Four new singers were welcomed into the RFA Select Choir in the chorus room after school today. Students were selected in auditions held last June. The 2009-2010 RFA Select Choir now consists of six seniors - Zach Wade, Jordon Hoffman, Antonio Valdes, Stacy Spindler, Amber Jones, Pilar Padron; four juniors - Liz Silver, Brittany Bartlett, Taylor Holst, Josh Eichhorn, Trevor Cardwell; and three sophomores - Chloe Cardwell, Elizabeth Sylvester, Dan Goewey.  Junior Jillian Gardner is returning as the piano accompanist. Select Choir members begin rehearsals next week. Rehearsals are held Tuesdays after school in the chorus room from 2:30 to 4 pm. Members are preparing performance repertoire for the RFA Open House on October 1st and their Broadway Showcase - USO style on November 10th.

Mixed Chorus - We're off to a great start in the Music Department.  Over 50 singers are in this years 9th grade Mixed Chorus and they are ready to sing.  Chorus students should be bringing home an orange folder with four items that need to be signed by a parent or guardian and returned to Mrs. Edwards.  Students need to return the orange folder with the signed items to chorus class tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 9th.

     Field Trip Medical Form (yellow page)
     Concert Attendance Regulations (pink page)
     Press Release Permission (pink card)
     Mixed Chorus Handbook (last page of stapled pages)

The 2009-2010 schedules have been posted on School Tools and I'm teaching the same subjects as last year but with some variations in which periods the classes are scheduled.  This will be my third year teaching the Mixed Chorus, my fourth year teaching the Select Choir, and my fifth year teaching MIOL at RFA. It just ended up that way with the changes in staffing and retirements from 2004 to now. MIOL is scheduled for periods 2, 4, and 7 and Mixed Chorus remains during 5th period as it was last year.  I will be able to have my chorus students come for lessons on a rotating schedule during periods 1, 3, 8, or 9.  

Select Choir will meet on Tuesdays after school from 2:30 to 4:00 and Jazz Voices will meet on Thursdays after school as per tradition. Auditions for those two groups were held for the first time in the spring last June rather than early fall so we should be able to start rehearsals right away in September. Each MIOL class is about 60 to  75% freshman but there are quite a few seniors signed up as well.  It's nice to have seniors in MIOL.  I'm looking forward to working with the incoming freshman in Mixed Chorus but I will miss the students I had last year and I wish them the best as they move on to Concert Choir.