THIS PAGE IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED PLEASE USE

WWW.CMEABAYSECTION.ORG

DIRECTLY FOR YOUR BROWSING

Choir Page Index

Articles and Information About CMEA Bay Section Choral Activities
Links

Choral Notes

May, 2007

What a year! I can’t believe it’s over! Time sure flies when you’re having fun. Did you have fun?

As I look back on this schoolyear, I can’t help but feel proud of how much my students have learned since September. By January, almost all of my 1st graders were singing in tune, and could sing in a 2-part canon. My 2nd graders started learning how to sightread very simple melodies as soon as they learned 2-meter and la-so-mi. My 3rd graders worked on sightreading pentatonic melodies, and could sing 2-part canons and partner songs with 2 or 3 different parts.My 4th graders could read extended pentatonic melodies in both solfege and absolute names. Partner songs and 2-part selections have become a regular part of their curriculum. Their tone is gorgeous, and are definitely ready for Chorus next year.

My 5th/6th grade Chorus, and my 7th/8th grade Concert Choir and Show Choir are my pride and joy, as they continued to show mastery of materials and concepts learned. I love their tone, and am very proud that they can also read and understand their music. Their performances have been heartwarming. It seems like I could never give them enough music to learn, and I was always in search of songs to teach. It was a joy to see this desire to learn in them.

At a PTA meeting in February, I was asked to do a presentation about my vocal music program. I suppose it works to the disadvantage of all music teachers that all the audience sees is the finished product and have no clue as to how we got there. I presented my curriculum, took time to break it down by grade level, and briefly explained musical terminology. Where it was possible, I tried to give a brief example of the terminology or technique. I talked about the National Music Standards and assessments that we have to do. Some parents have no clue that music had standards. One parent told me that music was not an academic subject, which prompted me to explain that it is. In addition, I presented the non-musical aspects of the curriculum, that when it is combined with musical techniques and applications, it leads to a comprehensive and well rounded curriculum. I ended the presentation by inviting them to come and sit in any of the classes anytime. Yes, I have had several visitors in the classroom since then. And all have been amazed and appreciative in their observation of the lessons. I knew I had won a victory there.

Victory isn’t free — you have to work for it. The countless hours of preparation, rehearsal and polishing—all lead to a beautiful and meaningful performance. Variety is very important — in the application of techniques and the selection of repertoire. All the clinicians at the Winter Conference mentioned the important of variety. I have sorted through all the reading materials and made notations of which songs I might want to use for next year. I made sure I have a variety of songs to teach from — classical, sacred, secular, art songs, folk songs, spirituals, a the occasional pop song, and a song with movement. I have made notations as to which songs will work for festivals, concerts, seasonal programming, and the ones simply for singing. A more thorough analysis of the songs will help me plan the time frame of teaching it, as well as vocal exercises and sightreading exercises. And, as I do every year at this time, I have read and reread the adjudication sheets from all adjudication festivals that we have attended this year. It gives me an idea on what we already do well and what we need to improve on. It is all part of the learning process. And the cycle begins again in a few months.

Ah, summer! I am eager to spend time with my family before my sons have to go back to school for marching band camp. I am looking forward to simply relaxing—reading, beading, cross stitching and crafts. I will be testing for my 2nd recommended degree in taekwondo in September, so my training will start during the summer. I hope you have a fun and relaxing summer. Take the time for you and your family. Enjoy! So, until then, kiyah!

Victoria Schmidt
Choral Representative

Internet Links for Choir Directors:

• American Choral Directors Association. ACDA's central purpose is to promote excellence in choral music through performance, composition, publication, research, and teaching. In addition, ACDA strives through arts advocacy to elevate choral music's position in American society.
• Bay Area Classical Music. Links to Bay Area classical music, including a large listing of choral and vocal music groups maintained by Stanford University's KZSU.
• Chanticleer: An Orchestra of Voices. The website for this Grammy winning choral group based in San Francisco.
• Choral Archive. Links to choral groups in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Choral Ensemble Links. A comprehensive list of San Francisco Bay Area choral groups from the Maestro Website.
• ChoralNet. Home of Choralist, ChoralTalk, ChoralAcademe, Web Message Boards, and many other Internet resources for the choral music world. ChoralNet is also the official Website of the International Federation for Choral Music.
• ChoralWeb. "Paperless" publisher providing choral music to musicians via the World Wide Web and the Internet. Musical compositions are available in PDF files (like Bay Section's TEMPO newsletter).
• Chorus America. The national service organization that promotes the highest artistic quality, development and growth of vocal ensembles, advocates the fair remuneration of professional singers and choruses that provide professional services, and stimulates greater understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of choral music throughout North America.
• Gilbert and Sullivan Archive. Site devoted to the operas and other works of William S. Gilbert and Arthur S. Sullivan. The Archive includes clip art, librettos, plot summaries, pictures of the original G&S stars, song scores, MIDI and mpeg audio files, and newsletter articles.
• The Gregorian Chant Home Page. The main purpose of the Gregorian Chant Home Page is to support advanced research on Gregorian chant, particularly in the graduate seminar "Problems in Early Christian Music" (Music 511) taught at Princeton University.
• D and J Records. DJ Records provides recordings of quality vocal ensembles of special interest to choral directors and their singers.
• International Federation for Choral Music. The IFCM facilitates communication and exchange between choral musicians worldwide through world and regional symposia, conducting master classes, the World Youth Choir, World Choral Census, International Choral Bulletin, World Day of Choral Singing, and many other projects.
• International Lyrics Server. View lyrics for over 50,000 songs from a database of 116,000 songs.
• Metropolitan Opera Guild. Support group for the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York.
• Musica. International database of choral repertoire, serving as a search tool as well as a pedagogic tool for conductors, musicologists, schools of music, musical federations, music stores, and also for amateurs and people eager to know about the choral music repertoire.
• National Association of Teachers of Singing. A nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging the highest standards of singing through excellence in teaching and the promotion of vocal education and research both for the professional advancement of the talented and for the enrichment of the general public.
• New York Choral Society. A symphonic chorus located at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
• New York City Opera.
• Opera Glass. An opera information server with detailed information, including performance histories, synopses, libretti, discographies, pictures, and pointers to many other opera servers.
• Opera World. Online store devoted to opera selling videos, laserdiscs, compact discs, and posters.
• The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. The name says it all!