This evaluation is a group project where you will work as a member of a quartet to perform a short excerpt from one of the two District Choir audition pieces. Quartets will be assigned ahead of time. You will have one day in class to practice with your quartet. Here are some more details:
Evaluation will take place on Sept. 11 during class.
You will have one class period to practice with your group: Sept. 10
Scores from this evaluation will be factored into your grade. Poor performance on this evaluation, however, will NOT result in an F for the quarter in any situation.
You will be evaluated on the two songs you were assigned to learn this summer: "Sicut cervus" by Palestrina and "How lovely is thy dwelling place" by Brahms. You will be asked to sing only excerpts, not an entire piece.
Quartets have been assigned. Many of you will find that you are assigned to more than one quartet. If your name is italicized and in red, you will NOT be graded on that quartet.
Order of performance will be selected by random drawing on Sept. 10.
You may NOT use class time on testing days for practice with your quartet (even if nobody in your quartet is scheduled to sing that day).
Evaluations will NOT be conducted blind. Mrs. Villante and Mr. Hunnex will be the judges.
All evaluations will take place in front of the rest of the class. Remember that you should always be respectful and supportive of your classmates.
You will be judged in four categories: Vocal Quality, Pitch/Intonation, Rhythmic Accuracy, and Musicianship. Each category carries a maximum score of 10, for a combined maximum of 40 points per judge. The highest possible score is 80 points.
Scores in this evaluation may be used to determine who will be able to audition for District Choir, especially in cases where interest exceeds the number of singers PMEA allows from a single voice part.
If you are absent for any day during the testing, you will be required to make it up the following week with your original quartet.
TBD
TBD
Soprano - Giselle
Alto - Lily
Tenor - Matty (ungraded)
Bass - Nico
Soprano - Claire
Alto - Sadie
Tenor - AJ
Bass - Carter
Soprano - Audrey
Alto - Grace
Tenor - Harrison
Bass - Dylan (ungraded)
Soprano - Clara
Alto - August
Tenor - Harrison (ungraded)
Bass - Dylan
Soprano - Monet
Alto - Zoe
Tenor - Matty
Bass - Nico (ungraded)
Soprano - Julia
Alto - Levi
Tenor - Caleb
Bass - Carter (ungraded)
This evaluation is a spot check on sight-reading levels. You will be evaluated individually, and these evaluations will be conducted by Mr. Hunnex, Mrs. Villante, or Mr. Datsko in a private setting. You will be asked to sing two short melodies to the best of your ability without having seen them beforehand. This is the process you can expect to follow for each melody:
When you enter the evaluation room, Mr. Hunnex (Mrs. Villante/Mr. Datsko) will show you a short melody.
You will be given a starting pitch. (If the melody does not begin on the tonic, you will have the option of hearing the starting pitch OR the tonic note.)
You will have 90 seconds to review the melody and practice out loud, in your head, etc. You will NOT be evaluated on anything you do during this portion of the spot check.
When 90 seconds is up, you will be given the starting pitch a second time.
You must now sing the melody to the best of your ability.
If that was your first melody, the process will be repeated for the second melody. If this was your second melody, you've completed your spot check.
Evaluation will take place on Oct. 20-22 during class.
You will have one practice / review day in class to practice sight-reading and/or review principles of sight-reading.
Scores from this evaluation will be factored into your grade. Poor performance on this evaluation, however, will NOT result in an F for the quarter in any situation.
Difficulty level of melodies will take individual circumstances into account. For instance, 9th graders with limited sight-reading experience will be given easier melodies than 12th graders, who have much more practice and experience.
Order of spot checks will be selected by random drawing by the judges as the spot checks occur.
Evaluations will not be blind. You will have either Mr. Hunnex, Mrs. Villante, or Mr. Datsko as a judge.
Spot checks are NOT conducted in front of the rest of the class, but in a practice room with only the judge present.
You will be judged on two categories: Pitch Accuracy and Rhythmic Accuracy. Each category carries a maximum score of 20, for a combined maximum of 20 points per melody. The highest possible score is 80 points.
If you are absent for any day during the testing, you will be required to make it up.
All testing examples will be chosen from this sight-singing packet:
DOWNLOAD SIGHT-SINGING PACKET HERE
It is permissible to practice examples from this packet ahead of time.
This evaluation is a group project where you and your group work together to learn a national anthem and perform it for the class. Groups will be assigned ahead of time and the list of available anthems changes every year. You will have four days in class to practice with your group. Here are some more details:
Evaluation will take place on Dec. 17 (Set 7) or 18 (Sets 1, 2, 8) during class.
You will have three class periods to practice with your group from Dec. 12-17.
Scores from this evaluation will be factored into your grade. Poor performance on this evaluation will NOT result in an F for the quarter.
The list of national anthems for this year will be released when groups are assigned. No groups in the same set may choose the same anthem.
All available national anthems have been given a difficulty rating of 1-5. 1 is the easiest, and 5 is the most difficult. Judges will consider level of difficulty when scoring preparation and performances. Difficulty level is based on any number of factors, including language of text, length of anthem, musical complexity, and musical difficulty.
Groups are assigned. You will NOT be assigned to more than one group.
Order of performance will be selected by random drawing during class on the last practice day.
You may NOT use class time on the performance day for practice with your group.
Evaluations will not be blind. Mr. Hunnex, Mrs. Villante, and Mr. Datsko will score your performance.
All evaluations will take place in front of the class. Remember that you should always be respectful and supportive of your classmates.
You will be scored in four categories: Group Preparation (30 points), Individual Preparation (30 points), Group Performance (20 points), and Individual Performance (20 points). The maximum total score is 100 points.
If you are absent on the day of the performances, you will be required to make it up, either with your original group or with a different one, based on availability.
TBD
TBA
Set 1:
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Set 2:
Group 4:
Group 5:
Set 8:
Group 6:
Group 7:
Set 7:
Group 8:
Group 9:
Group 10:
This evaluation is a simple individual spot check of music from the spring repertoire. You will only be evaluated individually, and these evaluations will be conducted by Mr. Hunnex, Mrs. Villante, or Mr. Datsko in a private setting. You will be asked to sing two short excerpts of music from the list below. One will be your choice (choose something you know you're good at), and one will be the judge's choice (often a contrasting excerpt from the one you chose). Here are the details:
Evaluation will take place on March 10-13 during class.
You will not have practice days in class.
Scores from this evaluation will be factored into your grade. Poor performance on this evaluation, however, will NOT result in an F for the quarter in any situation.
You will be evaluated individually on two excerpts from our current repertoire. One of these excerpts will be of your choosing, and one will be chosen by the judge conducting the spot check.
Order of spot checks will be selected by random drawing by the judges as the spot checks occur.
Evaluations will not be blind. You will have Mr. Hunnex, Mrs. Villante, or Mr. Datsko as a judge.
Spot checks are NOT conducted in front of the rest of the class, but in a practice room with only the judge present.
You will be judged in four categories: Vocal Quality, Pitch/Intonation, Rhythmic Accuracy, Musicianship. Each category carries a maximum score of 10, for a combined maximum of 40 points per excerpt. The highest possible score is 80 points.
If you are absent for any day during the testing, you will be required to make it up.
DOWNLOAD EXCERPT LIST HERE (TBD)
This evaluation is a largely informal project that can be completed in groups, individually, or both. It is based on the popular TV show "X Factor".
The goal of this project is to allow you to demonstrate your ability to perform (musically or otherwise) in front of an audience, a skill somewhat analogous to that which is learned in a public speaking class. The grading rubric for this evaluation is structured so that any student who performs a well-prepared presentation will receive an "A" on the project.
While this project does ask students to practice and demonstrate an important skill, it is meant to be more light-hearted and fun for students. Seniors will not be required to complete this project, but are allowed to participate in organizational and leadership roles if desired.
Every student must prepare a performance to present to the class. This can be done alone or in small groups. Musical performances are encouraged, but in the case of students who are uncomfortable singing alone in front of an audience non-singing performances are permissible. Examples of non-singing performances would be monologues, slam poetry, oration, or other forms of public speaking.
Students must register their performances with Mr. Hunnex during the week before performances begin (May 8-14). Everybody must register their performance ahead of time. Performances will begin on May 15-21 and continue until they are finished. Each performance will be evaluated both by a panel of guest judges and all of the other students in the class. Judges will also have the opportunity to offer commentary (in the style of X Factor) after each performance. Commentary is meant to be for entertainment purposes only, and may not reflect the actual views of the judges.
Preparing and presenting a legitimate performance will result in a minimum grade of 90%. Additional points will be given based on the evaluation of the panel of judges and the other students in the class.
Performance order will be chosen at random on May 14. This year's performance order is:
Set 1:
TBD
Set 2:
TBD
Set 8:
TBD
Set 7:
TBD
Music is an inherently ephemeral art. You can't see it or touch it and its invisible force can have a powerful effect on the listener, but it disappears as soon as the musician stops. And no two performances are ever exactly the same. But the effects of music can linger far beyond the performance itself; long enough to express them through other media as well.
Your assignment is to choose one piece of music in our current repertoire that moves you. (It will probably be your favorite piece.) Create a work of art that expresses how that piece makes you feel. You may use any media other than music (e.g. paint, photography, video, drama, sculpture) to create your project. You may work alone or in a group (your choice). Groups larger than 3 require teacher approval.
Submit your project along with a written description of how it represents the piece you've chosen and what inspired your creative process along the way. Finished projects should be submitted to Mr. Hunnex physically or electronically, whichever is most appropriate.
Finished projects will be displayed in a gallery, first for the rest of the choir, and later for our concert audience.
Due Date: TBA
When you attend a choral or instrumental concert, it is common to find a section of the program that provides information about the works being performed. This could include any interesting facts about the piece's composition, the composer, text, or stylistic elements. It's intended to both reflect the factual elements of the piece AND highlight anything that makes it especially meaningful to the person writing the program notes (often the performer).
Your assignment is to use the resources available to you (mostly on the internet) to create program notes for one of the pieces we are preparing for the next performance. You should work in pairs. (You can choose your partner.)
Use the sample program notes linked here to help you.
Finished program notes should be submitted via email to Mr. Hunnex. Make sure both you and your partner's names are on it.
Due Date: TBA
If you have missed a performance with an excused absence or would like to complete an extra credit assignment for a given quarter you may elect to do a concert report. In the case of a missed performance, this will take the place of your concert attendance grade. If you are doing it for extra credit it will count in addition to your concert attendance grade.
How to do a concert report:
Select a concert to attend. A wide variety of concerts are acceptable for this assignment, but it is best suited to performances of “classical” music. If you are unsure of the suitability of a particular concert, please see Mr. Hunnex for an endorsement.
Familiarize yourself with the performers, composers, and repertoire to be featured on this concert. Take note of anything you find particularly interesting.
Attend the concert. (Reminder: You must turn in a program or ticket stub with your report.)
Write a report (4-6 pages double-spaced) on a topic of interest to you that relates to the concert you attended. This could be a report on a composer or group of composers, a stylistic time period in music history, the background of particular pieces, the performers you saw, or any number of other topics. THIS IS NOT A CONCERT REVIEW! It is highly recommended to write most of the paper before seeing the concert and then return to make any revisions afterwards.
Submit the report and the program/ticket stub to Mr. Hunnex. Most quality performances require the purchase of tickets. If purchasing tickets presents a hardship for you, please see Mr. Hunnex for information on where to find quality free concerts or where to find free/discounted tickets for other performances.
All Concert Reports are due one week before the end of the quarter.