Hickory Creek Elementary School Chorus and Band Handbook 2017 - 2018
Mrs. Rhonda Gauger
E-mail:
For general information about Chorus and Band, please email
Choral and Band Curriculum
The curriculum for the Chorus and Bands includessight-reading, warm ups and a variety of musical styles from folk songs to Jazz. As required by the State of Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) in Music, students will:
* sing and/or play instruments, alone and with others, using a varied repertoire of music.
* read traditional music notation.
* understand music in relation to culture and history.
* listen to, analyze and describe music.
* evaluate music and music performances.
* understand the relationship between music, the other arts and disciplines outside the arts.
* understand the relationship between music and the world beyond the school setting.
CHORUS
Students entering the third, fourth or fifth grade are eligible to participate in the Elementary Chorus.
No audition is necessary for this group. Rehearsals are on Tuesday afternoons from 2:45-3:45 pm.
Chorus students are dismissed from their classroom to report to the music room prior to starting the afternoon
Dismissal process.
Since these rehearsals are after school activities, you will be responsible for transportation home for your child following the rehearsal. For your child’s safety, if you are more than 10 minutes late picking up your child, he/she will be waiting for you in the front office and you will need to come inside and check him/her out.
BEGINNING AND ADVANCED BANDS
No audition or prior experience is needed for participation in the Beginning Band program.
Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn and/or Baritone are the instruments we use in our Band program.
Students who were in the Band program last year in 4th grade are automatically placed in the Advanced Band for the current school year. Any new students to HCES who have participated in a Band program at their former school may join our Advanced Band program.
Rehearsals for the Beginning and Advanced Bands occur simultaneously BEFORE SCHOOL on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:30 am – 8:20 am. Students need to arrive at school about 10 minutes prior so that they can get their instrument out and be ready to start rehearsal on time at 7:30 am.
Since these rehearsals are before the regular school day begins, you will be responsible for getting students to school. Many families carpool to Band in the mornings. Students will enter the school via the Parent Pickup doors (same door as morning Extended Day) and go straight to the Music Room for further directions.
We are extremely fortunate to have several very experienced musicians from the area who have volunteered their time to work with our students. These volunteers are giving up their time so that our students can receive the best possible foundation for their instrument. We are excited to have Mr. Kurt Zeigler ( ) and Mrs. Alicia Trevino (Band/Chorus director from the Pensacola, FL area) join us this year! We also have a few of our Band Alumni who volunteer their time to work with our Band students.
The Band performances will take place several times throughout the school year, usually along with the Chorus performances. In addition to the events listed above, the Chorus, Bands and Dance Ensemble as well as a fairly large group of Drama students, present a large production of the Caldecott Award winning story of The Polar Express in December. In addition to these performances, HCES Bands and Chorus have auditioned and been selected to perform at Universal Orlando for the last 8 years!
We try to communicate via frequent email updates. At some points there may be one a day (before Universal or Polar Express) but when things are slower you might not hear anything for 2-3 weeks (January-February are some of the slow periods). If you do not have an E-mail account, please notify us and a hard copy of the e-mails will be sent home with your child. You may need to adjust your email settings to include emails from since they come in bulk.
The most important outcome of participation in the Chorus and Band program is for each student to feel successful and accomplished as a result of being a part of the Hickory Creek Elementary School Band and/or Chorus!
Attendance for Rehearsals/Performances - Expectations
Participation in musical performing groups is similar to participation in sports activities. The group is dependent on each member working alongside each other in order for the group to be successful. To encourage discipline in the group, each Chorus student will be on a point system allowing them to participate in performance field trips. Each member begins with 100 points. They may lose points for:
*behavior problems – excessive talking or not participating during rehearsals
*missing rehearsals for unexcused reasons (see below)
*missing required performances (see below)
Points necessary to participate in the Holiday field trip and performance at Westminster Woods = 95
Points necessary to participate in the springperformance at Universal Orlando = 90
- Students are expected to attend and participate in all rehearsals to the best of their ability. If they do not participate in rehearsal, they lose 1 point for that day.
NOTE: If a student is ill – has a fever or just doesn’t feel well, please keep them at home for the safety of the group as a whole. Many times children are contagious even before a fever becomes evident. Absences are excused for illness, death in the family, medical emergency, etc. Absences due to parties or shopping trips, busy schedules etc. will be considered unexcused and will result in a loss of 5 points. Any student missing a total of 3 rehearsals in chorus and/or 6 rehearsals in band will be dismissed from the program
- Students may be required to attend additional rehearsals after school prior to a performance when necessary, for example, during the Polar Express rehearsals. Parents and students will be given reasonable notice (several weeks) of these rehearsals to allow them to arrange their schedules.
- Students are required to participate in The Polar Express productionson Wednesday and Thursday mornings and evenings, December 13-14, 2017and the Spring Concertswhich will be in March 13-14, 2018.
Students who must miss a performance are required to bring a signedparent note within 48 hours of the missed performance. Excused absences would be for illness, death in the family, medical emergency, etc. Absences due to ball games/practices, busy schedules etc. will be considered unexcused and will result in a loss of 5 points. You have the schedule for the required concerts already posted on the website so please mark those dates down on your calendar. In the case of sporting events (“My child is the only pitcher and has a game that night”) please notify your child’s coach immediately upon receipt of the schedule of games so the coach can make an effort to reschedule games. In the 20 years that I have been in NW St. Johns County, I have found the coaches to very understanding about school conflicts and they make every effort to work with the schools!
- As per St. Johns County School District policy, students who are not in attendance at school the day of a field trip, afternoonrehearsal or evening performance will not be allowed to participate. Students should not stay home to “rest” so they are ready for the evening performance or field trip!
- Students who have missed an excessive amount of school days (15 days or more) will not be allowed to attend the field trip/performance at Universal Orlando in the spring.
- Students are encouraged to maintain excellence in the classroom as they participate in Music
activities. Please try to help your child budget his/her time to be able to stay on top of their
classroom requirements. Participation in Band and/or Chorus will be beneficial to your child’s
educational success and should not be a distraction with advanced planning.
Uniforms
All students are required to wear the following uniform for performances:
Formal Uniform:
White oxford shirt, short-sleeved – ordered through the school (Cost @ $26.00)
Note: There is an inventory of white oxford shirts for students to BORROW for the current school year in an effort to help keep costs as low as possible for families.
No necklaces, rings, bracelets, watches, or glitter. Small, stud earrings may be worn.
Hair pulled back from face, and natural hair color only.
Pants should be black slacks – no jeans, capris, or leggings allowed.
Shoes:black dress shoesand black socks. Belts should be black if the pants have belt loops.
Casual Uniform:
Jeans – full-lengthblue jeans (no holes, please)and the2017-2018Hickory CreekMusict-shirt (provided
As part of the $15 T-shirt/Backpack fee) NOTE: Adult t-shirts may be ordered at an additional cost of $17.00 per shirt.
Shoes – sneakers (for your child’s safety)
The formal uniform will be used for required concerts at school, performances in the community that are more formal in nature (such as the appearance at Westminster Woods in December and Relay for Life) and for our performance at Universal Orlando.
The casual uniform will be used for our community concerts (where students might be staying to participate in games and riding rides), some public appearances (fundraisers, e.g.), and for some relaxed daytime performances. Students are asked to wear their casual uniform the day of concerts to help publicize our performances. Students may also wear their chorus shirt at any time to show school pride.
Students who do not have the proper uniform will not be allowed to participate in the event.
NOTE: Any student who has financial need should let Mrs. Gauger know so that a scholarship can be given to take care of those needs! No child should be left out for financial reasons!
Fair Share:
The school district does not budget for Band and Chorus programs at any grade level. These fees are also a part of the Middle and High school Band and Choral programs, as well as athletic teams. Our Fair Share fees for participation in Band and Chorus, as well as the Dance Ensemble, are considerably less and we try to be flexible for families who have more than one child in a performing group and for those whose children are in more than one performing group.
Fair Sharefees:
- Band - $75
- Chorus - $50
- Dance Ensemble - $40
- T-shirt/Backpack fee - $15 ($17 for Adult sizes)
NOTE: Any student who has financial need should let Mrs. Gauger know so that other arrangements can be made! No child should be left out for financial reasons! This donation is not to exclude any child or place a hardship on any family!!
The fees cover a variety of expenses that are a part of the success of our program, such as buses, lighting and sound equipment, props, printed music, instrument repair/replacement, various clerical needs (paper, ink, etc.)
The $15 t-shirt/backpack fee provides all Chorus and Band students with a Music T-shirt (used for casual performances, the Universal Orlando trip after the performance and one day a week to show Band/Chorus spirit!) and a drawstring backpack (which is given out the day before our performances at Universal Orlando).
There may be additional fundraisers separate from the fees listed above that will be used to add sound, lighting equipment as well as funding the charter buses for Universal.
Note: Some travel opportunities may require students to pay additional fees, such as the Universal Orlando performance, which will require transportation via a chartered bus. The cost will be determined by the amount of funds donated during the school year.
Please note that no student will be excluded from participation in Band or Chorus due to inability to pay the fees!
Parent Involvement
Parents are NEEDED desperately to assist with fundraising, concerts, field trips, chaperoning, etc. We have a lot of work to do to keep the Bands and Chorus running smoothly so if you can help with the program in any way, please fill out the parent involvement sheet which is included with these materials. Any parent who would like to be a chaperone needs to fill out a HCES volunteer form. The forms take a while to process, so if you want to chaperone this fall, please go to and submit the form as soon as possible..
RehearsalRules and Consequences:
Rehearsal rules:Consequences:
- No talking unless you have permission 1st offense: Warning
- Make beautiful music. 2nd offense: Loss of 1 point
- Keep your hands and feet to yourself for the safety of the group. 3rd offense: Loss of 5 points
- Make beautiful music.and parent notified
- Be kind and respectful of each other.
- Make beautiful music.
HCES Band/Chorus Calendar -2017-2018
Chorus Rehearsals: every Tuesday,2:45-3:45 pm
Beginning and Advanced Bands Rehearsals: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday morningsBEFORE school, 7:30 – 8:20 am
BAND: Please note that your child should be ready to begin rehearsal at 7:30 AM, not arriving in the parking lot at 7:30! Arrival time should be 7:20 AM!!
September, 2017:
9/5 – Chorus and Band Parent Meeting, 6:30 pm – Cafeteria
9/20 – DANCE ENSEMBLE AUDITIONS – 2:00 –5:00 pm
9/29 – Fair Share Feeand Shirt fee due (White Oxford, $26; T-shirt/Backpack, $15)
October, 2017:
10/18– POLAR EXPRESS DRAMA AUDITION – 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
10/21 – Chorus and/orAdvanced Band perform at the FALL FESTIVAL at Westminster Woods on
Julington Creek –Time: 1:45-2:15 pm (Arrive 15 minutes prior to event.)
10/25 – Variety Show auditions – 2:00 – 5:00 pm
November, 2017:
11/9 – Variety Show performances
Monday, 11/28: Polar Express tickets available
December, 2017:
Monday, 11/27-12/1: Drama Practice after school, 2:45 pm – 4:30 pm
Monday, 12/4-Wednesay, 12/6: Drama Practice after school, 2:45 pm – 4:30 pm
Thursday, 12/7 - (Required of all Band, Chorus, Dance Ensemble and Drama students) – 3:00-5:00 pm
Combined First Run Dress Rehearsal of THE POLAR EXPRESS (no costumes needed!)
Monday, 12/11: FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL FOR POLAR EXPRESS *Required! 3:00-5:30 pm
Wednesday, 12/13-Thursday, 12/14 – 9:00 am and 7:00 pm –
THE POLAR EXPRESS Performances- *Required!
Week of December 18th – Daytime Performance at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek – TBA
Followed by a Pizza Party Celebration for their hard work on The Polar Expressperformances!!
January, 2018:
01/10- 01/13 – Florida Music Educators Association Clinic/Conference, Tampa, FL
NO BAND or CHORUS REHEARSALS UNTIL TUESDAY, 01/16TH
March, 2018:
Westminster Woods Spring Fling TBD
03/13-03/14: SPRING CONCERT*** REQUIRED***
April - May, 2017:
Performance at Universal Orlando: TBD
Possible Fundraisers:
CarBUX Carwash on San Jose Blvd., PDQ gift cards, Tropical Smoothie coupon books
2017-2018 HCES Bands and Chorus Registration Form
_____ Beginning Band_____ Advanced BandInstrument ______
_____ Chorus
Student Name ______Classroom Teacher: ______
Parent Name ______(Please print legibly.)
Parent/Guardian Contact Information:
E-mail ______
Home Phone______Cell Phone ______
(Please place a + next to the primary phone for communication.)
______
Student Commitment: I have read the 2017-2018 Hickory Creek Elementary School Band and Chorus Handbook.
By signing this form, I agree to the following commitment:
- I am making a one-year commitment. I will not “drop out” before the end of the school year.
- I will arrive on time.
- I will listen for directions and follow the director.
- I will attend all rehearsals and performances unless excused for illness or family emergency.
- I will wear the required performance uniform as required for the performances.
- I will follow the rules stated in the handbook.
- I WILL ENJOY MYSELF and MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!
Parent Commitment: I have read the 2017-2018 Hickory Creek Elementary School Band and Chorus Handbook. By signing this form, I agree to the following commitment:
1.I understand this is a one-year commitment. My child will not “drop out” before the end of the school year.
2.I will check my e-mail for information regarding rehearsals and performances.
3.I will have my child attend all rehearsals and performances unless excused for illness or family emergency. In the case of illness or family emergency, I will communicate with Mrs. Gauger as soon as possible.
4.I will provide my child with the required performance uniform for the performances.
5.I will encourage my child to enjoy the rehearsals and the performances and MAKE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC.
6.I will review and discuss the rules with my child.
I have gone through this handbook with my child and feel we both understand the commitment being made to the Hickory Creek Elementary School Band and Chorus.
_____ I give permission for my child’s picture to be included in photos on the school website, newspaper, or other media. )No names will be posted unless given written permission by parent.)
_____ I do not give permission for my child’s picture to be used in publicity photos in school website, newspaper or other media.
Please sign below and return to Mrs. Gauger. Keep the rest of the handbook for reference during the year.
Student Name ______
Student Signature ______Date ______
Parent Name______
Parent Signature ______Date ______
Fee Schedule
White oxford shirt with HCES Music logo embroidered
Note: There is a large quantity of these white oxford shirts which have been donated by former musicians and are available for borrowing for the current school year.
Please indicate whether you want to
______PURCHASE a new oxford shirt (cost is $26 and is due by 09/29) or
______BORROW from the donated inventory (Shirt # ______Size _____)
Youth Sizes: ____ S (6-8) _____M (10-12)_____L (14-16)_____XL (18-20)
Adult Sizes: ____ S _____M _____L_____XL
Date paid: ______Cash____ or Check #______
Music T-Shirt/Backpack - $15.00 fee: Due by 09/29
Date paid: ______Cash____ or Check #______
Youth Sizes: _____ S _____ M______L_____ XL