Columbia Public Schools
5th Grade Honors Choir
2018-19 MEMBER’S HANDBOOK
The Columbia Public Schools
5th Grade Honors Choir is a 125-member ensemble with students from
each of the 22 elementary schools in Columbia. The Honors Choir has traveled extensively and
performed at the Missouri Music Educators Convention, as well as the Missouri
Schools Boards’ Association Convention, both in Osage Beach, MO. Founded by educators Susan Altomari and Mary Beth Ming in 1987, the Honors Choir is
proud to be starting their 32nd season. Although the personnel for the ensemble
changes every year, students are always thrilled to be joining the rich history
of choral music in mid-Missouri.
In this handbook, you will
find valuable information concerning our goals, policies, concerns, and
uniforms. Please read the handbook carefully and if you have questions,
contact Ms. Tevebaugh (Business Director) via email, phone, or in person.
Thanks in advance for all your support, both for the Fifth Grade Honors Choir
team and for your child, to make this a fun, exciting year of choral music!
Sincerely,
Christine Nichols
Artistic Director, CPS
Fifth Grade Honors Choir
Elizabeth Tummons
Assistant Director, CPS
Fifth Grade Honors Choir
Lindsey Tevebaugh
Business Director, CPS
Fifth Grade Honors Choir
Goals
Columbia Public Schools
Fifth Grade Honors Choir members will receive training in age appropriate,
healthy vocal production and experience in ensemble singing.
Participation in the choir provides an opportunity to perform music that
is often more challenging than singers may have previously experienced, and it
is also an opportunity to build social relationships that will benefit them as
they progress into advanced levels of music. Rehearsals, therefore, must
be a high priority for Honors Choir singers. Weekly attendance is
mandatory. Unexcused absences
could result in dismissal from the choir.
Sometimes, your child may
not always realize the impact of the wonderful growing pains of more advanced
and rigorous learning. It is essential
to the process to have your support when “it just seems too hard.”
Honors Choir rehearsals will
begin on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. Our rehearsals are in the West
Middle School Choir Room from 4:00pm-5:15pm every Tuesday. This
year’s choir will have three major performances. We have tried not to
“overbook” your singers with concerts, because we know that families are often
involved in many other activities. These concerts need to please go on
your family calendars immediately to avoid conflicts that may arise.
There may be some additional performances that will be scheduled. Notice
will be given about these potential performances well in advance of the dates.
In short, our goals are
hopefully your goals! We want every singer to have the best musical
experience possible. This can be realized only through dedication,
regular attendance, and hard work. Yes, choral singing takes a lot of
work, but it is also extremely rewarding!
Policies
1) Honors Choir members MUST continue to participate in their
own school choirs. There are zero exceptions
to this rule.
2) Three absences will result in a conference with the choir
directors to discuss if your singer should continue with the ensemble. If your singer has other obligations such as
sports or clubs that overlap with the honors choir, then your family will need
to make a decision about to which obligation you will commit. We certainly understand when difficult
decisions have to be made.
3) Honors Choir members are very visible representatives of our
schools. Their conduct and behavior is very important, and will be
redirected in our group as needed. If
there are major or multiple incidents, a singer’s parent will be contacted. Students who do not improve will be dismissed
from the choir.
4) We will have rehearsals at our regularly scheduled time on Tuesdays,
4:00pm-5:15pm. All rehearsals
will be at West Middle School in the choir room, unless otherwise specified.
5) If school is not in
session, we will not meet.
6) All of our directors are involved in Tuesday evening activities.
Parents must pick up their children no later than 5:30pm. Students whose parents are chronically late
will be dismissed from the choir.
7) All uniforms must meet
the standards set out in the uniform section of this handbook. Cardigans and ties are provided; other items such as
shirts, skirts, pants, socks, and shoes are provided by the family of the choir
member. If a need exists, please contact
Lindsey Tevebaugh at LTevebaugh@cpsk12.org.
Directing Staff
Christine Nichols,
Jefferson Middle School
Elizabeth Tummons,
Locust Street Expressive Arts School
James Melton, Columbia
Public Schools Fine Arts Coordinator
Lindsey Tevebaugh,
West Boulevard Elementary School
General Procedures
- Honors Choir members should plan
to be dropped off no earlier than 3:45pm and no later than 4:00pm. Mrs.
Nichols, Mrs. Tummons, and Ms. Tevebaugh will be unavailable for
supervision before 3:45 because of other duties.
- Students may choose to have a
water bottle with them at rehearsals, but gum is forbidden and snacks
should be finished outside the choir room before we begin rehearsal.
- Choir members need to be picked up
promptly when rehearsals are over. Membership can be terminated
if directors have to wait frequently for a student to be picked up.
We will not leave children waiting unattended, but our own schedules
do not allow us to wait for late parents. Please be respectful of our time with our families.
Uniforms
The uniform for concerts is
as follow unless otherwise noted:
Bottoms: Black skirts with black tights or black pants with black socks
Shoes: Black dress shoes
Tops: All students will need a white button collared shirt. Students will be provided
a burgundy cardigan with a gold neck tie. The white shirt does not need to have a
certain arm length; it simply needs to have a collar that can hold a necktie
with a button. This would include button
down dress shirts or polo shirts.
The cardigans and necktie
are property of Columbia Public Schools.
Please contact Lindsey
Tevebaugh (LTevebaugh@cpsk12.org) if purchasing a shirt and pants or a skirt is a problem for you. We will provide you with a donated uniform or look for a
source of alternative funding. I do not want this to prevent any child
who has qualified from participating.
Fundraising Project
The
fundraiser project will kick off on September
4 and will conclude on September
25 (this is day orders and money need to be turned in). All orders will be delivered and distributed
on October 23 to be taken
home by your singer after rehearsal. It
is of the utmost importance that your delivery be taken home on this day, as
there is nowhere for us to store extra orders.
Please keep in mind, there are 125 singers in the ensemble, so that will
be (hopefully!) quite a few items.
A
fundraiser information packet will come home with your choir member on
September 4. The fundraiser helps pay
for music, travel, and any cardigans that need to be replaced.
If you
have questions concerning the fundraiser, please contact Ms. Tevebaugh.
The project is easy (especially if you send out the link to order
online!) and the profit margin is very good. The CPS Honors Choir has
worked with Cherrydale Farms, our fundraising company, for many years, and they
are wonderful about making it simple and successful for us all!
