CHOIR HANDBOOK 2013-2014

Cardiff Jr. High School Choral Department 3900 Dayflower Dr.

Katy, TX 77449 (281)234-0698

Ellen Hoyle, Director

ellenebner@katyisd.org

This handbook belongs to ___________________

1

ALL COLORED FORMS HAVE DUE DATES

September 6 Forms due:

Consent To TreatTravel Authorization Volunteer Registration Acknowledgement FormT-shirt order form & payment Choir deposit or full payment

Please place all forms and money in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and class period on it. The choir office will only accept forms and money that are in a sealed envelope. You may send cash (correct change only), check or money order.

2

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK CONTENTS

1. Welcome letter

2. Student Expectations

3. Grading Policy/homework

4. Academic Eligibility

5. Supplies

6. Fundraising

7. Medical and Travel - due September 68. Choir Supply Fee – due September 69. Uniforms

10. Contests and Competitions

11.

12. Acknowledgement Form- due September 6

13. Fee payment form & money – Deposit due Sept. 6,final payment Oct. 814. Parent Authorization to Consent to Treatment of Student, Sept. 6

15. Parent/Guardian Authorization for Regular Extracurricular Travel, Sept. 6

Highlighted items are to be signed and returned to choir room on or before due date listed.

Volunteer Registration - due September 6

3

Welcome to another exciting year of the Cardiff Jr. High Choral Department. We are proud of the choral excellence

achieved in this choir program and look forward to a year of continued success.

Cardiff Jr. High choral activities are designed to enhance your student’s musical ability, knowledge, and appreciation for a variety of choral music. Students will join with friends in contributing each person’s absolute best efforts toward the common goal of musical excellence. Students will experience positive musical activities that will enrich their lives not only this year, but in the years to come.

PARENTS

I would like to say welcome and tell you how excited I am about the coming year for choir at CJH. Please keep the handbook handy for reference and keep the calendar with your other organizational material so that you can keep track of what is happening with the choir program. The forms contained in the handbook must be completed, signed and returned to the choir room with the Choir Activity Fee. The due dates are noted on the 2nd page of this booklet. You may also bring your completed forms to our CJH Fine Arts Parent Meeting on August 29. I must have all forms on file and have receivedthe choir activity fee before your student can attend any event with the choir. I want to stay in contact with you throughout the year so I will send home information sheets with your student about events happening throughout the year, as well as sending information through email. Please ask your students periodically for information sent home from school and check the choir website. You can find the link through the CJH webpage under “Teacher Webs.” I look forward to meeting you all and beginning our fabulous year!

STUDENTS

YOU are what will make this program a winning organization. 2012-2013 was a very successful year for Cardiff Choirs. It’s up to YOU! We will have activities so that we can all get to know each other and begin to work together as a team. Yes, choir is a team effort just like football, basketball, etc. We will have many performances, events, activities and trips throughout the year. Your participation is necessary in all of these events to make this program a success. Make sure you help your parents keep up with choir information, deadlines, and event dates so that they can help YOU be present for every important concert and event. Rehearsing or performing with missing choir members can be compared to playing the piano with missing keys! It is important that YOU are here!

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS/CLASS RULES

Students are expected to demonstrate good behavior at all times and will be rewarded through positive reinforcement throughout the year.

DAILY RULES

1. Choir members are to be in their assigned place with all necessary supplies (folder, pencil, music, etc.) whenthe bell rings.

2. There will be no discussion or conversation among choir members while the director is giving instructions.3. Follow instructions FIRST time given.4. Food, drink, and GUM are NOT ALLOWED in the choir room or anywhere else in Cardiff Jr. High. Water is

allowed.5. Cell phones are not allowed during class. No texting!6. Respect the rights and property of others.

Students should also remember:

Equipment in the choir room is not to be touched without permission from the director.

Students who come to school ill are expected to participate in rehearsal.

Students may not enter director’s office without permission.4

STAGE RULES 1. Do not talk or do anything to draw attention to yourself when walking on or off stage, including while sitting in the

audience. No talking while on stage.2. Keep your hands straight down at your side during the entire performance, whether you are singing or not. Do not

straighten your hair, dress, or vest.3. Keep your eyes on the director at all times.4. NO CELL PHONES OR GUM!

EXAMPLES OF MISBEHAVIOR

Fighting, vandalism, back-talking, smart-mouthing, arguing, or talking under your breath to the director or any adult, stopping the class from functioning (anything that stops a student from learning or a teacher from teaching), and violation of school rules or any city/state laws.

CONSEQUENCES This is an elective course. Participation is a privilege, not a right. A student’s conduct should indicate that he/she WANTS TO BE HERE. Excellence is not our goal, it is our expectation.

1. Verbal Warning2. Parent contact with possible conduct grade lowered.3. Student will receive discipline notice and 2nd parent contact.4. Discipline referral to principal and possible removal from program.

Students involved in severe misbehavior will be sent to the office immediately. No questions asked!!

As a member of the Cardiff Jr. High School choral department all choir students are expected to exhibitexemplary behavior at all times, whether in choir class or other classes. Students who continue to violateschool rules may jeopardize their membership in choir.

GRADING POLICY

This grading scale is in effect across Katy ISD and is in place in ALL Katy Choir programs.

15% Daily Participation Grade Preparation: materials, music, pencil, etc. Theory work/homework Outside preparation (weekly practice log)

35% Minor Grades Quizzes (written and/or aural) Supplemental rehearsal outside of school Singing quizzes, sight-reading and work sheets

50% Major Grades ALL performances (3 grades: etiquette, attendance, uniform) Tests (singing & sight-reading & written) Daily classroom engagement (performance-based curriculum)

5

ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND ALL CONCERTS.

Choir Concerts (4 per year) are MAJOR TEST GRADES and count 50% of your total grade.

All school concerts are REQUIRED for EVERY student whether eligible or ineligible.

Students who miss a concert for any reason, will receive a zero (0) for their grade.

If a student misses a concert, depending on the reason, he will be given an alternate assignmentwith a reduction in grade for said assignment.

Students must bring a written note from parents before the concert stating the reason for absence.

Lack of transportation and other non-school activities are not excused absences.

Students who miss concerts will not be allowed to participate in field trips.

BOTTOM LINE – Don’t miss a performance. You are needed! You are important!

HOMEWORK

Membership in a choir is a collaborative art. Each person plays a vital role and each voice is important. Each individual must contribute to the group. He must do his or her personal best and come to class prepared. Rehearsal as a group is only effective if each individual has done his or her own preparation.

The voice is as much a musical instrument as a horn or violin and requires just as much dedication and discipline to master. Each student is expected to spend time daily practicing his/her instrument outside of class. Students will learn exercises in class to develop vocal techniques. In addition, students are expected to prepare musical selections ahead of time and review musical selections taught in class on their own.

PRACTICE LOG - A daily practice log will be kept to track student practice outside of class. This log must be signed by a parent, verifying student practice time and will be submitted for a grade every week. The minimum expectation for individual practice times is 30 minutes per week. This may be split between vocal exercises, musical score study, sight-reading and music theory practice (check out http://www.musictheory.net.). More will be explained about this during regular class.

ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY

In the state of Texas, Senate Bill 1 mandates that students must pass all of their classes in order to participate in extra-curricular activities. A student shall be suspended from participation in all extra-curricular activities sponsored or sanctioned by the school district during the six-week period following a grade reporting period in which the student received a grade lower than seventy (70) in any class on his/her report card.

Students who were eligible cannot lose eligibility until seven calendar days after the end of the failing grading period. Students who were ineligible cannot gain eligibility until seven calendar days after the end of the passing grading period. Eligibility begins and ends at 2:35pm on the seventh day after the passing or failing grading period.

Trips and competitions are considered extra-curricular. Passing students with grades of 70 or above in all classes may go on trips, parties and competitions. Poor conduct, behavior and attitude can also affect participation in any activity, based on

6

the discretion of the director. Students who cannot consistently follow directions, as well as anyone who cannot display a good “team” attitude will not be able to attend ANY extra-curricular activity with the choir program.

Supplies

• Pencils – Please bring one box of wooden pencils to be kept in the choir room for the entire year.• Kleenex – please bring 1 box of Kleenex.• Choir folder – Each student will receive a black choir binder. You must have this binder in class

every day. This binder is for CHOIR only. It is not intended for use in another class. It should bekept in good condition and not mutilated!

• Highlighter and pencil to be kept in choir binder

There is a $1.00 replacement fee for damaged or lost binders.

STUDENTS: Please do not leave your folders out on the floor or on the risers. If your folder is left out and picked up, you will lose points on your participation grade. If you come to class without your folder, it will result in a zero for a daily grade. It is your responsibility to bring all materials to class every day!

FUNDRAISING It will be the expectation of the CJH Choir that every choir student participate to the best of his or her ability, knowing that every dollar raised will benefit each child individually and the group as a whole. Please keep in mind that most fundraisers allow for a 40% profit. If your child raises $100.00, the choir only gets $40.00. We will need funds not provided by Katy ISD for uniforms, transportation for our spring trip and other essentials. You may also make a donation to the choir program instead of participating in the fundraiser. Our first fundraiser is October 1-15. My hope is that each and every student will participate in all fundraising activities.

Medical and Travel Form

The school district requires that each student traveling with the choir have on file a medical and travel form. These

forms are located in the back of this handbook and should be returned to the choir room by September 6. If the formis not returned, your student will not be able to attend field trips, concerts, etc.

Choir Supply Fee

There are many expenses that go into running an active choir program. This fee helps to cover the cost of material fees, accompanist fees, uniform cleaning, repair and replacement costs, contest fees, consultant fees, transportation fees…the list goes on and on. While we will try to cover the extras with our fundraiser, some fees will be required of students in order to compete in special competitions. Please refer to the 2013-2014 Choir Fee Info Form.

Note: Other small fees may occur throughout the year. Parents will be notified of these occurrences as quickly as possible. Examples: Choir pictures, Region Choir Auditions, Solo and Ensemble fee, parties.

Parents, please be aware that eligibility will affect whether or not a student may participate in an event, even if you have paid for the event! Refunds cannot be given for ineligible students or family conflicts after a student has paid and signed up for an event. Please check your calendars carefully to avoid paying for an event that the student will be unable to attend. 7

If you have a problem paying the required fees, please contact me in the choir office. I do not want any child to feel he/she cannot participate because of financial reasons. I am willing to work around almost any situation.

Uniforms

Choir uniforms create a professional look for our concerts and competitions. It is important for the choirs to look as wonderful as they sound. Proper choir uniforms are required for all performances. If a student does not wear the proper attire for a concert, his/her grade will be lowered. For a competition, he/she will risk losing the privilege of singing all together.

Formal Attire Colt Treble (6th grade) and Colt Men (6th grade) choirs will wear:

CJH choir shirt, tucked in with a belt

Black dress slacks, no jeans

Men will wear long black socks

Black closed-toe shoes, NO TENNIS SHOES

Colt Women (7/8th grade) will wear:

Green/Black choir dresses (provided by CJH Choir)

Black dress shoes, closed-toe with a low heel

Choir jewelry (provided by choir)

Colt 7/8th grade Tenor/Bass Men will wear:

Tuxedo shirt with black button studs (provided by CJH choir)

Vest (provided by CJH Choir)

Black Dress shoes, NO TENNIS SHOES

Black dress slacks, with BLACK long socks, jeans are not acceptable

The dresses will be assigned at the beginning of the year. Each girl will be held responsible for the return of her dress in good condition at the end of the year.

7/8th grade girls -For concerts, women’s hair is to be pulled back, away from the face in a French braid. 6th grade girls - hair in ponytail with NO BANGS. Men’s hair must also be pulled back behind the ears and out of the eyes.

Casual Uniforms

All students will wear: Choir T-shirts tucked in or tightened in back with a rubber band Blue jeans (no holes) Comfortable athletic shoes

Hair will still need to be pulled back, but does not have to be in a French braid. Jewelry that is not distracting may be worn. All attire is subject to approval of the director.

8

Contests and Competitions

Cardiff Junior High choir will participate in many choir related activities outside of regular concerts. Some important ones are listed below.

TMEA Region ChoirAll 7th & 8th grade students will have an opportunity to audition for this elite choir. Students will receive music and informationthe second week of school so they will have time to prepare for the audition held on October 12.

Recruitment Tour 7 & 8th grade only

Solo and Ensemble ContestAll choir members are encouraged to participate in the UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest held in March at Beckendorff JH.Music will be selected in late fall so the students will have ample time to prepare. The fee is $10 per student . Students willreceive music and any rehearsal materials he/she may need.

Spring TripWe are planning a spring trip but will not decide on a venue until after our fund raiser. Cost is usually around $45. Startsaving now!

UIL Concert and Sight Reading Contest – 7/8th grade onlyThis event will be held in March before Spring Break usually during aschool day.

Katy Sixth Grade FestivalThis competition is only open to sixth grade choirs, and is sponsored by a Katy ISD Junior High. It is usually during a schoolday in the Spring.

Other benevolent community activities such as Santa Cop, donations to Katy Christian Ministries,etc.

Concert Etiquette

Concerts play a vital role in each student’s success. In today’s world, students participate in a variety of activities and each has specific behavior expectations. Here are some guidelines of “appropriate” etiquette for concert audience (both parents and students). A good audience member:

Arrives on time for the performance and remains quiet, attentive and seated during the entire performance.Gesturing or talking disturbs fellow audience members.

Listens to all of the groups performing at the concert.

Waits until applause begins before entering or leaving the performance.

Turns off cellular telephones or any other audible electronic devices.

Uses a flash camera at appropriate times: before or after a performance, never during.

Shows appreciation by courteously applauding at the end of the performance or song. Applause is the respectfulsign of appreciation for a musical performance. Hollering or calling out names distracts from other students and isnot appropriate for a concert. Applause should occur after the conductor's hands lower.

Sits near the door for an easy, unnoticed exit if a child becomes a distraction for others’ enjoyment.

Lets performers know after the concert what he or she did well and expresses appreciation for their efforts.

9

Colt Choir Support Club (CCSC)

I am looking for assistance from YOU to form a parent organization of volunteers. Producing outstanding performance events requires an enormous amount to time, effort, and energy. Please consider being the VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR. I would like to have one person I can call who can in turn contact the people we need to help with an event. Please check any of the activities below that you would be interested in. THE COLT CHOIR NEEDS YOU!!

_______ Volunteer Coordinator (PLEASE!)

Uniforms

______ Fittings

______ Repair

Data Entry (Charms)

_____ enter miscellaneous information regarding payments, forms received, field trip permissions, etc.

Fundraising

_______ Collect and tabulate orders

_______ Distribute items

_______ Contact students

Hospitality

______ Coordinate food items as needed for

Choir activities

______ Coordinate concessions at Pop Show

Publicity

______ Take pictures at choir events and submit to area newspapers!

General

_____ Phone/e-mail/text parents as needed

_____ Errands

______ ANYTHING!! HELP!!

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

NAME: ___________________________________

Student’s Name ____________________________

Phone: ___________________ Do you text? Y N

Email: ____________________________________________

CHAPERONES/HELPERS

____ Pool Party, September 12, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

____ Oct. 12, region choir auditions

____ Oct. 18, Choir Concert, 7:00 pm

____ Nov. 1, 7/8th grade to MCHS game

____ Nov. 15, Region Choir Clinic set up & help, After 2:30 pm

___ Nov. 15, Region Choir Clinic set up & help

____ Choirs to “Scrooge”, 9:30 am

____ Dec. 12, 7/8th grade choir tour

____ Dec. 16, Choir Concert

____ Jan. 24, Choir Laser Tag, pm

____ 7/8th gd. UIL, March 4 or 6

____ Spring Concert, March 21, 7:00 pm

____ Solo & ensemble contest, March 29

____ 6th grade Katy Choral Festival, April 9 or 10

____ Pop Show, May 23

10

11

12

MANDATORY FORM Class Period: _______ Grade: _______

CARDIFF JUNIOR HIGH CHOIR Calendar/Uniform/Handbook Acknowledgement Form

***Due Date: September 6, 2013***

Parents and Students, please initial beside each sentence. This will acknowledge that you have read and understand the policies outlined in the Choir Handbook.

Parent Student:

I have read the Choir Handbook.

I understand that I must be passing all of my classes in order to participate in the extra (Fun) choir events. This includes trips, contests, and choir parties.

I understand that there are four (4) choir performances that are graded events and attendance is mandatory. Not attending a choir performance will result in a grade of a zero (0) which is 50% of my grade. This will cause me to fail choir for that 6 weeks, keeping me from participating in ALL extra-curricular activities on campus.

I understand that I must comply with the uniform guidelines or I run the risk of not being able to perform with the group, resulting in a grade deduction.

I understand that if I have ANY questions or problems at ANY TIME, I need to contact the choir office and speak to Ms. Ebner.

Student Name ___________________________ (PLEASE PRINT)

Student signature ________________________ Date: _______________

Parent Signature _________________________ Date.: _______________

A copy of this form will be kept on file the entire year in case there are any questions or discrepancies.

For Office Use Only

6th

_______ 7/8th

B

________ 7/8th G____

Fee Paid ___________

Uniform No.

___________

Returned

______________

13

6th grade

FORM AND DEPOSIT DUE ON SEPTEMBER 6th !!!

CARDIFF JUNIOR HIGH CHOIR 2013-2014Fee Payment Form

Student’s Name: _______________________________________________________ Grade_____________

Period_____________

$40.00 ACTIVITY/SUPPLY FEEincludes:

Choir T- shirt

Binder, Dividers, Reinforcements, Pencil Bag Five Minute Theory Book

MusicAccompanist feesBus transportation

General Operating Monies

Amount paid $__________

Due in full by October 5

A deposit in the amount of $20 may be paid by September 6 with the remaining amount paid by Oct. 5. The total Activity/Supply Fee is due and payable by October 5 and must be paid prior to participating in any optional events. All $40 must be paid by September 10 in order to participate in the pool party on September 12.

It is the desire of CJH Choir Program that every child participates in all activities. If there is a problem with payment, please feel free to discuss payment options with me so arrangements can be made.

__________ Option 1 – We will pay the entire balance of $40.00 by September 6th. Our money is attached.

__________ Option 2 – We will pay $20.00 by September 6th and $20.00 by Oct. 8th.

Please make all checks payable to CJH . In the subject line, please write student name, class period, and what the check is paying.

Thank You,

Ellen Hoyle ellenebner@katyisd.org 281-234-0698 15