Week of OCT 11-13 and 18-20

Our International Dinner was a great success and the kids sang well. Still have a lot of work to do on basic performance rituals: riser behavior, what to do with hands, feet etc., taking direction during a performance. Overall, though, they did well with lining up during warm-up and pulling things together in a short warm-up time allotment.

Last week was Holiday music distribution week. All groups, except for North and East checked out music. Those groups got a nice introduction to the music by rote and a general overview, and will check out music this coming week (OCT 24).

Tried a new thing with the West choir this week to motivate them to memorize music faster. There's a poster that has a pocket for each child. When they memorize a piece of music and sing it for me or an "experienced" singer (could be someone who already knows the piece--Tomorrow or S'Vivon, for example) to hear them. Challenged them each to memorize one piece the first day. It was interesting hearing what they thought was memorized! ...very telling about the kids' overall perception of what it means to "know" a piece.

Part distribution for Holiday Music--

Sound the Trumpet - AB/CD

Dove and Maple Tree – AB/CD

Brahms Lullaby – CD/AB

Fum, Fum, Fum – unison

Ocho Kandelikas – CD/AB

S’Vivon - IMMs on melody all the way through; then A B/C D = S1, S2, A2

Wassail – Unison

Deck the Hall – CD/AB

Christmas Time is Here – Unison

Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day – Unison. Choose singers to do descant

Polar Express – AB/CD

Housekeeping: Still wrapping up odds and ends of Informal Uniform pieces distributed to singers. Sing-a-thon packets going out this week (OCT 24). Remind kids to register practice time on Charms.