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Thurston High School
Vocal Music Department
Choir Syllabus
Choral Curriculum
Change continues in the curricular content of all choirs this year. Most
of the changes anticipated have been added to move our curriculum closer
to that which is outlined in the National Standards for Arts Education,
established in 1994. These changes will also help to bring our students
into compliance with the new CIM and, eventually, the new CAM strand for
Performing Arts.
We will continue the use of written assignments (under the heading of
journal assignments), designed to get students into an analytical mind-set
in their approach to music, to make them thinking, music-literate singers,
capable of pursuing music on their own, either as performers, creators,
or listeners. After each year of use in the classroom, the assignments
are rewritten, in an effort to make them more “user-friendly”,
easier to understand, and more instructive.
These additions to the choral curriculum at Thurston will keep the choir
program, which has shown so much progress in the last eleven years, moving
onward to become one which truly turns students into independent musicians
and intelligent consumers of music.
Student Materials:
• Each student will need a loose leaf folder or section of a loose-leaf
folder dedicated to their Choir Journal assignments. All Journals are
assigned at the beginning of the quarter, and posted on the choir room’s
front white board.
• Each student will need a pencil and their journal, along with any
music checked out to them, at every rehearsal.
Attendance / Participation Policy
Attendance: Every Musical Ensemble, but especially a vocal ensemble, requires
the fullest possible participation by all ensemble members. Singers rely
on the voices around them for stability and accuracy. When one voice is
missing, a singer loses important feedback within the ensemble. Habitual
absence or tardiness only serve to diminish the entire ensemble's effectiveness.
If the director feels a student's lack of participation or attendance
is becoming detrimental to the choir's chances for success, that student
may be asked to make a schedule change. Every effort will be made to accommodate
individual problems, but the welfare of the ensemble must eventually be
held most important.
Participation: Ultimately, every choir is a participation class. Certain
skills will be taught and tested, and singers will be held accountable
for their knowledge of music being rehearsed, but if a student is not
participating in regular classes, their knowledge of the director's particular
approach to each song will be diminished, and the other singers in their
section will have problems adapting to the "missing voice."
Consequently, a student's grade in a choir class must be influenced by
the level of participation displayed by the student.2
Classroom / Rehearsal Expectations are as follows:
* Be in place and ready to sing when rehearsal activities begin.
* Have music, pencil, and choir binder / journal upon arrival to class.
* Respect the rights and property of others.
Participation Points will be averaged into your choir grade!
Each student will start the quarter with 100 points. 5 Participation Points
will be deducted for every non-school-related absence. 9 or more absences,
if not made up, will lead to a failing participation grade. Excused absences
may be made up to regain lost participation points. Students wishing to
do so must make arrangements with the director. Participation Points lost
due to unexcused absences may not be made up.
Concert Attendance is required. Missing a scheduled performance will result
in the loss of 30 points. Concert points, based as they are on a unique
event, may not be made up. Students should keep track of their attendance,
making sure their absences are excused, and tardies are kept to a minimum.
Making up participation points does not make up for missed rehearsals,
however, when the welfare of the ensemble is taken into account. As stated
above, if your attendance is bad enough to harm the ensemble, you may
be asked to make a schedule change.
10 Participation points may be deducted when a student's behavior interrupts
his or her own participation, and/or disrupts other choir members' participation
in classtime and concert activities. The first deduction will come with
a verbal warning to the student. Parents will be contacted after the second
deduction for behavior problems. After the third deduction, a student-parent-teacher
conference will take place. If the problem persists, the student will
be referred to administrators for disciplinary action, and may be asked
to make a schedule change.
The Appeal Process: Students will have the opportunity to appeal lost
participation points. Appeals should be written and submitted to the director
and choir council for a decision. If still unhappy with the outcome, students
and their parents may see a THS administrator.
Mark Huisenga, THS Choral Instructor
744-5141 music office / 744-5029 THS FAX / 741-3222 home
email: mhuiseng@sps.lane.edu
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Please Tear Off and Return with Parent and Student signatures.
I have read and understand the Choir Attendance / Participation Policy.
I understand that loss of Participation points, if not made up, may result
in a lower grade in Choir .
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Parent Signature Student Signature
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