What is required of A'CHOIR?
A'Choir is our Advanced mixed competition choir at Cleveland (Choir: Advanced Mixed)
To become a member of this ensemble a student needs to:
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Be a Sophomore - Senior
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Complete an in-person audition (see below)
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Maintain OSAA activity standards found here (see handbook link)
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Be comfortable singing with others in an ensemble
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Have attendance of 90% or above for the previous year
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Attended all concerts, required choir events, & meetings
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Maintained good communication with Mrs. Cottrell around missing class and other events the previous year (if applicable)
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Acknowledge that this class has required trips and performance events regularly outside of the school day
AUDITION PROCESS
The Audition Process is supportive, encouraging, and open to students of all experience levels.
The audition is broken into 5 parts
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One on One discussion: about goals, skills, and previous year choir attendance, effort, and accomplishments
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Range Check: This portion of the audition is simply to hear how high and low your voice can go. It’s different for everyone and changes as you grow.
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Tonal Memory: In this portion, you’ll hear a series of “random” notes and you’ll be asked to sing them back on a neutral syllable such as “doo” or “la.”
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Sight Reading: The sight-reading portion of the audition is only required for students who have already had a year of choral instruction, although, all are encouraged to try it. In this portion, you will have a short musical melody excerpt presented for you to sing. Mrs. C will play the starting note and a scale to establish the key. When you’re ready, you will sing the example to the best of your ability on your own. For an example, and to practice, please visit SightReadingFactory.
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Solo Song: For the last part of the audition, you will be asked to sing 20 to 30 seconds of any song you like. It can be in any style. Please keep it short, and choose something that has continuous singing rather than long pauses. Sing something that you enjoy and feel you’re good at. It doesn’t matter what you sing, just how you sing it. This part of the audition is to be done completely a cappella, or without any accompaniment or backing tracks. Feel free to look at the lyrics if you need them.
What is required of DAIRES?
Daires is our contemporary a cappella auditioned ensemble at CHS that will meet after school. Members of this group are expected to maintain high standards in all aspects of their high school experience as well as commit to musical excellence and attendance. This group will be mostly student lead with some direction by Mrs. Cottrell
To become a member of this ensemble a student needs to:
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Complete an in-person audition on the selected date
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Enrolled in a choir at CHS during the school day
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Be comfortable with singing solo and with an ensemble
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Have attendance of 90% or above for the previous year
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Maintain excellent attendance to rehearsals & communicate with other activities about your twice a week rehearsals
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Agree to doing Solo & Ensemble either as a soloist or in an ensemble​
AUDITION PROCESS
Student Leaders with Mrs. Cottrell will make final selections
Part 1
We ask that you prepare a solo piece 1-2 minutes worth of music, preferably in a contemporary style. We will be assessing:
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Vocal Range
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Confidence with vocal solos
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Pitch matching
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Sound Quality (dark, light, bright, vibrato, etc.)'
Part 2
Sing a vocal line of a selected piece with 3 other current members.
We will be assessing:
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Sight Reading
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Confidence
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Vocal Independence
GENERAL INFO
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Who needs to do auditions and what is required?
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All new and returning singers wishing to be in A'Choir or Daires must complete the Audition process​
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How do I sign up for an audition?
Please look over the schedule and select a time that works for you. Schedule is posted on the window of Mrs. Cottrell's office in the hall.
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What am I auditioning for?
Auditions are required for admission into A'Choir and Daires. Nova Basso and Nova Altus are non-auditioned ensembles and open to anyone! Visit the Choirs & Class tabs to learn more about each ensemble.
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Why should I audition?
The CHS Choir Program is an amazing way to a part of positive and supportive community! Each choir has something unique to offer and will be a great addition to your academic experience.
Below are a few extra bullet points as to why you should audition.
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Students who take choir are more successful in their other academic classes. Fact.
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Singing in a choir is the most popular community recreational activity in America.
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If you sign up for Nova Altus or Nova Basso, you are guaranteed to have a class with all of your friends who also sign up (anyone can join!)
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There is virtually no homework.
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It doesn’t interfere with sports or other extracurricular activities. It’s a class period during the day.
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Most students who sign up end up making the best friends of their high school career in choir.
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A'Choir is an OSAA varsity activity.
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Choir will allow you travel around the country and the world.
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If you like music, there is a type of choral music for you! We sing music from all genres from all over the world! Different choirs focus on different things!
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Choir singers are generally the nicest, most responsible students in the school :)
What if I did not forecast for choir?
No worries! It’s not too late to do an audition and have your counselor change your schedule/forecasting afterward. Approximately 25% of the students currently in the choir program didn’t forecast for it and ended up doing an audition.
What do I need to do to prep for my audition?
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Practice! Work on the skills required for the audition - visit our resources page to practice!
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First, you must fill out an AUDITION FORM. Please complete the form at any point before the audition.​
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Follow the below steps to be prepared!