The learning track for the solo to "We're Middle Cs" is now posted on the learning tracks page. Click here to go there now!
Happy Wednesday,
Mr. Coombs
Good Morning,
The learning track for the solo to "We're Middle Cs" is now posted on the learning tracks page. Click here to go there now! Happy Wednesday, Mr. Coombs
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Dear Middle Cs,
First of all, remember that there is no rehearsal this Wednesday, November 23rd. I'll be wishing you all the best Thanksgiving possible, and I'll be taking time to reflect on how thankful I am to be able to work with such amazing students! When we come back, there are some things you'll need to be aware of: 1. Everything must be memorized after Thanksgiving break. That means if there is a section of music you're unsure of, please take time to look at it over the weekend! Otherwise, you're going to feel lost as we gear up for our performance, and we don't want that; we want you feeling confident and empowered! 2. Auditions for the descant solo to "Been Gone Away" will be on Thursday, December 1st. I have posted two learning tracks on the Middle Cs Learning Tracks page. You can click here to be redirected to that page. We will go over the descant quickly at next Wednesday's rehearsal, and then hold auditions on the following morning. If you have any questions, please feel free to email. Otherwise, have an amazing Thanksgiving, and give a big thanks to your families for all of their support! Thankfully, Mr. Coombs Dear Everyone Who Auditioned for Middle Cs, First of all, I just need to congratulate everyone for coming out to audition. As I had mentioned at the beginning, this was a very high-level audition for a very high-level ensemble. Being asked to sing as the only one on your voice part is not an easy thing, and I was very impressed with every single person's effort and attitude in going up there. Remember that the purpose of the Middle Cs is to provide a unique choral experience to a small number of dedicated singers, in which we explore the "next level" of musical and vocal concepts. As much as I would love to work with all of you for an extra 100 minutes a week, I would be defeating the purpose of the group by accepting everyone who auditioned. If you did not make the group, please do not be discouraged. Think of this as an opportunity to have a conversation with me and to learn the specific things to focus on in order to better your chances for Middle Cs next year (or for an LHS honors chorus if you're in 8th grade). Whether you made it or not, the result does not reflect you as a person; it reflects the skills and habits you have developed thus far. While I was not looking for perfection, I was looking for a few things in particular:
That said, I am pleased to announce this year's Middle Cs! If your name appears on the list below, you must download the document that follows, print it, and follow its directions. Any concerns must be brought to me no later than next week. Lastly, if your name has an asterisk (*) next to it, you must see me ASAP next week. Treble I Bajaj, Anika Cutler, Avery Elander, Anika Lee, Charissa Lucente, Madelyn Muppirala, Jahnavi Peiris, Sonali Rabins, Callie Simon, Maryiam Sommers, Abby Weir, Fiona Treble II Cassidy, Lena Cronin, Ava Hart, Claudia Islam, Zainah Keltcher, Anita Kothand., Ameya Li, Athena Luque, Jacqueline McKenney, Jane Munn, Sophie Tang, Helen Cambiata Arshad, Matteo Bertsekas, Xander Chamon, Enrique Eaglesham, Will Evron, Moor Fisher, Henry Kontos, Dimitri Kundu, Ricky Somers, Liam Vincent, Zach Weisen, Michael Baritone Fernandes, Jake Kamis, Ben Luque, Alex Murphy, Alex* Perros, Zenon Sherman, Josh Tswei, Darren* Congratulations, and have a great weekend! -Mr. Coombs
Hi Everyone!
I hope you all had a fun and relaxing summer. I'm really looking forward to seeing you all again this week! The calendar of events has been updated, complete with dates for Middle Cs auditions and all choral concerts for the year. Click here to go to the calendar page. Chorus Homework Just like every year, you are required to bring a folder and a pencil every day for chorus class. Folder/pencil checks will begin on the week of September 12th. Additionally, you will receive a copy of the chorus handbook when you get to your first day of chorus. You must read this with a parent/guardian and bring back the last page, signed, by September 16th. You can download the handbook, complete with contract form, by going to the "Chorus Documents/Recordings" page or by clicking here. Middle Cs New audition sheets have been posted for 7th and 8th grade students interested in auditioning for the Middle Cs. Please make sure you do the following in preparation:
*All students, even those who signed up last year, must sign up this year. Wednesday, September 14th - 7:00am - 7th graders only Thursday, September 15th - 7:00am - 8th graders only Happy first week of school! See you soon, Mr. Coombs Middle Cs Auditions Moved to Next Year As mentioned in the school announcements, Middle Cs auditions have been postponed to September due to the number of changing voices that are signed up to audition. The selection process in June would not reflect the sound of the ensemble in September, so the pressure is off until next year! No Middle Cs Rehearsals This Week Current members of the Middle Cs can sleep in on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week! Middle Cs End of Year Breakfast This Friday Current members of the Middle Cs won't be sleeping in on Friday, June 17th...cause we'll be partying with food, memories, and a few awards! Please try to show up to the cafeteria a little before 7am if possible, so that we can get the food set up and begin eating on time! Middle Cs Moving On Ceremony Performance Next Wednesday evening, June 22nd, current members will be performing two short selections at our 8th graders' ceremony. More details to follow via email. Have a great last full week of school! -Mr. Coombs Dear JCGC girls who are selflessly devoting time and effort into this special performance for Dr. Pilarski, Here are the tracks to help you learn the new words and how they fit in your voice part. The first set of tracks is each part by itself. The second set has all part, but your part is only in the left speaker; other parts are in the right. This way, you can hear how it all fits while still being able to isolate your own part. For this reason, please use headphones! If the performance is next Wednesday, we will do a runthrough quickly before it's time. If we go on Thursday or Friday, please do your best to come to me during guided study on Wednesday of next week. Thank you again, and excellent job today! Mr. Coombs
Good Morning Middle Cs,
By next week, we are all responsible for having "If Ye Love Me" memorized. Because this is by far our most difficult piece, I've provided some tracks for you to learn from. Since you already know the notes with your sheet music in front of you, please use this tool to sing along to WITHOUT your music, using it to help you memorize your entrances and rhythms. We will begin rehearsing without music on Tuesday, May 10th. Click here to be directed to the Middle Cs Learning Tracks page. Have a great day, Mr. Coombs AUDITION DATES Wednesday, April 13th (after school) Sign up for a time slot outside of my office. Note: It is your responsibility to visit Mr. Iannuzzi's website to download sheet music and use the practice files to learn your part. Below is the list of audition requirements taken straight from that website. Start practicing and preparing now! If you have questions or need guidance, please see me ASAP. http://www.lhschoral.org/home/auditions -Mr. Coombs AUDITION REQUIREMENTS Each 7-minute audition will have four elements: a vocal solo, vocalizing/range check, a prepared choral excerpt and sight-singing. Details about each of the four areas are listed below. (1) VOCAL SOLO: You are to prepare a vocal solo that you feel best shows off your voice. Ideally this piece would be something you are studying with a private teacher. If you do not study currently, you can find easy art songs at Spectrum Music in Lexington or online. I can also provide a couple of solid options (see below). A classical piece will give me the best idea of where you are vocally. However, if you do not feel up to learning this type of piece, you could plan to sing a folk song (e.g. “The Water is Wide”) or a hymn tune (e.g. “Amazing Grace”). A third option would be to sing a tune from a Broadway show, but it must involve your "legit" (head) voice--no belt songs. Pop tunes are not permitted for audition. Whatever you choose to sing, you must bring sheet music with you to your audition for me to play from. You do not need to memorize your piece. You do not need to learn the entire song. Bring a section of the song that will give you an opportunity to showcase your best singing. (2) VOCALIZING: I may take you through some easy vocal exercises to hear how your voice moves, your range, the color or timbre of your voice, etc. I will not hear everyone do this. (3) CHORAL EXCERPT: This year's choral excerpt is "The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee" by Jean Berger, measures 1-35. The sheet music is linked [on the website]. There is a recording and practice files linked [on the website]. I will also post the audition recordings. For your audition, you will sing your part against a pre-recorded accompaniment track. For instance, tenors will sing the tenor line against a pre-recorded track of soprano, alto and bass (your part omitted). (4) SIGHT-SINGING: If you are NEW to the choral program, you will be asked to perform some melodic examples during the audition. You may sing on solfege (do, re, mi) numbers or “loo loo.” I do not expect perfect sight-singing, but want to get an idea of what your reading ability is and how you would fare in rehearsal. Please fill out the AUDITION FORM linked [on the website] and bring it with you to your audition. I am very much looking forward to hearing all of you sing next month! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email. Good luck! Mr. Iannuzzi [email protected] Hi Singers,
I just met with a couple of LHS kids yesterday so that they could tell me about a camp they run during the summers, specifically for middle school singers. It started out as an audition prep workshop so that incoming LHS students could learn what to expect from the a cappella group auditions in the fall, but it turned into a full blown workshop of a cappella awesomeness for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders in Lexington! The two running this workshop are directors of a couple of the a cappella groups at LHS, and they are excited to share some songs, some fundamental techniques, and the overall fun of singing this type of music. If you are interested and want more info, all you need to do is email Daniel Hoffman at: [email protected] Hoping you all consider this great opportunity to learn from some older peers! Stop by my office with any questions. Mr. Coombs Good Morning,
What a great rehearsal the Middle Cs just had: We explored the distinctions between tone qualities for early music, pop music, and barbershop music; you impressed me with your independence in how well you learned the first half of "Why Did You Say Goodbye?" on your own; and of course, we re-introduced our anthem, "We're Middle Cs." Speaking of that song, the track for potential soloists is posted on the Middle Cs Learning Tracks page. This will also help you make more sense of your ensemble part if you need a refresher on the form of the song. Remember your assignment to learn the notes to the rest of "Why Did You Say Goodbye?" over the vacation. With the great work you did on the first half, the second half should be a breeze :-) And of course, I'm wishing everyone a safe, warm, restful, and FUN vacation. -Mr. Coombs |
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