Download File - Scullen Middle School Music

C O N C E R T AT T I R E
Students will purchase a Blue Scullen Music Department polo that will be
worn for all concerts. Students will be able to use this polo for Band,
Chorus, and/or Orchestra during sixth, seventh, and eighth grades at
Scullen. Polos will be ordered during the first few weeks of school. The
cost for the 2014-15 school year will be $14.00. If your student does not
have a polo, please fill out the order form.
Chorus members must provide their own black pants, black socks, and
black dress shoes for performances. Please avoid black jeans, black
leggings and black gym shoes. A student who is not properly dressed will
lose points from his/her Concert Attendance grade.
SCULLEN MIDDLE SCHOOL
2815 Mistflower Lane
Naperville, IL 60564
Choral Handbook
2014 - 2015
ABOUT THE DIRECT OR
Mr. Ferguson joined the Scullen staff and the music department of District 204 in August of 2013, and is very excited to start his second year as
a fellow Shark!
Mr. Ferguson is a graduate of the University of Illinois, with a Bachelors
degree in Comprehensive Music Education and a Masters in Choral Music
Education. He has taught choral music at the Jr. High and High School
levels in in both Oswego and Bloomington, Illinois. Most recently he was
music director at Rosary High School, where he taught Chorus and Orchestra. Mr. Ferguson was the founding director of the Young Men’s Chorus at YNS (Young Naperville Singers), and he has been director of music
and arts in churches in the Naperville area as well as Bloomington, Illinois. He is a frequent adjudicator for ICCA Varsity Vocals (a national
student a cappella competition) and has a long history of participating in
A Cappella Groups.
His love of composing children’s music led to a summer working for
Veggietales, where he wrote the music for the Veggietales VBS curriculum
in 2000, along with Lisa Vischer (aka: Jr. Asparagus).
Mr. Ferguson grew up in Oswego, and he and his family live in Plainfield,
so he considers himself as a local, remembering when Route 34 was a twolane highway where people would speed 70 miles an hour to the mall.
Mr. Michael Ferguson
Choral Director, Vocal Instruction
6th, 7th, 8th Grade Chorus
Honors Chorus
Treble Singers & Bass Ensemble
Solo/Ensemble
IMEA Festival
Spring Musical
SCULLEN CHORUSES
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to the choral department at Scullen Middle School! With an
exciting year of music-making before us, it is important that teacher,
parents, and students have a shared awareness and understanding of the
Scullen Choral Department policies. This handbook outlines those policies
and offers other important information that will help to ensure that the
2013-14 school year is a successful and enjoyable one for your child.
Please read the handbook, discuss it with your family, and keep it for
reference.
Music in District 204 is a vibrant part of the curriculum. In
addition to providing music education, our choral program is designed to
meet the emotional, social, and cultural needs of every student.
Goals for students include:
1. To discover, appreciate, and value their talents, the talents of others,
and the beauty of music.
2. To develop the desire to improve their performance as well as increase
knowledge of music theory, composition, and mastery of sightreading.
3. To gain a sense of self-fulfillment by striving to reach their full
potential.
1. To develop a lifelong enjoyment and appreciation of music, and a desire to be lifelong learners - and participants - of the arts.
I hope that you will share these goals and help to provide the best
possible experience for everyone. Please feel free to contact me at any
time with any questions that you may have.
TIPS for SUCCESS
Arrive on time to rehearsals and performances.
Students who arrive tardy to class will lose half of their
participation grade for the day. Chorus members who are late for
performances miss out on valuable last minute rehearsal time and
may not be able to perform with their classmates.
Leave Food, Drinks, and Gum outside of class.
To avoid choking hazards and to ensure that students are using
the best vocal technique possible, there is no food, drink, or gum
allowed in the chorus room besides water. Students chewing gum
will lose half of their participation grade for the day.
Listen carefully and follow directions.
Excessive talking and/or disruptive behavior indicates that a
student is not contributing his/her best to the ensemble’s efforts.
Respect classmates
The music-making of others should be encouraged and celebrated
by everyone in the classroom. We all have different abilities and
talents to share with each other.
Respect classroom and classroom materials
We should take good care of the Chorus Room and classroom
materials, such as music, chairs, etc. for future music-making at
Scullen.
PA R E N T VO LU N T E E R S
I am looking forward to a great year!
Mr. Mike Ferguson
Choral Director, Scullen Middle School
630.428.7000 ex 8705
[email protected]
Parent support and volunteers are essential for the success of a
choral music program. Please either sign up through your son’s or
daughter’s online questionnaire, talk to Mr. Ferguson at Curriculum Night (Sept. 9, 11, 15) or contact Mr. Ferguson at
(michael_ferguson @ipsd.org).
EXTRA & CO-CURRICULAR
Scullen Chorus students have the opportunity to audition for several extra and
co-curricular activities that include Honor Chorus, ILMEA District IX
Junior Chorus, IGSMA Solo & Ensemble, Treble Singers,
Bass Ensemble, and the Spring Musical.
Honors Chorus (Audition Open to ALL GRADES)
6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in the choral department are allowed to
audition for Honor Chorus. Students will work on challenging musical repertoire
from a wide range of musical genres. The ensemble will rehearse at 6:50 am on
Tuesday and Friday mornings. Multiple performances are also required
(additional concerts outside of curricular performances). Auditions for Honor
Chorus will be held on September 10th, 11th, and 12th after school.
ILMEA District IX Junior Chorus (Open to 7th and 8th Grade Students)
7th and 8th grade Chorus students may audition to participate in the Illinois
Music Educators’ Association District IX Junior Chorus. During this all-day
event, students will work with a guest conductor and perform with students
from various area schools. Auditions will take place on October 5th at Yorkville
Middle School. Preliminary Auditions will be held simultaneously with Honors
Chorus auditions on September 10th, 11th, and 12th. All students that want to
audition in October MUST complete a preliminary audition with Mr. Ferguson.
Only 30 students from Scullen may audition, according to IMEA policies.
IGSMA Solo and Ensemble (Open to ALL GRADES)
Illinois Grade School Music Association Solo & Ensemble Contest allows
students the opportunity to rehearse and perform a solo (7th or 8th grade) or
small group ensemble piece (All grades). Singers will receive scores and
feedback from judges at the contest. Singers will rehearse their pieces
independently and receive some musical guidance from the director during after
-school practice sessions. There is no audition for Solo/Ensemble for the 2013-14
school year. Sign ups will occur in November. There is a small fee.
Spring Musical Production (Open to ALL SCULLEN STUDENTS)
Each year, Scullen Middle School presents its Spring Musical in April. This year
the musical will be held on April 16th and 17th. Students will receive specific
information about the spring musical in December. Auditions will be held in
January. All rehearsals take place outside of school hours.
Treble Singers & Bass Ensemble (Open to ALL SCULLEN STUDENTS)
Scullen Choral Department will be offering two extra-curricular choruses this
year: Bass Ensemble (boys) & Treble Singers (girls), which will being rehearsals
after the first concerts in October. The groups will be singing a variety of styles,
including a cappella music, and music from different world cultures. They will
be combining forces for several pieces later in the school year as a full mixed
chorus, similar to Collage Choir in the previous two years.
R E QU I R E D M AT E R I A L S
All Scullen Chorus students will need:
- 1/2 inch, 3-ring binder (black)
- Pencil for each rehearsal
GRADING POLICY
Students will receive a letter grade each quarter based on the following criteria:
40% Weekly Participation
30% Concert Attendance
30% Written Assignments (In-class assignments, online
assignments, homework, quizzes, reflection papers)
Weekly Participation grades: Each week, students will receive a score out of a
maximum of 5 daily points based on their attitude, effort, behavior, attention,
and cooperation in class during that week. Students will not be penalized for
absences excused by the Scullen Middle School Main Office.
Concert Attendance grades: Each chorus student is expected to attend and
participate in all concert performances. Choral performances are mandatory and
worth 30% of a student’s quarterly grade. The calendar of this year’s
mandatory performances can be found on the back of this handbook. Please
mark your calendar with the performance dates as soon as possible. Additional
performances or changes may be added with reasonable advanced notice.
If your child needs to miss a performance due to an extreme situation, a note
signed by a parent must be presented to the director at least 2 weeks prior to the
performance. The director will then determine whether or not the absence will
be excused. Students with excused absences will complete an alternate
assignment. Sickness or family emergences will be handled on an individual
basis.
An unexcused absence from a performance will result in a loss of credit and a
final grade lowered by 30%.
Written Assignments grades: In-class assignments, homework, quizzes, reflection
papers, and other written work will be assigned at the instructor’s
discretion. In all cases, students will have advanced knowledge of quizzes and
due dates.
2014-2015 Choral Calendar
Date
Event
Location
9/9,11,15/
2014
Curriculum Nights (6th, 7th, 8th)
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Scullen Middle School
2014-2015 Choral Calendar
Date
Event
Location
12/12/14
CSO trip (7th and 8th grade)
Symphony Center
9/10,11,12/ Honors Chorus ILMEA Auditions
2014
(Interested students will sign up for a
time slot after school)
Scullen Chorus Room
12/16/14
7:30 PM - 8th Grade BCO Concert
Scullen Gymnasium
10/03/14
6th grade chorus lunch rehearsal
Scullen Chorus Room
2/21/15
IGSMA Solo and Ensemble Contest
(Selected Students Only)
Still Middle School
10/04/14
IMEA District IX Junior Chorus
Auditions
Yorkville Middle
School, Yorkville
2/28/15
Granger Middle School
Fall BCO Demonstration Concerts:
6:30 pm - 6th grade BCO, & JE
(no Honors Chorus)
8:00 pm - 7th grade BCO &
8th grade chorus (no 8th grade B/O)
Scullen Gymnasium
District 204 Chorus Festival
(Honors Chorus Only)
3/4/15
Spring Chorus Concerts
6:30 pm - 6th Grade and Honors Chorus
8:00 pm - 7th and 8th Grade Chorus
Scullen Gymnasium
11/05/14
Boys Chorus Festival
5:30-7:30 PM
WVHS
11/08/14
ILMEA Junior Festival
All Day - (Selected Students Only)
MVHS
11/12/14
8th Grade Sing and Share
(Interested 8th Grade Students)
Neuqua Valley
(Gold Campus)
Honors Chorus Sing and Share
5:30-7:15 PM
WVHS
11/21/14
6th grade CSO trip
Symphony Center
12/09/14
6th grade chorus lunch rehearsal
Chorus Room
12/10/14
6:00 BCO Concert (JB, JE, SS)
7:45 BCO Concert (HC, WE, CS)
Scullen Gymnasium
10/06/14
11/18/14
Treble Singers & Bass Ensemble
***Bolded items are required events***
for ALL Scullen Chorus Members
4/16-17/
2015
MUSICAL 7:00 pm
(Thursday and Friday)
Scullen Cafeteria
5/06/15
Honors Concert
(Honors Chorus, Wind Ensemble,
Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Strings)
Scullen Gymnasium
5/12/15
Funway Trip
Funway, Batavia, IL
5/16/15
Fine Arts Festival
NVHS
(6th, 7th and 8th Grade Choruses only, NO
HONORS CHORUS)
5/26/15
Middle School Honor Chorus
Concert 7pm (Honor Chorus Only)
Neuqua Valley High
School Auditorium
***Bolded items are required events ***
for ALL Scullen Chorus Members

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