JSU CHORAL/VOCAL ACTIVITIES
NEWSLETTER
August 2013
From Dr. Patricia Corbin, Director of Choral Activities
(256) 782-5544 ~ pcorbin@jsu.edu
Hello new and returning JSU singers! This is an informal newsletter to answer any questions you may have
and to let you know about upcoming events in JSU Choral/Vocal Department for the 2013-2014 academic year.
(Please excuse, as always, the typos… I am in summer mode!).
CHOIR INTERVIEWS
It’s not too late to participate in a choral ensemble for the fall 2012semester. Interviews for Chamber Singers
and A Cappella will be held Monday & Tuesday, August 19th & 20th, or by appointment. Please sign up for a choir
interview time online at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DADAD2BA64-choir. Pease let me know if you
have any problems, but there will be no paper sign up list posted for this. All students will be asked to sing a few vocal
exercises and to do some sight-reading. If you are interested in being in Chamber Singers, you must sing a classical
solo song from memory. Please bring the sheet music along with you, recorded accompaniments are not acceptable.
Community members who wish to participate in Civic Chorale may come to these interviews if it is convenient, or
they may wait to sing for Dr. Corbin privately on the first night of rehearsal to be placed in the proper section (which
is an option most people do.)
Former members of A Cappella Choir who received a B or better as a final grade need not re-interview for A
Cappella Choir. Section Leaders do not need to sign up for a choir interview.
All students, new or returning, who are interested in Chamber Singers, must sign up for a choir interviews.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that former members of Chamber Singers will be in it in the fall. If your
scholarship indicates that you must be in two ensembles, please make certain that your schedule will allow you to be
in A Cappella choir and either Chamber Singers or Civic Chorale (“Chorus”). If this presents a schedule conflict,
please contact Dr. Corbin prior to choir auditions so that scholarships may be adjusted accordingly prior to the
beginning of classes.
If you are interested in the Gospel Choir, please contact Dr. Myrtice Collins mcollins@jsu.edu(256) 782-5545.
For information about Encore! Show Choir; please contact Dr. Renee Baptiste, baptiste@jsu.edu (256) 782-5559.
CHORAL SCHOLARSHIP
I may have a limited amount of choral scholarship money available in the fall to fill key positions in A Cappella
Choir, Chamber Singers and Civic Chorale. If you are interested in being considered, please schedule an audition with
me during the above times. You must sing a solo song from memory and do some sight reading.
1
A CAPPELLA CHOIR & CALHOUN COUNTY CIVIC CHORALE
JOIN FORCES TO PERFORM HANDEL’S MESSIAH (Part One)
On Sunday, November 17, 2013 A Cappella Choir and the Civic Chorale will be
joining forces this fall to perform Part One of Handel’s Messiah at the Church of St.
Michael and All Angels in Anniston. We will be accompanied by an orchestra of
professional string players and JSU students and faculty. The mandatory dress
rehearsal with orchestra will be Saturday, November 16th from 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon.
All singers, including A Cappella Choir members must purchase the music for
Messiah. The music will cost $8-$9 and will be available for sale at the first rehearsal.
We will be using the G. Schirmer edition that is edited by Tertius Noble. You may
be able to find copies online as well. (A picture of the edition is to the left.)
This is probably the most inexpensive edition of Messiah available and we have used
it for all of the performances that we have done since I have been here at JSU. Many
churches and schools also have this edition, so feel free to borrow one if you have
access to one. This edition comes in 2 versions, the complete versions that has all of
the solo arias (recommended!) and one with just the choruses. Either version is
acceptable as long as it is the original book with the gray cover. We will not be
using black folders for this so it is important that everyone’s edition looks the same. No other edition will be allowed
to be used.
A CAPPELLA CHOIR
A Cappella Choir (MU 218/418) meets Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Performance
Center of Mason Hall. Rehearsals will begin rehearsals on Wednesday, August 21, 2013. In addition to performing
Messiah (see above), A Cappella Choir members will also participate in the Madrigal Dinner, Friday and Saturday,
November 22nd – 23rd. (See below).
CHAMBER SINGERS
ANNUAL MADRIGAL DINNER
Chamber Singers (MU 162/362) meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. (ish!) in the
Performance Center of Mason Hall. Chambers
Singers are the main performers in the Madrigal
Dinner and will begin rehearsals Thursday, August
22, 12:45 p.m. in the Performance Center of Mason
Hall
The Madrigal Dinner is scheduled for
Friday and Saturday evening, November 22nd &
23rd BEFORE Thanksgiving break. This is much
earlier than it has been in the past and right after
our Messiah performance (Yikes!).
For those of you unfamiliar with the
Madrigal Dinner, it is a dinner theater event with
music and drama. All members of A Cappella Choir
and Chamber Singers participate in the Madrigal
Dinner and must obtain the appropriate
Renaissance costume at their own expense. A
Cappella Choir members are dressed as Renaissance peasants and the Chamber Singers are dressed as Renaissance
nobility. The Drama Department has a limited amount of costumes available for rental. It will be best to wait until the
start of the semester to get your costume so that you will know your character and can dress appropriately. Tickets
2
will be available for sale in October. Please note that the peasant costumes for A Cappella Choir can easily be made out
of regular clothing, it isn’t necessary to rent a costume.
Important rehearsal information: We have extra rehearsals scheduled for the week of the Madrigal Dinner. All
members of Chamber Singers and A Cappella Choir must attend evening rehearsals as follows –
Saturday, November 16th 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers only MANDATORY)
Sunday, November 17th, 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. (After the Gospel Choir Concert) Leone Cole Auditorium
Monday, November 18th, 6:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers)
Tuesday, November 19th, 8:45 p.m. -11:00 p.m. (After the Encore! Show Choir Concert)
Wednesday, November 20th, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (With A Cappella Choir)
Thursday, November 21st, (DRESS REHEARSAL) 6:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers & A Cappella
Choir)
Friday, November 22nd, 5:30 p.m. report time. Show opens 7:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers & A Cappella Choir)
Saturday, December 23rd, 5:30 p.m. report time. Show opens 7:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers & A Cappella
Choir)
MADRIGAL DINNER SCRIPTWRITERS WANTED!
It’s time to write our script for the Madrigal Dinner. If you are a veteran member of Chamber
Singers and wish to help write the script (usually Fridays after A Cappella Choir) please contact Dr.
Corbin. WASSAIL!!
CALHOUN COUNTY CIVIC CHORALE BEGINS REHEARSALS
The Calhoun County Civic Chorale will begin rehearsals on Monday, August 26, 2013. The Chorale will be
performing Part One of Handel’s Messiah with A Cappella Choir. Rehearsals will be held in the Performance Center of
Mason Hall from 7:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Our concert is scheduled for Sunday, November 17th at 3:00 p.m. at the Church
of St. Michael and All Angels in Anniston and the mandatory dress rehearsal will be Saturday, November 16th from
9:00 a.m. – 12 noon.
This first rehearsal will be our usual “New Member Open House” where interested community members may
come and participate in the rehearsal to see what it is like, without further obligation. If you bring one new person
who joins the Chorale, your dues will be waived! (A new member is defined as not having sung with Dr. Corbin.)
For the first rehearsal we are asking all returning
members to bring a dessert or appetizer to share. It would
be helpful if some of you could bring pre-wrapped snacks
that we can save and serve throughout the semester. The
community member dues are $35 and I anticipate the cost of
the music to be about $8-$9. All members need to have the
G. Schirmer/Tertius Noble edition of Messiah, with the gray
cover in good condition (see above). Many of you already
own this edition or can borrow one. Music will be available
for sale at the first rehearsal.
JSU students may participate in the Chorale as
enrolled students or as community members. If you wish to
register for this class, the number is MU 162/362. Enrolled
students may only miss one Chorale rehearsal (not including
the dress rehearsal or performance) without academic
penalty.
There are many “lurking” singers in Calhoun
3
County who would enjoy singing with us, especially when we do Messiah. . Please help get the word out! Talented
high school singers recommended by their music teachers are also welcome.
Great prospective singers should:
1. Have voices that blend well with others…
2. Be able to learn their parts from written music.
3. Enjoy singing choral masterworks.
ALABAMA ACDA COLLEGIATE CHORAL FESTIVAL
A Cappella Choir will participate in the 2013ACDA Collegiate Choral Festival which will be held on
Thursday, November 7th at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville. This is an all-day event and we will leave
campus quite early. More information will be forthcoming.
IMPORTANT
Attention New Voice Students
APPLIED VOICE HEARINGS FOR NEW STUDENTS
All new music students wishing to take applied voice for the first time are required to sing
for the voice faculty at the Applied Voice Hearing, Wednesday, August 20th from 1:00 p.m. –
3:00 p.m.
.
At this hearing the voice faculty will decide whether the student is ready to start private voice lessons,
they should begin their voice study in Class Voice. Any student who does not sing at this hearing
or if
will be placed in Class Voice until the voice faculty deems you are ready for private instruction.
This hearing will also count as a choir placement hearing for A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers and Civic Chorale.
There is no need to also sign up for an additional choir interview. A paper sign up list will be posted on the bulletin
board outside room 222A.
You will need to sing a prepared song and this hearing can also be combined with your Chamber Singers/Choral
placement audition. Please bring the sheet music with you and one of the music faculty members will play for you
(recorded accompaniments are not acceptable). You may sing the same song you sang for the spring scholarship
auditions, if applicable. All new music majors must also take the Theory Diagnostic Exam that will be given online.
After evaluating the results of the hearing and the theory exam the voice faculty will decide your
voice level placement, either primary applied, secondary applied, or class voice. Please sign up
for a Voice Hearing in the Music Department Office. You may be temporarily assigned to a voice
teacher during the summer to facilitate your registration, but that assignment is not final. If you
have a preference for a voice teacher, please send your wishes in writing to that teacher by
August 14th and we will try to honor it. (See new student registration information below).
CHOIR PERFORMANCE ATTIRE
Men involved in A Cappella Choir, Civic Chorale, Chamber Singers and Encore! Show Choir need to have
classic black tuxedos (with white tuxedo shirt, black bow tie, black cummerbund) for all performances, with the
exception of the Madrigal Dinner (see below). It’s a good idea and more economical to purchase your own tuxedo,
because renting one costs about $50 for each rental and you will need to wear one several times in each semester.
Check out local thrift stores or formal wear stores to find good purchase deals on used tuxedos
Women involved in A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers must wear one of the Choir dresses that we have
in the department. We will have dress fittings during the first week of classes. The cost for the dress is $10 per
semester. Civic Chorale women must wear dressy floor length solid black dresses or solid black tops and floor length
solid black skirts. Dress pants are not encouraged but may be worn (if you insist!).
Both men and women must wear black shoes and hosiery as part of the performance attire.
4
(Photo by Kaylon Gilley)
Voice Students need Accompanists
All singers taking applied voice will need to hire an accompanist at their own expense. This can be anyone of your
choosing who will be able to come to your lessons every week, rehearse with you on a regular basis, and who will be
available to accompany you for studio class and/or Concerts and Recitals on Friday afternoons from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45
p.m. Your accompanist should be comfortable with reading music and playing classical literature.
Getting a good accompanist is very important and is often a challenge. A good accompanist will be your best
ally in your progress as a voice student. There are students who will accompany other students and even some faculty
who may do some accompanying. However, you need to make your arrangements with your accompanists as soon as
possible. Please understand that every singer and instrumentalist in the music department will need an accompanist
and the more experienced accompanists often will have filled schedules by the first day of class. The longer you wait
to hire one, the worse it will be for your voice study.
Also, please understand that you will have to pay your accompanist. If you are not ready to assume that
financial responsibility, then please wait to register for applied voice until you are. You will need your accompanist for
the entire semester, so please plan ahead. Also keep in mind that when you hire a student accompanist, they are
students just like you and are easily overloaded as the semester progresses. Make certain that you choose an
accompanist who will have time to work with you during the semester.
If you are looking for an accompanist, please come to the Music Department as soon as you arrive on campus.
Many accompanists put up signs listing their availability and the piano professors, Dr. Gail Steward and Dr. Wendy
Faughn, may also have some recommendations. If you are an accompanist looking to work with singers, please post a
sign regarding your availability near the voice studios.
SECTION LEADERS/STUDENT WORKERS
I am happy to announce that the following students will be section leaders for the Choral area next year:
Debra Mantua, Sopranos, Anna Stuart, Altos, Chris Serrano, Tenors, Matt Palmer, Basses. Madison Baldwin will
continue to be Choral Activities Student worker this semester. There will be a section leader/student worker
meeting (lunch provided!!!) at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 20th in Dr. Corbin’s office.
5
ALABAMA ALL STATE CHOIR AUDITION PREP CLASS
On Saturday, October 5th, the JSU Choral area is offering an All State Choir Audition Prep Class to help assist area
students as they begin preparing for the upcoming 2013 All State Choir auditions.
The purpose of this is to jump start the audition preparation process and we expect to start from the very beginning and
cover as much of the music as we can. The cost per student is $5 and there is no limit to the amount of students a choir
director may bring. Please spread the word about this event to your high schools. All Choral/Vocal scholarship students
must assist with this event. It will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will be finished by around 2:00 p.m. Please mark your
calendars.
APPLIED VOICE MUSIC BOOKS
All students taking applied voice will be asked to purchase several vocal repertoire books as part of their applied voice
study and should plan on spending $20-$30 on voice books per semester. Purchasing repertoire books is mandatory for
applied voice study. All additional books recommended by the applied teacher must be purchased by the second week of
classes. The library also has many voice books available for loan. Photocopies are not acceptable for lessons. If you
cannot afford to purchase these books, please wait to take applied voice until a later date.
Vocal/Choral Scholarship Recipients
If you are a new student on scholarship from the Vocal/Choral Department you must register for certain classes
in order for your scholarships to be loaded into your student account. I am listing some information here to help you
register this summer.
Please understand that assignments to voice teachers and certain choral ensembles will not be definitively
decided until you arrive on campus at the end of August and sing either at the Applied Voice Hearings or the “Choral
Scholarship” auditions listed earlier. If a change needs to be made, we can do that internally within the Music
Department during the first week of classes. Make certain that you leave room in your schedule for courses to be added,
if necessary. All new voice students must sing at the Applied Voice Hearing on Tuesday, August 20th in order to be
placed into an appropriate applied voice studio. Any student missing this hearing will be placed into Class Voice and will
have to wait until spring semester to begin applied voice lessons.
Many of your scholarship contracts indicate that you need to be enrolled in A Cappella Choir and another
ensembles (Chamber Singers or Civic Choral) or Choral Department service. You will be placed in Chamber Singers or
Civic Chorale dependent on your choir interview or applied voice hearing during the first week of classes.
Please understand that choir placement for this second ensemble is dependent on the needs of the ensemble, not
your schedule. You will need to be available for either ensemble in order to keep that scholarship. Since Civic Chorale
will be performing the same music as A Cappella Choir, I will try to place as many of you in Chamber Singers as I can,
but again, this is dependent upon the needs of the ensemble. If you know that you have a scheduling conflict with either
of these ensembles, please contact me as soon as you can so we can work out a solution. Until the final decision is made
after your audition, please register for A Cappella Choir and Civic Chorale (Chorus).
Please make certain that you observe all appropriate deadlines so that the scholarship may be awarded in a
timely fashion. You may lose your scholarship if you register late. After a few days into the semester, unclaimed
scholarships will be reclaimed by the university and will not be returned. Please contact Mrs. Kim Cooper, Music
Department secretary for further information and help with registration :krcooper@jsu.edu, (256) 782-5559.
All entering music majors need to register for the following:
1. 101 Music Theory 3 credit hours.
2. 111 Aural Skills, to be taken with 101 Music Theory (p. 20), 1 credit hour. If you have been placed in MU100, (Intro
to Theory) it will be best to wait to take Aural Skills until you take MU 101. Please talk to your advisor.
3. Music 134 -Primary Applied Voice (first semester, new voice students who have sang at
the August 20th Applied Voice Hearing and who have been approved for applied voice
study by the JSU Voice Faculty) – Please sign up for one following voice teachers. You may
6
be switched to another teacher after your applied voice hearing on September 1st. (These course numbers are not listed
in the course schedule booklet) 2 credit hours.
4. A Cappella Choir 218, call number 2136 - Freshmen and Sophomores
A Cappella Choir 418, call number 2193 - Juniors and Seniors (who have participated in A Cappella Choir
before)
5. If your scholarship contract specifies that you need to be in another ensemble, please sign up for “Chorus”
Chorus (Civic Chorale) 196, call number 2123, or
Chorus (Civic Chorale) 396, call number 2184. (It is best to sign up for this section), 1 credit
hour, p. 21
If you are not music major but were awarded a scholarship to sing in A Cappella Choir, then you only need to register for A Cappella
Choir.
ALL CHORAL/VOCAL SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS MUST BE REGISTERED AND MAINTAIN
REGISTRATION FOR THE CLASSES SPECIFIED IN THEIR CONTRACT BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH. IF
YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED FOR THE CORRECT CLASSES YOUR SCHOLARSHIP WILL NOT BE
APPLIED TO YOUR ACCOUNT.
Attention Fall 2013 Advanced Choral Conducting students
Requirements and co requisites:
You must enroll in A Cappella Choir for the Fall semester
You must join the American Choral Directors Association as a student member.
Student membership is $35 for one year. Please go to the ACDA website (acda.org) for
membership information. You must become a member by Friday, September 6, 2013.
No book will required
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE EVENTS IN THE SPRING!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
High School Voice Day
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Children’s Honor Choir Festival – “A Super Celebration of Music Education!”
Clinicians
Becky Halliday, University of Montevallo
Blue Choir, Grades 1-2
Jeffrey Caulk Bagley and Corner Schools
AL ACDA R&S Children's &Youth Community Choirs Chair
Green Choir, Grades 3-4
Vincent Oakes, Chattanooga Boys Choir
Red Choir, Grades 5-6
Thursday, February 27, 2014
District 4 Solo and Ensemble held at JSU
7
CONGRATULATIONS TO ASHLEY BOYD TEEMS
On Saturday, July 20, 2013, former choir section leader, Ashley Boyd, married her fiancé, Christopher Teems, at the JSU
Alumni House. I attended along with Kaylon Gilley and it was a beautiful ceremony. Please send your best wishes to
Ashley and Christopher Teems!
Music Theory - From Dr. Woodward, Theory Professor
All incoming freshmen music majors must complete the JSU Online Music Theory Placement Survey. This survey
provides the JSU Music Theory Faculty a better understanding of the knowledge and skills of our new students.
To complete this survey, follow these steps:
1. Go to www.ssodb.com and read the instructions.
2. Fill out the form with your information and click 'submit'.
3. Enter the username: Marching and the password: Southerners (case sensitive)
4. Complete the survey and then click 'submit'.
From Dr. Wendy Faughn, Piano Professor
8
CLASS PIANO INFORMATION
Students who have no piano experience should enroll in MU169, Basic Piano Skills.
Students who have prior piano experience may enroll in MU170, Class Piano I, and plan to take the Piano Diagnostic
Exam during the first class session.
Visit www.jsu.edu/music and choose "Student Resources" and "MU169 Diagnostic Prep Guide" to determine the right
class for you.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at the numbers listed above. I will be in and out of my
office during the first half of August, so email contact is the best.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Dr. Corbin
9