2011-2012 has come to an end- It was a great year!

Wow- what a month it has been!  A wedding, service learning day, Alturian Club performance, State Contest, IC performance, a mother's day recital, middle school concert, high school concert, exams, a karaoke party, and now tomorrow, GRADUATION!  It has been quite the busy month full of not only choir activities, but many many end of the year activities.  I am so proud of all of you and feel very blessed to have such talented and dedicated students.  We are finalizing dates for the 2012-2013 school year now, and they will be posted here soon on the choir blog.  I hope you all have an amazing and SAFE summer!  See you on August 22nd- that's the first day of school!  Check the facebook page for info on our high school choir August rehearsal/meet and greet for choir students in grades 9-12!  See you soon!

Celina Choirs were impressive at State Contest!

I am so proud to say that the Celina A Cappella Choir and Chamber Choir both qualified for state this year, and represented Celina VERY WELL!!  The A Cappella Choir, performing at state contest in class C for the first time under my direction, received a rating of Excellent (II), which is the second highest rating possible.  The Chamber Choir, performing at state contest in Class A (they qualified for state in class B last year), received a rating of Superior (I), the highest rating given.  Thank you, students, for your hard work, and thank you to our 9 chaperones that accompanied us on our hour and twenty minute ride to Van Buren High School!

Please join us for our Spring Choral Concert on Thursday May 17 at 7:30pm in the Ed Complex Auditorium.  The choirs will be presenting their State Contest music, as well as some fun, lighter music to end the year.  The senior choir members will also have the opportunity to share their plans after graduation.  We wish all of our seniors the best of luck as they pursue their college or military careers, or enter the work force!

A Cappella Choir 5/3/12- ready for state!!

Chamber choir 3/16/12

Celina Choirs Are Going to State!! (AND BAND!!)

Last weekend (3/16-3/17) I had one of my proudest moments as a teacher in my 10 year career. My chamber choir qualified for state contest in class A (the 2nd most difficult classification) with straight Superior (I) ratings. This was our first time attempting contest in Class A- we were the only choir in the district to compete in that class. The sang their best and deserved the ratings they received- I was very very proud Friday night! THEN, the next morning, my A Cappella choir students came to contest with a fierce energy in their warm up that I really had not seen before from them as an ensemble. They sang the best I had ever heard them. We walked into the sight-reading room, and were so focused and determined to succeed in their sight-reading exercise. Many of us cried together when the judge announced to us that their sight-reading rating was a Superior (I). We had to work hard, almost daily to get their sight-reading to that level, but their hard work paid off and what a fantastic feeling that was!! The A Cappella choir found out soon afterward that their overall rating was a Superior and that they qualified for state contest! The A Cappella Choir students were (and still are) so excited at the opportunity to establish themselves as one of the state's best choirs. They are continuing to work hard in class, and we are having more fun working/singing than we have had in a very long time! I am so proud of all of my high school students and their efforts! We will be headed to Van Buren High School on Friday 5/4 for state contest! I hope that our ratings at state match the amount of effort we are putting in during our rehearsals!

Test upload of pics

Chamber choir District contest 2011
A Cappella choir contest 2011

Messiah Rehearsals have begun!

We are excited to have begun our rehearsing for our annual Messiah performance! A Cappella students have been rehearsing Messiah music on Tuesdays and Thursdays in class with Ms. Smith and Mr. VanTilburg. And on Sunday 11/6, we will have our 2nd combined rehearsal in the choir room from 3-4:30pm with the A Cappella Choir, Chamber Choir, and many adult staff and community members. Choir students are allowed to miss TWO of the Sunday rehearsals without a grade penalty. Please see calendar at the right for scheduled rehearsals. There are also schedules available for students to take home at the Sunday rehearsals. If you are a parent who is a singer, consider joining your son/daughter on our Messiah experience! Rehearsal CD's have been made available this year for all students and adults who wanted one. Students have also been encouraged to purchase their own Messiah music score, if personal finances allow. The Celina music store sells them for around $8.50. You might find a used score online for even less. Having their own score allows the students to highlight their own part and mark the music as they wish- they can also take home their own scores to have for individual practice. Students without their own scores use the choir department's scores which are in various states of condition from years of use.