Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Northern Chorus and parents.....

On Tuesday January 12th we have tenor/bass day for EOE practice from 2:45-3:45.

On Wednesday January 13th the FINAL payment for the Florida competition trip is due, unless you are on a different payment plan that you have discussed with me.

The ACIMCF schedule for guys is:

-Friday January 15th

• 5:45-6:55pm registration
• 7:00-7:15pm seating: in the Kenan Music Building
• 7:15-8:15pm rehearsal: in the Kenan Music Building
• 8:15-8:25pm break
• 8:25-9:00pm sectionals: in the Kenan Music Building
• 9:00-9:30pm rehearsal: in the Kenan Music Building
• 9:30pm go home and sleep!!!

-Saturday January 16th

• 8:30-9:45am rehearsal: in the Kenan Music Building
• 9:45-10:00am break
• 10:00-11:00 rehearsal/clinic: in the Kenan Music Building
• 11:00-1:00pm lunch: on your own
• 1:00-1:45pm sectionals: in the Kenan Music Building
• 2:00-3:00pm reheasal/clinic: in the Hill Hall Auditorium
• 3:00-4:00pm rehearsal: in the Hill Hall Auditorium
• 4:00-4:30pm break
• 4:15-4:30pm UNC MGC run-thru
• 4:30-5:15pm run-thru: in the Hill Hall Auditorium
• 5:15-5:40pm dress: Dress in Hill Hall
• 5:40pm meet/line up: in the Kenan Music Building
• 6:00pm concert: in the Hill Hall Auditorium
• 6:45pm festival ends

*You should bring: your music, a pencil, water, and money for lunch on Saturday!

*On Saturday, the clothes you will wear for the show is dark slacks, dress shirt and tie, dard socks and shoes. In addition, participants should bring a black folder.

*The cost for general admission is $5.00.

*You can recieve more information at http://www.uncmensgleeclub.org

The exam schedule for my classes is:

• Thurs. January 14th: Knight Sounds exam in a.m. then MidKnight Blues review in pm


• Fri. January 15th: MidKnight Blues exam in the am then Blues in the Knight review in pm


• Mon. January 18th: NO SCHOOL


• Tues. January 19th: Blues in the Knight exam
  

December Updates :)

CHORUS NEWSLETTER

1. Pecans came in yesterday. They should be delivered by students shortly.

2. Students should have turned in $300 by winter break. $150 is due at the end of January.

3. Evening holiday performances for Blues in the Knight and Knight Sounds
· Last night was the Treyburn Holiday Concert. They really enjoyed our performance and we are planning on singing there same time next year.
· Wednesday, December 16: Ruritan Club Dinner (at Willowhaven)
Meet at 6:40pm. Sing at 7:00pm

4. Daytime holiday performances
· Monday, December 14, 10:30am Hillcrest Convalescent---Knight Sounds and MKB
· Tuesday, December 15, 10am Ben Franklin Medical Park—KS and BIK
· Wednesday, December 16, 10am Durham Regional—BIK and MKB

5. Evening of Entertainment (EOE)
· Students chosen will rehearse the music after school with me during January @ NHS !!!!
· GIRLS: December 14 2:45-4 pm
January 7 2:45-3:45 pm
GUYS: December 17 2:45-4 pm
January 12 2:45-3:45 pm
· Pre-rehearsals at Riverside High (REQUIRED):
January 21 6-8pm
February 4 6-8pm
February 11 6-8pm
· Big EOE weekend (all-day intense rehearsals- REQUIRED)
February 18 7:40am-9:15pm at DPAC
February 19 7:40am-9:15pm at DPAC
February 20 8:30am-9:00pm at DPAC
· EOE Performance on February 20th at 7:00pm at DPAC
· Tickets are available starting December 12. Tickets are $25, $15 and $10. You can purchase tickets at http://www.dpacnc.com/

UNC-Chapel Hill Men’s Invitational Choral Festival
· January 15 and 16, 2010
· All male students in Knight Sounds are required to attend.
· Male students in MKB will receive 100 quiz grade for attending.






Directions to WILLOWHAVEN/ RURITAN GIG (Dec 16)
From Northern High School, proceed south on Roxboro Road to Latta Road...turn right and travel on Latta to Guess Road. Turn right on Guess Rd. Go to the stop light and turn left onto Umstead Road. Go approximately 3 miles to the sign that says Willowhaven Country Club. Turn left into the subdivision and wind around to the main Club house. There is a sign at the entrance. We will meet in the lobby when you first walk in.

FALL CONCERT WEEK/ Florida update

Chorus students had a chocolate/magazine fundraiser at the end of September. Items *just* came in on Thursday, November 12th. Any student who sold 8 items or more made 50% profit. Some families chose to subtract that amount from their initial deposit ($200, due yesterday, 11/13). We will also have a pecan fundraiser beginning next week (50% profit), so any money that students make on that fundraiser will also go towards his/her Florida trip. I am keeping a detailed record of how much students are earning, and keeping up with multiple payment plans from chorus families. If you have questions, I urge you to contact me immediately at rachel.fitzsimons@dpsnc.net. It IS possible for every student to go on this trip, and I hope that you will talk with me about payment plans before assuming your family cannot afford it. The chorus is a team, and we will find a way to help all singers attend if they want to!

NEXT PAYMENT FOR FLORIDA DUE: DECEMBER 7th. Amount: $100

As a reminder, here are the rehearsal dates for this coming week-- FALL CONCERT WEEK!.
Mon, Nov 16, 6-9pm
Tues, Nov 17, 6-9pm
Thur, Nov 19, 6-9pm DRESS REHEARSAL (I will provide a red flower and scarf for each girl, but they should come wearing a black dress/knee-length skirt and black dress shoes that they can dance in. I will provide a red flower and red tie for each boy, but they should come wearing a long-sleeved black button-down dress shirt and black dress pants, plus a black belt, socks and shoes.)
Sat, Nov 21 7:30pm CONCERT (students arrive at 6pm)

Any parents interested in helping with sound, please email me ASAP. We need your help at rehearsals! I also need parents to help with supervising students at all rehearsals. Please email me if you are available to help this coming week. Thank you for your support!

November 5th

Quick reminder that the Chorus Parents Association meets tonight at 7pm in the Chorus room. We got in the costume materials today, which was really exciting. We have been adding some choreography and percussive instruments in slowly but surely. It is getting really exciting! Blues in the Knight, the all-girls 3rd period class, performed at the faculty meeting yesterday afternoon and really wowed all the teachers. Mr. Colclough loved it, too.

I hope you're getting revved up for our Fall Concert, "Noche de Musica," on November 21st at 7:30pm! **A Ticket Order Form should have come home with your student on Monday.**

Concert attire: All black.
Guys: long sleeved, button-down black dress shirt (tucked in). Black dress pants. Black shoes, socks and belt. The chorus will provide a red flower to pin to their shirt pocket, and a red tie.
Girls: black dress or skirt/shirt combo. No straps smaller than a lasagna noodle, no cleavage. All skirts should be about knee-length. We will discuss shoes in class. The chorus will provide a red scarf/sash to tie around her waist, and a red flower for her hair.

Required rehearsals:
Monday, Nov 16th, 6-9pm
Tuesday, Nov 17th, 6-9pm
Thursday, Nov 19th, 6-9pm DRESS REHEARSAL, no exceptions (if missed, must write a 2-pg paper)
Saturday, Nov 21st, 7:30pm (call: 6pm for all chorus students) (if missed, must write a 3-pg paper)

All rehearsals and concerts are counted as performance grades and are a major part of the student's grade.

Many thanks to the parents on the costume committe, especially Jane. Everything looks great.

The Pancake Breakfast was a huge success, as was our Bake Sale. I am still anxiously waiting for our fundraising materials to arrive so we can begin the pecan fundraiser ASAP.

Looking for a keyboard for the chorus:
--relatively light and transportable, full size keys (not skinny), needs a sustain pedal
--If you see one for a good price (or have an extra one laying around the house), please let me know. We will need one for performances around the community in the future.

Things to talk about tonight at the CPA meeting:
-Ticket sales at concert
-Sound at concert
-Costumes for fall concert
-Shoes (girls, character shoes)
-Black dresses, tuxes for winter ASAP- measurements
-Wintertime performance opportunities (nursing homes, etc)
-Batteries for mics (9V)
-Anything else I forgot.


Please reply to rachel.fitzsimons@dpsnc.net with any questions. Thank you so much for all of your help! You are so crucial to our success and we appreciate all that you do for the chorus.

mid-October reminders

Reminders:

- Pancake Breakfast at Mt. Sylvan Ruritan Club
this Saturday, October 24th 7-10 am
Price: $6 (children under 6 eat free)
*Please bring bake sale items

- Chorus (small group) performs at faculty meeting
November 4th after school

- Chorus Parents Association (CPA)
November 5th at 7pm

- Fall Chorus Concert
November 21st 7:30 pm

End of September

There is a lot coming up for the chorus!

• Tomorrow (Tuesday), September 29th, 4pm, Chorus Room: small parents meeting to talk about FL spring competition trip
• All County pre-rehearsals at NHS from 2:45-4pm
  -Mon 9/28, Tues 9/29, Thurs 10/1
  
• Official All County Chorus rehearsals start this week! @HILLSIDE HIGH
  -Thurs, 10/6, 6-8pm
  -Tues, 10/6, 6-8pm
  -Thurs, 10/15, 4-9PM BRING DINNER
  -Sat Oct 17th: All day rehearsal, Concert at 7pm @Hillside!
• NEXT CPA MEETING: Thursday, October 8th at 7pm in the NHS Chorus Room
  -We will be discussing fundraisers (Pancake Breakfast), concert, costumes,
  Florida, and more!
• Students in Blues in the Knight and Knight Sounds should be selling chocolate and magazines for our current fundraiser! Half the money that they raise will go towards their personal chorus account, which will ultimately help pay for their trip to Florida!
  

CPA

The first CPA (Chorus Parents Association) meeting will be tomorrow night (9/10) at 7pm in the Chorus room (A3). You may enter through my door down by the bus lot and teacher parking lot. I hope to get everybody out of there within 30 minutes.

Topics of the evening will include:
1- Fundraising (chocolate, jewelry, pecans, pancakes, baskets, etc)
2- Costumes
3- Chorus Calendar/ explanation of "optional" chorus events
4- Parents and Why We Love Them (tickets, bake sales, transportation, support, batteries, sound board for concert week, advertising, recording, supervision, printing/folding programs, and being smart and beautiful/handsome)