Practice Tracks

I have added some recordings and videos to the Practice Tracks page for anyone who wants to become familiar with our new songs. There will be more coming. It's going to be such a fun season!

Party Tomorrow!

The concert on Thursday was a huge success! Thank you for all of your support throughout this season! I'm already looking forward to a lot of fun as we start up again on January 7!

 

Just wanted to pass along a little information about our choir party. It will be tomorrow, Tuesday, December 17, from 5-7:30 pm at the Family Tree. We will be singing for the people there at 5:30, then we will have our party afterwards. We will not be having our regular rehearsal after school that day, so please inform your child's teacher that they will not be going to the stage after school tomorrow. Also, we will be wearing casual dress for this performance, not concert dress. That way the kids can be comfortable for the party.

 

Again, we will be starting our regular rehearsal schedule beginning on Tuesday, January 7. And, if any of your are interested in having your child join the Maestro Group Class, I would be happy to add a few more to that class. It is held on Wednesdays at 3 pm at my home. Just let me know.

Thanks so much! Have a very merry Christmas.

Concert Poster

Please feel free to share this flyer with friends and family to invite them to our concert.

Concert Season

Choir Parents:

 

Just some last minute reminders for our concert season:

 

Performance on Commercial Street -- We will meet just inside the doors of the Old Vallis Hotel (aka the old Academy of Dance Building--it's the tall pink one on Commercial Street) at 2:45 pm. Our stage time begins at 3 pm. We do not have a specific dress code for this performance. Choir members can be dressed in casual clothing, but no sweats or old t-shirts, please!

 

Dress Rehearsal -- Our dress rehearsal will be held during our regular rehearsal time on December 10. I would love to be able to start a little earlier than normal, if possible, so those children who do not attend MES, please get to rehearsal as quickly as you can so that we can be sure to get through everything we need to do. Also, choir members do NOT need to be dressed in their concert attire for this rehearsal.

 

Concert -- Our concert will be held on Thursday, December 12, in the MES auditorium/gym. Call time for choir members will be at 6 pm on the stage. The concert will begin at 7 pm. Concert attire for all choir members is white on the top, black on the bottom.

 

Choir Party -- Our choir party will be on Tuesday, December 17 at the Family Tree. Invitations will be given out next week at the Dress Rehearsal. We are asking that all choir members meet at 5 pm so we can be prepared to sing promptly at 5:30 pm. Afterwards will be some games and activities for the choir.

 

Christmas Break -- After our choir party, we will take a break from choir for the Christmas holiday. Choir rehearsals will commence on January 7 for our Spring season!!

Contact me with any questions.

Commercial Street Performace Time & Christmas Party

I have two important updates for you.

 

1. Commercial Street Performance. We will be performing on Commercial Street on Dec. 7 from 3-3:30 inside the old Vallis Hotel (where Morgan Academy of dance used to be). We need to have all choir members there at 2:45 pm sharp so we can quickly warm-up (literally) and get ready to perform. I'm not familiar with the building, so I'm not sure exactly where to have us meet. I'll do some looking into it and let you know.

 

2. Christmas Party. Ellen Nielsen, one of our amazing choir parents is helping to plan our choir Christmas Party! She has made arrangements for us to sing our program at the Family Tree on Tuesday, December 17. We will meet at 5 pm at the Family Tree and will be prepared to sing promptly at 5:30 pm. After we sing for the residents there, we will be able to stay afterward for a little party. Please plan on attending, if possible! I think this will be a fun opportunity for all of the kids!

 

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Updates & Information 11/20/13

Marcato Parents:

 

A few key pieces of information for this week.

 

1. No Rehearsal on November 26. We will not be holding our regular rehearsal next week since Tuesday is the last day of school before Thanksgiving for MES & MGES. I hope everyone has a great and safe Thanksgiving!

 

2. Lyric Sheet. Even though we won't be holding rehearsal next week, I do have an assignment for all choir members. Attached to this email, you will find a lyric sheet for all of our choir songs. If you could please make this available to your child so that they can sing through AND MEMORIZE all of our songs during the break, that would be a huge relief to me. Our rehearsal time is running short and if they don't keep the songs fresh in their minds, I'm afraid that we may not be as polished as we need to be for our concert. Once again, please allow your child access to the lyric sheet in any way that it is easiest for you. (Do I need to beg??)

 

3. Piano Duet. A month or so ago, I sent out a page that included a piano part for one of our songs--"Can You See the Star?" It is to be a duet accompaniment for that song and is to be played in the highest octave possible. I was hoping to have one of our choir members play the duet with our accompanist. However, when I brought it up in choir yesterday, I received blank stares from all but maybe 3 choir members. I have once again attached this special piano part to this email. (It is a jpg file, so if you have trouble viewing it here, it can also be found on the Practice Tracks tab on our choir website.) If your child plays the piano and would like to practice the part during the next two weeks, I will have them try it at our rehearsal on December 3. If no one is prepared to perform it at that time, I will have to do without that part.

 

4. Questions/Concerns? Does anyone have any questions or concerns about the coming concert season? Now is the time to voice them. At this point, I do not know what time our choir will be singing at the Celebration on Commercial Street. I will let you all know when I find out. And please be sure that you have a our concert on your calendar. Thursday, December 12, 6:30 pm at Morgan Elementary School. All choir members need to be there at 6 pm for warm-ups. We are getting flyers made up, and I will email those out to all of you so you can forward them to family members who may like to attend.

 

Thanks so much!

Concert Time Change

We have changed our concert time to accommodate those families who are also involved in the High School band concert on the same evening. So, our concert will be on Thursday, December 12, 6:30 pm at Morgan Elementary School. All choir members need to be at the school at 6 pm in order to warm up.

Thank you!

Marcato Update 10/24/13

Two things for this week:

Solo Auditions

We will have solo auditions on October 29 (that is our next rehearsal). Auditions will be held during normal rehearsal time, but I will not take time during rehearsal to teach the different solo parts, other than maybe a quick time singing them through. If your choir member is unable to attend rehearsal on the 29th, and is interested in a solo, please contact me beforehand so that I can work out other arrangements for them, if possible. The Practice Tracks for the solos are at the following link: http://morganvalleychildrenschoir.blogspot.com/p/practice-tracks.html

November 5 Rehearsal

When I began the season, I was expecting to be out of town on November 5, so I indicated on the calendar that we would not hold rehearsal on that day. However, my plans have changed, so we WILL be holding choir rehearsal on November 5.

 

That's all for now. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about anything choir related. Thank you!

Update 10/17/13

Here are a few updates from choir this week:

 

Election Results
It was a busy rehearsal on Tuesday. With the most excitement being our choir presidency elections. Here are the results:

 

President: Sydney N.

Vice President: Madylaine J.

Secretary: Ainsley F.

 

Congrats to them and a big thank you to all those who ran!

 

Solo Auditions

On Tuesday, we also discussed solo auditions which will be on October 29. I have included tracks and sheet music for each solo as well as the descant. We will not be spending time during rehearsal learning these solos. So if your choir member would like to audition on the 29th, please have them listen to the practice tracks at home and be prepared on the 29th.

 

Piano Duet

If any of our choir members are budding pianists, I have an opportunity for them. I have included some sheet music of a bell part from one of our songs on the Practice Tracks tab. What I would love to see is one of our choir members playing that part on the piano in the highest octave possible on the piano. I will begin "auditioning" choir members for this part after November 12 when our accompanist begins to join us. Once again, all practicing and learning of this piano part will need to be done at home.

 

Participation Contract Reminder

This is just a friendly reminder to everyone about the Attendance & Participation Contract that everyone signed on the registration form. One of the points on the contract states that it is the choir parent's responsibility to arrange rides to and from rehearsals/classes and performances. I don't want to make a big deal about this, and I know there are extenuating circumstances; but I am not able to leave the school until every child has been accounted for. More often than not, that gets me home about 20-25 minutes after the rehearsal ends. For those who come to pick up their choir member from rehearsal, if you could please try your best to be at the school to pick your child up promptly at 4:45 pm, I will do my best to get them out the door right on time as well.

 

Whew! That's all for this week. I hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable Fall Break!

Choir Presidency Elections

Remember that choir presidency elections are on Tuesday! I need to have short paragraphs from each contestant prior to rehearsal along with a brief statement of permission from their parents. All candidates will read their statements to the choir before we vote. For more information, please see the ANNOUNCEMENTS tab on the website.

Things are rolling along and everyone is catching on to our songs really well!

 

Have a great weekend!

Marcato Update - 10/3/13

A few updates and some information for choir members:

 

Website

Some new things have recently been added to this website including the calendar for the remainder of 2013 on the "Calendar of Events" tab, as well as some information about choir presidency elections on the "Announcements" tab. We also have a Facebook page where you can stay in touch with all things Morgan Valley Voices. Search for "Morgan Valley Voices" and get connected.

 

Presidency Elections
We will hold elections for choir presidency on October 15 during rehearsal. Here is some information you and your choir member need to know about presidency elections: (All of this information can also be found on the Announcements tab on the website.)

 

If your child is interested in running for choir presidency, please have them write a short paragraph stating which position they would be interested in and why they feel they would be a good choice to fill that role. These paragraphs need to be emailed or given to me prior to rehearsal on October 15. I will also need parental permission for each child running for choir presidency stating that you've read the requirements and will allow your child to run for the presidency.

The requirements for presidency members are as follows:

President -- Must be in 5th or 6th grade
If there is enough interest, we will also elect a Vice President who will assist the President in fulfilling their duties.
-Help will room set up, as needed (arrive at 5-10 minutes prior to 3:45 start time)
-Lead games during and before rehearsal, occasionally
-Help with choir parties (choir awards)
-Give reminders to Mrs. Farmer about choir birthdays

-Set an example for all other choir members
-Assist as needed

Secretary -- Can be in any grade -- 3rd through 6th
-Take attendance at each rehearsal
-Help with room set up, as needed (arrive at 5-10 minutes prior to 3:45 start time)
-Make sure that all folders are collected at the end of rehearsal
-Help clean up and room and replace everything that was moved during rehearsal.
-Set an example for all other choir members
-Assist as needed

Choir Accompanist

We are in need of an accompanist for our Christmas Concert. If you are interested, please contact me as soon as possible so that I can get the music to you. We would need the accompanist to begin attending rehearsals on November 12.

 

Thanks to all of our choir members for another great week at rehearsal!

Marcato Update - 9/26/13

We had a great rehearsal on Tuesday and I'm already hearing some great things in choir! Everyone is working hard and learning a lot! (and hopefully having a lot of fun, too!)

 

Just a couple of little things:

 

1. Practice Tracks: I have just added a tab to this website called "Practice Tracks." On this page, I have links to or recordings of some of our songs so that choir members can practice them at home. I will be adding things in the next few weeks as well, so check it often.

 

2. Choir Attendance: Many parents have spoken to me about some conflicts that their choir member has during choir time. I understand how busy everyone is, and I don't want anyone to miss out on being part of choir if they want to be there; however, it is also important that choir members attend rehearsals regularly in order to learn the concert material. So if your child has a conflict with choir, for example Activity Day Groups, that do not occur every week, please let me know so that I know when to expect them at choir. I will ask that those who have conflicts be sure to listen to the Practice Tracks and pay extra close attention during choir rehearsals so that they don't fall behind. As the concert approaches, if I feel that your child is not quite ready to perform, I will contact you and we can discuss it, and if needed they will not perform with us for that particular performance. I may also ask that those choir members miss their other activity as we get closer to concert time and we are making final preparations, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I hope you all understand what I'm saying. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

 

That is all for today. Have a great weekend!

Marcato Information - 9/19/13

Our first rehearsal went great! It was exciting to see so many new faces among us! Hopefully our singers enjoyed themselves. I know I did!

 

Just a few updates from this week:

 

1. Registration Forms - Many of our choir members came with their registration forms at the last rehearsal. That is great, but there are many who still need to turn them in. We will discuss this at the next rehearsal and I will try to get a few copies made to send home with choir members who don't have the registration form.

2. Notes to Teachers - It is very important that you send a note to you child's teacher indicating that they need to come to the stage after school each Tuesday. The teachers will not be able to send them to choir unless they have a note from home changing their normal routine.

 

3. Venue Change - Due to the book fair next week, our rehearsal location will be moved to the Commons Area (by the 2nd & 3rd grade rooms). This will only affect next weeks rehearsal on 9/24/13.

4. Maestro Group Class - For those who aren't aware, Marcato members may be part of a supplemental class that I hold at my home on Wednesdays at 3-3:45 pm. Currently we only have 6 participants in this class. I would love to have more attend with us! This class is not mandatory, but it builds on the concepts we learn in choir. If you would like more information about this class, please contact me. I am able to accommodate a total of 15 students, so there is plenty of room.

 

Thank you for sending your child to choir! Choir is a wonderful way to build confidence and help children express themselves in a positive way. We build strong relationships and improve ourselves through singing together. And I am privileged to be a part of it!

It's time to REGISTER!!

Registration is now open for the 2013-2014 Season of Marcato Children's Choir!! Marcato will be held weekly on Tuesdays beginning September 17. Choir will be held on the Morgan Elementary School Stage.

There's even more good news! For those who may be interested in broadening your child's musical experience, I have created a group class that will serve as a supplement to Marcato Children's Choir. The class is called Maestro. This class is NOT mandatory for members of Marcato, but it is for those who would like to learn even more about music.

To find the registration packet, click HERE to be redirected to the registration information. In order to register for classes, please print and fill out the 2nd page ("Registration Form" page) and keep the remaining pages for your information. I will have a few registration packets at the first choir rehearsal. You can mail or hand deliver the form to:

Morgan Valley Voices
486 West 175 North
Morgan UT 84050

Donations may be made at this time or any time during the season. We are looking forward to a great season of music!!

2013-2014 Season is almost here!

Preparations for the 2013-2014 season of Morgan Valley Voices are well underway! Some final details are still being determined, but once everything is decided, registration will begin (hopefully within the next week). I can say that I will be holding both Marcato Children's Choir as well as the Group Classes. One exciting change to Morgan Valley Voices is the addition of a third group class. Vivo and Vivace will both be held this year as well as a new class--Maestro--which will be a supplement class for members of Marcato Children's Choir and will explore more advanced musical concepts. All group classes will be held on Wednesdays!

So, please watch your email for additional information as well as registration forms for the 2013-2014 season. It's going to be a great year! If you would like to be added to the email list, please leave a comment on this post or send an email to morganvalleyvoices@gmail.com! You can also like Morgan Valley Voices on facebook for updates.

Dress Rehearsal

We will have our dress rehearsal for our Spring Showcase on Saturday, May 11 at 10:30 am at the MHS auditorium. Choir members do NOT need to be in concert attire. We will just run through some spacing on a few of our numbers, so the rehearsal will likely not be longer than 30 minutes.

 

I know some of you have soccer conflicts, so I apologize in advance if that is a problem for you. Please let me know if your child will not be at dress rehearsal so that we can get them the information they need before we perform.

Thanks!

A few things . . .

Marcato Parents:

 

Just a few updates:

 

1. Scarves are finished! And they are beautiful!! I have them at my home if anyone wants to come by and get theirs. Otherwise, I'll bring them with me to rehearsal on Tuesday. If you would like to come to my home to pick yours up, please call my cell phone before you come. 801-721-7726 Also, there were four girls that requested lime green, but we weren't able to get any lime green yarn. We do have one that has a green along with some yellow, white, and gray. Also there is one with greens and blues. I hope that is okay. If you have not paid, please bring your money with you to pick up your scarf, or send it with your child on Tuesday, please.

 

2. Dress Rehearsal. I am working with Natalie Tibbitts to arrange a time for a dress rehearsal on the morning of our concert. I know there are several of our choir members who are also involved in soccer. If this is the case for your child, please let me know what time they will be playing that morning and we will try our best to work around the soccer schedule. However, if we are not able to work around it, that will be okay and we'll try to talk through things before the concert.

 

3. Call Time for Concert. Our concert is on May 11 at 7 pm at the MHS Auditorium. I will need all choir members to be in the Auditorium at 6 pm so we can warm up and prepare for our concert. The "costume" for this concert is jeans and a white shirt, plus the scarves for the girls and ties for the boys. Please talk to me or call me if you have any questions or concerns about any of this information.

 

4. Speaking parts. I am working on the script for the concert and many of our choir members will have speaking parts to introduce the songs and dances for the performance. I am trying my best to get them finished and emailed to everyone who has parts. I apologize if I don't get them emailed this weekend. (Life is pretty crazy right now.) I will for sure have them by Tuesday and will hand them out for the kids to practice at home. They don't need to be memorized, but I do want them to be able to deliver the parts easily and with good timing.

 

5. Just for Fun! Since the theme for our Spring Showcase is "Fun & Games" I thought it would be fun to add some of the kids' jokes to the printed program. If your child has a joke they would like included, please send it to me. (Make sure they are appropriate, please!)

 

That's all for now. The concert is coming right up, so if you have any questions or concerns, now is the time to bring them up. So give me a call and we can talk to me. Thanks for everything! I couldn't pull any of this off without you!

No Rehearsal Today!!

Please remember that we will not be holding choir rehearsal on March 26 (today!) due to the Morgan School District Spring Break! Have a great week and we'll see you again on April 2!!

Solos

I have posted a list of all those who have received solos for our upcoming concert. Thank you to all those who auditioned. The list can be found by clicking on the "ANNOUNCEMENTS" tab.

Update 2-26-13

Marcato Parents:

We had an excellent rehearsal today and are making great strides in all of our songs! Everyone is working really hard and we are having a great time.

 

Just a couple of updates -- 

 

Solo Auditions

We will have solo auditions next week during rehearsals. We discussed all of the audition pieces and solos that will be up for grabs. I have included recordings of all of the audition pieces on the website "Practice Tracks." Here is a link: http://morganvalleychildrenschoir.blogspot.com/p/practice-tracks.html

The important thing that I need you to know is that a couple of the solos will require learning the part at home. If your child is given on of these solos, I will send you a copy of the sheet music for their solo part as well as a recording of what it sounds like that your child can practice with.

Pictures

For those who ordered pictures at our Christmas concert, I am trying to contact the photographer to find out when we will be receiving them. She recently had a baby, which accounts for the delay in receiving the pictures. I will let you know when I hear back from her and let you know when I will have the pictures.

 

Games

I've had a few choir members who have given me directions for their game for Big-Eyed Rabbit. Keep them coming. It is best if they will write or type out the directions so that I can review them before we play them. We have some creative kids in our choir, and it is so fun to play their games!

 

I think that is all for now. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about choir.

Update - 2/5/13

Marcato Parents:

First of all, I have to brag about our choir. They did such a great job at the MES Inspirations Assembly. It really is remarkable what we've been able to accomplish in such a short time. We have so much to look forward to for the rest of this season. The theme for our spring season is "Fun and Games" and we will continue to learn many fun songs and singing games. It be a fun season and concert.

 

I have a few updates to inform you of, so here goes:

 

Choir Presidency Elections

Our choir will be holding an election for choir president and secretary. The election will be held next week during our regular rehearsal. If your child would like to run for either position, they need to write a short paragraph about why they want to be choir president or secretary. These responses need to be emailed to me prior to our next rehearsal in order for them to be considered for the position. If you have questions about the requirements for choir presidency or secretary, you can find them on our website by clicking this link: http://morganvalleychildrenschoir.blogspot.com/p/announcements.html

 

Solo Auditions & Practice Tracks
Once again, we have several solos for this concert. Starting next week, we'll be working on our audition piece for solo auditions. Solo auditions  will be held in a few weeks. Until that time, please check the "Practice Tracks" tab on the website. I will be updating it with videos of our current music which choir members can listen to in order to become familiar with our new songs.

 

Accompanist NeededI have recently learned that our previous choir accompanist is unable to join with us this season. If you are aware of anyone who would be able/willing to accompany our choir for the rest of the season as well as for our concert, please let me know, or pass my information along to them. I would probably only need them once a month until we get closer to our concert.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. Thank you for allowing me to work with your children. It really is a pleasure for me to do this choir.

Updated Calendar of Events

The calendar of events tab was just updated. It now includes the date and times of the MES Inspirations Assembly. Please check that information and put it on your calendar. More information about this performance will be emailed to parents soon!

Choir Rehearsals are Beginning again

We had a very successful concert last month and it is now time to begin again to prepare for our Spring concert! I have chosen some very fun songs for our choir to do this season and I'm looking forward to getting started on them!

 

Our first rehearsal for this season will begin tomorrow, January 8. The rehearsal will be from 3:45-4:45 pm on the MES Stage. If your child attends MES, they can come straight to the stage right after school. (Make sure their teacher remembers that they are supposed to go there rather than take the bus or walk home.)

 

Also, if you turned in a registration form for your child in the Fall, you do NOT need to fill one out again for this season. However, there are some who have not yet given me their form. Please make sure I have one for this season. It is important that I have contact information for you if your child needs something while they are with me. I will have extra forms at our rehearsals for the next couple of weeks, or I can email one to you if you request it. They are also available on the choir website.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow, and please have your child do some recruiting. If they have friends who like to sing, please invite them to join us!

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me!