Welcome Back!

Hello again! It is hard to believe that it is already August and that we are only weeks away from the start of school again. I hope this summer has been a time of rest, relaxation, and fun for all of you. We have an exciting year of choir lined up and many exciting plans for the year are being finalized as we speak. Please read through to the bottom of this message, I apologize for its length, but we have a lot of information to get out.

Table of Contents 

1. SAISD Convocation Performance
2. Parent Help URGENTLY Needed!
3. SAISD Region Choir Mini-Camp
4. Service Hour Workdays
5. Complete Convocation & Mini-Camp Schedule
6. How to Contact Us

1. SAISD CONVOCATION

As is the custom every year, the combined choirs, bands, and orchestras of the San Angelo ISD high schools have been asked to perform for a convocation ceremony of all the SAISD faculty and staff at the Foster Communications Coliseum on Thursday morning, August 22. All of the members of the SAISD Board of Education and Executive Administration will be in attendance as well, so we want to make an excellent impression on all of them. It is vitally important that amidst the backdrop of the combined bands and orchestras from CHS and Lake View, we make the statement that excellent choral singing at CHS is alive and well! To accomplish this, we are going to be having two nights of rehearsals to prepare the music for the ceremony. We are also preparing and presenting a piece of music written specially for our groups! This coming Monday and Tuesday evenings, August 12 & 13, from 5:30 to 6:30 we are going to meet and learn the music along with the participating singers from the Lake View HS Choir. This will be held at the CHS Choir Room both nights. For new families, the choir rooms are located right behind Tucker (Tucker is the new, main copper-roofed building just off of the loop).

Everyone receiving this message is invited to participate - that includes new students and incoming freshmen at CFC - you are especially welcome! Also, if you know of anyone who likes to sing and might consider joining choir this year, invite them to this camp and let them see what all the fun is about! Also, it's okay if you can't make it both nights, we want you to come to as much as you can. We would really prefer that you come both nights, but we don't want anyone to not come because they can't make both nights. We think you'll have a lot of fun seeing all of your choir friends again and we'll have some great snacks, too! It is completely free.

2. Parents

We will need several parents (or even former students) to help with uniform assignment during the rehearsal process on both nights. You don't have to have ANY special skills - just a heart to help! If you can help with this, please let me know ASAP! Men are needed too! Our program is only as successful as our AWESOME parent volunteers and booster club members!

3. SAISD Region Choir Mini-Camp

After the first hour of camp each night, we'll take a short snack break then come back together for the Region Choir Mini-Camp to start learning the region choir audition music for this fall. That will go from about 6:30 to 8:30 both nights. This is completely optional, and students not wishing to participate in the region choir auditions are welcome to leave after the first hour of rehearsal on the convocation ceremony music. We really want to encourage as many people as possible to stay and give the region music a try. If you've never done it before, it's A LOT of fun and it really makes you a better singer and musician, and you get to sing some really COOL music with some of the best singers in the state. If you know you want to do this and go through the auditions later this fall, we'll have the sheet music and audition CD available for you to buy there at the camp. If you're not sure, and you just want to give it a try, we'll have some copies available for you to borrow that night and return. The complete set of REGION music and practice CD only costs $10 this year and it will be yours to keep. The complete set of All-State music is $16. There are limited quantities available, but more can be ordered.

4. Service Hour Workdays

One of the many benefits of membership in an organization like choir is that not only do the students receive a required academic credit, get to compete in UIL & TMEA competitive events, and have a blast building life-long friends, but they work toward earning the coveted CHS Varsity Letter Jacket! The choir department has a point system in place that we feel is very flexible in allowing the students to earn the required points in many different ways. The system encourages program loyalty, musical achievement, responsibility, character development, and service. One of the ways the students can earn points toward their jacket is by working "service hours". These count as a one hour worked = one point earned toward their letter jacket (the full details regarding the point system can be found in the choir handbook on our website and will be discussed with students at the beginning of school). The students have their first opportunity to earn points this week as we get ready for the start of the new school year. I will be in the choir office from 1 PM to at least 5 PM each day this week (August 5 - 9) to work on various things, so this will provide students the opportunity to come up and work on various mini-projects that will help get our program going for the year. We have several very important things that we need help with so please come up if you can. It is important to remember regarding service hours that these are only awarded on director-announced events and projects (correct documentation and proof of time worked is required to receive the points).

5. Here's the complete Mini-Camp Schedule:

Monday, August 12	5:30 - 6:30 PM	Central High School Choir Room	Rehearsal on convocation ceremony music.
	6:30 - 8:30 PM		SAISD Region Choir Mini-Camp: rehearsal on region choir audition music.
Tuesday, August 13	5:30 - 6:30 PM	Central High School Choir Room	Rehearsal on convocation ceremony music.
	6:30 - 8:30 PM		SAISD Region Choir Mini-Camp: rehearsal on region choir audition music.
Wednesday, August 21	11 AM to 1 PM	Foster Communications Coliseum	Combined CHS, CFC, and Lake View HS Choirs, Bands, and Orchestras rehearsal at the coliseum. LUNCH PROVIDED!
Thursday, August 22	8:30 AM	Foster Communications Coliseum	Performance for SAISD Convocation! We should be done by 10 AM.

6. Contact Information

Again, I hope you all had a great summer and I'm looking forward to seeing all of you and what promises to be a truly AWESOME year in choir! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Keep checking our website and like our Facebook Page for last minute communication and updates.