Director:
Ofc Hrs
SYLLABUS
Course Description
BCC's Symphonic
Chorale is a large choral ensemble that studies, rehearses, and performs a wide
variety of choral literature. The
literature studied will range from major choral works and traditional choral
music to folk songs, music from around the world, and musical theater. This quarter’s program, as in the past,
provides a variety of opportunities for levels of involvement and
enjoyment. One can enjoy the choir by
singing the quarters challenging music as a member of the chorus. A person can also get involved and take on
the responsibility of acting, and singing in one of the lead role which we use to tie the music
together. This year’s show is based around “Mystic Legends, and Stories”. From revisiting the Tales of the Ring of
Power, to man’s mystical relationship with the land and see, and the mysteries
of the holidays the show should be very entertaining. With a script written for us and directed by
Tammis Doyle. plus lighting, costumes and sets the
production is quite an undertaking, but always fun. A small group of our
members will tour to local high schools with highlights of the Tales of the
Rings of Power.
Over the years we
have cut the time needed to produce such a program down to the bare minimum so
make sure you have taken off all required rehearsals and really try to make it
to the retreat which will be held October 27-28. This is not only a great place
to learn the music for the quarter but it is also a great place to get to know
your fellow choir members.
The design of the
curricula for Symphonic Choir is to provide members an enriching and expressive
musical experience plus help them develop the tools to keep music in their
lives for the rest of their lives. There are four aspects of this experience through which the
course will focus and through which a member's success will be measured.
1. A
Students Skill at Organizing Themselves for Performances and Music as a Part of
Their Lives
2. Quality
of Performance as a Group and an Individual
3. Vocal
Skill, Musical Literacy, and/or Historical and Contextual Awareness
4. Teamwork,
Group Interaction and Involvement
A variety of
resources are available to help each member develop their individual skills and
talents, these include group rehearsals, sectional rehearsals, rehearsal tapes,
use of the music computer lab, and individual help sessions. The ensemble provides numerous opportunities
to build each member's talents and bring together their efforts together into
wonderfully musical and expressive performances. Welcome to what we call “our
family”, so get ready a little hard work and a whole bunch of fun.
Events for the Fall Quarter - Events in Bold Type ARE
REQUIRED Anyone missing a required event will have their grade lowered and may
loose their right to sing in the quarters concert
Due to the
coordination with the various ensembles that are part of our performance this
quarter times for “Out of Class Leads and Ensemble” practices plus “Hell Week”
rehearsals will not be finalized till the script is finished and auditions have
taken place some time in early October. Providing enough time for arrangements to be made with employers,
teachers, and/or child care.
|
Fall Retreat ( |
October 25-26 |
|
Individual
Evaluation Tape 1 |
October 30th |
|
Fall Choral
Tour |
TBA |
|
Individual
Evaluation Tape 2 |
November 22nd |
|
Walk Through
Rehearsal |
December 2rd
- |
|
Lead Sound Check and Run Through (if needed) |
December 3ird
-- Afternoon |
|
Tech Rehearsal
with Lighting and Sound |
December 4th – |
|
Dress
Rehearsal |
December 6th -- |
|
Winter Quarter
Concert |
December
7th (possibly 8th ) |
All
Events take place in Carlson Theater (Call
for Rehearsal ½ hour for concerts 1 hour early)
Grading
for the Symphonic Chorale follows the practices prescribed by the
3. Group Performance and Teamwork
Grade
A
New Attendance Policy will be applied to all grades as prescribed by the
Student Procedure & Expectations.
Organization
for Performance
BCC's Symphonic Chorale is a performance class thus your
organization surrounding practicing, attendance at rehearsals and performances,
and timely preparation of materials is critical to
your success in choir and to our overall success as a choir. The skills that we work on in class are
sequential in nature, as is our approach to learning and preparing music, thus
your ability to organize yourself for performance is demonstrated by our
preparedness, attendance and punctuality.
This year attendance will be taken at all daily rehearsals and all
required events. The attendance grading policy will be discussed later in the
syllabus.
Daily
Rehearsal.
Our daily rehearsal time needs to be very important to all our members
as we are working to produce the highest quality of entertainment as a
team. You will be held responsible to
organize yourself so that you are in class, prepared, with music and pencil, and
ready to sing on time every day. If you
are ill, or there is a serious situation that will keep you from a rehearsal,
you are responsible for notifying us that you will not be present. On your return, you will need to make
arrangements to learn what was covered in class and make up the missed
time.
Special
attention will be given to the ten rehearsals before all performances,
as everyone is needed to put the finishing touches on the music.
Practice at Home an
Sectionals Students will need to organize their
time to be able to practice an expected to practice between 20 to 40 minutes
nightly and attend 2 out of class hour long sectionals per quarter
Performances and Dress/Tech. Rehearsal Attendance is mandatory at
performances and dress rehearsals.
You are responsible
to organize your time and schedule to be present at all mandatory events. An
unexcused or non-prearranged absence from a required event may result in you
failing the class.
Consistent
Individual Musical Growth and Performance Students will
demonstrate individual and consistent musical growth during daily rehearsals,
through the instructors direct observations during
ensemble singing, students being asked to individually sing specific parts
during rehearsals and/or sectionals.
Group
Performance
The concerts performed by the Symphonic Choir take the place
of the major exams for the class. Our
aim is to make each performance the most polished and professional production
possible. Each person contributes to the
preparedness and presentation of the whole group, thus for this portion of your
grade, the entire group's ability for early and accurate preparation is
assessed. Grading for Group Performance
will be figured on the following basis:
·
Evaluation of the Performance and Dress
Rehearsals-(Attendance, Punctuality, Preparation, Musical Performance Quality
and Expression)
·
Attendance at three sectionals-(Minimum
1 hour with at least four people in attendance)
·
Participation in one activity of the
Leadership/planning positions, or assistance with logistics and/or set up/take
down of events
Each individual member of the Symphonic Choir is expected
become actively involved in practicing and developing their vocal skills, their
level of musical literacy, and their cultural/historical awareness behind the
music being performed.
Musical Accuracy: Student
will be expected to demonstrate on a tape their knowledge and skill in singing
their part for each of the pieces that we will perform. Students will have the
opportunity to evaluate their own tape, and then the instructor will then
assess the tape’s grade. All tapes not
meeting a minimum “B” level of performance will have to be resubmitted for the
student to be able to perform at the concert. Rubrics will be provided for the
evaluations. This Individual Tape Tests
will be due October 30th and November 22nd.
Vocal Development: Student will receive instruction daily on
healthy and proper singing techniques during warm ups. Students will be responsible for identifying
and be able to demonstrate the intent of each exercise. Students will also be judged on their growth
by their performance on the Individual Tape Test due October 30th
and November 22nd.
Musical Literacy:
A music reading program will be given during the first three weeks of the
quarter. Students will then be given practice with the skills during
rehearsals. Students can also develop
their skills through the use of the Music Lab found in E222.
Cultural and Historical Backgrounds:
Students will also be provided materials about the historical backgrounds of
the materials being performed and/or the script/program notes which describe
the intent of the concert. Student will
be responsible to read and identify how this material affects the performance
and their response to the performance.
There may be several written exams throughout the quarter that will
factor into the grade above.
New
Attendance Policy
Bellevue Community College’s Symphonic Choir follows the
|
Number of Absences |
Highest Grade
Possible |
|
1-3
absence |
A |
|
4 |
A- |
|
5 |
B+ |
|
6 |
B |
|
7 |
B-/C+ |
|
8 |
C |
|
9 |
D |
|
10 |
F |
Up
to 10% of a students grade can be made up through extra work outside of
class. Included in the make up work
and/or additional credit grading activities are;
·
Attendance at any of additional events
and/or the retreat
·
Extra Sectional work beyond the 2
sectionals required. (as reported by
section leaders)
·
Music Lab Time
·
Participation in the leadership and planning
roles of the choir
·
Help with the logistic and set up of
events beyond the requirements of the class
Student will be responsible to record all such activities
and have them approved by the appropriate staff member
Appropriate
Concert Dress and/or Costume.
The visual effect of the ensemble is an important part of performance and as
such we try to present a professional appearance in such a way as to enhance
the musical impact. Thus specific
costuming is required for concert appearances. Student will be responsible to
provide their own concert dress, which meets choirs standard listed below.
WOMEN'S
CONCERT APPAREL Women
choir members will be responsible to furnish their own black tea length dresses
(below the knee, above the ankle) with black nylons and black shoes. Please avoid sleeveless or off-the-shoulder
gowns and plunging necklines or backs.
Please also try to avoid white or colored trims and rhinestones or other
glittery ornaments. Jewelry and other accessories must be held to a minimum in
performances so that they don't distract from a unified visual image. Earrings, if worn at all, should be small and
simple. Please DO wear make-up for concerts, especially lipstick and blush. With the bright stage lighting this is the
only way there is identity to your facial expressions. Please DO NOT wear a large hairdo, scented
hairspray, or perfume for the concert.
MEN'S
CONCERT APPAREL BCC
will provide the men with tuxedo jackets and pants. These will be checked out to you by the
Uniform Manager and you will be responsible to return them in good condition at
the end of the quarter. There will be an
$8.00 charge assessed to students when they initially check out a tuxedo. This
will cover the cost of cleaning when the tux is checked in. Men will need to furnish their own white tux
shirt, and black bow tie (a cummerbund is optional), plus black dress shoes and
black socks. Men are also asked not to
wear fragrances or scented deodorants on stage.
COSTUMES
maybe part of our performance. Each
person will be responsible to have an appropriate costume. You may find things you own, however they
must be approved at least 2 weeks before the show.
MUSIC:
You will be provided most music for the quarter and will be held responsible to
return it, with all marks erased, by Dec 10th.
The cost of any music not turned in or damaged will be assessed as a
fine to the responsible person. This list will be sent to the Cashier to be
cleared before future registration or transcripts can be acquired.
#2
PENCIL All
members are required to have a sharpened #2 pencil to make performance notes in
their music.
1
- 90 MINUTES TAPE Your
tape should be labeled with the students name and vocal part as the tapes will
be used for testing.
PRACTICE
TIME Most
college classes require about 2 hours of study for every 1 hour in class,
however I have designed BCC Symphonic Chorale to require approximately a little
more than 2 1/2 hours out of class per week.
20 minutes of daily
individual practice(more time may be required for some
members)
Attendance in at
least TWO sectionals.per quarter are
required(more may be required for some members)
Attendance at all
required Tech and dress rehearsals, performances
Involvement in the
production aspect of our performance events
The
processing and record keeping of an individual works will be kept track of
through a point system. Students are
responsible for making sure that they fill in the correct forms to report
sectionals, they sign in and out at events, as well as making sure that their
general attendance is marked correctly.
Late tapes, papers and sectional forms along with attendance problems
will result in the points ascribed to the event being reduced. Make sure you check your class status
frequently. All records are kept on file
in my office E100b. The point system is as follows:
Organizational
for Performance and Musical Growth
Up
to 300 points
|
Up to 75pt |
Punctuality (being on time, and
focused, with all required equipment, assignments in on time) |
|
Up to 75pt |
Preparedness (having required
equipment and marked music, awareness of schedules and timelines) |
|
Up to 75pts |
Practice (Scheduling time and methods
for out of class practice at home, and in sectionals) |
|
Up to 100pts |
Performance Week (Scheduling and
participating in all aspects of performance week preparation) |
Consistent
Individual Musical Performance
Up
to 200 points
|
Up to 150pt |
Observations in of individual
performance in rehearsal and/or sectionals |
|
Up to
75pt |
Performance of individual as
requested in rehearsal and/or sectionals - |
Performance
Up
to 300 points
|
Up to 50 pts. |
Walk through Rehearsal |
|
Up to 50 pts. |
Tech Rehearsal |
|
Up to 50 pts |
Dress Rehearsal |
|
Up to 100 pts. |
Concert |
Included in grading: being on time, being prepared, costumes
and equipment, tone, precision of parts, emotional and musical expression.
Individual
Growth and Work
Up
to 200 points
|
Up to 60 pts. |
2 Sectionals (30 points each, minimum
3 people, 1 hour – make sure form is signed and turned in) |
|
Up to 100 pts. |
Tapes
due 10/30, 11/22 (50 pts each) |
|
Up to 30 pts |
Written Tests and History/Music
Literacy Final Test (Finals Day) |
|
Up to 10 pts |
Organization/Leadership/Festival Work |
Subtract 40 pts for everyday missed. Absences from required events can result in failing the class.
*Extra
Credit & Make up
up to 10%, 100 points
|
Up to 50 pts. |
Attendance at Retreat or Choral
Workshop |
|
Up to 40 pts |
Lead role, including extra practices |
|
15 pts. |
Extra sectionals beyond maximum for
Individual Performance Grade |
|
Up to 40 pts. |
Extra organizational/leadership help(
Staging Set Up and Costume Help) |
|
Student can skip levels by testing to
higher levels (Procedures will follow) |
|
Final
Grades Percentage
|
A |
89%
to 100% |
|
A- |
85%
to 88% |
|
B+ |
81%
to 84% |
|
B |
77%
to 80% |
|
B- |
73%
to 76% |
|
C+ |
69%
to 72% |
|
C |
65%
to 68% |
|
D |
61%
to 64% |
|
F |
Below
60% |