Concert Choir Assignments

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe! Below are your assignments for TeleSchool. I will update this page as things change so make sure you check it each week. Also, make sure you are checking and liking messages in GroupMe! This is very important as we try to make sure we don't fall behind. If you have any questions please contact me. Email is best, and you can reach me at schreernj@fultonschools.org.

Week 1 TeleSchool: March 16-March 20

Work on the following sections of music:

Review "No Need to Knock!" - we've learned everything except for p. 9 and the ending (p. 9 is very straightforward, you might consider taking a look at it)
"Banks of the Ohio" - learned beginning to m. 45 minus a few small sections (make sure to look at this, it will be one of your singing tests!)
Women: "March of the Women" - review the whole thing, specifically m. 12-15
Men: "Avenging and Bright" - review the first page

Make sure to use the learning tracks during your rehearsing. Not all songs are currently available but they will be soon.

Singing Test Assignment: This week the men and women have different assignments.

Men: I would like you to record yourself singing the first page of "Avenging and Bright." You MAY sing along with the learning tracks as your record yourself, BUT it should be in headphones so that all we hear on the recording is you singing.

Ladies: I would like you to sing the first verse of "March of the Women." We've sung this many times together in class, so you just need to work on doing it independently. You can use the learning tracks to practice, but during the recording, I'd like you to only use the accompaniment track.

Everyone: Turn in the audio file using the TeleSchool Assignment Submission Form when you are finished. This is due Friday, March 20 by 11:59 PM.

Week 2 TeleSchool: March 23-March 27

Work on the following sections of music:

Review "No Need to Knock!" - look at the two new sections: page 9 and the last page. There is divisi, see below to learn which part you do.
Women: "March of the Women" - look at verses 2-4. Get comfortable singing with that text.
Men: "Avenging and Bright" - work on page 2

Make sure to use the learning tracks during your rehearsing. Not all songs are currently available but they will be soon.

No Need to Knock Divisi (learning track names for each section are in parenthesis)

Men split in m. 84 with Tenors on the top (Bass 1) and Basses on the bottom (Bass 2).
Altos split in m. 83 with front row on the bottom (Alto 2) and back row on the top (Alto 1).
Sopranos: for now everyone will stay on the bottom (Soprano 2), but I do need a few people to sing the top line (Soprano 1). Look at it and If you're interested send me a message. Your submission can be your "audition".

Singing Test Assignment: I would like you to record yourself singing "No Need to Knock!" m. 41 to the end on text. You CAN listen to one of the learning tracks as you sing, BUT they must be in headphones: I do not want to hear it on the recording. I know this is different than I had originally planned, but we're adjusting based on our circumstances. Turn in the audio file using the TeleSchool Assignment Submission Form when you are finished. This is due Friday, March 27 by 11:59 PM.

Week 3 TeleSchool: March 30-April 3

Work on the following sections of music:

Review "No Need to Knock!" - make sure you can sing from the beginning to end on text
Review "Banks of the Ohio" beginning through m. 47. There are a few measures in here we have not learned, so make sure to use the learning tracks as you review.
Men and Women: Review "March of the Women" the whole thing and "Avenging and Bright" pages 1-2.

Singing Test Assignment: I would like you to record yourself singing "Banks of the Ohio" beginning to m. 47 on text. I want you to use the accompaniment track as you sing. Make sure it is audible in the recording. Turn in the audio file using the TeleSchool Assignment Submission Form when you are finished. This is due Friday, April 3 by 11:59 PM.

Week 4 TeleSchool: April 13-April 17

This week we are going to begin preparations for our "Virtual Choir" experience. The logistics for this process are more involved than our previous assignments, however, the final product should be VERY cool so make sure to read the instructions closely.

Part A: Work on your music! Concdrt will be doing a recording of "No Need to Knock" so this is the only song you need to work on. Make sure to drill your part! An edited score with my notations has been uploaded into the learning tracks folder. Use this copy of the music as you practice. If you only work on singing the notes and rhythms correctly the final recording will be just ok. But if you work on adding musicality (both by reading what's in the score AND by looking at my markings) the final recording will be great!

Part B: Turn in a test recording. Please follow the steps below

Find a quiet, well-lit space where you can make your recording.
Set up your video. This is probably easiest to use your phone, but make sure whatever device you use is set up in a way where we can see your face easily and it doesn't move or wiggle. Don't hold your phone!
Get the balanced voices track ready. This may require a second device. A computer can both record you and play music at the same time, but your phone may not. A simple solution would be to borrow your parent's phone. Regardless, we should be able to hear the track on your recording.
Record yourself doing the following things:
- Explain your technology set-up. This should be very quick, just show us the room you're in and tell/show us what technology you're using.
- Play a short section of an accompaniment track for us so we can hear it in the recording. Next week you'll be listening in headphones so we don't hear it, but this week we want to make sure everything is working properly.
- Finally, for bonus points tell us what you miss most about choir! The best answer gets a shout out via social media!
Turn in your assignment using the TeleSchool Assignment Submission Form. Make sure you select TeleSchool Week 4 when you submit. This is due Friday, April 17 by 11:59 PM.

Week 5 TeleSchool: April 20-April 24

It's Virtual Choir week! This week you should be practicing your Virtual Choir Piece. Concert will be doing "No Need to Knock." Because we have not had time to rehearse together, you alone are responsible for giving us your most musical performance. Remember that no performance is ever perfect, but you will need to give 110% to your performance if these videos are to turn out as good as they can be.

So what should I be doing this week? We've provided you with a conducting video (see below) of us directing your pieces. Drill your music while watching the video, and work to add musicality to your performance. This is the same conducting video you will watch and listen to when you record yourself, so make sure you have reviewed it many times BEFORE attempting to record.

How should I prepare for the recording? If you were able to complete last week's assignment successfully, then hopefully there is little you need to do. Make sure you have a quiet room to record in, make sure your face is well lit, locate some black attire (does not HAVE to be your concert attire but certainly can be), and double-check that your technology is set up correctly. Also, set up your camera/phone to record in landscape mode! See this diagram for detailed instructions. If all of those things are set, then you should be good to go!

How does the recording process work? At the beginning of each conducting video is a set of instructions (courtesy of Eric Whitacre) that walks you through this process. Below you'll find a written copy of those instructions:

Watch the instructions in the Conducting Video.
When indicated, start the recording with your headphones unplugged so that the sound of the conducting video can be heard on the recording
A loud beep will play. Make sure it is heard on the recording. This will help our AV Tech sync up all the recordings properly. Do NOT pause the recording OR the conducting video after the beep, you must keep going!
Plug in your headphones so that only you can hear the conducting video and the recording is capturing only your voice.
Wait for the countdown. (After which the conductor will appear)
Wait for the conductor's cue.
Begin singing.

When you are finished you can turn in your video using the TeleSchool Assignment Submission Form. Make sure you select TeleSchool Week 5 when you submit. This is due Friday, April 24 by 11:59 PM.

Week 6 TeleSchool: April 27-May 1

General Announcements: There are a lot of "Business Items" that need to be taken care of this week. While they are not connected to your assignment, they are extremely important as we head into the banquet.

All Students go here to complete forms for Superlatives Voting and Lettering.
Seniors visit here for information on all the events we discussed in our senior meeting.
Current Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors should visit this post to vote for next year's choral council. It's currently not available, but we will update you know ASAP.

This week's assignment is very different than what we've been doing these past few weeks. We've invited four composers from our Spring Concert selection to come and speak with you over a Zoom call session. Each choir will speak with a different composer, but the overall assignment will be the same for everyone.

Review/complete some preparatory materials before the session (instructions below)
Attend the session and be engaged and attentive.

Meet these two expectations and you'll receive a 100 for this week's assignment.

Session Information: Concert will be speaking with Debra Scroggins, the composer of a piece Chorale was prepping to sing called "Hope." Ms. Scorggins is a well-established composer with over 50 pieces currently in circulation. Ms. Scroggins will be talking about her piece Hope, composing, and how music affects us. The Zoom call session with Ms. Scorggins is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29 at 12:30 PM and will last no more than one hour. The link will be posted in GroupMe.

Preparatory Materials: Ms. Scroggins has provided some materials/questions for you to review. All the materials and questions can be found on this form. In it you'll find:

Some general questions about music Ms. Scroggins would like you to ponder.
A recording and the lyrics of her song "Hope." Very fitting in this time.
Two reflection questions on the music she'd like you to ponder.

Please complete the form linked above before attending the session. The form and your attendance will be your grade for this week.

Conducting Video