The first half of December was busy for Pioneer Choirs.
Holiday Concert: Advanced Choir (Varsity Singers) and Beginning Choir (Mustang Chorale) performed their joint Holiday Concert in the Pioneer HS multipurpose room on Tuesday, December 7, at 7:00pm. I felt very satisfied with the result because the singers learned their music well, my friend Lindsay Jones-Serdar accompanied us on piano for the concert, and the repertoire sung was appropriate for the occasion and varied in difficulty and genre.
Christmas in the Park: On Sunday, December 12, at 2:00pm, Varsity Singers and the Women's Chorus performed at Christmas in the Park in downtown San Jose. Singing at Christmas in the Park is a tradition for Pioneer and we were fortunate to find a time that worked for us. Because of traffic noises, other background sounds, and being outdoors in general, the venue is not very conducive to choral singing, but the organization provided some microphones and the singers gave it their best effort.
During the last weeks of the semester, Beginning Choir began work on repertoire for the Valentine Concert. Advanced Choir also started learning some of their Spring repertoire. I also gave choir rehearsal time for studying for finals in other subjects since it is difficult to concentrate on far off deadlines when immediate subjects loom.
SJSU Choral Invitational: Advanced Choir is wait-listed for the SJSU Choral Invitational in February. We will only be allowed to perform if another choir withdraws from that festival.
Future Concerts: After the holidays, Spring semester promises a Valentine Concert on February 10th and a Spring Concert on May 24th. The February 10th date is rapidly approaching. With the limited time for preparation, that concert will be shorter than either the holiday or spring concerts. Ticket prices will continue to be $5 for general admission and $3 with ASB card. Advanced Choir has also been requested to sing the National Anthem for home Wrestling matches as one of our singers is on the wrestling team.
Tour: Advanced Choir is also preparing for the tour to Anaheim/Fullerton College in April with the bands and orchestra. It should be a ton of fun and a great opportunity to hear other musical groups perform and receive constructive comments from professional adjudicators on our performance.
Fundraisers: The Innisbrook fundraiser was helpful to several students who worked to sell wrapping paper, other items, and chocolates. In the Spring, there will be at least one additional group fundraising project to help Advanced Choir students allay the costs of their tour.
Concert Critiques: Students scrambled to complete their choral critiques due by the end of the semester by attending holiday concerts at churches, schools, community choirs, etc. Attending performances of other choral groups in addition to the listening to recordings that we do in class most Fridays enhances students' aural skills (listening skills). With specific criteria to listen for on a graphic organizer, most students wrote creatively-expressed analytical reports on other choirs' performances.
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