Thank you for your support and understanding while I was out of town. I am very happy to be back!Bastrop Choirs Holiday Concert - Monday, December 4th, 2023 @ 7 PM [JFW Performing Arts Center]
First of all, I would like to say thank you for all the well wishes and support over the past few weeks! I appreciate your patience with me while I was out of town; my husband and I had a wonderful wedding and beautiful trip to Ireland for our honeymoon! I am so appreciative for our hard-working choir students holding down the fort while I was away, and I am so glad to be back in the swing of things as we race towards the end of the year! We've been busier than ever preparing for our holiday concert in a few weeks, so as we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday I'd like to share my thanks with you and send you into the holiday week with some important reminders: Every year I am so thankful for the incredible singers in our choral program, however, this year I feel especially thankful for them. We have quite a few new singers this year, and they have done an amazing job of jumping in and working hard to make our program absolutely excellent. Especially when I was off campus, our choir singers did not hesitate to step up and work hard in my absence. I am thankful for the many parents and grandparents of BHS Choirs students who have reached out over the past few months and offered help for our program; I am so appreciative of your help and will definitely need it throughout the rest of the school year! Finally, I am so thankful for the progress of the Bond construction that is leading to our new Choir Room. Seeing the construction move along so quickly this year has me very hopeful that we will start the 2024-25 in our new Choir Room! We have been steadily growing year-over-year for the past five years, so I'm excited to have a Choir Room that will match the advancement of our choir program. Hopefully the progress will be far enough in the spring that I can send you updates before graduation season! Thank you all for all you do, and from my family to yours, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Kindly, Mrs. Woodburn (Davis) UPCOMING DATES: Monday, November 27th: Final Mixed Choir Rehearsal of Fall Semester [Choir Room - 4:30 PM-5:30 PM] Wednesday, November 29th: Holiday Choir Concert Dress Rehearsal [PAC - 5:00 PM-7:00 PM] Monday, December 4th: Holiday Choir Concert Performance [ PAC - Call Time 5:30 PM; Concert 7:00 PM] Friday, December 8th: 3rd Annual Carols in the Square [Downtown Bastrop - 6:00 PM caroling, 7:00 PM courthouse]
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Happy Mid-Semester, BHS Choir Families & Friends!We've officially made it through the middle of the Fall Semester! In this short amount of time, we've already had performances, extracurricular events and fun extra events that make our choir classes packed full of singing and FUN! It has been a joy seeing our choir students make new friends and grow stronger as young singers, and I cannot wait to see their progress and confidence come May! Below are some friendly reminders from Ms. Davis as we head into a very busy week!
BHS vs. CCHS Football Game is Friday, October 6th! BHS and CCHS choirs combine to sing the National Anthem at the "Gold Out Game" on Friday, October 6th! (Also known as Crosstown Showdown). Call Time is 6:15 PM and performance is at 7:00 PM. Students get in for free (See gate attendant - names are on the list), so students are welcome to stay and watch the game or they may also go home after the performance! Region Choir auditions are on Saturday, October 7th! Select BHS students have qualified for the Region Choir auditions on Saturday, 10/7, at Bowie HS in Austin! You should have received an email from Ms. Davis regarding logistics for Saturday. Wish our students luck as they compete against other Austin area singers to make the Region Choir and move on to the Pre-Area round! Our first Choir Concert is Tuesday, October 10th! Our Fall Concert is on Tuesday, October 10th, at the JFW Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 6:40 PM and concert starts at 7:00 PM and it is FREE for everyone! Please come support our choir kids as they present their first concert of the year and invite your family and friends to come along! Upcoming Davis Absence - Ms. Davis will be out of town starting Friday, 10/20, and returning Wednesday, 11/1. Mrs. Green will be substitute teaching for Ms. Davis while she is out - all students are being prepared for the absence and the assignments that will be due during that time. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you have regarding this absence. [There will be NO AFTER SCHOOL REHEARSALS on Monday 10/23 or Monday 10/30] We have a very busy but very exciting year this year, so please read through your calendar, choir handbook, and the reminders below to stay informed! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Fall Concert next Tuesday! Kindly, Ms. Davis UPCOMING DATES Gold Out Game: Friday, October 6th, 2023 [BISD Memorial Stadium, Home Side] CALL TIME: 6:15 PM (meet at the front gate of Memorial) | PERFORMANCE: 7:00 PM Fall Choir Concert: Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 [ Jerry Fay Wilhelm Performing Arts Center] CALL TIME: 5:30 PM (PAC Green Room DRESSED FOR CONCERT) | PERFORMANCE: 7:00 PM Region Choir Auditions: Saturday, October 7th, 2023 [ Bowie High School, Austin TX] Separate email from Ms. Davis went out to auditionees - only students who qualified may audition! Region Honor Choir Clinic/Concert: Friday/Saturday, November 3rd/4th, 2023 [Austin ISD Performing Arts Center] Students auditioning on Saturday, October 7th, will know if they make the Region Choir that day. Students are excused from school to attend the region clinic in Austin on Friday 11/3. Bastrop Choirs Holiday Concert: Monday, December 4th, 2023 [Jerry Fay Wilhelm Performing Arts Center] CALL TIME: 5:30 PM (PAC Green Room DRESSED) | PERFORMANCE: 7:00 PM 4th Annual Carols in the Square: Friday, December 8th, 2023 [Downtown Bastrop / Courthouse] CAROLLING DOWNTOWN: 6 PM - 7 PM | COURTHOUSE CONCERT: 7 PM - 8 PM T-Minus 2 Days until the 1st Day of School!Time flies when you're having fun, so time in BHS Choirs is always moving at a speedy pace! Whether this is your first year in BHS Choirs or your fourth year, nothing beats that first day feeling when everyone gathers together for the first time! This year, we are so excited to welcome new singers to our group and continue to build a strong program here at Bastrop High School. 2023-24 lies ahead, and I can't wait to see the amazing things our students accomplish this year!
This year's focus is on fundamentals. For choir, this means getting back to the basics of vocal technique, sight-reading, and choral blend. Let's look at these areas of focus a little bit closer: Vocal Technique - This simply means we will be working hard to master the fundamentals of singing. This could include everything from healthy posture to correct vowel placement in order to keep our student's singing healthy throughout the year. The choir is only as strong as its individual voices, so this year Ms. Davis wants to make sure that every singer feels confident in their technique when they perform! Sight-Reading - Sight-reading is the practice through which singers read brand new music without practice. This can be a very difficult skill to master, however, Ms. Davis knows that sight-reading is a key factor to choral success. Now, Ms. Davis knows that sight-reading is often not everyone's favorite part of choir, but she is determined to make the process as fun and painless as possible! Sight-reading is truly what can take a student's musical career to the next level, and Ms. Davis is committed to helping students master this fundamental this year. Choral Blend - It may seem a bit "on the nose", but the most important part about singing in a choir is learning how to properly sing together. A choir of 50 singers can either sound like 50 individuals or 1 strong voice, and Ms. Davis is committed to teaching our singers how to master the latter. Great singers know how to use their voice to blend with those around them and create a beautiful choral tone together, so this year we are focusing on the choral blend fundamental to truly expand our choirs' capabilities. We will still have a strong focus on community-building and giving our singers opportunities to have fun and make friends throughout the year, and we hope that in turn that will balance out the hard work we'll be putting in to daily rehearsals! Ms. Davis's goal for this year is to bring home the UIL trophy, and to get our kiddos across the district for BMS and BIS recruitment! We are so glad you're here this year and can't wait to show you the amazing work we'll do during the 2023-24 season. Thank you for being a part of our BHS Choirs program, and as always, it's a GREAT day to be a Bear! Kindly, Ms. Davis The results are in... BHS Choir comes home with a score of "1" from the UIL Concert portion!This March, Bastrop High School brought two choirs to UIL for the 1st time since 2005: Mixed Choir (SATB) and Treble Choir (SSA). Our students gave it their all and their hard work paid off! For the first time in Bastrop High School Choir's history, we brought home a score of "1" (superior) from the concert portion of the contest! We are incredibly proud of this achievement and the hard work shown by all of our BHS Choir students at contest this year. Video of the concert portion for both choirs can be found on the Bastrop High School Choir YouTube channel.
Now that UIL is officially over, we move on to the more "relaxed" events of the late spring semester. We have upcoming tours planned with Bastrop MS, IS and some of the local elementary schools to share our spring concert music with younger students and encourage them to stay in choir throughout their academic career! We also have opportunities to prepare for the upcoming school year (2023-24) by electing and installing a new officer board for the choir program. We will also have many fun, engaging activities for the choir students to participate in throughout the last two months of school, so keep an eye out for those events to put on your calendar soon! Our spring concert is Disney-themed, and we just started work on the big final song that is sure to blow you away! Our students will be learning new music for the spring concert while also finding ways to give back to the BHS campus during the last few weeks of school. (Often we accomplish this goal by singing a small informal concert for the front office staff, or writing "Thank You" notes to our most influential teachers). In addition to our spring concert, students will also be preparing for our biggest choir event of the year, the BHS Choir Banquet! This year's banquet will be held in the PAC Black Box to honor our excellent students, reflect on the busy, busy year ahead, and celebrate the graduating seniors! The banquet is a wonderful night where students, families and friends join together to celebrate the past year and say goodbye to the seniors before graduation gets too close! Although the most "serious" and taxing parts of the school year are passed, we at BHS Choirs still have so much work to do before the semester ends! From learning new music to sharing our song with younger singers across the district, the last two months of the spring semester are always a wonderfully fun & busy time of year! Can't wait to share that fun with you at the spring concert and choir banquet in May! Kindly, Ms. Davis LOOKING AHEAD *Unfortunately, there have been some cancellations on the 2022-23 choir calendar for the spring semester. Those events are the Austin Spurs game (cancelled due to scheduling conflict with Spurs office) and the Bastrop County Choral Festival (event will be held semi-annually, not annually; next festival will be spring of 2024). 2023 Choir Banquet - Saturday, May 13th, 2023 at the PAC Black Box [Dinner starts at 6:00 PM; Ceremony starts at 7:00 PM; more details to follow in April/May newsletter] BIS/BMS/BHS Spring Choir Concert - Friday, May 19th, 2023 at the PAC Auditorium [Doors open at 6:30 PM; Concert starts at 7:00 PM] Happy New Year!As we prepare for the Spring semester to start, there are many great events for BHS Choir to look forward to! From the challenging yet rewarding UIL competition season to the recruitment visits to Bastrop Middle School and Intermediate School, the spring is always full of fun events for our BHS Choir program. Stop and enjoy every moment, because the spring semester always flies by in the blink of an eye!
To start the new year off right, I'd like to revisit the 5 goals we established in August for the 2022-23 school year. Let's remember our program goals for this year: 1. Learn all BHS Choir students' names. [Through the hard work of our Officers on BHS Choir social events, we've met this goal!] 2. Visit Bastrop Middle School Choirs 2x per semester. [Last semester we only visited BMS Choirs 1 time; we are working to schedule at least 3 visits this semester to help build those relationships with the 7th & 8th grade singers that may be BHS Choir singers someday!] 3. Improve sight-reading skills. [Students had 3 minutes to sight-read a short exercise for the Fall semester final exam, and I am pleased to announce that our BHS Choir students have much improved their sight-reading skills!] 4. MORE SOCIAL EVENTS! [Although we did not have the packed social events calendar we had hoped for, we did have a great balance of social events & choir events! Watch out for some very exciting social events in the spring semester.] 5. Earn a "1" at UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Evaluation. [This March, BHS Choirs will be travelling to the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading evaluation in search of this goal: earn a "1", or "Superior", rating at the evaluation. This can be achieved by an excellent performance on stage through our 3 prepared pieces or through hard work in the sight-reading room on brand new music materials.] We still have the spring semester to achieve these goals, and I am confident that we will hit our mark! Looking forward to a semester full of hard work, musicianship, community, and FUN as we count down the days until the Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony! Kindly, Ms. Davis 3rd Annual Carols in the Square - Friday, December 9th @ 7 PM (Bastrop Courthouse)Happy Holidays, BHS Choir students and families! First of all, thank you to all who attended our Holiday Concert December 1st; I hope you enjoyed the performance as much as we enjoyed preparing it for you! I think the students did a fantastic job and certainly made some holiday memories they'll never forget! The holidays are often a season for reflection as we leave behind the old year and celebrate the new, so I would like to share with you a few reflections I have of our BHS Choir program in 2022. We've had an incredible year in BHS Choir, and I would like to share some end-of-year reflections here are as look ahead for the new year. 1. Creation of the BHS Choir Officer Board: Last year, we added an officer board to our organization and the difference has been astounding! We currently have 3 officers: President, Vice President, and Social Events Manager. The first officer board was completely student-elected, with each candidate standing and speaking in front of the choir why they should be considered for each position. In May, we held officer interviews for the 2022-23 board where students had to answer a series of position-based questions in regards to the position they desired. In just the year that this program has been implemented, it has had a HUGE impact on our choir and its singers! Not only does this provide an incredible opportunity for student leadership in our program, it also provides students with much needed community-building events and a stronger sense of "choir family" from the socials we have put on. I am incredibly proud of our officer program and am constantly impressed by the way our students have stepped up to become excellent leaders! 2. Addition of Treble Choir: Last year, we finally had a great trajectory of growth that allowed us to add a second ensemble to the course register at Bastrop High School. The BHS Treble Choir is an elite group of young women who can perform, sight-read, and sing at advanced levels both in concert and competition settings. At first, the 13 girls were shy and didn't quite realize their full potential as an ensemble, but as time passed and their hard work started to pay off these girls realized that the Treble Choir experience is unlike any other. I cannot express how proud I am of these girls and their commitment to work hard every day from bell to bell to learn the most challenging, taxing, and rewarding music for Treble Choir we can find. We just started one of our UIL pieces this week and, well, let's just say you won't want to miss it at the Pre-UIL concert in February! 3. 100% Growth 2021-22 to 2022-23: We lost 6 singers of our 24-student choir last year to graduation, so the need for choir growth was at an all-time high! Despite losing 6 seniors to graduation, our program grew almost 100% from 18 singers to 36 singers this year! Even more impressive than that; 17 of the 18 singers from 2021-22 re-enrolled in 2022-23. I am incredibly excited to see our program grow at such a high rate, and hope that growth continue into the years to come! So much of the credit for this growth must be extended to Ms. King at the BMS Choir program; her work to get our students excited about choir early is certainly having a major impact on our choir program here at BHS! 4. MORE PERFORMANCES THAN EVER!: Last year, we held 14 performances througout the school year; this year, we have already performed 7 times and are on pace to match if not meet that 14 performance record! Most schools only perform at formal concerts twice a year; I am very proud to say that our choir students get exponentially more opportunities to perform for their families, peers, community, and each other! I know this schedule is very taxing, both on our students and YOU, their families!, but I also know that each of these performances creates bonds and memories within our choir program that cannot be replaced. Thank you for your support through a crazy performance schedule; we couldn't do it without you! If you have any reflections from your experience with BHS Choir in 2022, good or bad, please do not hesitate to share them with me! I would love to hear your experience over the past year as a student, family member, or supporter and use that information to make our BHS Choir program even better in the future. Thank you for all you do for our BHS Choir program; we've had an incredible year in 2022, and I cannot wait to see the wonderful experiences in store for 2023! Kindly, Ms. Davis
Bastrop Choirs Holiday Concert - Thursday, December 1st @ 7 PM JFW Performing Arts CenterCan you believe it's already November? Time certainly flies when you're having fun, and we are having tons of fun in BHS Choir preparing for our Holiday Concert on Thursday, December 1st! From oldies and goodies to new, exciting carols, our holiday choir concert is sure to be full of holiday cheer for you and your family! This Thanksgiving season, I'd like to articulate how thankful I am for our fantastic BHS Choir students. While I was out of town the first week of November, our BHS Choir students stepped up to help the Officers accomplish successful rehearsals each day in preparation for our Holiday Concert. I am so proud of their work ethic and dedication to the program, and I can't wait to show you their hard work on these pieces at the concert. In that spirit, BHS Choir is also giving back to the community through the "Adopt-A-Family" program. Below you'll find a list of items that are acceptable donation items for the program; I am very proud of this opportunity for our students to give back to Bastrop county and provide food to families in need. All donation items must be turned in by Wednesday, November 16th. In BHS Choir tradition, we will be hosting a BHS Choir Thanksgiving Feast during class on Friday, November 18th. Our Thanksgiving Feast will be potluck style this year, and donations of food, snacks, drinks, and disposable dishware are much appreciated! You are welcome to drop of any donated items to the Choir Room before/after school (except after school Tuesday, 11/15); or drop off donation items to the Front Office with a note that they belong to BHS Choir. Looking forward to celebrating our own little BHS Choir community on Friday with our annual BHS Choir Thanksgiving Feast! In this season thankfulness, I also want to say how thankful I am for you, the parents, grandparents, siblings and families of our BHS Choir students. Thank you for trusting me with their music education and supporting their love of music both at school and at home. Thank you for supporting our choir program with your time, donations, encouragement and concert attendance. I could not do what I do without your help and support, and I truly, truly appreciate it. From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! Kindly, Ms. Davis
The Tales We Tell: Sharing Stories Through Song - Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7:00 PM, JFW PACIt is finally October, which means it is time for our 1st Choir Concert of the season! Our Fall Concert is titled "The Tales We Tell", and our BHS Choir students have been working tirelessly on a beautiful program full of stories through music that is certain to "wow" everyone in attendance! Our students have put in countless hours of rehearsal for this performance, so I hope everyone can make it out next Thursday night to see our wonderful BHS, BMS and BIS choir students present their Fall Choir Concert at the JFW Performing Arts Center!
The beginning of the Fall semester is always an incredibly busy time of year. Not only do we have our Fall concert to prepare for, but we also have the Patriot Day performance, Region Choir auditions, dress/tuxedo sizing, after school rehearsals, Gold Out Game... the list goes on and on! Yet through it all, I have been very impressed by our BHS Choir students not only working through their tired, stressed, and worn-out days, but truly making music through those tired, stressed, worn-out days. Our students are so committed to the BHS Choir program and creating a spectacular choral experience here at Bastrop High School; it is humbling to watch them commit so fully to our BHS Choir program and give 100% to each rehearsal even when they may only have 10% left. I am very proud of their hard work and preparation for the Fall Concert, and cannot wait to share this beautiful music with you next week. Below are some calendar reminders as we finish up the busy season; thank you for supporting our BHS Choir students every step of the way, and I sincerely hope you are able to attend our 1st concert of the season next Thursday, October 13, at 7:00 PM in the JFW Performing Arts Center. Kindly, Ms. Davis LOOKING AHEAD: Gold Out Game [Friday, October 7th, 6:00 PM CALL TIME / 7:00 PM Performance @ Memorial Stadium] - BHS Choir teams up with CCHS Choir to sing the National Anthem at the annual Gold Out Game! Region Choir Auditions [Saturday, October 8th, 8:00 AM ARRIVAL / Auditions TBD] - Students who have pre-registered ONLY. BHS Choir students audition for the Region Choir and a chance to advance to Pre-Area on the track to All-State Choir! "The Tales We Tell", a Fall Choir Concert [Thursday, October 13th, 5:30 PM CALL TIME / 7:00 PM Performance] - Join Bastrop HS, MS, and IS choirs at the Jerry Fay Wilhelm Performing Arts Center for our 1st concert of the season, "The Tales We Tell". Come see our fantastic Bastrop Choir programs as we share some exciting, sad, riveting, and unforgettable stories through song! Want to donate bottled water or snacks for the BHS Choir after school rehearsals? Contact Ms. Davis to donate today! Fall Choir Retreat - Saturday, September 10th [10 AM - 3 PM]The school year has started, and we are already busy bees here in BHS Choirs! From games & karaoke to rehearsals & class performances, BHS Choir has had a first 3 weeks full of singing, laughter, and fun! I am incredibly excited for the year ahead, and am very impressed by all of bright, talented singers in our BHS Choirs this year!
The Fall Semester is packed full of performances, rehearsals, community-building, and fun events for our BHS Choir students to participate in! Our goal is to balance out the rigor of performances, rehearsals, and auditions with the relationship-building, game-filled fun of community, retreats, and socials. We've already done a great deal of work on getting to know each other, and we're making sure each and every student feels welcome in our ensembles! Looking ahead, we have a few big dates on the calendar for September to make a note of: 1. 9/11 Memorial Ceremony [Friday, September 9 @ 8 AM] - Our 1st performance of the year will be held on Friday, September 9th at the NJROTC 9/11 Memorial Ceremony! The ceremony begins at 8:00 AM in the Horseshoe in front of Bastrop High School. Families & friends are welcome to attend! 2. Fall Choir Retreat [Saturday, September 10] - Each semester, we gather all of the choir students together for a choir retreat to rehearse, play games, and get to know the singers in our ensembles! This semester's choir retreat will be held at Bastrop High School in the Cafeteria from 10 AM - 3 PM, with a 2-3 PM Parent Meet 'N Greet with Ms. Davis. 3. Region Choir Camp [Saturday, September 17] - Ms. Davis, along with other choir directors from Bastrop ISD, are proud to host a Region Choir Camp to help our students prepare for the Region Choir auditions on Saturday, October 8th! Students will work with our fantastic BISD directors on the audition music, as well as meet other choir students from the district, play games, and build community through music! Treble Choir required to attend. 4. Homecoming Parade [Wednesday, September 22] - BHS Choir is excited to ride in the BHS Homecoming Parade for the 2nd year in a row! Great opportunity for our students to show their school spirit and have fun together as we ride around downtown Bastrop! Please put these dates in your calendar and remind your BHS choir student to mark them down as well! We have great things planned for our choir students semester, and I cannot wait to share them with you. Looking forward to a fun & extraordinary Fall semester! Kindly, Ms. Davis Want to donate bottled water or snacks for the BHS Choir Retreat? Contact Ms. Davis to donate today! From BHS Choir to BHS Choirs Welcome back, BHS Choir students, families, and friends! First and foremost, there is very exciting news to share. This year I am so pleased to announce that BHS Choir is expanding to BHS Choirs with the addition of our brand new Treble Choir! It has been a long time since Bastrop High School had multiple choirs, so I cannot express how humbled and proud I am to see our program grow large enough to support two choir ensembles during the 2022-23 school year! The new Treble Choir will feature a selected group of young ladies with excellent musicianship & sight-reading skills performing advanced-level treble music. We are certainly on our way to creating a truly magnificent choral program here at Bastrop High School, and I am so thankful to each and every one of you for your support, dedication, and encouragement of BHS Choir. We certainly couldn't have made it to this milestone without you! Now that we are officially BHS Choirs, it's time to look at the busy school year ahead. The 2022-23 choir season is full of concerts, informal performances, tours, and special events for our BHS Choirs students to participate in throughout the year. Attached is the 2022-23 Master Schedule, please add these dates to your calendar as soon as possible! Dates in BOLD are MANDATORY; all other dates are optional. Our wonderful BHS Choirs Officers and I are also working on a Social Events calendar for the school year with dates of all the extra fun activities planned for our choir students! (For example, our "Back-to-School Social" this Friday after school!) I will send out this Social Events calendar as soon as it is finalized. We have a busy and exciting season this year! There is no hiding it; the larger our BHS Choirs program gets, the more opportunities we have as a program to perform and get involved with the community. Including the new dates on the calendar, we are also expanding our after school rehearsal routine to weekly after school rehearsals for each choir. These rehearsals are not year-round, although there is an optional year-round rehearsal for choir students who would like extra practice time, or practice time on solo events. Treble Choir (Vocal Ensemble) will meet every MONDAY from 4:45 - 5:45 PM; Mixed Choir (Choir I-IV) will meet every TUESDAY from 4:45 - 5:45 PM. These after school rehearsals will only run during the most important months of our season: FALL 2022: September - November; SPRING 2023: January - March. After school rehearsals are required for all BHS Choir students and are an integral part to our success as a choral program. Please put these weekly rehearsals in your calendar as soon as possible and plan accordingly. If your student cannot stay after school due to transportation needs, please let me know ASAP so that I can work with other BHS Choir families to potentially arrange transportation for your child! In addition to our Master Calendar, we also have a newly redone website where you can find all of this information and more. There are still some areas of the website under construction, but I hope to have the finished product for you by September 1st. The website will house our performance schedules, as well as the BHS Choir Handbook, handouts, forms, and other important information for BHS Choir students and families. Very glad to have this resource available for our students and families, as well as those looking to learn more about our choral program here at BHS. Finally, we have our goals for the year. Each year, I create goals I'd like the students (and myself) to achieve over the course of the school year. This year, our goals are simple: 1. Learn all choir students names. - This may seem too simple, but now that we are BHS Choirs with two sections of choir, some students will not see the choir students except those in their own class. I'd like for our choral program to keep that wonderful sense of community we've built over the past few years even while split into 2 classes; to put it simply, I'd like to create opportunities for every choir student's name to be known by their peers. All are welcome, so we must welcome them by name to show them they will always have a place here in our choral program. 2. Visit Bastrop Middle School Choirs at least 2x per semester. - We are working with the BMS Choir director to find times that BHS Choirs can visit BMS Choirs for an after school rehearsal, social event, or simply to help our middle school singers get ready for high school choir. The more time and energy we give to getting to know of BMS choirs, the more likely it will be that they join choir when they arrive at BHS! These dates are not on the calendar attached; I will communicate these dates and times when they are finalized. 3. Improve sight-reading skills. - Sight-reading is the skill characterized by singing through a piece of music without prior practice. For example, when BHS Choirs travel to UIL competition in March, the 2nd portion of our evaluation is a sight-reading exercise in which our students are given a brand new piece of music and asked to sing it with only 7 minutes of practice! In order for our students to feel more confident in their sight-reading skills, we need to spend more time practicing and developing this skill. We will be spending quite a bit of time in class and after school this year developing our students sight-reading skills in order to better their overall musicianship. 4. MORE SOCIAL EVENTS. - Last year we had the busiest choir season BHS Choirs has seen in quite a while. This year will be no different, especially with the weekly after school rehearsals in major months. To balance out this busy and taxing schedule, I have tasked the BHS Choirs Officer with developing a Social Events calendar filled with optional social events for our choir students. These events will always be optional, but are meant to provide our students with opportunities to have fun and build relationships with each other outside of rehearsals. These socials will include events such as "game night", "movie night", picnics, arts & crafts & other fun social activities. 5. Earn a "1" at UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Evaluation. - This goal is last on the list, but certainly not least. A rating of "1" is considered Superior at the UIL evaluation, and I believe that our BHS Choirs this year are both capable of achieving this rating. We will work all year to better our musicianship skills, our singing skills, and our sight-reading skills in order to hit this mark, but more importantly, to build confidence in our singers. They are capable of reaching the stars, so why not shoot for the moon? I am so glad to have you as a member of our choir program here at Bastrop High School, and cannot wait to greet our BHS Choirs kids tomorrow morning. It is my privilege to teach your students each and every day, and I am thankful for the opportunity to show them how music can change their lives for the better. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the school year, please feel free to email me or call the school. Please join the BHS Choirs Parent Remind group for important announcements and reminders throughout the school year (see email from Ms. Davis). Looking forward to an amazing school year this year with an incredible group of kiddos! 1st year as BHS Choirs, here we go! Kindly, Ms. Davis
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