Weddington Morning Choir Information
Morning Choir will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:56-7:25 AM for 4th and 5th graders. Please wait until 6:55 AM to get out of your car. Also, be sure the music trailer door is open.
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A Letter from Mr. Becker
Welcome to the Weddington Elementary Morning Choir. Attendance: Our rehearsal time is very important. When your child misses, both your child and the group suffers, and we do not progress as quickly. Weekly attendance is crucial and expected. Children who are frequently absent will be removed from membership, or may be denied performance privileges. It is not fair to the children who attend rehearsals regularly to allow the children who are frequently tardy or absent to perform. Each child may have as many as 3 excused absences per semester (a note/email from the parent/guardian is considered an excused absence) . If a child receives any more than 2 unexcused rehearsal absences (no note/email), or 1 concert unexcused absence then he or she may be asked to give up their membership. A team is only as strong as its weakest member, and it takes the attendance of every member to make a choir team strong. Grades and Behavior Additionally, all choir members must keep up with all classwork. They are a representative of the school and our music program. Morning Choir is a great opportunity for all students at Weddington Elementary school, and we all need to feel safe and respected in order to make the best music possible. Though this is a before school, extracurricular activity, students are expected to follow all school rules. If students cannot follow our school rules during any choir event, they will receive an office referral for their actions. If a student receives two office referrals during our choir season, they will be asked to remit their choir membership. Almost all of the choir communication comes home via email. Please make sure to add my email to your contacts list, so you will be sure to get the messages. [email protected] If your email changes during the school year, or you are not getting choir emails, please let me know. I look forward to a great year with these wonderful kids...they are our future leaders! One of the real benefits of directing the choir is being able to work with quality parents such as you; parents who see the value of participating in a special musical group. Thank you for encouraging your child in the area of vocal music. Here's to a wonderful musical year! If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 704-491-4713 Musically Yours, Bruce Becker [email protected] VOCAL HEALTH (copied from https://voice-lessons.com/what-to-eat-and-what-to-drink-before-singing/) As far as food is concerned, it is important to avoid singing on a completely empty stomach. Singing can be athletic, and you want to have plenty of energy for your performance. However, it is also important to avoid singing on a completely full stomach. When the stomach is too full, it is difficult to take the low breaths necessary for healthy singing. Also, singing tends to cause burping when it is done too soon after eating, and burping is an activity that is usually frowned upon by many audience members during a vocal performance. A rule of thumb is to eat a healthy “singers meal” about 2 hours prior to a performance. A singer’s meal would be balanced in 1) lean meat, chicken, fresh fish, eggs, or a high quality vegetable protein such as tempeh or tofu; 2) a complex starchy carbohydrate such as whole grain bread, brown rice or potato (not much butter, and no sour cream); and 3) plenty of fresh vegetables and/or fruits (citrus fruits however seem to cause mucous or dryness in some singers). Make sure to never stuff yourself, especially before a performance. Some foods and beverages to avoid prior to singing are mucous producing foods such as dairy, stimulants such as caffeine and spicy foods, soft drinks, refined sugars, chocolate, and iced drinks. Be aware also of any foods which you may be sensitive to or allergic to prior to singing (for example, some singers have trouble with citrus fruits, wheat, nuts, shellfish or soy). It’s also important to keep the body well hydrated with water the day of a performance, but please remember to lay off on the water intake several hours before you go on, since there probably won’t be too many bathroom breaks. Some performers will chew a bit of sugar free gum or suck on a sugar free hard candy prior to going onstage to keep the saliva flowing in lieu of drinking water. |