CONFERENCE
SPONSORS

North Central ACDA
gratefully acknowledges
the generous support
of these sponsors.

JW Pepper - Delivering music since 1876.
Honor Choir music, Reading and Interest Session packets, and Collegiate Repertoire Choir packets provided at cost. Mailing of Honor Choir music to coordinators and Collegiate Repertoire Choir music to Madison.

General Mills
Support of the "To Be Certain of the Dawn" retreat for participating collegiate choirs.

Roger Dean Publishing Company
Support of the Kansas City Chorale performance.

Hal Leonard Corporation

Middle Level Boys

   

NC-ACDA 2012 MIDDLE LEVEL (SATB) BOYS HONOR CHOIR (GRADES 7, 8)

Randal Swiggum & Margaret Jenks, conductors

Madison Youth Choirs, Madison, Wisconsin

 
Marcia Russell, coordinator
 

This Boys Honor Choir will include unchanged, changing, and changed voices and will give young men in various stages of voice change a unique opportunity to sing in an SATB choir of all boys, as young men have done for hundreds of years. Boys who sing tenor or baritone in their school choir will be encouraged to use their treble voice on selected Honor Choir repertoire.

Recognizing that the voice change is an ongoing process that needs to be handled creatively and healthily, and that few boys (even after their initial voice “break”) are truly settled as tenors or baritones, this choir is intended to serve the unique needs of middle school male singers, including:

  • boys whose voices are virtually unchanged and still sing soprano or alto best.
  • boys who are in the midst of voice change but can still sing soprano or alto (even though portions of their middle range may be unavailable to them on any given day.)
  • more “settled” basses and baritones who probably still have accessible treble ranges and whose falsetto voices need developing.

Though we will be using tenor and bass parts on some SATB selections, we encourage boys who would audition as a T or B to also audition secondarily as a soprano or alto if possible (or at least to demonstrate their treble voice) through the audition recording they submit.

In a convention that focuses on process “beyond the notes,” our hope is to provide a joyful music-making experience that celebrates the unique capabilities of the changing voice, especially its once-in-a-lifetime range possibilities, rather than focusing on its limitations. In this environment, boys will be encouraged to experiment with their entire vocal range, to access their treble voice as a way of strengthening and refining their emerging lower register, and to experience the unique timbres of an SATB choir of all boys.


 

REHEARSAL MP3s and NOTES

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

HOUSING AND MEALS: Parents or legal guardians are responsible for making housing reservations for their singers in an NC-ACDA designated hotel. Hotel contact information and rates will be included in acceptance letters. Accepted participants MUST stay in their designated hotel. The cost of meals for singers is INCLUDED in the participation fee. Commuting will not be permitted.

CHAPERONES/SECURITY: ACDA Honor Choir policy requires one parent or legal guardian to chaperone and be housed with his/her child in the same room. In addition, North Central ACDA will provide security personnel for each honor choir.

POSTMARK DEADLINES:
OCTOBER 1, 2011: Submit all Honor Choir application forms, audition CD’s, and audition fees
NOVEMBER 1, 2011: Notification of selection
NOVEMBER 15, 2011: Selected Honor Choir members submit registration forms and payment

If you have questions, please contact Lynn Seidl, Honor Choir Project Chair.

Be sure to check this website occasionally for updates and current information on the Honor Choirs project.