3)

Bass 1, Zone 2: Carter Payne (5), Aero Anderson (11)

Bass 2: Beckett Steele (5), Elijah Meaux (7), Holden McDonald (19), Noah Woolley (29)

In this email:

• Choir Trip Registration (Students and Chaperones)

• District Auditions

  • District Fee

  • Sing-offs

  • Audition Day

• Back to School Bash

• PastaPalooza Solo Auditions

• Homecoming Parade

• Fall Concert

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Choir Trip Registration (New York City - Spring Break)

(Optional for all choir students)

• Student registration date: Wednesday, September 10 ($330)

  • Registration at 12:01am on September 10th

• Parent registration date: Friday, September 12 ($330)

  • Parents, please do not register yourself on the student date. We would have to remove your registration and refund your money (a hassle for both of us). 

  • IMPORTANT: We have a limit on the number of people that can attend this trip (capped at 110 including directors). It is LIKELY that there will be a waiting list for parents. To be as transparent as possible: people rarely drop from the trip - if you end up on the waiting list, it is possible, but unlikely, that you will end up being added to the trip.

  • If the Junior Tours website does not show whether you are on the waiting list or not, Mr. Tyer will try to reach out to all parents via email by Monday, September 15th to let you know.

  • We will not allow grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, younger or older (non-choir) siblings, or significant others of students to attend the trip.

Registration link - Junior Tours

• Tour Code is: 26Friendswood

Other Information

• Full trip cost may be paid at any time: $1,650

  • Payment schedule:

    • $330 payment due on September 10th

      • It is VITAL that kids are registered on this day. If they do not register before the parent registration date it is likely that they will not get a spot on the trip.

    • $330 payment due on October 8th

    • $330 payment due on November 5th

    • $330 payment due on December 10th

    • $330 payment due on January 14th

      • Any additional costs added to the final balance (ex: parents staying in single, double, triple occupancy-see below) would be paid with the final payment in January.

• Trip Insurance is HIGHLY recommended. Please see the attached flyer regarding insurance.

• Students will room with other students (not their parents if they are attending the trip). Exceptions may be made for students with special needs. 

  • Students will always be placed into quad occupancy rooms if possible. 

• Parents may stay in triple, double, or single occupancy rooms (assuming that we have people for you to room with), but there is an increased cost:

  • Triple Occupancy (three in a room): additional $100 per occupant

  • Double Occupancy (two in a room): additional $225 per occupant

  • Single Occupancy (one in a room): additional $450 per occupant

Important notes for Parents attending the trip

• It is likely that you will be given duties while on the trip. This would include checking in one to three rooms of kids each time we meet up on the bus and at curfew as well as being the first contact for those kids in case of emergency. 

• Parents may not consume alcohol at ANY TIME during a school sponsored trip.

• Parents may not take their kids (or anyone else's kids) away from the travel group for any reason without director approval. 

• Parents are not allowed to attend the Broadway workshop with the kids. The rooms they rehearse in are usually very small and cramped. Parents will get a little bit of "free time" during this portion of the trip.

The trip cost includes:

• 3 nights hotel, quad occupancy

• Airline tickets, transportation on charter buses

• All breakfast and sit down dinners (lunches purchased each day on your own)

• Broadway workshop with a Broadway actor (for students only)

• Two Broadway shows (titles TBA)

• Planned visits to Empire State Building, Times Square, 9/11 Memorial, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, shopping on 5th Avenue, Ellen's Stardust Diner, ferry past Statue of Liberty and a stop at Ellis Island, and more!

• (all itinerary items are subject to change)

District Audition

(Only applies to students participating in the Region/All-State process)

District Fee

• All students that have registered must pay the $15 district fee using the link below:

• Pay District Fee (click here!)

District Sing-offs

• Because our singers work so hard on this music, we believe that they deserve dedicated attention from their directors. The sing-off time is NOT a "test," but more of an opportunity for them to perform their music for us prior to competing in order to get feedback. Students have already scheduled their sing-off times during classes, during lunches, and before/after school. They should be able to tell you what day/time they signed up for.

District Audition Day - Saturday, September 20th - Manvel High School

• (more specific details will be sent home with the kids a few days prior to the competition)

• Students should wear their black choir t-shirt, and bring their music in a black binder with a pencil. Having some paper clips is also VERY helpful.

  • NOTE: It is ok for students to use photocopies that have been provided to them, but they must at least have the REAL copies of music with them (or a receipt showing that the music has been ordered)

• We will all arrive at FHS at 6:30am. Please have the kids enter the school via the back entrance on the Stadium side (Door 37). 

• Following a warmup and singing through the songs, students will be transported to the competition via school bus

• While at the competition, students are not allowed to have their cell phones or other electronic devices or they will be disqualified. We will keep them all nearby in a tub and students can access them when they have finished their own audition. Students that need medical accommodations using a phone must inform directors.

• We will not know the order or time in which the kids will audition until we arrive at the competition. They will be allowed to call home if they finish early and parents wish to pick them up. If they stay for the duration of the competition, a school bus will bring them back to the high school at the end of the day.

• All singers are expected to be with us in the morning. If parents want to pick them up after they perform, a signed alternate travel form (will be sent home the week of the competition) must be submitted before we depart. 

• Because many singers finish their audition and leave early, there will be no lunch provided on the competition day. If your child will be staying for the full duration, please pack food and snacks for them.

Back To School Bash - Thursday, September 25 4:30-7:00 (FHS Cafeteria)

(Optional for all Choir Students)

This is the first major social event of the year for our choir program. Typically a very well attended party, the back to school bash will feature karaoke, fun games hosted by the choir officers, a thrilling gaga ball match, and more! Pizza and snacks will be provided by the booster club.

All new uniforms (tuxedos and dresses), spirit shirts and required shirts, optional spirit items (yard signs, car decals, etc) will be distributed to your student when they leave this party (so much better than hauling them home on the school bus).

We will not be taking attendance. If kids need to come late or leave early, it is fine with us. Encourage your kiddos to come out and make some new friends!

PastaPalooza Solo Auditions - Tuesday, September 30 after school (FHS Choir Room)

(Optional for all 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!

• Upbeat songs receive some brownie points!

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

• The theme of our pre-game dinner is always centered around Disney characters as well as super heroes. While solos don't have to match this theme, it's really fun if they do!

As a side note, we are still looking for more parent volunteers for this event. Check our Sign Up Genius link below:

PastaPalooza Volunteers (Click here!)

Pre-Purchase Tickets (Click here!)

• Note: In order to watch the show, you need to buy a ticket even if you're not planning to eat. The ticket cost covers both food and entertainment. Food is also not free for performers - if they want to eat, they will need to purchase a plate. 

Looking Ahead:

• Homecoming Parade - Thursday, October 2nd. The work-day to prepare the float will be on Saturday, September 27th. The Choir theme for this float is Just Dance Wii!

• Fall Concert - Tuesday, October 14, 7:00pm in the FHS Performing Arts Center. This is the first mandatory formal performance for all choir singers. We will enjoy a concert featuring seven choirs with music spanning decades. Spread the word and plan to bring friends and family to this memorable event!

Welcome to the FHS Choir Program! Emails called "Choir Notes" will be sent out near the beginning of most months in which we have things going on. These emails tend to be pretty long, but we feel that it is better to send more information less often than sending small emails all of the time. Use the "table of contents" at the beginning of each email to find the information that you need. If you lose track of this email, it will always be copied to the "Announcements" page of the choir website:

www.friendswoodhighschoolchoir.org

Mr. Tyer – mtyer@fisdk12.net

Mrs. Smith – msmith@fisdk12.net

In This Email:

• Forms & Fees

• Choir Website

• Uniform Fitting

• Meet & Greet

• District Auditions
  
  

  • Audition Info

  • FREE Workshop

• Back to School Bash

• PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner
  
  

  • IMPORTANT NOTE - PLEASE READ!

  • Auditions

  • Performance

  • Parent Volunteers

-------------------------------------------------------

IMPORTANT - PLEASE DO THIS NOW

(MANDATORY for all families)

Due by the end of the day on Friday, Sept. 5th.

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!)

FHS Choir Website

www.friendswoodhighschoolchoir.org

Please bookmark this website. We try to provide all information that anyone could possibly want to know about our program here. This site will have the most up to date version of our calendar, as well as an Announcements page that includes competition results and copies of all parent emails that are sent out in case you lose track of them. This should always be your first place to check if you are wondering what we are up to!

Choir Order Form

ALL singers will need to pay a fee for the 2025-2026 school year.

• NEW students in the FHS Choir program will need to pay $150 for the required student fee.
  
  

  • New Student Order Link (Click here!)

• RETURNING students in the FHS Choir program will need to pay $50 for the required student fee.
  
  

  • Returning Student Order Link (Click here!)

• OPTIONAL items include:
  
  

  • PastaPalooza tickets $15 each

  • Booster Club Membership $10

  • Yard Signs $35

  • Car Decal $5

  • Parent Black Choir Shirt $10

  • Replacement items for lost items (returning singers) 

  • Purchase Optional Items (Click here!)

Uniform Fitting - September 3-5 during class

All singers that are new to choir will be fitted for a choir dress or tuxedo during this time. If there are any returning choir members that have outgrown their uniform, please send an email to Mrs. Smith (msmith@fisdk12.net) ASAP so that she can take care of them. 

Meet & Greet - Thursday, September 4, 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 175 voices strong! We will go over choir policies, important calendar dates, and field questions. The program should last an hour or less. This is also where we will be going into detail about our upcoming (optional) Spring Break trip to New York City! We hope that all of our choir kiddos can attend!

District Auditions - Saturday, September 20, 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 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 achieve 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 held on September 21. 

Pay District Fee (click here!)

To learn more about this competition that is ramping up right now, check out this page on the choir website, and scroll down to the very bottom of the page and click on the drop down menu.

Region/All-State FAQ

District Workshop - Saturday, August 16, FHS Choir Room

(Optional for all auditionees)

We are excited to present our third annual FREE 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. (If students are just curious about this competition and want to see what it is all about, attending this workshop does not commit your student to the contest but may encourage them to give it a try!) 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!! 

Back To School Bash - Thursday, September 25, 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.  

PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner

(REQUIRED for all members of Bel Canto, Schola Cantorum, and Kantorei!)

PastaPalooza Solo Auditions - Tuesday, September 30, 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 about solo auditions here in FHS Choir:

• 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!

• 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, October 17, Cafeteria, 5:00-7:00

(MANDATORY only for members of Bel Canto, Schola Cantorum, & Kantorei. Choros and Cantabile do not perform as a choir at this event but soloists from these classes may be selected.)

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER FROM MR. TYER: I understand that this event is in the middle of Fall Break. We didn't choose the date - this is just where it fell, and where it has to be. I am hoping that most of our singers will be in town for this, but I want you to know that I will not hold it against them if they are out of town on a family vacation. If there is any way for them to be with us, PLEASE allow them to do that. If they will not be in town, please send me a quick email ASAP letting me know - if we find that we are going to be missing a LOT of singers we are going to be in a pickle, and I will need to be brainstorming a solution. Thank you for understanding.

Tickets will be $15 per person, purchasable via Square. The link can be found below and via Square at the bottom of the choir website (click on the Square icon on the main page). (Remember that performers don't eat for free!) The meal will be delicious pasta, salad, and bread from Sofia's Italian!

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!

We will need performers to report to the Cafeteria the day of PastaPalooza, Oct. 17, at a 3:00 PM call time for setup and sound checks. 

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

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

PastaPalooza 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!)

PastaPalooza Silent Auction

If you have a buisness that would like to contribute to our Silent Auction this year, please reach out to our Booster Club Vice President and auction coordinator, Chelsea Chase here:

fhschoirbooster@gmail.com