Some cool sites to look at for Christmas

Today in class (our last before Christmas vacation), we watched some You-Tube videos and responded to them in a Moodle forum. Yep- pretty technological. I was very pleased with most of the comments that my intelligent students made. You can actually go to Moodle and look at them if you want! But before you do, watch these videos for yourself and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHPHnlYi3V0&feature=fvw
(Jackie Evancho singing O Holy Night)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2NeW7CF_AA
(It Came Upon a Midnight Clear)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9XNfWNooz4&feature=related
(i-Band)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU
(Silent Monks)

and my favorite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0REJ-lCGiKU

Have a wonderful Christmas!
Mrs. Nichols

Reflections on Charlie Brown

The shows are now memories, but what memories!! Here are some student comments that hit the nail on the head and echo my own sentiments:

Jenna: It was hard balancing this and all my other commitments, but it all worked out and was worth it in the end.

Charles: I enjoyed the fact that the audience was entertained.

Daniel S: I learned that if you want to get anything done you have to do it yourself.

Michaela: I learned that everyone needs to do their part in helping to make the musical the best it can be.

Caitlin: I learned to use big facial expressions and to go all out and give it my best.

Emily: The thing that surprised me were how some of the people who got principle parts sort of became those characters.

Trenda: We got it to the point that it was real life not just a comic strip.

Amber: I didn't think there were going to be so many students come to the musical but there was so that surprised me.

And my personal favorite:

I’ve learned that Mrs. Nichols knows best! (Thanks, Makaye!)

Thanks for the memories!!!

We have started the 2 week marathon! For the next 14 days, we will eat, sleep, play, live, practice, memorize, love and hate "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!" at different points during the process of making this a show we can be proud of. It will be wonderful! The kids will entertain! They will sparkle! They will surprise you and make you laugh! But right now we have 2 weeks of hard work to do before we get to that point. The marathon begins..............

Ready for the Race!

I was really ready for school to start this year- what a wonderful summer. It wasn't too short, it didn't go by too fast, it wasn't too busy or any of the other things that you hear people say. The reason is because I chose to rest. I sat on my porch and read my books and worked in my flowers and had a lot of fun cutting thistles in the pastures (yep- you heard that right). I walked, I talked, I lunched with friends. I held my grand daughter and traveled with my family. I'm so thankful because I needed that, I mean I REALLY needed that.

So now I'm ready for school and excited about the new year in ways that I haven't been in a long time. You have probably already heard that "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" is our musical for this year. Auditions will be this week and the field is wide open. I hope the students are really preparing their auditions, because it is really hard to choose a cast based on how well you think they MIGHT act or sing! And these characters will need good actors to pull them off. The students are researching "Peanuts" characters for their first Moodle assignment, and the entries I've seen so far have been excellent. Choosing the right people for the parts is one of the things that significantly determines the show's success. It is not an easy job, so I thought you might like to know some of the things we take into consideration when casting a show.

1. Acting and singing ability (of course)
2. Reliability (rehearsal attendance)
3. Responsibility (memorization and preparation)
4. Past academic performance (ineligible students cannot perform on stage for the musical)
5. Potential (you can do more than you think you can)
6. Something we DON'T consider too much if at all: age. We cast the students based on what will make the best show. In other words: Don't plan on a part just because you are a senior. AND: Don't be upset if someone younger than you gets a good part. We cast the students based on what will make the best show.

And we will have a great show- I'm sure of that.
So... we're off!

Encore!

Encore means that the music was so good the crowd wanted more! The theme of our Awards Concert was Encore because we sang great songs from past decades that deserved another singing. It is also how my heart feels about launching this senior class. (I almost wrote "losing" there, but decided against it. Yes, I'll be losing them as members of my high school vocal class. But it is time for them to move on. They are being launched into the bigger world to use their God-given abilities and the lessons I and others have taught them. So I'll stick with launch instead of lose.) Anyway- back to Encore.

I wanted it to go on and on. I didn't want the concert to end. Some of my students felt the same way. On their Moodle assignment, they were asked to write about something that they could have changed about the concert and several of them said that it was over too soon!

Encore. The music and the personalities of this special class will live on in my heart for a very long time. Bailey- you didn't want to let anyone know how much you were enjoying yourself! Kelsey- always giving me 100% even when you didn't feel like it! Tiffany- you are a better singer than you think you are! Paige- what a great dance teacher who created choreography for dancers and non-dancers alike! McKinze- great ideas, sense of humor, and fantastic with the computer! Cassidy- Born entertainer!

Thanks, girls. This was definitely an ENCORE year.

Loving my granddaughter and my job.......

Natalie Renee was born on April 30, 2010. She is the long awaited answer to prayer by her parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents who grieved her big brother Isaac's stillbirth last January. Which brings me to the reason for this blog entry. I am blessed in many ways- one of those ways is the students I get to teach. I was reminded of this on Natalie's birth day when my phone was receiving texts from my students asking for updates and offering prayer. How special! How special to have the opportunity to invest not only my musical leadership, but my life in students for 6 years so that when they graduate they feel like one of my own. These kids become a part of my life as surely as I become part of theirs. What a privilege.

Contest a Huge Success!!

Wow. There aren't enough superlatives to say what I feel about last weekend's Solo/Ens contest in Woodbine. However, you know that I'm going to try :)
Some highlights (in no particular order):

*MUSICAL GROWTH!! I am so proud of all of my students who performed Saturday. I have seen them work so hard and make such giant leaps in terms of vocal improvement. EVERYONE has learned so much.

*Amazing ratings!! I have never had a year like we had this year. So many great ratings and good comments from the judges. Honestly, I did not even sit down to figure out ratings until we were all done at 5:00, and I was totally shocked and humbled. You know that the ratings are not what is most important to me (nor should they be to you). However, it sure is nice when someone else appreciates our hard work, isn't it?

*Chamber Choir!! We bit off a very tough piece. Very tough. Up until the last minute we were practicing with our cheat sheet. Our memory was not totally there. But I'll tell you what WAS there- my wonderful students who watched me, concentrated, listened, compensated, and gave their best to remember everything we had learned about this piece from the very beginning. It is so much more rewarding to tackle a hard piece and succeed than sing an easy one and succeed. Many thanks to my students who trusted me and worked together to earn this I rating.

*Outstanding Performances!! After a little visit with the judge in Center 2 after the day was over, I can tell you that all four of the events he was considering for Best of Center (he could only choose one) belonged to CAM High School! What an honor! So cool! In 16 years, these are the 5th and 6th of these coveted honors my students have received. Again- wow!

*Perfect Scores!! The most in any year I've been teaching. We had five!!! Congratulations to Cassidy (solo), Kelsey and Makaye (duet), Cassidy and Colton (duet), Cassidy, Kelsey, Paige (trio), and the Madrigal group (Kelsey, Cassidy, Colton, Dan) who would have had a perfect score except they sang their song so fast that they were penalized for being under time. :)

*Professionalism!! I am so proud of the wonderful stage presence that all performers exhibited. They introduced themselves and their pieces, smiled at the judge, and some people even figured out how to show expression on their faces! We have made so much progress in this area.

*Text Blessing. This text I received is the kind of thing that makes me love my job: "Thanks for encouraging me. I didn't know I could do it."

I feel like a proud mama- WAY TO GO CAM VOCAL STUDENTS!!!!!

PS- Thanks to Michelle Carr for these great pictures.

Lesson of 2009/2010: Flexibility

Wow. The 2010 Pops Concert will be memorable for so many reasons, both sad, glad, and scary.

Sad: The need to change the concert to a day when we didn't have school. Mr. Berry's trip to the emergency room. Mr. Berry's absence from the pops concert. Paige and Cassidy's laryngitis.

Glad: No need to postpone concert because of snow! Mr. Berry's good prognosis. His Band members stepping up to make him proud in performing 2 of their planned numbers. Kelsey's beautiful senior solo accompanied by Colton Carr. Miss Rudolph's help to make the concert go on as planned (kind of).

Scary: Makaye's switch to alto the day before the concert. Trying on the New Mixed Ensemble Blue tops 1/2 hour before the concert and finding out they need altering. Me losing my place in the music during the Mixed Ensemble's last number. Me stepping in front of the band to conduct it!

Definitely one we won't forget for a while. Get better soon, Mr. Berry. We need you!

Pops Concert 2010 (Changed to Feb. 26- 7:00)

The pops concert is one of my favorite performances of the year. Why? (you might ask)
Glad you did. I'd really like to share some reasons why I like it so much and also some reasons why it may be a little challenging this year. (Let's call this the good, the bad, and the potentially ugly.)

The Good:
Fun music! Who doesn't like 40's swing, popular radio, jazz, and gospel???
Dedicated students! They come in early to practice most days, juggling breakfast and cheerleading and weightlifting and homework. In fact, 3 of the girls were chosen to dance in the All-Iowa Dance Team at the State Basketball Tournament on March 4 (which was our first pops concert date). Hence the date change.
Senior solos! The seniors have the opportunity to choose their own solo. This gives us a chance to showcase our talented seniors and let them express themselves however they want.
Relaxed Audience! Popcorn, dessert, decorations, and tables- what more could you ask?

The Bad:
Late starts, unplowed roads, and inconsistent rehearsals! Enough said.
Cold and flu season! Need I say more?
Changing the date! Sorry, but the only day we could find was on a day when we don't actually have school.

The Potentially Ugly:
Not a chance- this will be a great concert............as long as it doesn't.........snow....

SWI Honor Choir- Winter of 2010 Version!

Well, it didn't start OR end like we had planned. But it was an.............adventure!
It started with a car in the ditch (driver will remain nameless) and ended with the cancellation of the concert. I guess I should say it started with lots of early phone calls, a late school start, and late arrival for the CAM delegation in Council Bluffs. As we were arriving, other schools had been called home by their administrators. Bad news: The parents did not get to hear this fantastic choir sing their hearts out at our informal last run-through/pretend concert at 2:45. Good news: The students still had a productive day of singing, learning, and watching the IWCC show choir. For lots of reasons, this is one we will always remember!

Reflections...

I'm sorry that it has been so long since I posted. I'm not sure anyone reads this blog, but just in case they do, I'll continue to share my thoughts and feelings here about whatever we happen to be doing at the time. Since I'm so far behind, though, I'll try to get caught up with some word associations:
Christmas concert- lovely!
(Of course I can't be content with just one word. I was so proud of the kids. They are making such progress in learning how to express emotion with their music!)

Mixed Ensemble Christmas tour- grueling but rewarding!
(By the 6th performance in one day, they were thirsty and tired. But they persevered and realized that brightening peoples' days was worth it. I still get comments in Atlantic about how well they did!)

Snow Days- schedule- disrupting!
(Besides having to reschedule the Christmas concert, we had less time to prepare our National
Anthem auditions for IHSMA Boys State Tournament. Those results should be coming any time.)

Solo/Ensemble Contest- individual lessons!
(We are hard at work choosing music and beginning our preparation for this contest in April.
I enjoy this time of year because I get to work with more students individually and in smaller groups. Right now we have 24 events signed up, but I need to pare it down for my own sanity and also because I can legally only play for 20.)

Pre-concert Recital- coming soon!
(We will try to have some of our contest pieces ready to sing at an informal recital during PT Conferences on Feb 25. If you can't come to contest on April 17, this would be a good time to hear what your singers are working on!)

SWI Honor Choir- help!!
(Eight students have been chosen to attend this even on Feb 8 at IWCC in Council Bluffs. We
have missed several rehearsals because of snow days and late starts. They need to be practicing at home with their CD's!! I'm also accompanying this concert and the music is HARD!)

Pops Concert- fun!
(Plan to join us on Feb 26. You will really enjoy it. Mixed Ensemble, CAM Band, Senior solos, popcorn, desserts, great music. What's not to like?? One of my favorite events of the year.)

I think I'm caught up now. Whew. Anyone out there???