SCVA Newsletter (on-line version) – February 2008
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Message From The President - Mark Henson
I hope 2008 is off to a great start and that his newsletter finds you excited
about the upcoming months. The
preliminary round of the Vocal Solo Competition was quite successful, with many
fine singers now on their way to the semi-finals. This was my first time to host a Vocal Solo Competition
site, and I enjoyed it thoroughly!
These young singers and their teachers have chosen fine literature and
are so well prepared. It is a
pleasure to hear young people performing with such enthusiasm, passion, and finesse.
Auditions for Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir are underway, with the
results to be announced soon. I
enjoy seeing and hearing the junior high students as they come to audition. It is a testament to the fine middle
school directors in our organization.
Many of us have singers participating in “Diva Day” (February 2) and the
“Young Men’s Harmony Festival” (February 23) taking place at Orange Coast
College. If you’ve not attended
one of these events in the past, I urge you to do so. Many thanks to the Masters of Harmony and Harborlites
for making these events possible.
March brings the beginning of the SCVA Choral Festival Season, the ACDA
Western Regional Convention, All-State Honor Choir, and the Semi Finals of the
Vocal Solo Competition. As I am
writing this, March seems far away.
But as we know, it will be here soon! (Remember – festival applications are due by March 1.)
April and May will bring our season to a close with the Junior High/Middle
School Honor Choir rehearsals and performances, the Vocal Solo Finals, and the
Show Choir Spectacular.
Information for each of these events is posted on our website. Please plan to participate or attend as
an audience member. You’ll be glad
you did.
We will soon be making plans to elect the next SCVA Executive Board. Please contact me if you are interested
in serving as an officer for our organization or if you have questions about
becoming involved. The Executive
Board is a wonderful and dedicated group, and we welcome you to take part.
Best wishes as we begin the second half of our season. As always, it is my pleasure to serve as your President.
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Wow! What a Concert! What an Experience! What’s Next?
Rodger Guerrero VP -
High School Honor Choirs
Each choir had its moment in the sun…
No set of SCVA Honor Choirs has ever performed better than the 2007 Men’s,
Women’s, and Mixed Choirs did at Santa Monica High School on November
17th! From the beautifully sung
lyrical lines of The King of Love My Shepherd Is to the phenomenal, contemporary
interpretation and extension of the Loch Lomond, the Men’s Choir absolutely
brought the house down! The
incredibly complex and diverse Women’s Choir program was executed to near
perfection. From the gorgeous,
lush harmonies of the Nuit D’Étoiles to the splendid precision of the Chindia,
the girls delivered an unbelievably detailed performance. The Mixed Choir has never sounded so
unified, particularly in the sophisticated, warm harmonies of The Sweetheart of
the Sun and the textual clarity and rhythmic exactness of the Véniki. I must add that the basses in the Mixed
Choir have never sounded better.
If you missed this concert, you REALLY missed it!
All three directors, John Byun, Shawna Cross-Stewart, and Sharon Paul,
elicited the most out of the singers, and each did so in completely unique
ways. While the musical
experiences throughout the rehearsals and concert were superb, indeed, the
teaching and education going on were of the highest caliber. Thomas Paine once said, “It is the
faculty of the Human Mind to become what it Contemplates, and to act in unison
with its Object.” It was
fascinating to watch every singer consider each facet of the music as presented
by these master teachers. All of
the individual, musical reflection and intellectual analyzing metamorphosed
into some very profound, unified music-making. And even though the concert clearly moved all who listened,
the joy expressed on the faces of the singers was even more indicative of the overwhelming
value and meaning of the Honor Choirs experience. The singers LOVED it, were TRANSFORMED by it, and will NEVER
forget it.
Continually thanking, thanking, and thanking…
Tammi Alderman is an absolutely fantastic thinker, leader, and person! All of the computer-generated lists,
schedules, etc. were generated by Tammi.
And what a fantastically positive attitude she brought to every last
menial task. THANK YOU, TAMMI! Mark Freedkin is a selfless,
stick-to-it-and-get-it-done website genius. All things Honor Choirs were so much easier this year thanks
to his outstanding work. THANK YOU
MARK! Jeffe Huls, Megan Arthurton,
and Nancy Gray are tirelessly dedicated and giving people. Each of them willingly, patiently, and
effectively hosted an Honor Choirs activity. THANK YOU JEFFE, MEGAN, and NANCY! Carolyn Kelley is a marvelously efficient SCVA Treasurer and
delightfully funny human being.
All who received checks for your adjudicating, hosting, etc. owe her a
lot. THANK YOU CAROLYN! The SCVA Board is filled with
supportive, helpful, caring, and visionary conductors. Many of them helped out with more than
one aspect of the Honor Choirs even though they have their own SCVA
responsibilities to complete.
THANK YOU MARK, SHERI, KAREN, TONY, and PATTY! And to all of the audition site hosts, adjudicators,
sectional rehearsal leaders, accompanists, check-in table monitors, T-shirt
“hander-outers,” ushers, errand-runners, etc, THANK YOU for doing all of those
sometimes thankless and indistinct jobs that truly enable the Honor Choirs to
succeed! This whole process could
never have been so extraordinary without your help.
Next on the List and a Chance to Speak Up!
Nothing is perfect in life, and the Honor Choirs are no exception to this
rule. So, in order to improve the
process, I thought that it might be prudent to engender some feedback from all
of those directors whose students participated in one or more of the Honor
Choirs. Thanks to the
aforementioned “Web Genius,” Mark Freedkin, we have created an online Honor
Choir survey to help you in this endeavor. Each director will receive an automated email announcing the
posting of the Honor Choirs Survey as well as a link to the survey page. The survey is inclusive of fifteen
topical questions for which you may indicate your agreement or disagreement
with on a scale of 1-5. You may
also post specific comments for each question. Three final questions will hopefully enlist your suggestions
for future Honor Choirs conductors, music, and sites. When you have completed and submitted your survey, both
Tammi and I will receive an automated e-mail message with a link to the Survey
Administrator page. There we will
be able to view, categorize, and combine the results. We will then post them in a future SCVA
Newsletter article, so stay tuned for more…
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Vocal Solo Competition - Colleen Kennedy, VP/Vocal Solo Competition
On January 12, over 130 middle and high school singers participated in
the first round of this year’s vocal solo competition at eight different sites.
By all accounts it was a wonderful day of music-making and learning for
everyone involved. We had a few new hosts this year, all of whom affirmed that
it was an extremely easy and pain-free experience (encouraging words for
would-be hosts next year!).
I would like to acknowledge and offer my heartfelt thanks to all of the site
hosts and adjudicators for giving their time and expertise to the event, without
whom it would not be possible.
Site hosts Adjudicators
Melanie Alpert, The Alpert Studio (double site) Lisa
Stidham, Melodee Fernandes
Anne Cherchian, La Cañada High School Timothy
MacDougall
Heidi Cissell, Oak Park High School Dr.
Jayne Campbell
Rodger Guerrero, Harvard-Westlake School Dr.
Susan Kane
Allison Harned, Whittier Christian High School Dr.
Rich Brunner
Scott Hedgecock, Fullerton Union High School Karen
McBride
Mark Henson, Segerstrom High School Dr.
Ricardo Soto
Don Orser, Matilija Jr. High School James
Kenney
Looking ahead…
I received some good feedback from this first round, which might help teachers
better prepare their students for next year’s competition. First, ensure that
your student has a skilled accompanist. We all know that an accompanist can
make or break a performance. Especially with inexperienced soloists, it’s
important for singers to stay focused and not be distracted by what’s going on
with the piano.
Another comment that I get year after year (even the years I wasn’t running
the event!) is that many of these singers perform literature that is not
appropriate for them in terms of difficulty or maturity. Even at the one site I
attended, the adjudicator pointed out to a student that he should put that aria
away for a few years and come back to it. The point of this competition is not
to perform the hardest literature, but to perform appropriate literature well.
Singers hear all kinds of wonderful music, and our job as teachers is to guide
them to what is best for them developmentally so that they don’t damage their
delicate, budding instruments.
Dates to remember:
- Saturday March 8, 2008:
Semi-final round
- Sunday May 4, 2008: Final
performances, Jr. High/Middle School Honor Choir concert
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JUST DO IT – ATTEND A CHORAL FESTIVAL THIS YEAR!
by Jennifer Stanley, VP of
High School Festivals, and Maria Fritts, VP of Middle School/Junior High
Festivals
As music educators, we are in a
very unique position for assessment because of festivals. No other discipline allows teachers to
have their students assessed by experts in their field and receive instant
feedback. Choral directors who
attend festivals have positive experiences with adjudicators who understand
their teaching situations, and the adjudicators actively work to reinforce
their teaching. Attending
festivals is an excellent way to expose your students to great choral
literature, and for them to see other students working on the same choral
concepts you are teaching. Since
it is a positive experience for everyone involved, make sure that you ATTEND A
CHORAL FESTIVAL THIS YEAR!
Thank you to all the directors who
are hosting festivals! With our festival hosts, we have been able to schedule
44 festivals in many different locations throughout March, April, and May. The
festival application follows this article. Applying early will increase your chances of being accepted
to your first choice festival. As
a courtesy to others, please do not bring more than two choirs to one
festival. The application deadline
is March 1, 2008, and
late applications will not be accepted.
Please check your school’s testing schedule and spring break when
scheduling your festival. Please
be aware of the location of your festival so you can begin planning for
transportation.
The SCVA website has information to
assist you and your students in your festival preparation. The schedule of festivals, festival
application form, PayPal payment system, festival adjudication form,
adjudication scoring scale, festival code of conduct, festival listening guide,
festival host guide, and list of recommended choral literature are there for
your use. Please let us know if we can post other useful information for
you. For more information or
questions, please contact Maria Fritts at MFRITTS@temeculaprep.com or (951)
926-6776; contact Jennifer Stanley at jstanley@emuhsd.k12.ca.us
or (626) 258-5292.We are pleased to announce that this year’s conductor
will be Dr. Ricardo Soto of Orange Coast College!
SCVA Choral Festival Code of Conduct
Directors are strongly encouraged
to read the Code of Conduct to all students who participate in SCVA
festivals. A choral music festival
sponsored by SCVA provides the opportunity for a satisfying experience in
listening as well as in performing.
These rules are designed to encourage concert behavior in which everyone
may take pride. They are not meant
to stifle enthusiasm or to detract from the enjoyment of a festival.
1. Each student is a guest of the
host school and will follow the rules of that school. He/she will not leave the auditorium without permission of
their director.
2. Each student will be seated with
his choir prior to the opening of the festival and will remain in his place
until its conclusion. Personal
needs must be satisfied before the festival begins.
3. A courteous listener will sit up in
his seat and will refrain from talking, chewing gum, eating, combing hair,
applying make-up or doing homework.
4. Applause at the proper time is
encouraged. However, activities
such as standing, shouting and whistling are obviously inappropriate in a
concert hall. Adjudicators may
downgrade any performing group that displays poor concert behavior, or may
withhold adjudication for obviously disruptive conduct.
5. California State Law prohibits
smoking on school grounds.
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Vocal Jazz – Jamie Shew, VP – Jazz Choir
So many people ask me for suggestions on hip beginning-medium level
vocal jazz charts. Well, I’ve
compiled a list with the help of some great friends!!! Also, for ssa, ssaa, ttb, ttbb tunes,
check out michmusic.com or jenniferbarnesmusic.com – they’ve got some wonderful
charts to check out! If you’d like
the publisher information on any of the tunes below, please feel free to email
me at jshew@fullcoll.edu.
Beginning-Medium Level Vocal Jazz Charts
Recommendations by Jamie Shew, Cindy Bourquin, Christine Guter, Matt
Falker, Kate Reid, & Michele Weir
Like Someone in Love April
Arabian-Tini
I Could Write A Book Jennifer
Barnes
I’m Beginning to See the Light Jennifer
Barnes
Old Devil Moon Jennifer
Barnes
Sugar Dayru
How Deep is the Ocean Rosana
Eckert
Telephone Song Rosana
Eckert
Come Back to Me Matt
Falker
Comes Love Matt
Falker
Moondance Jeremy
Fox
Shenandoah Derrick
Johnson
Autumn Leaves Ken
Kraintz
Danny Boy Kirk
Marcy
Just One of Those Things Kirk
Marcy
Never So In Love Kerry
Marsh
Shout Blues Kerry
Marsh
Sing a Song of Song Kerry
Marsh
If I Loved You Phil
Mattson
I’ve Got You Under My Skin Phil
Mattson
Danny Boy Phil
Mattson
I’ll Be Seeing You Phil
Mattson
Drive Bobby
McFerrin
Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me Darmon
Meador
Brazil Paris
Rutherford
Dahoud Paris
Rutherford
Flor de Lis Paris
Rutherford
Love Letters Paris
Rutherford
Old Devil Moon Paris
Rutherford
Caravan Vijay
Singh
Before I Gaze at You Again Vijay
Singh
Embraceable You Kirby
Shaw
Stolen Moments Kirby
Shaw
Sway Kirby
Shaw
Cinnamon and Clove Michele
Weir
At the End of the Day Michele
Weir
I’ve Got the World on a String Michele
Weir
James Michele
Weir
Mas Que Nada Steve
Zegree
This Masquerade Steve
Zegree
Vocal Jazz Ensemble Recordings
Beachfront Property Beachfront
Property & Straight Up
Genesis (Mt. Hood CC)
Gold Company (WMU) While
We Were Young, 20, & 25
Just 4 Kicks Side
By Side & Kick in the Pants
LA Jazz Choir From
All Sides
Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross Everybody’s
Boppin’, Sing a Song of Basie, &
The Hottest New Group In Jazz
M-pact Live
at the Triple Door
Manhattan Transfer Anthology:
Down in Birdland & Vocalese
Bobby McFerrin w/ Voicestra Circle
Songs
New York Voices Sing
Sing Sing
Soundsation (Edmonds CC)
Take Six Take
Six
The Boswell Sisters Shout,
Sister, Shout! 1925-1934
The Hi-Lo’s Suddenly
It’s The Hi-Lo’s/Harmony In Jazz &
Cherries and Other Delights
The PM Singers Jubilee
The Real Group In
the Middle of Life, Nothing But the Real Group, & Live in Stockholm
The Singers Unlimited Magic
Voices
The Swingle Singers Retrospective
& Mood Swings
Vocalogy Distilled
Voice Trek An
A Cappella Trek
Vox One Pure
Imagination & Chameleon
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Other Important Information
On-Line SCVA Membership Application