Solo and Ensemble 2014

On February 7th, a small band of singers traveled to Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for the annual Florida Vocal Association's "Solo and Ensemble MPA."  I had 14 entries this year (6 soloists, 1 octet and 1 large ensemble).

MPA is an acronym for "music performance assessment" and it is exactly that - an opportunity for a soloist or small ensemble to perform before a judge for a grade.  A "Superior" rating is the best you can get.

The students run the show at this event.  My job is to make sure we have originals of each musical score for the judge.  I wish I had had the nerve to take a photo of the music spread before me on the floor, complete with bright orange sticky notes with student's name, page number of song and song title carefully inscribed on each one.  My chair was in the middle of a half-circle of musical scores fanned out in front of me.  It resembled the layout of a Black Jack dealer's cards on the table in front of him.

Sitting on a chair to my right, was the list on which the students' performance order had been printed.  As each one sang, I checked them off the list and opened the next two scores for the judge.  While he was writing comments on his adjudication sheet, I was switching out music and preparing for the next performance.  I was like a sleek machine humming along until one student's music could not be located and he was next in line to sing.  Panic ensued and I put a parent on it so I could keep the machine humming until his music could be found.  We skipped this student and moved on the next one, hoping that the music would turn up prior to the end of our session.  I found out later that the music had been sent down with a runner who took it to the wrong classroom and it took the parent and the voice coach forever to track it down.

Overall, it was a good experience for all of us and I am happy to report that I had 6 soloists receive a "Superior" rating and my large ensemble received "Superior" also.  This group of students will now advance to the State competition in April.

Congratulations to each of you!! You are a joy to teach and I am very proud of your accomplishments!!

Until next time...

After 22 years....

Twenty-two years ago, I was nearing the end of my graduate program at Florida State University.  Because I was getting married three months after graduation, I opted out of buying the academic regalia required to walk at graduation.  The Master's hood cost over $200 and I didn't have the money to spend on such frivolity.  My mom was disappointed, but I had no other options at the time.

Fast-forward 22 years....

I am now teaching at a high school whose new requirements for all faculty include participating in the graduation ceremony while wearing full academic regalia to the highest degree conferred.  That means that after all these years, I will finally get my hood and I won't have to pay a dime for it! AND...I get to keep it!!

God is good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.  Celebrating with a grateful heart today!!

College of Music 

Until next time....

All-State 2014

January has been a very busy month for me and my students!!  2.5 days after our return from Christmas break, I accompanied three of my students to Tampa where they participated in the 2014 All-State Chorus. Rehearsals began at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday morning and they performed with several hundred of the top singers from across the state of Florida on Saturday evening.  It was a whirlwind trip, but well worth it!

Five students represented Fletcher High School at All-State this year.  We had 1 student in the All-State Women's Chorus, 2 students in the All-State Concert Chorus, 1 student in the All-State Symphonic Band and 1 student in the All-State Symphonic Orchestra.

Mr. Maerkl and I are extremely proud of these individuals.  They are great kids who are dedicated to their craft and an absolute joy to teach.  Congratulations to each of you!!  You are so deserving of this honor!!

Dining in downtown Tampa

Ellie, Mrs. Tamburrino, Sara, Jack

After the concert

Mr. Maerkl (Director of Bands), Jack, Sara, DJ, Ellie

and Mrs. Tamburrino (Director of Choral Studies)

Until next time...

Time to Reflect

I am now 5 months into my first year as a high school choral director.  We reached the halfway point last Thursday.  Grades were due for 218 students by noon on Friday.  Semester exams had to be graded and posted and I was at FMEA and All-State the week prior.  I hit a wall trying to register students for Solo and Ensemble on Thursday with the deadline looming at midnight the following night. If you know me, you know that I am not a "last-minute Lucy."  I am very linear (a blessing and a curse) in my approach to life.  My linearality (is that a word?) is great for teaching because I am usually planned out for days, sometimes weeks in advance.  Since I'm not a conceptual girl, I have a hard time visualizing and focusing on the 'big picture.'  I tend to get lost in the minutae of the moment.

So...I would like to take a step back and reflect on the big picture for the first half of the school year. Much has been accomplished which really should be celebrated, at the very least, by my faithful readers.

• In early September, I auditioned 12 soloists to sing the Star Spangled Banner at our home football games.  Five were chosen in a "blind audition" along with one alternate.  We enjoyed a "live" performance of our National Anthem at every home game during the season.  They did such a fine job, the basketball coach asked for our assistance as well as our ladies' soccer coach and we were happy to oblige.
• 81 students auditioned for the Disney Candlelight Processional 2013.  We were one of four public high schools in Duval County that made the cut this year.  Because Thanksgiving was the last week in November instead of the third, Disney cancelled 7 days of performances which drastically reduced the number of choirs who were invited to perform.  On December 17th at 5:00 p.m., we performed at Candlelight and it was awesome!! My first field trip ever - 2 coach buses, 2 bus drivers, 55 students, 11 chaperones, 26 hotel rooms and me.  I told my students that I would travel with them any day, anywhere.  They did such a fine job representing our organization, our school and our community.
• While we were waiting on the results of the Disney audition, I escorted 9 students to LaVilla School of the Arts to audition for the FMEA All-State Chorus.  Six made the first cut and three were left standing after the vocal quality audition. I spent 5 days in Tampa with them last week.  Their efforts over the past several months culminated in a fantastic performance with 200 of the top choral musicians from across the state of Florida. This experience brought back so many memories for me. I participated in the All-State Chorus from 8th through 12th grade.
• In October, we programmed a Fall concert and collaborated with the Band and Dance departments for our annual "Holiday Extravaganza" concert on December 10th.  I heard nothing but wonderful comments from attendees, faculty and friends.

Music Performance Assessments (MPAs) are just around the corner.  I have 25 students participating in 17 events including 12 solos, 2 duets, 1 trio, an octet and an auditioned ensemble of 14 students.  We will begin our journey through this process upon our return to school this week.

The Annual Talent Show is one of our big fundraisers in the spring and we invite students to audition who would like to showcase their talent but are not necessarily a part of our Performing Arts Department.

The FHS Spring Choral Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th in the Fletcher High School auditorium at 7:00 pm. Our performance will include students who made "Superior" on their entry at MPA as well as musical selections sung by all three choirs.  Please save the date!

Baccalaureate/Graduation will take place in June.  Stay tuned....

Overall, it has been a great learning experience for all parties involved and I am looking forward to what lies ahead over the next several months.  I'm working with great kids and am eagerly supported by my colleagues in the Performing Arts Department.  What a great ride!!

Until next time...

Holiday Pajama Run 2013

I am always looking for interesting and engaging ways to raise money for our chorus program so when this opportunity presented itself, we jumped on it.  I figured we had 48 hours to recover from our Disney trip and we were three days into our Christmas break.  Why not sing Christmas carols for runners running a 5K in their holiday PJs? And there you have it.  The 2013 Holiday Pajama Run.

This run was a 5K that was held at Metropolitan Park downtown and raised funds for the Children's Home Society of Jacksonville.  Everyone showed up in their pajamas, including Mrs. Tamburrino, and ran the race. At the one-mile mark, the race organizers had built a large gift box in which my students stood and sang carols as the runners jogged by.  There were also several additional photo frames that had been been designed with various holiday themes in mind.  You could stop, have your picture taken, enjoy a few holiday songs and be on your merry way.  At the end of the race, you received a holiday mug filled with Starbucks hot chocolate.  My students loved it and so did the runners!

Thanks for donating your time to spread a little holiday cheer!!

You are the best!!

"May your days be merry and bright" this Christmas Season.  

Until next time...

Candlelight Processional 2013

I spent the past two days with 55 members of the Fletcher High School Chorus in Orlando, Florida.

We were one of four public schools in Duval County who auditioned and were selected to participate in the Disney Candlelight Processional at EPCOT.  189 choirs from as far north as New York and as far west as Colorado participated in Candlelight this year.  It was a great opportunity for my students to work with the professionals at Walt Disney World, sing in a mass choir and spread a little Christmas cheer in the process. We performed on Tuesday, December 17th at 5:00 p.m.  Our narrator was Edward James Olmos.

Candlelight is "One of the most beloved holiday traditions at EPCOT."  The Christmas story, as written in the book of Luke, is retold by a celebrity narrator accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra, Disney's "Voices of Liberty" singers and an auditioned mass choir.  It is a tradition that began with Walt Disney and has continued for many years.

This was the chorus's 14th trip to EPCOT to participate in Candlelight. Many choirs were turned away this year because Thanksgiving was so late and the number of performances had been reduced by seven.  We were proud to represent Fletcher High School and our community at Candlelight and look forward to auditioning again next year.

Fletcher High School Candlelight Processional 2013 on PhotoPeach

Until next time...

Repair Job

On Tuesday evening, our Holiday Extravaganza performance was in full swing.  All was going swimmingly until one of my guys came to me during intermission and informed me that his button had popped off of his tuxedo jacket and he didn't know what to do about it.

As he is standing before me with open coat and button in-hand, my brain jumped to a plastic container in the closet that had essentials in it that had been assembled by the former teacher for road trips with the chorus.  I was certain I had seen a sewing  kit in the box, so I dashed to the closet and located the kit.  During intermission, I re-attached his button to his jacket and all was well.

Thanks, Mom, for sewing lessons as a kid!

The concert was a huge success and so was the jacket repair.  One never knows when life-skills will be needed.  I'm just glad I had them when I was called upon to use them.

Until next time...