Music News
Dear Families,
I trust that you have had a great first few weeks back at school. It has been great to see lots of familiar and new faces in classroom music this week and I am looking forward to seeing all classes weekly this year. Rehearsals will commence next week for all choirs and I thank families for their patience with the announcement of Choir rehearsal start dates for 2024.
In 2024, all YSS students in grades 2-6 are invited to be a member of our excellent Senior and Junior Choirs. Here's why EVERYONE can get the same thrill as the existing choir does and absolutely EVERYONE can take part
· No auditions
· No experience of singing needed
· No experience of reading music needed
· A recording of someone singing all the parts for the songs we sing is provided to learn from
· You just listen to the tracks like you would your favourite songs and that's how you learn
· Then just rehearse them together every week - easy!
All you need is to want to have fun, enjoy the buzz of being in a friendly team and work hard. The reward - the most amazing high when you stand there with your new friends in the choir and sing to a hall full of happy concert goers.
Singing in a choir provides exceptional character developmental and educational principles. Whilst establishing a love and lifelong appreciation for music, singing in a choir helps develop social skills, increases confidence and self-awareness and encourages team-bonding and teamwork skills. The physical act of singing is proven to increase cardiovascular function, lower blood pressure, release endorphins, and lowers stress levels. There are also strong ties between musical understanding and the development of language and literacy whilst general music education supports academic learning and encourages healthy brain development.
Joining a choir is a lot of fun but it does also require some commitment. Choir members are expected to attend all rehearsals; except in the case of illness. Attendance is important for individual learning as well as the development of the whole group. Attendance is also a necessity in preparing for the performance opportunities offered throughout the year. These may include school concerts, community events and larger scale performances. Families will be notified of important dates over the coming weeks.
All Instrumental Music students are strongly encouraged to join a choir to further their instrumental development.
You do not need to have been in a choir in 2023 to be in a choir in 2024.
Junior Choir
Junior Choir is an un-auditioned choir open to all students in grades 2 and 3 with rehearsals being held on a Tuesday morning between 8:00 and 8:30 in the Curiosity centre. Rehearsals to commence Tuesday 13 Feb with children arriving between 7:50 and 7:55am
Senior Choir
Senior choir is an un-auditioned choir open to all students in grades 4-6 with rehearsals being held on a Friday morning between 7:45 and 8:30 in the Curiosity centre. Rehearsals to commenceFriday 16 Feb with children arriving between 7:35 and 7:40am
Chamber Choir
Chamber Choir is an auditioned choir of students in grades 4-6 who are wanting an extension to the choir program. Chamber Choir will be performing repertoire in 2 and 3 parts, both accompanied and unaccompanied. All members of the Chamber Choir must also be members of the Senior Choir and must have a good attendance record for both ensembles. Auditions will held Monday first break in the music room in week 3 (Monday 5th February) and students are to sing solo, unaccompanied, the attached choir excerpt. While the audition process can be daunting, those who have auditioned in the past have been glad to have taken that nerve-wracking step and overcome their fears. Rehearsals will be held at first break between 11 and 1145 in the music room. Students will return to their class to eat their lunch.
Audition Piece: You can't stop the beat up to bar 29. Recording beginning to 56 seconds. See attached.
If your student would like to join any of our choirs, please complete the online expression of interest form below.
https://forms.office.com/r/5W6RHPuSKb
If you have any further queries regarding the Choir program at YSS, please feel free to contact me via email.
I look forward to meeting all of your young singers and working with them to perform some fabulous music throughout the year.
Kind Regards,
Courtney Truce