Answering Questions

Occasionally, questions come up that remind me that some of this might be new to people. While I am stuck in high school and the seasons pass without much variation in schedule from year to year, not everyone understands the method behind my madness. So what follows is a not so short explanation of MIXED ENSEMBLE!!! (pictured above is last year's group at solo/ensemble contest)

At the beginning of the year, I hold auditions for the Mixed Ensemble. It is totally voluntary, although the freshmen may not really understand what they are auditioning for. In a normal year (if there is such a thing), I usually have enough upper classmen that the freshmen have a slim chance of being chosen for obvious reasons. We do rehearse before school quite a bit, depending on the season of the year. Here are the main things that we do that are above and beyond the requirements of the class:

Christmas Concert- sing one number
Pops Concert- 4 songs (totally responsible for the vocal portion of the pops concert- whole class does not sing)
Contest- We will perform 2 songs not yet learned
Awards Concert- The mixed ensemble will perform one set (medley of songs) and the whole class will perform one set.

We also get requests during the year to provide music for different clubs, events, etc. When I get these requests, I usually turn to the mixed ensemble to provide it. In this way, we are ambassadors to the community for the music department and the school. We always go at least twice to the Colonial Manor in Anita.

I realize that the time commitment is huge and I do so appreciate the effort that they all make to come to extra rehearsals. The rewards are great! They sing harder music than the big group is able to sing- so gifted students are challenged and not bored. They grow together as a group- finding a safe peer group that includes classes other than their own age level. We create great memories as we go places! We learn about serving others through sharing our music beyond the school. We learn that hard work pays off!

Bigger schools have an auditioned group (and it is usually a show choir) that is scheduled as a separate class so that the rest of the students don't have to be idle while the select group is rehearsing. I have enough trouble getting my students all in one class for the day, let alone asking them to sign up for 2. So I have always had the select group come in before school.

There are other times when we have before-school rehearsals. The All-State Auditioners rehearse before school, and the SWI Honor Choir kids do also. Very often, the mixed ensemble kids are the same as the All-State and SWI kids, but not always. I also choose a couple of alternates who rehearse with us as much as they can so they are ready to step in when we need them because of illness or schedule conflicts.

Now the question: If the Mixed Ensemble rehearses before school, what goes on during our regular class period? Here is a breakdown of what the whole class is doing at any given time during the year:
Fall: Musical or Variety Show and music for Conference Vocal Festival
Winter: Christmas
Jan-April: Small Group Contest. We always take at least 20 events. Each event includes 2 songs.
Mar-May: Awards Concert. This is the closest we get to show choir. Everyone sings and dances!

This schedule has served my program well over the years.
If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
Mrs. Nichols