District 12 Honor Chorus Student Packet

Congratulations!

You have been nominated to participate in the Georgia Music Educators Association’s District 12 Honor Chorus. This is a great honor as only about 300 singers from across our district will be chosen to perform. We will have 2 choirs for the first time this year: a Mixed group and a Women’s group. You will be receiving your music for the performance and will need to work on your own or with your teacher to become familiar with your parts prior to the first rehearsal. You will have one evening of sectional rehearsals and the rest of the rehearsal process will take place with your conductors for this year’s event: Dr. Jefferson Johnson from the University of Kentucky for the Mixed Choir and Dr. Leslie Blackwell from Kennesaw State University for the Women’s Choir. You will perform a concert for the public at the end of the event. Feel free to ask your director if you have any questions about the event itself. Please read through all of the following information carefully, then fill out and sign the back page and have your parents sign as well indicating your intention to participate in the Honor Chorus event and agreement to abide by the rules for the event.

Schedule:

  • Return your signed forms to your director by September 11th, 2009.
  • Thursday, November 12th, Sectional rehearsal, 5:15-8:30, light dinner will be served – cost is included in registration fee, McEachern High School
  • Friday, November 13th, Rehearsal 5:15-9:30, light dinner will be served – cost is included in registration fee, McEachern High School
  • Saturday, November 14th, Rehearsal 9:00-11:30, lunch break – lunch will be served – cost is included in registration fee, Rehearsal 12:30-4:00, location TBA
  • Saturday, November 14th, Concert, 5:00 PM, location TBA, bring your concert attire (don’t forget shoes, socks and hose) and be sure everything you bring is labeled with your name.

Rules:

  • ATTENDANCE: All singers must be present at all rehearsals for the complete rehearsal time in order to participate in the performance. This event is under GMEA rules, so the All-State Chorus attendance policy as stated in the GMEA Handbook will rule the Honor Chorus Event; which means, the only way a student can miss any rehearsal and return to the event is if they miss any part of any one rehearsal they must return with a doctor’s note stating that they were under emergency doctor’s care. The doctor’s note must clearly state the date and time the student was treated and must officially release them to participate in the rest of the event. If a student is that sick on Thursday or Friday, chances are they do not need to be around all of the rest of the singers by Saturday anyway. But, if someone falls off their bike on Thursday, and has to be seen in the emergency room to get a cast, they could still return to the event as soon as possible.Absences from school have nothing to do with this GMEA event. Students cannot use being out of school as a reason not to attend an Honor Chorus rehearsal. The bottom line – singers must be at every rehearsal for the entire time in order to participate in the concert.
  • Please allow ample time to travel to rehearsals and plan to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time so you can get checked in and find your seat and rehearsals can actually begin right on time. Tardiness to rehearsals will be dealt with on an individual basis by the coordinators, but please keep in mind that the attendance policy clearly states that all singers must be present for complete rehearsals meaning they can not arrive late or leave early.
  • We have very limited rehearsal time and will have a great deal of work to accomplish. Please be attentive and respect your peers and leaders during the rehearsal time. Organizers reserve the right to remove a student from the event if their rehearsal behavior is in any way disruptive or unacceptable, or if a singer is unable to handle the musical demands of the event. Students removed from Honor Chorus will not receive a refund.
  • Students are expected to follow school dress code for all GMEA events.
  • Each student must have with them at each rehearsal their original scores, a black concert folder and a pencil. No gum, food, candy or drinks other than water will be allowed in rehearsal. No cell phones will be allowed in rehearsal. Student MUST turn them off – not to vibrate, but off.
  • Concert Attire: Students may choose to wear either their school chorus formal uniform or concert black. Concert black means head to toe black including either a black skirt or black pants and a black school dress code appropriate top or black button down shirt. Please discuss your plans with your director to be sure that everyone from your school is dressed the same.

Event Cost:

NONE

District 12 Honor Chorus 2009

STUDENT AGREEMENT FORM

Student Name

School

Grade LevelVoice Part [I or II]

Phone Number

Emergency Contact Name & Number

Students:

By signing below, I certify that I have read and understand the guidelines and rules for the 2009 District 12 Honor Chorus event. I agree to abide by all of the stated policies and rules to the best of my ability. I verify that I understand the schedule and attendance requirements and to the best of my knowledge at this time, I will be able to attend all required rehearsals and the concert.

Student Signature

Date

Parents:

By signing below, I certify that I have read and understand the guidelines and rules for the 2009 District 12 Honor Chorus event. I agree to allow my student to participate and to support my student in this endeavor. I verify that I understand the schedule and attendance requirements and to the best of my knowledge, my student will be able to attend all required rehearsals and the concert.

Parent’s Name

Parent’s Signature

Date

The due date for forms is September 11th, 2009.