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- How does a student become part of a choir at Wilson Central?
- How many choirs are there at Wilson Central?
- Does it cost anything to be in choir?
- Do the choirs travel?
- How often do the choirs sing in the community?
- How many years can a student take choral (vocal) music?
- What kinds of music do we sing at Wilson Central?
- Does Mr. Bullock offer private voice instruction?
- How does a student actually earn a grade in vocal music?
- Is All-State audition required?
- Are performances required?
- Why would anyone take choral music all four years of high school?
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How does a student become part of a choir at Wilson Central?
By audition.
Auditions are conducted each and every semester. Students IN choir must
re-audition and prospective vocalists must audition. At the end of each
semester exam days are scheduled; it is these days that auditions are held.
One can sign up or just come by and let Mr. Bullock know of his intentions.
Once in choir students must re-audition as part of their exam on the
scheduled day.
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How many choirs are there at Wilson Central?
Six. Three cirriculum choirs; Varsity Men (TTB); Varsity Women (SSAA); and
Ninth Grade Choir(NGC & SAB). We also have three extra-cirricular choirs:
Vocal Jazz, Barbershop and Sweet Adelines; these choirs (the extra-cirricula
choirs meet after school one day a week). Any choral member may audition for
membership in the extra-cirricula group, however, if selected they must
attend rehearsal each week and make themselves available for various
performances.
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Does it cost anything to be in choir?
Yes - a music fee of $45 yearly; payable at the beginnig of the school year.
Its a pain to have to ask for it twice, honest! As an organization and
individuals we participate in events throughout the year that make the
choral experience worthwhile. When you miss an opportunity you miss an
opportunity and opportunities almost always require cash. I recommend each
student participate in everything the Choral Department makes available. BUT
if you want to know what you HAVE to do to pass; its simple. Show up, meet
your obligation to sing and behave, sing at Christmas and EOY and you are
done. You won't have the same experience as someone who does take
advantage of other opportunity I suggest but ~ "you can lead a horse to
water...". If a parent wants their child and my student to reap the benefits
of a quality Vocal Music Education then money is required; the amount depends
upon participation from one year to the next. Each Freshmen or transfer boy
must purchase or rent a Tux for both the Christmas and EOY (end-of-year)
performance and all girls must wear THE dress for EOY. They can be
purchased at Bridal Warehouse in Goodletsville and run around $95. The
Choral Dept will take responsibility to sell the dress if it is no longer
wanted or needed upon graduation or otherwise no longer in Choir.
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Do the choirs travel?
YES!!! We travel during Spring Break ~ Varsity Ensemble and Varsity Women.
We participate in invitational competitive Festivals and in local
Vocal Association events as well. Sweet Adelines Quartets compete in a
Regional competition in Chattanooga and International Competition each year
also. While these trips cannot be required they are central to the
competitive efforts of this program and I encourage each student to
participate and parents to support their childs efforts...it is good for them
both musically, personally and most important ...educationally.
Freshmen Spring Tour and Festival is always in Gatlinburg with Smoky Mountain
Music Festival. Its fun, close by and the Freshmen of 05-06 scored the
highest Superior yet! Believe me, I would hate to have to follow those guys!
The entire trip is less than $280.
It generally includes 4 meals, two nights in Gatlinburg, visit to Dollywood
and Dixie Stampede. Its a great Freshmen Trip.
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How often do the choirs sing in the community?
As often as we can. Generally three to five times a semester. Spring
Semester seems to be our busiest. That works well for us too; churches have
Christmas events that prohibit our visiting and taking a Sunday evening but
Spring time coinsides with our competitive efforts and local churches give us
opportunity to rehearse those Festival pieces in front of real people while
providing a community service; and it's fun!
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How many years can a student take choral (vocal) music?
Wilson County and the state require one credit of Fine Art for their
diploma. Students with no interest in Vocal Music may enroll in the Music
Appreciation Class or take other Fine Art Classes. However, for a student
with vocal ability the only answer is all four years. Freshmen Choir is
finally a whole year. When they successfully complete that year they may be
promoted to one of the upper division choirs; Varsity Men or Women or
Varsity Ensemble (mixed choir ~ every third year). Believe me, had it not
been for band in high school I would have been AWOL more than a lot. I am
from a rural Jones County Mississippi. In my Junior year a newly
consolidated county school system finally included vocal and instrumental
music. I had played clarinet in elementary school before moving back to
Mississippi and discovered how much I missed it . Then at the beginning of
second semester in my Senior year the Choral Director parked her wheel-chair
in my path to the Band Room (I had three periods of Band that year!). And
the rest, as they say, is history. If you can sing --- you must and if you
must then make the most of it and work hard. Earn a scholarship when you go
to college. Three students, Seniors in '04, garnered over $36K in scholar-
ship, in '05 we have five over $50K. This year's numbers are not tallied
yet. A vocal scholarship requires no more than a sucessful audition then all
the student has to do is go to rehearsal three times a week for an hour and a
half. One trip to All-State is worth around $1000 but it can be much more ~
it all depends upon the individual; and by the way $1,000 is more than you
get for passing an AP exam on any subject!!! Moreover, opportunities for
students in upper division choirs multiply as they get better which means
they sing for directors, other than me, and that is good for them.
Now that I think of it the only kids that SHOULD sing all four years of
high school are those that CAN.
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What kinds of music do we sing at Wilson Central?
All kinds - Classical, Romantic, Boroque, Sacred, Gospel, Jazz, Contemporary
and this year we will begin a series of Madrigal selections, songs from the
14th & 15th century.
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Does Mr. Bullock offer private voice instruction?
Yes. Each semester private students also participate in a Vocal Recital.
This is good experience for them and insures fewer butterflys at the
collegiate level auditions.
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How does a student actually earn a grade in vocal music?
Participation, Performance, Quartet performance, Dictation and Sight-reading.
Two grades a week, three performances per Semester outside of class -
REQUIRED PERFORMANCES. Performance is 30% of your grade.
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Is All-State audition required?
NO. I can't require but I do strongly suggest a student audition for All-
State. I will not lead that student to believe that their choral experience
will be as rewarding as the student that does audition for select choirs
either. At the beginning of the school year each student pays a MTVA fee
that fee is for ensemble opportunities; All-State/Mid-State/Honors are some of
these. In five years we've had 18 students in Regional and National ACDA
Honor Choirs; 31 students in All-State Choirs; 116 in Mid-State Choirs.
Students who've participated in these choirs are always better choral
students when they return to the classroom. Everyone should audition; what
is the worse thing that can happen?!
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Are performances required?
Yes. Public performances are few and scheduled well in advance. Should an
opportunity present itself on short notice, less than two weeks, we do the
best we can. But if the performance date is on the schedule more than two-
weeks; attendance will be taken and points added to the semester average for
those that are present.
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Why would anyone take choral music all four years of high school?
Because it is worthwhile. Why does anyone do anything more than once?
Answer: Because they enjoy it and it adds value to their lives. In high
school students take English, Math and Science each of their four years
because the state requires it. It is not unusual for a student to decide
they actually like some of those subjects and look forward to adding to their
knowledge year to year. The state also concludes, unfortunately, that only
one semester of "music" is sufficient. For an individual possessing the
abitly to sing and sing well, one semester of vocal music would be a sentence
fragment, a lab experiment gone wrong or a mathmetical equation fraught with
inconsistancies. Anyone who "can" sing and those who with the help of
teachers "discover" they can sing; ~ change fundamentally.
They, "your sons or daughters", are different; genetically or learned, they
are forever transformed having discovered they possess an ancient talent;
one that has formed ideas, started revolutions, moved people, even nations ~
and now; it moves them ~ amazing.
4 years? PLEASE ~ how about 40!
"Music is a moral law.
it gives a soul to
the universe,
wings to the mind
flight to the imagination,
a charm to sadness,
gaiety and life to everytning.
It is the essense of order,
and leads to all that is
Good, Just & Beautiful.
Plato ~ 153A.D.
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