Friday, June 15, 2012

New Chorus Teacher -- Mr. Jeff Maynard

Hello All!  Thank you again for such a wonderful year with NHS Chorus.  I am proud of all we have accomplished.  I hate that I have to leave so soon, but sometimes life throws a curve ball!  I am confident that NHS chorus is in a good place and will grow and move forward in the coming years.

This is an introductory post (I will have a full "bio" post coming soon), but wanted to announce that Mr. Jeff Maynard will be the new choral director at Northern High School.  After interviewing several candidates, the arts team and myself believe Mr. Maynard has the passion, skill, energy, and vision to take the NHS Chorus forward!  I am very excited about what Mr. Maynard will do at NHS.  He is an experienced teacher, performer, singer, conductor, and private instructor, gaining experiences in St. Louis, Boston, New York, and the Triangle.  While he has been a choral conductor, he decided to earn his Masters in music education at UNC-Chapel Hill (the same program at Ms. Fitz and Mrs. Hayek), and comes highly recommended.  Again, a full bio is coming soon, but I thought I would let you know about Mr. Maynard, and I confidently say that NHS Chorus is in good hands!

Have a wonderful summer!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Congrats to Blues in the Knight for a superior at Festival Disney!


What a wonderful time BIK had in Orlando, FL March 28-April 1! It was such a fun trip, with time spent at Universal and Disney parks. We sang 5 pieces at the Festival Disney Music Competition in the Treble Choir division, and earned a superior rating with an average score of 95! The judges were very complimentary of their vocal sound and musicianship. Job well done, ladies, and it was great to spend time together having fun as a team! Thank you to all chaperones for their help!

Congrats to NHS singers!

This post is belated, but a wonderful job to all NHS chorus members at Musical Performance Adjudication at Meredith College on March 5! MidKnight Blues earned an Excellent (2nd highest rating) and Blues in the Knights earned a Superior (highest rating). Goes to show that hard work pays off. So proud of all of you!


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Welcome to Spring Semester!!

Welcome (back) to chorus! We are in store for an exciting and busy semester! Please familiarize yourself with the blog and check it often! It contains documents, announcements, and links to important information.

Let Mrs. Hayek know if you have any questions or concerns! lindsey.hayek@dpsnc.net

EOE practice tracks!

Here are the EOE practice tracks! Made by the awesome DPS chorus teachers! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take advantage of these! They should really help your practicing! Thanks:)

http://eoe2012.podomatic.com/

Monday, January 9, 2012

Men's Choral Invitational

Here are the links for the Men's Choral Invitational! If you are going, you will write a reflection about the experience. If you are not going, you will use these videos to write a brief reflection, giving a brief positive and negative critique for each song. Also, talk about the challenges and advantages of the male voice, and some of the musical characteristics of all-male music (like the ranges, the harmonies, etc.).

Let their Celestial Concerts all Unite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPAs7F8CGY

Make them hear you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zszlJGmV2H8

Gabi, Gabi (but you will be doing an all-male version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAM4kTteyJQ

Got a Mind to Do Right
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KleFGTo66Mk

Danny Boy (but with a bigger ensemble)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRci40C4Y3I

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Welcome back!

Great job on the winter concert, all! Photos from caroling and such coming soon!

Get ready for those exams:)

Don't forget CONCERT REPORT---due by Jan 12 if you want a chance to be exempt!!


Info for Chorus History Project (3rd or 4th period):

Look at the rubric! History of the genre, and how it relates to CHORAL music! Give some musical examples (but you don't need to limit yourself to one song, you could do a few!)

Here are some links and resources that may help you out.

This website is awesome--so much about many genres and eras of music!
http://www.soundpiper.com/mln/musichistory.htm

Classical Music database: www.naxos.com

Choral music databases (if you want to see if there is a choral music version):
www.jwpepper.com
http://www.halleonard.com/index.jsp?subsiteid=5

Folk music: http://folkmusic.about.com/od/historyoffolk/a/Folk_History.htm

Gospel Music: http://www.bostoncommunitychoir.org/history_of_gospel_music.htm

jazz:http://www.jazz123.info/the-history-of-vocal-jazz.php

spirituals: http://www.negrospirituals.com/history.htm

barbershop: http://www.acappellafoundation.org/essay/bbshistory.html

Let me know if you need help with youtube or google searches!