Choir News for Late September

Greetings, Bobcat Choir Family! 

Busy but exciting times are upon us. In just the next several days we will have our fall concert, our high school region auditions, and our first individual fundraiser. Please take a few moments to carefully read all of the information below. Some items require your urgent attention.

Booster Club News

Our booster club will be having their first general membership meeting of the new year tomorrow, Thursday, September 27, at 5:00. The students will be busy practicing the newly released cuts at 4:00 and the parents will meet at 5:00 to make goodie bags and then conduct a business meeting shortly after (about 5:30). They will be looking at future fundraising efforts, electing officers, and crafting their budget for the year. We have a wonderful, fun group of parents that I really enjoy spending time with and working together with. Won’t you please join us? Let’s get involved in a wonderful program that supports all of our students!

If you would still like to join the booster club or order a yard sign, garment bag, or booster shirt, please come prepared to order those at the concert on Monday. We will be doing our group order immediately after the concert. If you turned in an order form but have not paid for items on that form, please bring that payment to the concert.

High School Region Choir News

Tomorrow, Thursday, September 27, students auditioning for the High School Region Choir will have a very important cut release party. This is where we find out, along with everyone else in the region, which of the 5 pieces are to be cut and what sections of those that remain will be on the audition. It is VERY IMPORTANT to the success of those auditioning that they be here to intensely polish those selections to be heard on Saturday. Student should come to the CHS Choir Hall as soon as possible after school on Thursday and we will receive the cuts electronically by 4:00pm. Once we have those, we will rehearse with each section until about 5:00-5:30. Students auditioning: Please make plans to be here!

Then, Saturday we will be traveling to the High School Region Choir Auditions in Odessa (Saturday, September 29). We will email out more details to those that are involved by tomorrow. We anticipate a departure time of 5:30am (meeting at 5:00am) and a return time of around 9:00pm. The school will be providing for a box lunch and $10 towards dinner at the Midland Mall for all students participating.

We will be issuing uniforms to students tomorrow to take home for the fall concert. Students must have paid their $35 activity fee to be able to check out their uniform. Students must be in uniform for the performance. So, you can see that if a student has still not paid their activity fee, they are in a pickle. Very few of the dozen or so of you that have not paid your activity fee have spoken to a director about your plans to pay that fee or get an extension. This must be taken care of immediately.

Again, this is a friendly reminder that everyone is responsible for their own pair of SOLID BLACK SHOES as part of their choir uniform (boys must also have solid black socks that extend higher than the ankle). Students must have these for the fall concert and all future performances. These do not have to be anything exceptionally nice, but they need to be SOLID BLACK. Students not in correct uniform, including solid black shoes (and BLACK SOCKS, for boys) will not be allowed to perform and their grade will be affected accordingly. Let’s not have to deal with all that, please. Make sure you are prepared with black shoes and socks! Men also need to wear a white undershirt beneath their white tux shirt.

Other reminders about uniform dress:

• No necklaces, bracelets, watches, or distracting jewelry. Small rings on fingers are okay as long as there are not too many and they are not distracting. Remember: when working for a uniform appearance, less is more.
• Students are to not have died their hair to a non-naturally occurring color. For example, blue, green, neon red, orange, purple, etc., are not appropriate; however, a student who is normally brown-haired, can be red, blond, etc.
• No visible undergarments. 

If you have questions, please consult our online handbook: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nMoG-sT9-5ZEMfgUuFVOKf1EiwI4GZShplMoFq1HMNw 

Fall Concert

Our fall concert is next week! We think you will be VERY surprised at how great each group is sounding this early in the year. Our fall concert will be on Monday, October 1, at 7:30pm at Holy Angels Church.

Some important notes about concerts:

1. We are guests in a sacred space. Please do not bring in ANY outside food or drink. Please do not leave trash. Please do not touch the kneelers. Do not disturb the holy water font at the front of the church, unless you are doing so for sincere purposes. Please help us be respectful and reverent so that we can continue to be invited back. We are EXTREMELY fortunate to be in this wonderful space. DO NOT MESS IT UP FOR US!
2. THIS IS A CHANGE: When students arrive, they should enter from the NORTHEAST entrance. Those are the double doors right under the bell tower. I figure that’s an easier landmark for everyone to find.
3. All other doors to the church will be locked until 7:00pm. After 7:00, we will unlock the southwest entrance doors (that’s the wall of glass doors by the parking lot that enter into the foyer/lobby).
4. Adults that are not ushering or chaperoning, need to remain outside the church until 7:00pm. We will not open the church for audience seating prior to 7:00pm. It may even be a few minutes after 7:00, so please be patient and be courteous to those parents that are volunteering to work the doors.
5. These students have worked very hard to prepare for an EARLY fall concert. We ask that you remember that we are on a learning journey and not every sound from every group will be perfect this first time around. Please be encouraging and supportive of all groups. Come expecting to hear great progress and development and to enjoy the growth made by all groups in only 5-and-a-half weeks of school. Despite that disclaimer, I think you will be impressed with what each group is accomplishing this early in the year. 

Below are the call times for each group:

• 4:00 - Chorale(does not have to be in uniform, will be able to leave and come back)
• 4:45 - Bella Voce (does not have to be in uniform, will be able to leave and come back)
• 5:15 - Concert Ladies Blue [7th Period] (please come dressed for performance)
• 5:30 - Concert Ladies Orange [6th Period] (please come dressed for performance)
• 6:15 - Men’s Choir (please come dressed for performance)
• 6:30 - HarmoniCats (wearing regular choir uniforms for this performance)

PARENTS: we need YOUR help! We are asking for at least one parent to sit with each class during the concert and help us monitor behavior. Students will not be on phones or allowed to talk, and will check-out after the concert, but only after everything is clean, put away, and everyone is ready to go home. PLEASE, we need you to sign-up now here: https://www.charmsoffice.com/charms/volunteerR.asp?s=cenhsc&v=4474401

Junior High/9th Grade Region Choir News

In cooperation with Lee MS and Glenn MS, we are offering a couple of intensive rehearsals for students auditioning for the JH/9th Grade Region Choir. These rehearsals are not a substitute for students working and practicing individually. These workshops are to add polish onto the groundwork they have already done on their own. The next workshop for the 9thgrade/junior high music will be held on Thursday, October 4. Rehearsal will begin at 5:00pm and we will finish by 6:30. Location to be determined.

Auditions for the JH/9^th Grade Region Choir will be on Saturday, October 13. We will need chaperones for this day as well. Please make sure you have completed your VIPS application and sent me a confirmation email of your approval. Please sign-up here if you are able to go: https://www.charmsoffice.com/charms/volunteerR.asp?s=cenhsc&v=4474423

Fundraisers and Sponsorships

Today, we began our first individual student fundraiser. We are working with Champion XPress on this fundraiser. Students are able to check-out cards that are valid for a single $13 Champion Classic Wash at any of their locations (three in San Angelo). The cards are sold for $10 and the students will receive 45% profit. Everybody wins! The customer gets a discounted car wash and we are able to raise some money. We began today with an initial limit of 5 cards per student, but tomorrow we can release that limit and check out as many cards as students would like. Please remember that lost or damaged cards must still be paid for. Any unsold cards may be returned.

We are off to a great start on our Booster Club Sponsorships. Please continue to approach business with this worthwhile sponsorship opportunity. If you checked out cards and materials for this and have not returned them, please get those back to us immediately unless you are still actively working to secure sponsorships. 

October Trip Payments

Because of our hectic schedule this weekend and next week, and the delayed start to this first fundraiser, I will be delaying the deadline for the October trip payments by a week. Please make note that the $200 October trip payment will be due on or before Tuesday, October 9 (pushed back a week from Monday, October 1).

Thank You

Thank you for attention to these items and details. If you have a question or concern, we are only a phone call or email away.

Have a great day and Sic ‘em Cats!