\”Note\”able Notes

          The high school choir students have been singing a variety of music–everything from early classical to pop.  Of course, the students’ favorites are the pop songs!  It is important for the students to sing songs from all genres of music.  I choose selections based on what we can learn from them.  For instance, singing Latin or Italian songs help to promote good vowel production.  Some of the early classical music by Pachelbel lends itself to singing acapella (which requires listening skills).  Music from the Romantic period teaches us to sing in legato phrases.  The pop music culture helps us with enunciation and rhythm skills.  There is always a purpose to the songs that we sing!

     All State Chorus is just around the corner!  It will be held in Rapid City on October 30th and 31st.  The music this year is extremely difficult!  We are fortunate to have had several rehearsal with students from other schools.  This always helps the students to learn from each other.  We have worked with the professors from NSU and SDSU.  These concentrated rehearsals really help the students to learn their music!  They must know their respective parts and have all of the music memorized when we get there.  There is always the possibility that our school could be drawn for “spot-checks”.  Spot-checks are randomly selected schools that must sing a couple of selections in front of four judges.  The spot-checks are to make sure that the students come to All State Chorus prepared.  The students that were selected for this honor are:  Sophie Cutler, Madelyn Anderson, Erin Sternhagen, Annie Hockhalter, Spenser Kavanaugh, Courtland McCranie, Aaron Worlie, and Seth Duncan.  I say, “Congratulations to you!”

     We are preparing for the Prairie Harvest Festival in Britton on October 26th.  We have been working on some challenging music for the last several weeks.  I am very proud of our students because they have worked very hard and have almost all of the music ready to go.  We have one piece we will work on this week – Kyrie.  The words are Latin and we are struggling with the words a little bit.  I am confident that we will have the piece down by the 26th!  The students that expressed interest in going to this festival took letters home on Friday.  I mailed letters home to the students that I didn’t see on Friday.  So, parents, please check your mailbox or ask your child if they brought home a letter from me.  The letter gives you all of the information you will need to make a decision about your child’s attendance at this festival.  Please remember to send the bottom portion of the letter back to me.  I would appreciate getting those slips and the money as soon as possible.  Thank you.

     We are into one of the students’ favorite times of the year – Halloween!  The children just love singing Halloween songs and doing activities that go along with the songs.  Halloween songs lend themselves to the teaching of major/minor key signatures.  We also learn about whole steps and half steps.  We study the ‘tone color” of Halloween songs.  And of course, we have fun!

     It won’t be long before we start thinking Christmas!  I am in the process of selecting songs for the Christmas program.  The theme this year is Stepping Out With Santa Claus!  The music will be very up-beat and full of movement.  Even though we will soon be preparing for the program, we won’t leave out the other holidays in between.  Singing holiday music isn’t just “frivilous” singing.  We always incorporate learning musical concepts into everything we sing.  The students have fun singing, dancing, creating, playing, and doing activities while learning basic musical skills.  How many academic subjects can say that?!  Learning is definitely fun in music class!