THE NOOK CHOIR BEATS

Transcription

1 THE NOOK CHOIR BEATS Welcome to the MCHS Choir Newsletter. The place where you will find all the latest and important information on the what the Best Choir in the Land is doing. It s hard to believe that it s a start of an exciting new year. There will be many performances for the choirs, several fundraising opportunities for students to earn money for Tour 2019; the 18th Annual Craft Fair and Basket Raffle; the 21st Annual Madrigal Dinner; Night of Entertainment and more! Let s make it a fantastic year! October 2017

2 Director s Podium (VOL. 160 of 160) Dear parents and students, I hope you were able to attend both our Talent Show and our BLAST-OFF! this past month! Both of these events were a great start to our year and I thank all those who have pitched in and helped make both these big events run so smoothly! Now as we enter into October, the choral season begins to get very busy! There are some exciting opportunities for our students the next few weeks and I have some reminders of what lies ahead. 1. On Thursday, Oct. 5 our 17 th Annual Fall Choral Concert will be held featuring our Concert Choir, Varsity Madrigals, Women s Chorale, JV Madrigals, Mixed Choir, Treble Choir, and men of MCHS Choirs. Troy Middle School, Minooka Junior High and Channahon Junior High choirs will join us again this year. This is a great first concert of the year for our students in our choral program and I am excited for you to hear the progress we have made these past seven weeks. Women s Chorale is in charge of cleaning up after the concert. We are also having a Fall Choral Concert Bake sale, so thank you to those who are contributing towards our evening this way! 2. On Wednesday, October 11, Eleven of our choir students will audition for the ILMEA Dist. 1 Sr. Chorus at Carl Sandburg HS. Audition times will range from 7:00-8:45pm. A bus will be available to take and bring home students leaving school at 5:30pm, so parents need to be aware of times students will be leaving and coming home, so as to pick students up on time (about 10pm). If parents are driving or coming to pick students up that night, please indicate this to Mr. Benware by Friday, Oct. 6. For parents to drive or pick-up students, parent forms need to be filled out online on the MCHS Activity Website. The site is found at:mchsactivities.weebly.com and you click on Student/Parent Forms to scroll down to the Release to Parent Google Doc form to be filled out by Saturday, Oct. 7. A final IMEA packet and filed trip form will be handed out Friday Oct. 6, which includes final bus times, audition times, a field trip form, and general information. ILMEA DIST. 1 MUSIC FESTIVAL will be held at Elmhurst College on Saturday, Nov. 18 for all selected! Good luck to all! 3. IMEA 9/10 Honors Choir will also be performing at the ILMEA DIST. 1 MUSIC FESTIVAL on Saturday, Nov. 18 and will rehearse all that day to present their concert. Any freshman or sophomore interested in being a part of this (we can take four students) should see Mr. Benware this week to sign-up for an audition time. Music and information will be provided in the next couple weeks. 4. Homecoming was a ton of fun as students walked the Choir parade route and cheered in the Homecoming Parade. Concert Choir members sang the National Anthem on Friday, Sept. 22. Choir also hosted the Annual Talent Show again this year during Homecoming Week and the PAC was packed out for that event! The student acts were fabulous! Thank you to all the parents and students who helped! 5. There is one more National Anthem left for Football games on the following date: Friday, Oct. 6 ; All Women 6:00pm-Warm-ups/Run-thru Choir Room 6:55-Sing National Anthem. 6. The premier and historic group, the Yale A' Capella Group, the Whiffenpoofs, featuring our own 2014 MCHS graduate, John Kauffman will be giving a concert Friday, Oct. 13 at 7pm. Founded back in 1909 at Mory s Temple Bar in New Haven, CT, the Whiffenpoofs are the oldest college a cappella group in the nation and one of the most well-known still today. Each year the group is comprised of Yale s top 14 male senior singers, who take a year off from school to tour the US and 30+ countries, often singing for heads of state and entertainment icons around the world. In the past they have been featured on Saturday Night Live, Glee!, NBC s The Sing-Off, The West Wing, The Today Show, Gilmore Girls, and most recently an episode of The Simpsons and hope to make a guest appearance on Steven Colbert s show in the coming months. There is a discount cost online ( of $15 for adults and $10 for students or $20 at the door for Adults and $10 for students. Please share the attached flyer with friends and family. We would love to pack the house! 7. Varsity Madrigals and JV Madrigals have been invited to sing at the ISU Madrigal Festival on Friday, Nov. 10 during the school day. A packet will come home in a couple weeks with more information. We are thrilled to be able to sing at this prestigious and fun workshop! We should return from our day at Illinois State University around 3:30pm. 8. Madrigal Dinner Masque & Beggar Auditions began Friday, Oct. 6 and finish up Tuesday and Thursday Oct 10 and 12. Any interested student who would like to audition for roles in the Madrigal Dinner should sign-up on the Choir Room door and lines/music are available now to pick up in the Choir Room. 9. Musical audition meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 20 in the PAC from 3:10pm-4:00pm. Come check out the audition process and more about our fabulous show for this year! 10. SPC Choral Festival is on Thursday, Nov. 16 at Romeoville HS. CONCERT CHOIR will be going to our Conference festival this year and will need to arrive at 7:00am to the choir room that day! This is a required concert and more information will be coming in our next newsletter! 11. Attention All Choir parents! Our 21 st Annual Madrigal Dinner is right around the corner! This year ALL Choir members will be singing and helping at only one of the Dinners which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 6:30pm and Sunday, Dec. 10 at 1:00pm. Concert Choir and Treble Choir will be serving on Saturday and Women s Chorale and Mixed Choir will be serving on Sunday this year. Both Madrigal groups perform at both dinners. Please make a note as to which dinner your choir member is required to sing and serve at. We are also asking that each Madrigal parent volunteer to help with the dinner in some capacity. Details about expectations for students and parents for that weekend are being sent in this . We are asking that you look at the parent volunteer form and fill in what you are willing to do on the Sign-Up Genius link by October 17. You can also fill out a paper copy of the volunteer form and fill in what you are willing to do and return to Mr. Benware via or with your student to choir. A final list of volunteers will be distributed before the Nov. 14 Madrigal parent meeting. Thanks for filling this out! Thanks for allowing your student to be a part of our choral program here at MCHS. I enjoy seeing the successes we make in our singing every day! They are hard at work in and out of class and awesome to work with! I look forward to a productive next few months together! Graciously, Randy Benware

3 MCHS CHOIR BOOSTERS EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESIDENT- BRENDA CICHON VICE PRESIDENT/FUNDRAISING- MOLLY BABYAK SECRETARY/COMMUNICATIONS- VANESSA HOLLOWAY TREASURER (GENERAL FUND)-LISA BURGESS TREASURER (STUDENT ACCOUNTS)- LAURI RHODES MCHS Choir Booster Meeting September 12, 2017 MCHS Choir Boosters Meeting Minutes September 12, 2017 Call to Order- Brenda Cichon called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. Secretary Report- Joann Maruszak motioned to approve the August 15, 2017 minutes, Lisa McGowan seconded. All in favor. Treasurer Report- Brett Reedy motioned to approve the Treasurer s report. Joann Maruszak seconded. All in favor. Molly explained that this will be her last report. Account balance is $23, Director s Report- Mr. Randy Benware introduced Savannah Johnson, Concert Choir Student Representative. She talked about how the choirs are organizing games and decorations for Blast-Off. She mentioned the theme is Villains Doing Hard Time, and encouraged all students and parents to dress in costume. Team names are based on famous prisons. Savannah mentioned that the Choir Buddies have been selected. She also mentioned that ideas are storming for the homecoming parade float. Savannah also mentioned that there will be monthly choir activities. Currently, activities are being organized for National Suicide Awareness month. There is a wall of encouragement in the choir room. The following activities are planned for the following months: October- Weekly Mystery December- Secret Santa to Choir Buddy January- Musical New Year s Resolutions February- Valentines to Choir Buddy March- St. Patrick s Day decor hidden pot of gold. April- Joke of day/week or poem of day/week May- Summer decor/countdown to summer or graduation.

4 Football games- Varsity Madrigals sang at Senior Night and the Men sang at the Sept. 8 game. "My Country Tis of Thee was sang in honor of firefighters and police officers. Concert Choir sings at the Homecoming Game on Sept. 23. All Women sing at the Oct. 6 game. Varsity Madrigals sang two songs ( only five practices!) at the Fall Open House on August 24. Talent show auditions are Sept. 13 for JV and Varsity Madrigals. Sept. 14 for Bellaphonics and Vocal Menace. Auditions also took place on Sept. 11. Results will be posted outside the choir room on Sept. 15. There will be a mandatory rehearsal on Sept. 19. Performance is on Sept. 21. Tickets are $7 per adult and $5 per student. Still need volunteers to work the show. The choir will have a float in the Homecoming Parade. Students are encouraged to wear their beach attire. Band Director Mr. Rick Anderson will be the Grand Marshall of the parade. Fall Concert with the three feeder junior high schools will take place on Oct. 5. Masque auditions will take place on Oct. 6, 10 and 12. IMEA practice will begin early October. All concert attire is fitted. Orders have been placed and arrived. Thanks to the many volunteers that helped with concert attire. Old Business Choir Parent Representatives- Brenda recently sent Debbie Horvath an confirming if all choir representatives have been filled. Need to know if anyone else may be interested. Football Game- Sept. 1- Brenda reported that there was a good turnout, nice weather and everyone had fun. Stadium lost power with two minutes left in the game, so we were not able to do stadium clean-up. Choir seniors were presented flowers. All but one senior attended. Many people inquired about purchasing our flowers. Perhaps this can be a future fundraiser. Hillary Holden said that the choir would still be paid for the clean-up. Mr. Benware asked if we could help at a playoff game, if the team went that far. Carwash & Bake Sale-Lisa Burgess reported that $1100 was made between the two sites. This is comparable to last year s profits. Lisa said she is still working on the bake sale profits. Mr. Benware noted that if one sign s up, they need to show up. It s understandable that emergencies arise, but they need to be reported immediately. The central campus site was short-handed in the afternoon, but managed. Blast-Off- Brenda reported that this will be taking place on Sept. 15 from 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m. in the Cafetorium. Seniors are to bring desserts, juniors salads, sophomores a side dish and freshmen a main dish. Boosters will provide plates and utensils. Mr. Benware will send an update with this information. Mr. Benware would like to promptly begin the event at 6 p.m. Students that won the trivia contest in class will have first dibs in the food line. Talent Show/Bake Sale- Chairpersons are needed. Volunteers are needed. Tickets will be sold at the door. Four high school staff members will be assisting in security inside the PAC. Fall Concert- Women Chorale reps will be running the event and clean-up in the PAC. Candy Phillips volunteered to chair the bake sake. Need lots of baked goods. Molly suggested to parents to get there early to find a seat because it will fill up quickly. Mr. Benware reminded parents that black shoes and socks are a must and should be taken care of now. Brenda reminded parents that women in Concert Choir must wear white undergarments. Color will show through. Madrigals for this event only will wear concert attire. * Side note-jazz transit red shirts will not be worn this year. Back to red dresses with matching cummerbund for the men. Craft Fair- Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.. at South Campus. More vendors are needed. Currently have 75 vendors. Vanessa reported that parents need to sign up for basket themes and to help with solicitations. Brenda said the end of the month she will have a craft fair meeting. Pop and water donations- Brenda said Concert Choir members are to bring a case of soda, while the three other choirs are to bring cases of water. Collection will take place at the ticket booth during blast-off and at the talent show and fall concert. Make sure to label so student gets credit.

5 New Business I-Pad for classroom- Mr. Benware said a choir family has kindly loaned a lap top to the choir to use in the classroom setting. The purchase of buying a laptop is tabled for now. Mr. Benware said the department is looking to get Chrome books next year. Treasure s software- Lisa will need Excel for her personal computer in order to succeed in her duties as treasurer. She said she is willing to pay half ( average cost of program is about $100). Hillary said she will check with the tech team at the high school. They may be able to put on the lap top for free. Laurel Zelko said Excel sells for $39.99, which is a school employee discount rate. This will be tabled until October s meeting under Old Business, Fundraisers- Molly said Mrs. Hunt would like to host a Premier Jewelry fundraiser. Choir will get 25% back. Will be able to order online or through catalog. Dates set for the sale are Oct. 16- Oct. 30. Marco s Pizza coupon cards will be sold from Nov. 4- Nov. 18. Cards have pizza and Family Video discounts. Vanessa will chair. Tastefully Simple is set to be sold from March 5-19, Adjournment- Joann motioned to adjourn at 8:10 p.m. Tamara Dorman seconded. All in favor. Next meeting will be Oct. 17, 2017 at 7 p.m. in the Career Center located at Central Campus. Submitted by Vanessa Holloway MCHS Choir Boosters Secretary

6 Pull out your cookbooks and let s get baking! We need lots of yummy treats for our biggest bake sale! We need cookies, brownies, sweet breads, Rice Krispie treats, as well as volunteers to chair the following baking sales: Fall Concert Bake Sale- Oct C084DAFAB29A2FA7-fall

7 ALL DONATIONS, WHETHER IT BE CASH, BASKET DONATIONS AND/OR SOLICITATIONS, NEED TO BE TURNED IN ON THURSDAY, OCT. 5 AT THE FALL CONCERT. VANESSA HOLLOWAY AND LANA PURSELL WILL BE IN THE PAC LOBBY BEFORE THE CONCERT TO COLLECT. POP AND WATER DONATIONS WILL ALSO BE COLLECTED BY THE BOOSTERS AT THE TICKET BOOTH. CONCERT CHOIR IS TO BRING A CASE OF SODA AND THE THREE OTHER CHOIRS A CASE OF WATER. MAKE SURE YOU LABEL YOUR DONATION WITH YOUR CHILD S NAME SO THEY GET CREDIT!

8 Come hear the Choir sing the National Anthem at the Varsity Football Home Game! Oct. 6- All Women 7 p.m.

9 Homecoming Fun!

10 Senior Moments Joel Reedy Name: Joel Reedy Age: 17 Senior in which MCHS Choir: Concert Choir Hobbies: Reading Activities involved in: Marching Band, Band, Book Club, Kaleidescope, Speech, Underwater Robotics, Musical All time favorite song: Bells of Notre Dame from Hunchback of Notre Dame Why did you join choir: I love to sing! To gain experience in a variety of disciplines Future goals: To design sets for stage and screen productions. Greatest memory of choir: I haven t made any yet...i m new! Favorite quote: Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen Winston Churchill What will you miss most about choir when you graduate: I m not sure yet... Name one thing you hope the choir will continue to do: Keep singing! Your thoughts on going on tour to Toronto this year: I wasn t there I leave to Taylor Brown : The remainder of my High School based confidence

11 Angel Mirkov Name: Angel Mirkov Age: 17 Senior in which MCHS Choir: Concert Choir, Women s Chorale Hobbies: Singing, Watching TV/musicals Activities involved in: Varsity Madrigals, Essence, Thespians All time favorite song: Down Once More/Track Down This Murder -Phantom of the Opera Why did you join choir: I love to sing and love getting to know new people Future goals: Go to college, get to Broadway Greatest memory of choir: 2017 Essence at Millikin Vocal Jazz Festival Favorite quote: She believed she could, so she did. What will you miss most about choir when you graduate: Getting to be with my friends and sing. Name one thing you hope the choir will continue to do: Inspire people to go on to a musical career. Your thoughts on going on tour to Toronto this year: It was a lot of fun and my first time being out of the country, so it was cool! I leave to the choir as whole: My fellow sopranos: the will to always do better and work towards their goals.

12 MADRIGAL DINNER 2017 CHECKLIST FOR MADRIGAL PARENTS Saturday, Dec. 9 (6:30pm) & Sunday, Dec. 10 (1:00pm) Volunteer Form Due October 17 ( Costume Due Monday, October 30 JV Madrigal Pictures Wednesday, Nov. 1 Varsity Madrigal Pictures Thursday, Nov. 2 Congrat Ads Due Saturday, November 18 Apple Juice (2 Gallons per JV or Varsity student) Due Tuesday, Dec. 5 Madrigal Dinner Reservations Due Tuesday, Dec. 5 Non-perishable food donations for choir students during Madrigal performances Due Thursday, Dec. 7 Parental support is vital to the success of this year s dinner! Every hour you volunteer, every hour you donate, is truly appreciated!

13 We need six volunteers to usher this event. Ushers will be able to see the performance free of charge!

14 MCHS Choir Boosters presents: 18th Annual Craft Fair & Raffle Saturday, Nov. 4, a.m.-3 p.m. MCHS South Campus W Eames ST. Channahon Join us for a fun-filled day of shopping with local crafters and vendors while supporting the choir program at MCHS. This is the largest fall craft fair in the southwest suburbs; generally hosting 125+ booths of the finest crafts and a great variety of commercial items. We will host "pictures with Santa" for the second year. Also, enjoy our many wonderful raffle baskets as well as lunch in the cafeteria. Thanks for supporting MCHS Choir! More info available by ing mchs.choirfair@comcast.net

15

16 CHOIR CALENDAR Thurs. Oct. 5 Fall Choral Concert w/ Junior Highs*-7:00-8:30pm PAC F,T,TH Oct. 6, 10,12 Madrigal Dinner Masque Auditions 3:10-4:30pm Fri. Oct. 6 National Anthem-All Women Sing 7:00pm Football Field Wed. Oct. 11 IMEA Dist. 1 Auditions-Carl Sandburg HS 4-9pm Tues. Oct. 17 Choir Booster Meeting/Madrigal Parent Meeting 7pm Career Center Sat. Nov. 4 Choir Booster Holiday Craft Fair-South Campus Gym/Café 9am-3pm Fri. Nov. 10 ISU Madrigal Festival# 8am-3pm Illinois State University Sat. Nov. 11 IMEA Dist. 1 Jr./Sr. Jazz Festival- All Day Tues. Nov. 14 Choir Booster Meeting/Madrigal Parent Meeting 7pm Choir Room Thurs. Nov. 16 Southwest Prairie Conf. Choral Festival+-Romeoville HS 8am-12pm Sat. Nov. 18 IMEA Dist. 1 Music Festival- Elmhurst College All Day Tues. Nov. 28 Madrigal Dinner Committee Head Meeting-7pm Choir Room Tues. Dec. 5 Winter Choral Concert*-7:00-8:30pm PAC Fri. Dec. 8 Madrigal Dinner Dress Rehearsal* 3:15-5:45pm St./Sn. Dec. 9, st Annual Madrigal Dinners#* 6:30pm/1:00pm Central Cafetorium M-TH Dec Musical Auditions (Audition Mtng. Mon. 11/20-Rehearsals begin 1/8 6:15pm) Tues. Jan. 23 Choir Booster Meeting 7pm Career Center Wed.-St. Jan IMEC All-State Conference Peoria, IL Thurs. Feb. 1 IL-ACDA Women s Choral Festival College of DuPage 8am-2pm Mon. Feb. 12 Fine Arts Night 6:00-8:00pm Cafetorium Thurs. Feb. 15 Mid-Winter Choral Concert*-7:00-8:30pm PAC Sat. Feb. 17 Millikin Vocal Jazz Festival# All Day Millikin University Tues. Feb. 20 Choir Booster Meeting 7pm Career Center Sat. Mar. 3 Solo and Ensemble Minooka Community High School 8am-3pm Sat. Mar & Better Prom Performance-Cafetorium 6:30pm Essence/Jazz Transit# Wed.-Sat Mar Spring Musical 7:00pm (Wed. 1:45pm) PAC Tues. Mar. 20 Choir Booster Meeting 7pm Career Center Sat. Apr. 14 IHSA Organizational Contest-All Day Tues. Apr. 17 Choir Booster Meeting 6:15pm Career Center Fri. April 20 A Night of Entertainment# 6:30-8:30pm Central Cafetorium Sat. April 21 3 rd Annual Mattress Sale Central Cafetorium Sun. April 22 Honors Recital-PAC 1:30pm Tues. May 8 Spring Choir Awards/Concert* 6:00pm/7:15pm PAC M-W. May Madrigal/Vocal Jazz Auditions 3-6pm Choir Room Tues. May 15 Choir Booster Meeting 7:00pm Career Center Sun. May 20 Tentative Graduation-Concert Choir Sings+ 7:00pm Stadium * Required for all choral students +Required for Concert Choir #Required for Mads/Jazz