Course Description for 7-8th Grade Chorus Classes
Mrs. Bokemper, teacher
Ms. Singleton, accompanist/assist.
Welcome to Vocal Music at Highland East JH! I am glad to see all of you here—both old and new faces!
This outline will cover most of the questions you or your parent will have about our program and if there is
something I have not included, please ask.
Supplies- In addition to you voice and positive attitude, each student will need to keep a folder for handouts and come to class every day with a pencil and your agenda! Agendas will be used to note concert
dates, auditions, contest information and any other dates that may need to be noted. Parents please stress to
your child the importance of using their agendas to keep on task and organized!! We will have some
written work, especially during the first semester, so please keep some notebook paper in you choir folder
for the occasions we will be using it. I will have students note in their agendas any dates they will be doing
written work. Also, check my teacher home page for up to the minute information!
Attendance- Attendance policies are stated in your student handbook and are available for parent review
on-line through the school web site. The choir room is not in the main building so plan accordingly and do
not loiter in the halls during passing time. In order for us to be the best choir we can be, all of our class
time needs to be utilized! Attendance at all concerts is mandatory! Dates for our mandatory quarterly
concerts will be sent home with students the first week of school and can also be accessed online via my
website as well as the HEJH school calendar. Exemptions will be given in the event of sudden illness or a
death in the family, or if a concert conflicts with an OSSAA sanctioned competition. This could include
athletics, academic team, etc. It does not include youth sports, scouting, dance, etc. and missing one
practice for a school activity should not be a problem, but it is your responsibility to notify the person in
charge of your absence in advance. If there is any other type of unavoidable conflict, please notify me as
soon as possible prior to the concert.
Grades- Grades are based on you work in 2 areas: concert participation and daily rehearsal conduct and
participation. The daily grade figures are the majority of your grade so conduct yourself accordingly. We
will be doing much of our theory on the individual white boards in class, and always have a pencil handy
during rehearsal! In the event of an unexcused concert absence, a written paper will be required.
Class rules- Remember Bokemper’s 4 Be’s:
1. Be Prompt
2. Be Polite
3. Be Prepared
4. Be Positive
Class expectations are outlined in the discipline contract, and violations will have the following
consequences:
First offence- Warning
Second offence- Loss of daily participation points
Third offence- Parent phone call and choir room detention
Fourth offence- Parent phone call, detention and possible referral
More than 4 offences will often result in an office referral, but I feel confident in your character
and do not think we will encounter situations that will result in such action. Please remember that
others in this school and the community at large will form opinions about our school and music
program based your behavior, so please represent our school positively at all times!
Uniforms- Uniform requirements are the same for all grades. All girls will need to purchase a long black
dress, black dress shoes (closed toe if possible), black tights or hosiery and a slip for underneath. I will
compile a list of dresses available for sale and it will be available by the end of the first week of school. I
will also include the measurement chart if you are unsure of the size needed. These dresses go fast so
please call right away if you want to get one. Most people charge $25.00 for the dresses so you will save
over 50% of the cost of a new dress. New last year was the opportunity to purchase a dress from a Moore
HS student as they are going to a totally new one and have many long black dresses still available! I
encourage you to consider this as it also helps those students to be able to have a little money from their old
uniform to help pay for the new one. I also have students who have been able to find a dress that meets our
criteria at local thrift shops or on the internet—you can bring in a picture to show me if you are not sure it
will work. If you are unable to find a used dress to purchase, we will be ordering new ones after the Labor
Day weekend. I will send order forms home at that time. The cost will be $60.00 including shipping, and
can be made in 2 deposits. We have a limited number of loaner dresses that are available if financial
restraints will not allow purchase of a dress at this time. Please see me privately if this is an issue for your
family.
All boys will need a black dress slacks, a white dress shirt, and black dress shoes (please, no athletic shoes).
Neckties will be purchased from NBC ties at the same time as the girls dress order is placed; cost will be
$12.00 including shipping. For dress shoes, Payless or Wal-Mart is usually the best price. We do have a
few loaner items available for those who have a financial need. Again, see me privately if this is the case.
We will also order t-shirts which are part of the choir uniform and are worn for more informal
performances as well as trips or honor choirs. The cost is $10.00 and is separate from the choir activity
fee. Since we ordered our shirts late last year, we will be using that same design this year and any returning
8th grade student who was in choir last year will not need to purchase another one this year. If any family
member wishes to purchase a shirt, you may be able to do so when we order in September.
Activities/Costs- All students will pay a one-time choir activity fee of $25.00 and a form will be sent home
once I am authorized to collect this. Please do not send this money until the date noted on the choir
calendar as I cannot issue receipts or do deposits until that date! The following will be funded in part
by the activity fee: transportation to contests and audition sites, , music for performances/honor choirs
(non-audition pieces) lodging expenses for students selected for All-State, cd’s for student practice,
maintenance and purchase of loaner uniforms, entry fees for large group contest, classroom supplies and
equipment maintenance. We will possibly be doing a classroom fund-raiser this year as that will defray the
costs of things like All-State participation, Best of the Best and general transportation (our biggest budget
drain). Students who participate in COCDA auditions, OCDA auditions and OSSAA solo contest will pay
their own entry fees, but they are minimal amounts, $10 for OCDA and$12 for COCDA. Fund-raising for
any trip we take is done through the Choir Booster Club only!! At this time, we are looking into the
possibility of a festival trip to Branson, MO in late May/early June of 2016. A parent meeting will be held
shortly after Open House night (August 24) to organize our parent group. We are also thrilled to have Ms.
Debbie Singleton with us again as our accompanist! Ms. Singleton is a retired vocal music teacher, having
spent 33 years in the classroom most recently in Bartlesville, OK. She also teaches private voice lessons
and is the proud mother of Skye, masters in vocal performance student at Indiana University. It is a
fantastic situation for our students to have two vocal music teachers in their classroom! Ms. Singleton is
also our foreign language teacher here at HEJH as she is also certified in French.
I am looking forward to an absolutely fantastic year with each of you! Please feel free to contact me if you
have questions or concerns.
Mrs. Sue Bokemper
Planning hour: 7:40-8:29 phone: 735-4592
e-mail: suebokemper@mooreschools.com