Q. When are auditions?

A. Auditions are on Saturday, October 24th. (Registration deadline is Tuesday, September 29th) Register here

 

Q. Who can audition?
A. Any 7th, 8th or 9th grade boy who is in choir at a school with an MSVMA membership may audition for the MSVMA TTB 789 State Honors Choir.

 

Q. How do auditions work?

A. Please see the following information taken from an article that I presented at the MSVMA Summer Workshop in 2013. Some information has been updated to reflect changes since then. HONORS CHOIR AUDITION FAQs

 

Q. How are auditions judged?

A. See the Sample Adjudication Sheet below.

 

Q. Where are rehearsals and what time do they begin and end?

A. Check the Calendar Page for a full schedule including locations with addresses and maps.

 

Q. What should I bring to rehearsals?

A. A Pencil, Water Bottle, Snack, Lunch Money, Your Voice (don't trash it the night before), and a SING!ing Attitude! :-)

 

Q. What if I miss a rehearsal?

A. Excused absences include illnesses confirmed by a doctor's note or other obvious family emergency. ALL other absences will be treated as unexcused and may result in your school being placed on probation from the MSVMA Honors Choir the following year. If you school is already on probation and you cause another infraction, your school may not be allowed to participate in the MSVMA Honors Choir program for one year.

 

Q. What if I am not prepared for rehearsals?

A. That will be a problem. I will clearly outline my expectation for all students at the first rehearsal (November 7th). If you come unprepared more than once, I may ask you to be excused from the rehearsal and possibly the choir. After all, it is an HONOR to be in Honors Choir! When you arrive for the first rehearsal, you should have the audition song (Courage Lives) memorized, as well as the clinic song (Tell My Father) memorized. The other three songs (Ose Shalom, Moses, & Seize the Day) should be familiar to you and you should have listened to recordings, read the lyrics, practiced your parts, learned pronunciations (Ose Shalom in Hebrew) and more. I will expect you to have Ose Shalom & Seize the Day memorized for the 2nd rehearsal (November 21st). I will expect Moses to be memorized by the 3rd rehearsal (January 2nd, 2016). For the fourth and final rehearsal / performance day (Thursday, January, 21st), I will expect you to need absolutely no music (bring it anyways - I may want you to look at something)! :-)

 

Q. Do I get to keep the sheet music?

A. Yup. It's yours to keep! :-)

 

Q. Should I write in my music?

A. ABSOLUTELY! YES! Write measure #s in every measure of every song before the first rehearsal! Please write in all indicated changes (rhythmic & pitch) before the first rehearsal as well as pronunciation of the Hebrew. Then continue writing notes during rehearsals based on my instructions.

 

Q. What should I wear to rehearsals?

A. You should dress in layers (you never know if the room will be warm or cold), and school appropriate clothing. Please do not wear hats, sunglasses or anything else that might distract you, me or the other members of the choir from doing their best. Thank you!

Q. What do I wear for the performance?

A. You will wear BLACK PANTS, a BLACK BUTTON UP SHIRT, BLACK SOCKS, BLACK SHOES with a SOLID BLUE tie.

 

Q. I've heard that there is another mini-performance at the 3rd rehearsal on January 2nd. Is this true?

A. Yes. There is a short mini-concert. Each of the three choirs (SA / SSA / TTB) sing two songs of their choosing. I am planning to sing either Ose Shalom OR Moses AND for sure Seize the Day. That said, I would like for anyone who can to please try to wear "Newsies" clothing to our 3rd rehearsal / mini-performance day on January 2nd. We'll talk more about it during rehearsals. Check out the Seize the Day page for more details too!

 

Q. How much do tickets cost and when / how do I get them?

A. Two tickets will be given to you at the first January rehearsal. Your parents may purchase extra tickets in person in Grand Rapids before the concert. All tickets are $10 per person; children under 10 years old are $5 each.

 

Q. YOUR QUESTIONS HERE (Just ask below)...

A. MY ANSWERS HERE (and I'll let you know)...