2022-2023 Announcements 

Short version: 

We are removing the Pop Show rehearsal on Tuesday, April 25th, and we are adding a Pop Show rehearsal on Tuesday, May 9th. The NEW mandatory rehearsal schedule for Pop Show should look like this:

• Monday, April 24 4:00-6:00pm (Opener Rehearsal)

• Monday, May 1 4:00-7:00pm (Men's/Women's Number Rehearsal)

• Monday, May 8 4:00-7:00pm (Men's/Women's Number Rehearsal)

• Tuesday, May 9 4:00-7:00pm (Opener/Men's/Women's Staging)

• Wednesday, May 10 4:00-7:00pm (Friday Act 1 Rehearsal) This may end earlier for some singers

• Thursday, May 11 4:00-7:00pm (Friday Act 2 Rehearsal)

• Saturday, May 13 1:30-2:30pm (Saturday soloists only), 2:30-5:30 (Saturday Act 1/2) ALL singers
  
  

  • We will provide pizza for dinner on Saturday

Note: Seniors and members of Kantorei need to be prepared to stay later after any rehearsal the week of May 8-11

Long version:

We usually feel VERY strongly about setting a calendar and sticking to it. It is important to us to be respectful of your time and daily lives. In this case, we had a very good reason for wanting to move this rehearsal:

• On Tuesday, April 25 we knew that we were going to be missing ALL of our dancers (including Wranglerettes and all students that are taking dance classes), AND there was a strong chance that we would also be missing all of our One Act Play students (many of our choir leaders) if they advanced to State UIL. It is VERY much in our best interests to rehearse on a day that these leaders can be available. 

• Originally Tuesday, May 9 wasn't available, because there was a Senior Awards Night ceremony that evening. We just found out yesterday that this event has been cancelled. 

• We talked with all of our classes today, and none of our students felt that there would be any major conflicts on May 9, and in MANY cases the later date was going to be much better for our kids, so we decided to go ahead with the move. Students with jobs all felt that this information was being delivered with enough time for them to be able to adapt their work schedules. 

Mr. Tyer and Mrs. Smith want to thank everyone for being understanding and so supportive of our singers and this GIANT production that we are about to begin working on. We truly would not change calendar dates unless it had a large effect on a LOT of kids. 

In This Email:

• Booster Club Officer Nominations

  • Full Meeting Zoom Link

• Pop Show

  • General Info & Ticket Sales

  • Auditions

  • Costumes

  • Mandatory Student Rehearsal Dates

  • Parent Number

• Choir Auditions 2023-2024

• Choir Banquet

Booster Club Meeting and Officer Nominations
Tuesday, 4/4/2023, 7:00pm

This week we will hold our FULL Booster Club Meeting to take nominations for the 2023-2024 Booster Club Board. For the first time in memory, it looks like we could have so many parents interested in serving that we may be looking at a vote of the membership to choose our upcoming board members. We are still gathering information and a lot could change over the next 24 hours.

Please join us tomorrow evening via ZOOM to hear more!

Join Zoom Meeting

(This info has been removed for the choir website. Please look for the Choir Notes email or email Mr. Tyer)

FHS Choir Pop Show
(MANDATORY for all singers. Must be academically eligible to participate.)

General Info & Ticket Sales

• Pop Show performance dates

  • Friday, May 12 7:00pm, $15.00

    • Purchase FRIDAY Tickets

  • Saturday, May 13 7:00pm, $15.00

    • Purchase SATURDAY Tickets

Auditions for Pop Show - Monday through Wednesday, April 10-12
(Optional for all singers)

Auditions for Pop Show solos and small groups will be held next week on Monday through Wednesday (April 10-12). These will be long evenings, and we can occasionally run behind, so please be patient! We may have as many as 90 acts auditioning for somewhere between 40-44 spots. Please understand that decisions on who to take and who to cut are taken VERY seriously -- we simply cannot take everyone. With this large number of auditioning acts, it is likely that we will have to cut some very good acts. Encourage your kiddos to be well prepared and have their songs memorized!

Some thoughts given to the kids (copied from the previous Choir Notes email):

A Few Thoughts:

• Try to cut your own song down to appx 3:00

• Upbeat songs are best!

Restrictions:

• You may audition on up to ONE solo and ONE group number only.

• We will NOT accept audition tracks that are videos of any kind, nor songs played from Spotify/Google Music/Apple Music – you must OWN the track! NO A CAPPELLA SINGING!

• Tracks must be a REAL karaoke track. Bad piano recordings will not be accepted.

• Please notify Mr. Tyer of any live instrumentation in advance.

• We will not allow anyone to play or sing who is not currently enrolled in the FHS Choir program.

Pop Show Costumes
(REQUIRED for all singers)

Each choir number will have its own costume theme. We try our best to keep these as simple and inexpensive as possible. We are still very early in preparation on these songs, so a few small details may change.

• Opening Number

  • Students will wear a Pop Show t-shirt that is provided by the booster club. They should also have school appropriate pants/skirts to pair with it, shoes of their choice that they can still move in (just about anything but flip flops should be fine). We will also probably add an "accessory" that will be TBA -- we typically try to make this item something pretty broad so that most students can use something they already own or can purchase with minimal expense.

• Combined Women's Number

  • Totally 80's!  Everything you think of when you think "80's outfit" applies.  Ideas include: bright colors & patterns (DayGlo, neon, hot pink, checkerboard pattern, etc), big hair/side ponytails/scrunchies, scrunch socks, work out attire or ruffled skirts, layered shirts, wide belts, etc.

• Combined Men's Number

  • The guys have been told what they need to gather.  (and no, it isn't a joke, but it IS a secret for now!)

• Cantabile

  • The girls are coordinating amongst themselves various Taylor Swift "Eras" costumes.

• Choros

  • The guys have decided very specific outfits for each boy band era - more detailed info will be sent in a Remind.

• Bel Canto

  • Outfits of their own creation *inspired* by famous eras or appearances of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, & Britney Spears.

• Schola Cantorum

  • Masquerade ball inspired dress:  men wear choir tuxedos (or different tuxes as discussed in class) & dress shoes.  Ladies wear some form of black/white dress (ball gown or cocktail dress - not mini skirts) and shoes that are fancy, but still danceable.  All will accessorize with masks provided by choir, and may choose to accessorize with jewel tones if they wish.

• Kantorei

  • Plain white T, black pants, white socks, black shoes (this is the base/minimum costume).  Encouraged to accessorize with additional garments that are black, white, or red: open button-down shirts, leather jackets, sparkly gloves, sparkly shoes.  Choir can assist with accessories if needed.

• Senior Song

  • Seniors will usually dress up for this. Men usually wear a button down dress shirt and khaki/dress pants, and wearing a tie is not out of the ordinary (coat is optional). Girls should plan to wear a nice/fancy/celebratory outfit of their choice:  popular options are prom dresses, cocktail/banquet dresses, dressy pantsuits, etc.

Pop Show Rehearsals (Copied from the previous Choir Notes email):
(REQUIRED for all academically eligible students)

We have several MANDATORY rehearsals for Pop Show outside of the school day. While we try hard to respect the time of our singers throughout the year, Pop Show is a BIG production, and we need these rehearsals to get things together. In some cases, music and choreography is taught at these rehearsals and won't be taught again -- it is imperative that singers are present! Please do your best to rearrange schedules and have kids ask off from work. Rehearsals are as follows:

• Monday, April 24 4:00-6:00pm

• Tuesday, April 25 4:00-6:00pm

• Monday, May 1 4:00-7:00pm

• Monday, May 8 4:00-7:00pm

• Wednesday, May 10 4:00-7:00pm (This may end earlier for some singers)

• Thursday, May 11 4:00-7:00pm

• Saturday, May 13 1:30-2:30pm (Saturday soloists only), 2:30-5:30 ALL singers

  • We will provide pizza for dinner on Saturday

Note: Seniors and members of Kantorei need to be prepared to stay later after any rehearsal the week of May 8-11

Pop Show Parent Number
(Optional for all parents)

It's that time of year again for Mrs. Smith to put out the call to all fellow choir parents to join in for the Pop Show Parent Number!  This is NOT only for senior parents (but is extra special for them), we need lots of participants and plenty of voices.  (Don't worry - we are singing in unison and no experience is required!). Please fill out this survey if you would like to join us, and Mrs. Smith will follow up via email with more information and a rehearsal schedule for all that choose to join!  

2023 Parent Number Sign-Up Survey

2023-2024 FHS Choir Auditions - Monday through Thursday, April 17-20
(Mandatory for all returning choir members in Choros, Cantabile, Bel Canto, and Schola Cantorum)

Auditions will consist of:

• A vocalization, primarily to check vocal range.

• Singing of a pre-selected excerpt from one or two of their UIL pieces.

• An eight measure sight reading example. They may choose from Easy, Medium, or Hard.

While the audition can and does make a difference in their placement, there are many other factors from throughout the school year that affect what choir singers are placed into including, but not restricted to:

• Academic eligibility

• Competition participation - Primarily the Region/All-State process, and to a lesser extent UIL Solo & Ensemble

• Sight Reading proficiency throughout the year in Sight Reading Factory. This is a moving bar from year to year depending on the effort and skill of the students.

• Attitude and ability to work with peers and directors

• Vocal skill and talent -- It doesn't help to be an incredible sight reader if the singer cannot sing loud enough to be heard, or doesn't sing with a pretty tone.

• NEED! While it may seem unfair, sometimes a choir just NEEDS more basses or more altos, so a lesser skilled singer may move up because they can fill a role that is needed.

• The number of kids we have in total: We can't have 40 girls in Kantorei, 30 girls in Schola Cantorum, and 12 girls in Bel Canto. Lines have to be drawn to keep enough singers in each class (this number changes from year to year based on how many singers we have). We also have to keep a balance between the number of boys and girls in a mixed choir. Finally, it is important to draw lines so that each choir retains some confident leadership in singing.

Please know that decisions about choirs for each year are not made lightly. Mr. Tyer and Mrs. Smith love to build up singers, and to encourage our student's confidence, but there is no way in these situations to make everyone happy. We want our singers and parents to know that we strive to make EVERY choir in our program have a positive, challenging, and rewarding experience, and we believe that we succeed in those efforts!

Choir Banquet
(Optional for all students and parents)

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 2023-2024 Choir Officers at the end of the evening.

Planned meal

• We will choose a chicken-based banquet entree that will include salad and dessert.  We will accomodate dietary restrictions on a case-by-case basis as is possible for our banquet site.

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

  • Ticket purchase for PARENT tickets

Follow the link below to find information and audition materials for the 2023-2024 Choirs. All returning high schooll choir members are required to audition. This does not apply to incoming 9th grade singers or current high schoolers that plan to join choir next year. Please reach out to Mr. Tyer or Mrs. Smith if you have questions.

Choir Audition Materials (click here!)

In This Email

• Pre-UIL Concert

• UIL Competition

• Booster Meeting (new officers nominated)

• Pop Show Auditions

• Choir Auditions

• Pop Show Rehearsals

• Pop Show Performances

• Looking Forward to Choir Trip 2024!

Pre-UIL Concert - Tuesday, March 21
(REQUIRED for all singers)

At this performance we will be featuring all of the music that we have been working on for three months in preparation for our upcoming UIL competition. This is usually the most polished and well performed music that we produce all year! This concert is NOT subject to UIL eligibility as it is a home concert with no admission, but students MUST BE PRESENT AT SCHOOL FOR AT LEAST FOUR PERIODS TO PERFORM.  Please be mindful of concert day attendance (and for that matter, all attendance, and your grades regardless of eligibility status)!

• 7:30pm, FHS Auditorium

• Admission is FREE!

• Students should arrive dressed in their concert attire no later than 6:30pm. (They need to wait outside the auditorium until One Act Play rehearsal has concluded.)

• Doors for audience will open as close to 7:10pm as possible.

• We expect the performance to last about 1 hour.

UIL Competition - Alvin High School
Tuesday, March 28 (JV) & Thursday March 30 (Varsity)
(REQUIRED for all singers that are academically eligible)

Choirs compete on a schedule set by our UIL Chairperson. They will be missing some classes during the school day, and will need to be responsible for any work missed. Please note that this is not a performance that parents usually come to -- that's why we have the Pre-UIL concert!

• Students will need to bring their full choir performance uniform (dresses and tuxedos) to school on the day of their performance!

• Students must be academically eligible to compete! This means that they must have passed ALL classes by the end of this week, the end of the 3rd nine weeks period (NW3 is the column you must check - not SM2).

  • There is also a local FHS rule that requires students to be passing any class that they will be missing for an extracurricular activity even if they are academically eligible. Make sure they are passing their afternoon classes on the day they compete or they can't go with us!

  • They will be pulled from class an hour to an hour and a half before their performance time in order to change clothes and warm up prior to departure.

Performance schedule:

• Choros: Tuesday, March 28, 1:20pm

• Cantabile: Tuesday, March 28, 2:20pm

  • Note: Choros and Cantabile will be traveling together.

• Bel Canto: Tuesday, March 28, 4:00pm

• Schola Cantorum: Thursday, March 30, 3:20pm

• Kantorei: Thursday, March 30, 4:20pm

  • Note: Kantorei and Schola Cantorum will be traveling together.

Travel specifics including bus departures, etc will be sent home the Monday following Spring Break and included in the Pre-UIL Concert program.

Booster Club Meeting - Tuesday, April 4th, 7:00pm
(Optional for all parents)

This will be the meeting at which we take nominations for the 2023-2024 Booster Club Board and committee leaders. Following a bit of restructuring, we should have about four openings for board members next year. If you are interested in volunteering, please feel free to reach out to one of our current board members to let them know in advance. 

This meeting will be conducted via Zoom. We will send out info to join the meeting within 24 hours of the meeting date.

Pop Show Auditions - Monday through Wednesday, April 10-12
(Optional for all academically eligible students)

We already have over 75 acts signed up to audition and the list is growing by the day! Out of the auditionees, we typically take 40-44 acts for our shows (split between the two days). Due to the extra long duration of our recent Holiday Concert, we are going to try hard to keep within our limits. 

Some of the thoughts given to the kiddos:

A Few Thoughts:

• Try to cut your own song down to appx 3:00

• Upbeat songs are best!

Restrictions:

• You may audition on up to ONE solo and ONE group number only.

• We will NOT accept audition tracks that are videos of any kind, nor songs played from Spotify/Google Music/Apple Music – you must OWN the track! NO A CAPPELLA SINGING!

• Tracks must be a REAL karaoke track. Bad piano recordings will not be accepted.

• Please notify Mr. Tyer of any live instrumentation in advance.

• We will not allow anyone to play or sing who is not currently enrolled in the FHS Choir program.

2023-2024 FHS Choir Auditions - Monday through Thursday
(Mandatory for all returning choir members in Choros, Cantabile, Bel Canto, and Schola Cantorum)

Auditions will consist of:

• A vocalization, primarily to check vocal range.

• Singing of a pre-selected exerpt from one or two of their UIL pieces.

• An eight measure sight reading example. They may choose from Easy, Medium, or Hard.

While the audition can and does make a difference in their placement, there are many other factors from throughout the school year that affect what choir singers are placed into including, but not restricted to:

• Academic eligibility

• Competition participation - Primarily the Region/All-State process, and to a lesser extent UIL Solo & Ensemble

• Sight Reading proficiency throughout the year in Sight Reading Factory. This is a moving bar from year to year depending on the effort and skill of the students.

• Attitude and ability to work with peers and directors

• Vocal skill and talent -- It doesn't help to be an incredible sight reader if the singer cannot sing loud enough to be heard, or doesn't sing with a pretty tone.

• NEED! While it may seem unfair, sometimes a choir just NEEDS more basses or more altos, so a lesser skilled singer may move up because they can fill a role that is needed. 

• The number of kids we have in total: We can't have 40 girls in Kantorei, 30 girls in Schola Cantorum, and 12 girls in Bel Canto. Lines have to be drawn to keep enough singers in each class (this number changes from year to year based on how many singers we have). We also have to keep a balance between the number of boys and girls in a mixed choir. Finally, it is important to draw lines so that each choir retains some confident leadership in singing.

Please know that decisions about choirs for each year are not made lightly. Mr. Tyer and Mrs. Smith love to build up singers, and to encourage our student's confidence, but there is no way in these situations to make everyone happy. We want our singers and parents to know that we strive to make EVERY choir in our program have a positive, challenging, and rewarding experience, and we believe that we succeed in those efforts! 

Looking Ahead

Below are some items for consideration for the distant future

Pop Show Rehearsals
(REQUIRED for all academically eligible students)

We have several MANDATORY rehearsals for Pop Show outside of the school day. While we try hard to respect the time of our singers throughout the year, Pop Show is a BIG production, and we need these rehearsals to get things together. In some cases, music and choreography is taught at these rehearsals and won't be taught again -- it is imperative that singers are present! Please do your best to rearrange schedules and have kids ask off from work. Rehearsals are as follows:

• Monday, April 24 4:00-6:00pm

• Tuesday, April 25 4:00-6:00pm

• Monday, May 1 4:00-7:00pm

• Monday, May 8 4:00-7:00pm

• Wednesday, May 10 4:00-7:00pm (This may end earlier for some singers)

• Thursday, May 11 4:00-7:00pm

• Saturday, May 13 1:30-2:30pm (Saturday soloists only), 2:30-5:30 ALL singers
  
  

  • We will provide pizza for dinner on Saturday

Note: Seniors and members of Kantorei need to be prepared to stay later after any rehearsal the week of May 8-11

Pop Show performances:

• Friday, May 12 7:00pm

• Saturday, May 13 7:00pm

2023-2024 Choir Trip - Orlando, Florida
(Optional for all singers)

We want to give a heads up to our parents regarding our Spring Break trip to Orlando for next year. This trip is usually very well attended, and is SO MUCH FUN for our kids! We will be gone for five days and will visit Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and Hollywood Studios (this schedule is subject to change as we work to finalize details). 

Unfortunately, this trip can be rather pricey, and it looks like our final total will be around $1,600 (about $100 more than our previous trips). These payments are made across five monthly installments beginning in early September, and we will split the final total evenly between each payment. This total includes flight, all tickets and transportation to and from parks, and hotel reservations. Students should only have to bring money for food and souvenirs on the trip.

It is our hope to be able to include all students that wish to go. For parent chaperones, we plan to have a cap (to be determined) with a waiting list. Once all of the kids that wish to go are in, we will bring in more parents until we reach our limit (probably around 108 total attendees). Booster Board members will have priority in the waiting list, should they choose to attend.

We will have a LOT more information at our Meet & Greet in the fall, but we wanted to get parents into the loop now so they have adequate time to save money for the payments.    

On Saturday, February 19th 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, and ALL of our singers reached that mark this year!

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

Connor Adams, Morgan Armstrong, Katelyn Barcelona, Reagan Beaver, Ava Black, Trinity Bosley, Ruby Brashier, Hannah Brueggeman, Avery Buras, Damien Bynum, Thatcher Chase, Haley Clausen, Logan Crider, Nicolas Fantasia, Mireya Ferstl, McKenna Fritts, Promise Galloway, Elly Gamero, Chloe Garza, Claire Gibson, Tyler Goins, Daisy Harris, Ryan Hatfield, Tristan Hobratschk, Julia Houting, Hunter Hovorka, Avery Hunter, Jordyn Hunter, Levi John, Gisele Kehres, Greta Kehres, Sophia Koerner, Drew Koester, Rylee Lambert, Savannah Lormand, Katrina Martin-Jiminez, Claire Mayfield, Jacob Mayfield, Megan McDonald, Brie McDowell, Gabi McGregor, Mallory Migl, August Murray, Sophia Niles, Ronni Orr, Jimmy Perry, Matthew Rapp, Dagan Ray, Madelyn Rempel, Adria Reyes, Rayne Schuenemann, Robby Scully, Pearl Senter, Hailey Setoudeh, Zoe Sharp, Aubrey Smith, Haley Smith, Mia Standley, Zoey Steingas, Josiah Strickland, Bella Vozzo, Ashe Wainscott, Emma Wright 

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

Bella Aguilera, JP Caldwell, Isabelle Chase, Aiden Dean, Ariana Herrera, Lauren Junge, Caroline Krebs, Ella Murray, Shelby Peter, Brody Rodgers, Samuel Turpin 

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

Dani Bromwell, Aidan Bynum, Charlene Chapman, Samuel Davies, Ralyn Dye, Lexie George, Katherine Gilbert, Ella Jones, Phoebe LeMay, Kaitlin McBride, Claire McCarty, Nicole Medina, Aidan Slack, Hannemann Te'o, Cooper Thompson

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

Oakley Abbott, Kaley Barden, Kyleigh Chilton-Fernandez, Whittni DeVita

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

Nathan Ellisor, Breanna Harper, Alex Xu

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

Jaxson Findley, Llogan Helgeson, Alyssa Price, Alex Trieu

Monday UIL Makeup Day

On Monday, February 20th we held a makeup UIL day for singers that were competing elsewhere with other Friendswood groups (Wranglerettes, Robotics, Swimming, Colorguard, etc). 14 Students represented our school and again received outstanding comments from their judge.

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

Ray Denson, Jai Foster, Paige Garcia, Katelyn Glass, Claire Howard, Paige McCray, Jeremy McDowell, Aidan Ostermayer, Sara Parmitano, Madison Ressler, Andrew Rowe, and Alex Slack.

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

Madison Feaster

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

Taylor McLaren

In This Email

• TMEA Convention - All-State

• UIL Solo & Ensemble

• Pre-UIL Concert

TMEA Convention & All-State Concerts

Please take the opportunity to congratulate the FHS All-State Choir members. These singers poured hundreds of hours into preparation for each of the four auditions and have accomplished the very highest honor for a high school choral musician. They will travel with us to San Antonio from February 8-11, and will perform with the All-State ensembles on Saturday of that week. We are so incredibly proud of them!

• Connor Adams

• Tristan Hobratschk

• Julia Houting

• Gabi McGregor

• Mallory Migl  

UIL Solo & Ensemble Competition 

(Required for all singers that registered to audition)

• Saturday, February 18

• Hosted at Friendswood High School

We are thrilled to have 120 out of our approximately 160 singers competing in UIL this year. This is the highest percentage of participants in this even in the 10 years since Mr. Tyer started working at FHS!

Singers will be assigned a performance slot that will be posted up in the choir room some time later this week. 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.

Pre-UIL Concert

(Required for ALL singers)

• Tuesday, March 21, 7:30pm

• Friendswood HS Auditorium

• 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 Concerts 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 45 minutes to an hour. 

Last night 25 singers represented Friendswood High School at the Pre-Area Audition. This is the third round out of four on the path to reaching State, and is often considered to be the most challenging to pass as only the top five singers per section advance. They will compete one final time on Saturday, January 7th at Deer Park High School with hopes to become recognized as a member of the Texas All-State Choir, an honor only achieved by about 2% of the singers that begin the process each September.  

Congratulations to the following singers (their rank in parenthesis):

Soprano 1: Katelyn Glass (4), Brie McDowell (5)

Soprano 2: Mallory Migl (1), Julia Houting (4)

Alto 1: Gabi McGregor (1)

Alto 2: Trinity Bosley (5)

Tenor 1: Samuel Turpin (3)

Tenor 2: Tristan Hobratschk (5)

Bass 2: Connor Adams (3)

These singers were named alternates, and could be called up to audition if someone in their section is sick or ineligible:

Hailey Setoudeh, Tyler Goins, Jimmy Perry, Skyler Cloyd

If you see any of these kiddos in your class, give them a BIG congratulations! This is an incredible achievement, and they all deserve highest praise!

In This Email

• Holiday Concert

• Holiday Party   

Choir Holiday Concert (REQUIRED for all students)

• Rehearsal - Wednesday, December 14th 4:00-5:30pm FOR SOLOS/SMALL GROUPS ONLY.

• Performance - Thursday, December 15th 7:00-9:00pm

Wednesday Rehearsal:

• This rehearsal is REQUIRED for all solos, duets, etc., Chamber Singers, & AcaBellas!

• They do NOT need to bring their tuxedos and dresses for this rehearsal.

• This rehearsal is a tech rehearsal (lights and sound) for the performance. We will be running the solo/small group acts in program order and will release singers as their portion of the run has been completed. They may then go home if not in musical (there is a musical rehearsal at 5:30).

• SOLOISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO WEAR THE OUTFIT THEY ARE PLANNING TO WEAR FOR THEIR SPOT IN THE CONCERT!!!

Thursday – Concert Day

• For Parents

  • We expect to open the doors to the auditorium by 6:40pm.

  • The concert should begin by 7:00pm and we expect it to run 2 hours at least  (yes, it is long - it's like a grand Holiday Pops!).

  • Admission is FREE! 

• For Students

  • Call time on Thursday will be 6:30pm 

  • Students are expected to stay until the end of the concert (you'll enjoy the whole thing - it's basically a holiday pop show!). There will also be a big "tear down" after the show and WE NEED MANY STUDENTS to stay and help!

  • What to wear

  • Soloists

    • Dressing rooms will be available for soloists to change into/out of their solo/group outfits (usually nice dresses for the girls and suits for the guys unless some other "costume" fits their song better). 

  • Choros

    • Tuxedos with dress shoes, complimented by top hats (which will be lent out in class the day of the concert - we will label them on the inside for sanitary purposes).

  • Cantabile

    • Choir dresses with dress shoes, complimented by red gloves (please bring your $3 cash to receive your gloves to keep).

  • Bel Canto

    • Choir dresses with dress shoes, complimented by holly crowns and assorted holiday scarves/mittens (provide your own). *Bel Canto will be staying after school on Monday, December 5th for an activity involving their holly crowns. Please bring $3 cash.*

  • Schola Cantorum

    • Formal tuxedos and dresses with dress shoes, complimented by red Santa hat (supply your own. CLASSIC Santa hat style - nothing goofy, jingly, light-up or motorized). 

  • Kantorei

    • Formal tuxedos and dresses with dress shoes, complimented by a white poinsettia pin and white ribbon sash (girls) and a white bow tie and faux white pocket square (guys). These accessories will be lent out on the day of the concert. 

Choir Holiday Party (Optional for all students)

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. 

• Friday, December 16th, 6:00-9:00pm

  • 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: Chips and “salty” snacks

    • Schola Cantorum: Desserts and other sweet items

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

    • Cantabile: Plastic cups or paper plates (will be organized and planned in class who is bringing which items)

    • Choros: Some fun holiday snack to add to the food table to share.  Pick whatever you want.  Surprise us.

• 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!!

Future Events:

• UIL Solo & Ensemble – Saturday February 18th @ Friendswood High School (we are excited to be HOSTING this contest!!!)

  • Optional for all students, however singers in Kantorei and students taking voice lessons are generally expected to participate

  • This is a GREAT first step into competing. If your child has never participated in an event like this, encourage them to do so. They will learn a single short song (typically a pretty easy one for first-timers) and perform it for a (usually very nice) judge.

  • This competition is very low pressure –- students don’t compete AGAINST other singers. They simply sing, get a rating, and go home. Easy! Even better this year because we are on our home turf and there's no complicated travel arrangements or long bus rides!  This can probably take less than an hour of their day on Saturday, Feb. 18th!  

• Pre-UIL Concert – March 21, 7:30-8:30pm

Before you read: ALL events in the month of November apply to specific groups of students. None of these events are required for ALL choirs. Please read carefully to know whether the event in question applies to you. 

In this email

• Patriotic Half Time Rehearsal & Performance

• Region Clinic & Concert

• Holiday Concert Solo Auditions

• Pre-Area Auditions

Patriotic Half Time

(Required for singers in Bel Canto, Schola Cantorum, and Kantorei)

MANDATORY Rehearsal - Thursday, November 3rd 4:00-4:30 at FHS

• This is a short, but vital rehearsal where we coordinate our performance with the band, theater, and Wranglerettes. We will release singers as soon as we finish (often as quickly as 4:20 if everyone shows up and is in place on time). 

• No particular uniform is necessary for this rehearsal

Patriotic Half Time Performance

• Singers should arrive at the stadium no later than 6:30pm.

• They should be wearing their Patriotic Half Time T-Shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers

• Enter through the stadium entrance farthest from the school (closest to the water tower). Singers will be sitting behind the Wranglerettes.

• Please understand that the students must stay with us from the time they arrive until after the Patriotic program is over. They will not be allowed to get concessions, and it is VERY helpful if they use the bathroom before they join us in the stands. We don't allow them to go visit family or friends while they are with us -- it is just too many kids to keep up with if they are wandering around everywhere. 

• Students are released as soon as the half time performance is over. We will not sign them out, and we will not be supervising them during the second half of the game! They are on their own!

Region Clinic & Concert

(Required for all students that made the Region Mixed, Treble, and Concert Choirs)

Rehearsal day - Thursday, November 10th 

• The rehearsal will be at Moody Methodist in Galveston

• Singers should wear their black "required" t-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. They must also have their music in a black binder (preferably one that doesn't look messy), and a pencil (or two) for making markings.

• We will be stopping at fast food for lunch, so they should bring money. Available locations include Starbucks, Taco Bell, Schlotzkys, Jack In The Box, Chipotle, and Chick Fil A. (Mod Pizza is nearby, but not recommended because they are slow)

• Students will be required to arrive at school early, at 6:30 AM, to get on the bus. 

• Students should be back in class by 6th period.

  • IMPORTANT: There is a local rule in Friendswood that says that a singer may not miss a class that they are currently failing for an extracurricular activity EVEN IF THEY ARE ACADEMICALLY ELIGBLE. Sometimes teachers will sign off to allow a student to go, but we prefer to avoid that situation. Please help them to be sure they are passing on November 10th!

Concert Day - Saturday November 12th

• Singers should dress in school appropriate attire. 

• Make sure they bring their performance uniform with them (tuxedo or dress) including shoes, socks, ties, cummerbunds, etc. This should be in a hanging bag and should have a clear label with their name on it.

• Again, they should bring their music in a clean black three-ring binder with a pencil for markings.

• We will meet at Friendswood High School at 7:15 AM and will take a bus to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in League City where we will rehearse and later perform.

• We will probably be taking up a collection of $7 cash for Chick Fil A lunch (for Saturday's long clinic day) the week of the concert, so keep an eye out for that.

• THERE IS NO SCHOOL BUS TO TAKE SINGERS BACK TO FHS AFTER THE CONCERT! We assume that parents will come to see their kids perform. Once the concert is over, students are the responsibility of their parents, not the directors.

Concert Info

• The concert begins at 5:30pm and will last approximately 90 minutes

• Gloria Dei Lutheran Church: 18220 Upper Bay Rd, Houston, TX 77058

• Seats fill up FAST and sometimes ends up "standing room only" in the back. We would advise showing up early if you want to sit.

Holiday Concert Solo Auditions - Tuesday, November 15th

(Optional for all singers)

Our Holiday Concert in December is a bit of a holiday "Pop Show" in nature that features around 20 solo or small groups. These groups must audition and those that will perform will be selected from the audition group. Some criteria: 

• Students may only audition for one solo and one group number

• You must OWN the back up track! No streaming from YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc will be allowed. 

• We prefer songs to be around 3:00 or less in duration. If students are able to cut their own track, that's great. If they cannot, we will wait to cut tracks of those that make the program after it is posted. 

• Singers should not plan to perform a song that a choir is singing! This list is posted on the board in the choir room so they can check.

• We only have four hand-held microphones. Any groups with more than four singers run the risk of having major complications with mics. Our headsets have not been playing nice recently - I wouldn't count on them.

• A duet should have harmonies! We don't want two people singing a solo song together in unison.

• "Canned" piano tracks (ex: a piano played by a parent or voice teacher recorded onto someone's cell phone) does not sound good in performance. Please try to find a real backup track.

• A cappella singing is not allowed

• Up beat songs are always more entertaining than slow ones!

• Songs should be memorized for auditions

• Showing us that you can visually entertain the audience can get you brownie points!

• If two people audition for the same song, we will have to CHOOSE! - There is only one performance night, and we will not perform the same song twice!

Pre-Area Auditions - Thursday, December 1, Alvin High School

(Required for all singers that made the top 15 at the Region Audition)

We will be leaving FHS during the school day, likely sometime soon after lunch. More information will passed out the week of the competition. Because singers sing audition cuts AND sight read at this competition, there are not early/late time requests. Because singers don't begin singing until later and the audition crosses over the dinner hour, this competition can tend to run rather late. We will have a bus to return to FHS after the audition.

Region Audition Results

46 FHS Singers auditioned at the Region Audition, the second of a long string of four highly challenging auditions. The top 15 were selected from each room to advance to the third level, the Pre-Area audition, that will be held on Thursday, December 2nd at Clear Falls High School. The following 25 singers have advanced to that round (with their rank in parenthesis):

Region Mixed Choir and advancing to the 3rd round:

Soprano 1: Greta Kehres (5), Brie McDowell (6), Bella Vozzo (7), Hailey Setoudeh (10), Katelyn Glass (11)

Soprano 2: Mallory Migl (1), Julia Houting (3)

Alto 1: Haley Smith (4), Gabi McGregor (6)

Alto 2: Trinity Bosley (3), Zoey Steingas (7), Ava Black (8)

Tenor 1: Tyler Goins (8), Samuel Turpin (9), Andrew Rowe (10)

Tenor 2: Tristan Hobratschk (1), Jimmy Perry (10), Aiden Dean (15)

Bass 1: Skyler Cloyd (10), Levi John (12), Matthew Rapp (15)

Bass 2: Connor Adams (3), Dagan Ray (5)

Members of the Mixed Choir and alternates to the Pre-Area Audition: Reagan Beaver, Paige McCray, Ronni Orr, Madison Ressler, 

Also members of the Mixed Choir: Hannah Brueggeman, Drew Koester, Jeremy McDowell, Pearl Senter

Region Treble Choir

In addition, the following 15 students were named to the Region Treble Choir:

Soprano 1: Claire Gibson, Promise Galloway, Rylee Lambert

Soprano 2: Daisy Harris, Claire McCarty, Ella Murray

Alto 2: Elly Gamero, Lexie George, Torrence McGill, Aubrey Smith

Concert Choir Audition Results

19 FHS Singers auditioned at the Concert Choir Audition. This is a single-level audition, and they will perform at the Region Concert along with the Region Mixed and Treble Choirs later this month. ALL of the singers that auditioned placed into the Concert Choir! (ranks are listed in parenthesis):

Soprano: Adria Reyes (8), Avery Hunter (21), Mireya Ferstl (22), Sophia Koerner (23), Sophia Niles (26), Jordyn Hunter (30), Whittni DeVita (32)

Alto: Zoe Sharp (8), Ella Jones (10), Gisele Kehres (17), Katherine Gilbert (23), Mia Standley (24), Kaitlin McBride (30), Kaley Barden (32), Ralyn Dye (35)

Men: Aidan Slack (11), Brody Rodgers (15), Oakley Abbott (21), Alex Xu (22)

Friendswood will have 59 singers representing the school at the Region Concert on November 12th at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. Congratulations to all of these fine singers!

In this email:

• PastaPalooza

• Homecoming Parade

• Region & Concert Choir

• Fall Concert

• Musical Auditions

• Patriotic Half Time

PastaPalooza

(REQUIRED for all singers)

Friday, September 30, 5:00-6:00pm in the FHS Cafeteria

Uniform

• Singers should plan to wear blue jeans and their black required t-shirt

  • Some students have been designated to wear costumes--they do not need to change into their choir shirt. Students involved in football game activities including Wranglerettes, football players, Band, and Blue Crew may perform dressed in that group's respective uniform if they need to. 

  • Accessory: Each class has chosen a small accessory to be worn with their choir outfit:

    • Cantabile - tiaras or "edgy" villain accessory (be creative!) 

    • Choros - pirate related accessory

    • Bel Canto - (Mrs. Smith is providing their accessory)

    • Schola Cantorum - blue and/or gold mardi gras beads

    • Kantorei - red or black bandannas 

Other Info

• IMPORTANT!! Desserts are provided by the families of choir members! These should be dropped off at the choir room in the morning on Friday, September 30. We would like a dozen sandwich bags per student. 

  • Desserts do not have to be home cooked - purchasing something from HEB is fine!

  • Please pre-package desserts into ziplock baggies. 

  • Cookies, brownies, and Rice Krispie Treats are great for this event. Cakes and pies are messy and we don't have the personnel to serve them. 

  • If you want to label items related to dietary restrictions, that would be appreciated by many of our guests (contains nuts, gluten free, etc) 

• All students will report directly to the cafeteria after school at 4:00pm in order to set up and do a quick run through. Please make sure they do not get on the bus or drive home. 

• Singers are expected to stay for the duration of the performances of their peers unless they have a school related reason (football game) that they need to be somewhere else. 

Tickets

• There are no free meals! If singers want to eat this delicious meal from Gina's, they will need a ticket!

• The performance is part of the ticket price. If parents are wanting to come watch the show they will need a ticket even if they are not planning to eat.

• Tickets may be purchased via Square on the choir website, and will also be available at the door

Homecoming Parade

(Optional for all singers)

Thursday, October 13 after school

We don't have a lot of concrete info related to this event yet. Here's what we do have:

• Decorating the float

  • Float decorating will occur at the house of our choir President, Gabi McGregor. We do not know yet what day this will happen (tell your kiddos to be listening in class as there will not be another email about this). Kids that want to be involved in the parade should plan to help decorate!

  • Gabi's address: 

• Our theme is Phineas and Ferb -- again, don't buy costumes yet. The Choir Officers will be meeting soon to discuss what we will be doing for this event!

Region & Concert Choir

(Only required for participating singers)

While the Region Audition and Concert Choir audition are two separate competitions, they are held on the same day at the same location.

• Angleton High School - 1 Campus Dr., Angleton, TX 77515

• An info form will come out the week of the competition with more specific details

• Arrival time at FHS is usually around 6:00am. All students are required to ride the bus unless they have requested a late time (only available in the event of a conflict with another school related event)

• Students should plan to wear their black required t-shirt and jeans

• Students will have their cell phones taken up at the beginning of the day and will not get them back until the end of the competition. 

• Students may get their cell phone from a chaperone AFTER THEY PERFORM to call their parent to be picked up. This phone call must happen in the presence of a school chaperone to avoid disqualification.

• We will not know the audition order until we arrive. Some singers may audition as early as 9:00am, and others may not sing until 3:00pm. 

Concert Choir Specific

• There is a $11 audition fee. If the student auditioned for District and had already paid a fee for that, they are not required to pay this fee again.

• There is also an $11 music purchase fee.

• This fee ($11 or $22) can now be paid via Square accessed through the Choir Website

Mark your calendar!

• If your student makes the Region Mixed, Treble, or Concert Choir, they will rehearse and perform on Saturday, November 12 (an all-day clinic and early evening concert).

Fall Concert

(REQUIRED for all singers)

Tuesday, October 18

General info

• FREE admission

• Concert begins at 7:00pm and should last about an hour

• FHS Auditorium

• We expect to open doors for audience members at appx. 6:40pm

Student info

• Men should wear their choir tuxedo which includes: Tuxedo jacket, black cummerbund, black bow tie, white tuxedo shirt, black tuxedo pants, black dress shoes (not sneakers), and BLACK SOCKS. 

• Women should wear their black choir dress and black closed toed dress shoes. 

• Student call time will be announced nearer to the concert. We may have several groups that will require either a rehearsal after school or an early call to the concert. 

Silver, Gold, and Platinum Sponsors

• Please watch for an email from one of our Booster Club members regarding reserved parking and early VIP entry for seating!

FHS Musical

(Optional for all FHS students)

• The list to sign up to audition for Musical will be posted on the Choir Room door on Tuesday, October 18th

• The audition music and dance will be taught on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 19-20

• Only students that have been cast in a FHS Musical in a previous year may audition for a lead role

• Lead auditions will be held on Monday, October 24 after school (rolling over onto Tuesday 25th if necessary). 

• Ensemble Auditions will begin promptly after Lead auditions are over

• ALL auditionees will be required to sing, dance, and recite a monologue

Patriotic Half Time

(Required for members of Bel Canto, Schola Cantorum, and Kantorei)

Rehearsal - Thursday November 3rd 4:00-4:30pm

• All choir singers will meet at the Boys Gym (location subject to change). They will sign in, rehearse the program, and immediately be released. 

• This rehearsal is short, but it is VERY important as we are trying to coordinate over 180 singers, band performers, Wranglerettes, and theater students. Having several students not present can make standing arrangements very confusing, and those students won't know what to do at the actual event. Please help us to ensure that everyone is present!

Performance - Friday, November 4th

• Students are to wear their "Patriotic Half Time T-Shirt". New students should have already received their shirts. They should also plan to wear blue jeans and sneakers. 

• Students must arrive at the stadium no later than 6:30pm. They will enter the home side via the farthest entrance from the school and will go up into the stands where they will meet Mr. Tyer and Mrs. Smith (behind the Wranglerettes).

• Please understand that, once they are with us, they will not be able to leave to get food nor visit family and friends until after the Half Time program is over. We have a LOT of kids to keep track of, and can't have them roaming all over. 

• Once the Half-Time program is over the students are released. They may stay for the second half of the game or go home, but they will no longer be under the supervision of the Choir Directors.

IMPORTANT: If parents wish to go to the game to see the program, game tickets must be purchased online

• Purchase Tickets: https://friendswoodfootball.org

• Aside from a few Booster Board members that we will have with us as chaperones, parents will not be able to sit with the choir.

Kantorei - Cruisin' For A Bruisin'

• Sara Throop - Part of Your World

• Sammy Davies & Cooper Thompson - Lost In The Woods

• Daisy Harris - When Will My Life Begin

Schola Cantorum - Friend Like Me 

• Dagan Ray - Ma Belle Evangeline

• Cloyd, McDowell, Murray, Ressler, Scully, Setoudeh - We Don't Talk About Bruno

• Paige Garcia & Sophia Niles - For The First Time In Forever

Bel Canto - It's Alright

• Ronni Orr - Baby Mine

• Chloe Garza - Colors of the Wind

Cantabile - Better Together

• Robby Scully - You'll Be Back

• McKenna Fritts - Once Upon A Dream

• Claire Gibson - Poor Unfortunate Souls

Choros - Whale Of A Tale

• Caroline Krebs & Megan McDonald - I Won't Say I'm In Love

• Trinity Bosley - Almost There

• Ruby Brashier & Promise Galloway - We're Gonna Find It

AcaBellas - Vuelie

58 FHS Singers auditioned at the District Audition, the first of a long string of four highly challenging auditions. The following singers were selected from each room to advance to the second level, the Region audition, that will be held on Saturday, October 15th at Angleton High School. The following 47 singers have advanced to that round (with their rank in parenthesis):

Soprano 1: Reagan Beaver (3), Brie McDowell (4), Hailey Setoudeh (6), Greta Kehres (8), Promise Galloway (10), Katelyn Glass (11), Rylee Lambert (12), Bella Vozzo (12), Claire Gibson (19)

Soprano 2: Mallory Migl (1), Julia Houting (2), Claire McCarty (8), Ella Murray (9), Madison Ressler (14), Daisy Harris (17)

Alto 1: Gabi McGregor (1), Haley Smith (4), Ronni Orr (10), Hannah Brueggeman (12)

Alto 2: Ava Black (13), Trinity Bosley (14), Zoey Steingas (21), Elly Gamero (23), Pearl Senter (31), Lexie George (32), Paige McCray (35), Torrence McGill (42), Aubrey Smith (43)

Tenor 1: Tyler Goins (11), Samuel Turpin (12), Andrew Rowe (16)

Tenor 2: Tristan Hobratschk (3), Jimmy Perry (4), Aiden Dean (20)

Bass 1: Skyler Cloyd (7), Nick Fantasia (12), Alex Slack (14), Matthew Rapp (22), Levi John (24), Samuel Davies (26), JP Caldwell (31), Logan Crider (32)

Bass 2: Connor Adams (4), Dagan Ray (5), Jeremy McDowell (13), Drew Koester (20), Jacob Mayfield (23)

In this email:

• Parent Forms and Choir Fee 

• Sight Reading Factory

• Section Parties

• District Auditions

• Region/Concert Choir camp

• Back to School Bash

• PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner
  
  

  • Volunteer sign up genius

  • Solo Auditions

Parent Forms and Choir Fee
(Mandatory for ALL Singers)
Due by the end of the day on Friday 9/2/2022

Many of you have already taken care of the mandatory forms that were discussed in the previous email, but several still have not. We need the form to be filled out by a parent of ALL singers. 

All singers must also pay a required fee whether they have been in the choir program in previous years or not. Those new to High School Choir will owe $105 (left side on Square), and returning choir singers owe $30 (right side on square). If returning singers need replacement shirts or uniform pieces there may be an extra fee. There are also optional items including our optional T-Shirt, yard signs, and car decal that may be ordered at this time as well. 

Sight Reading Factory
(Weekly assignment - Mandatory GRADE for all students)

Each week all singers have a mandatory Sight Reading Factory assignment that accounts for a major part of singers' grade in choir. These weekly assignments are typically released on Monday morning and are due by midnight on Friday for both Mr. Tyer and Mrs. Smith's classes. Students can often be forgetful about these assignments (which can dramatically drop their grade in choir), so we ask that parents help to remind the more forgetful students to keep to a regular schedule. 

Section Parties
(Optional for all singers)

TOMORROW, Friday, September 2nd, we will be hosting our annual "Section Parties." These events are a fantastic opportunity for our singers to make new friends and meet students from other classes. 

• All parties will begin at 6:00pm and will end at 9:00pm

• Soprano Section Party - Hosted at the house of Katelyn Glass

  • 2309 Lakeway Dr

• Alto Section Party - Hosted at the house of Gabi McGregor

  • 1508 Falling Leaf Dr.

• Tenor/Bass Section Party - Hosted at the house of Connor Adams

  • 415 Meadow Bend Dr.

District Auditions
(Required for all All-State auditionees)

• Please note that there is a required $11 fee to audition for District. This can be paid via Square and is due by 9/1/2022

Audition Day

• Saturday, September 17

• Manvel High School

• We will be sending out a form a week or so prior to the audition with specific info, but here are some highlights:
  
  

  • ALL students are expected to meet in the morning at FHS and ride the bus together. The exact time will be announced as the audition date draws closer.

  • Students MUST have original copies of the music, not photocopies. Information for ordering music can be found on the choir website under the Region/All-State tab.

  • Students will have their phones taken up when they arrive at the audition site, and they will not get them back until the competition is over. Any student found with any electronic device will be disqualified. 

  • The competition is typically over around 3:00pm, but may end earlier or later depending on how many singers there are and possible technical difficulties. 

  • Students may retrieve their phone to call a parent to be picked up as soon as their audition is over, but they will be required to call with a chaperone observing or else risk disqualification.
    
    

    • There is no way to know what time/order singers will audition. It is randomized by a computer program.

  • There will be a bus that returns to Friendswood for students that stay for the whole day.

Region and Concert Choir Camp
(Optional for all Region Auditionees and Concert Choir Auditionees)
Tuesday, September 20
Clear Lake High School

Students that have advanced to the second round following the District Audition will begin new music leading up to the Region Audition (October 15). This optional workshop is provided for these singers to get a head start on their audition music. 

The Concert Choir audition (held on the same day at the same location as the Region Audition), is intended to be an easier stepping stone between Junior High Region and the much more challenging high school Region. We will be passing out this music very soon (some students in private lessons have already begun). This clinic day will give them a great boost in learning that music. 

Back to School Bash
(Optional for all choir singers)
Thursday, September 22 4:00-7:00pm 

The Back to School Bash, our first FULL CHOIR party of the year, held in the FHS Cafeteria, is yet another opportunity for our singers to mingle and have fun with singers from all classes. The choir officer team has prepared a fabulous slate of zany games and activities, and we know that everyone will have a blast. This is typically one of our most attended events, so we hope to see everyone there!

PastaPalooza Pre-Game Dinner
(Required for ALL singers)
Friday, September 30

The PastaPalooza Pre-Game dinner is one of our few major fundraisers during the school year. All choirs perform, as well as many soloists. This is also the event that requires the greatest number of parent volunteers for jobs including setup, serving, ticketing, cleanup, etc. 

Parents wishing to volunteer to help at this event (we have room for nearly 70 volunteers - PLEASE HELP!) may sign up for a job using the following "Sign Up Genius" form:

(Link removed from public posting)

PastaPalooza Solo Auditions
(optional for all singers)

Solo auditions will be held in the choir room beginning at 3:00pm on Monday, September 19th. We will post a sign-up sheet the week prior to auditions. Interested singers should choose a song with a karaoke track (neither a cappella performing nor live instrumentation will be acceptable). Tracks should be as close to 3:00 max duration as possible -- if the song is really long, we will probably try to cut it down. Songs may be from any genre of music, however, as our theme is loosely centered around Disney properties it would be great if songs fit that theme to some degree.  

Parents, please keep an eye out for these “Choir Notes” emails that we plan to send out around the beginning of each month as necessary. Most of these messages will be copied to the Choir Website under “Announcements”  www.friendswoodhighschoolchoir.org

In this email:

• MANDATORY: Online Handbook / Emergency Form and Order Form. Parents, please do these today!

• Uniform fitting

• Meet & Greet (Parent Meeting)

• Choir Section Parties

IMPORTANT - PLEASE DO THIS NOW

(MANDATORY for all families)

Due by the end of the day on Friday, Sept. 2nd.

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 colllecting that information.

(please email Mr. Tyer if you  need the Handbook link)

Choir Order Form

ALL singers will need to pay a fee for the 2022-2023 school year.

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

  • Click “view products” under New Student Order

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

  • 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) 

(Link can be found on the home page of this website)

Uniform fitting

Friday August 26 (During Class)

• Returning men MUST check to be sure they still have their bowtie and cummerbund. NOW would be the time to order a replacement.

• All returning singers should check to make sure their entire uniform is in good repair and still fits. Please contact Mr. Tyer or Mrs. Smith if changes or replacements need to be made. 

Meet & Greet

Thursday, September 1 (6:30-7:30pm)

MANDATORY for all singers. Highly recommended for all parents.

Our choir Meet & Greet is the opportunity to meet the directors, booster club board, and to hear our choirs perform together for the first time. We will discuss volunteer opportunities, making payments for choir activities, how to secure private voice lessons, as well as an overview of this year's choir calendar and mandatory events for all singers. We hope to see you!

Choir Section Parties

Friday, September 2nd 6:00-9:00pm

Optional for all singers

We are continuing our annual tradition of "Section Parties!" These parties, hosted at the houses of our choir officers, offer a great opportunity for singers to get to know new people and have fun with singers that aren't in their class period. More info will be given to the students during class announcements as the date draws closer.

• Soprano Party: At the home of Publicity Officer Katelyn Glass

• Alto Party: At the home of Choir President Gabi McGregor

• Tenor/Bass Party: At the home of Recruitment Officer Connor Adams