The year is here!

So, 62 wonderful students, an accomplished accompanist, and an eager conductor filled with creative ideas...

The students are going to have the time of their lives this year in our choir. I just had a meeting with their parents and a 7 minute mock class. I used to hand out folders, make them warm-up, sit in the right seats and sing something. The class was a bit longer back then. Now, we just push the information out and get everyone geared up.

This blog will definitely get used. I plan on linking enough stuff to it to keep the students in the know. I have a few tricks to figure out, so if you're a parent that is web saavy and isn't afraid to coach me, let me know. This is not old html.

The jazz choir auditions are coming up on the 31st of August. We're going to run jazz band and jazz choir both in the same evening for selecting our groups. The band gives up first Wednesdays each month. Ours will start with everyone at 6:00 PM and then individual auditions (bring any jazz/pop song) will be in timed slots until we are done. You can sign up in the choir office.

I'll write more often. Just wanted to thank all the great parents for the help with our lock-in and for showing up tonight in support of your son/daughter. Keep them practicing.

Peace...

I've just returned from the International Peace Gardens where I had a great time working with vocal jazz students at the International Music Camp. It's on the border between the USA and Canada. I took this picture of the peace towers. They also have part of the twin towers from NYC. It was my second summer conducting vocal jazz with Jennifer Parker. I mention Jen in an earlier blog. She's at McNally-Smith. We had 2 groups - one SSA and one SATB, then combined them for a gospel jazz number. I hope to keep in contact with the awesome singers. It rained a couple days so we really appreciated the sun when it finally did peek out on Saturday. -------When I arrived home, I made it just in time to check out University of Mary's 50th year alumni reunion activities out at Buckstop Junction. Great band - Rift. They play well. All alumni of course. I got a chance to sing in the alumni choir this morning for their concert and the mass. Tom did such a nice job. We all came from a variety of conductors within the school's history, so we didn't have the same trainging. There's a video link up on facebook. Very nice. So, I'm definitely at peace. I'll keep praying for my colleage, Bill Schmidt, and for all the students & their families. Peace to you!

Independence Day - freedom to relax

Happy Fourth of July!

Summer is here. I can just feel myself relaxing. On Monday - Nick Schneider, Russ Kovash, and Josh Ehli were ordained. The music was very special. A lot of work went into the selection, by Nick and Bill Ruelle. The choir was made up of 38 singers from Saint Anne, Cathedral, and even St. Patrick's in Dickinson. We even had additional guests playing-singing with us. The singers were extremely dedicated and really sang well. Some music was not even available on recording for those who like to learn that way. I think they are starting to trust me and that will make a difference in preparation. Muriel was awesome, jumping back and forth between organ & piano with the blink of an eye. The choir had 3 trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba, and oboe for accompaniment. I really am proud of the singers and instrumentalists. We sang "Praise His Holy Name" as postlude and while the newly ordained were getting pictures taken with the most Reverend Bishop Zipfel and I think I caught him dancing with his crozier while we sang the last page. :-) Everyone really did their best and it paid off. Wow. So, now I'm filing music away - looking for all the lost music - and getting ready for my week at the International Music Camp. I'll be conducting vocal jazz and working with wonderful faculty. It's a real treat. The Singing Saints cleaned diamonds for the McQuade Tournament also this past weekend and we turned in 155 pounds of aluminum. We'll need some decent fundraisers this year if we plan on getting to NYC in June 2010. Some of my singers will be with me at IMC. That's always nice. Well, fly the flag. I'll have my flag out. Sing the national anthem at the top of your lungs. Make someone join you.

Technology? Today I spent hours with educators in various states of computer literacy. We are investigating Social Networking from all angles. Twitter was not cooperative. So, no account yet. I use facebook and email and texting and this blog, but I still have a lot to learn. Delicious was cool. You can see my bookmarks on the right side of the page now. That will eliminate the necessity to have an outdated page on the school's web site with broken links. Really, there isn't much for music technology. That's an entirely different game. Here's a note to my students about recording:

I’ll be at school from 9-11:30 and 12:30 – 3:30 on Thursday, June 11. I’ll be in on Friday, June 12 – similar hours, but I can stay till 5:30 if needed. If you’d like to record your solo for NCACDA go to: http://www.ncacda.org/index2.htm
And have the forms filled out along with the $20 check to NCACDA for the audition fee. If printing the form is daunting, I will have extras, however you will need to acquire the parental signature. I will be recording for the following groups: Men’s Honor Choir 10-12, Women’s Honor Choir 10-12, Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir 7-9, and Jazz Choir 10-12. You should use the solo you prepared during the school year. There are a couple of students that were going to switch solos. I would stick with what you know the best.

PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO THOSE YOU KNOW WANT TO AUDITION!

So - after the classes I took today, I think I'll put together a fan page in facebook for the choir tour. That way everyone will have access and noone will have to go through the trouble of becoming friends with the teacher. lol

Thanks to the comic strip artist for the graphic.

The creator of the Geek and Poke cartoon series is Oliver Widder.

Success is all in how you look at it.

I'm sitting in my living room at 1:00 a.m. My oldest son is at an after prom party. Even with all of the craziness of our ND spring, parties and special events still take place. We had our State 'A' Vocal Festival yesterday. I brought 29 students to Minot for the day. They really grew between regional and state. 28 of the students will receive a medallion at our music appreciation banquet in May. We'll give out 52 of them. Wow! I am so happy for them. They know they did a great job and that means more than what anyone else could say. It was good to see that Valley City was able to pull it together enough for the students to participate. I think we all view success differently. Some use the stars as the end goal, some say state is the reward for success. I really always just want forward progress in the 'right' direction. It's all in how you look at it. Sometimes success is observing a student celebration in the form of spontaneous song on a school bus. Truly the Cathedral Choir experienced their own form of success when the sang for the Triduum. They were wonderful.

Who decides when you have success? We went to the gala event for Sister Thomas Welder last night. Now there is a success story. She is a beautiful woman with a heart of gold. Sister has touched so many lives. How can a woman be so strong, yet serve so many? 1400 people turned up to honor this humble leader. Thanks God, for the opportunity to have been within the reach of a true servant leader.

I have 9 big events left before relaxing into summer. Grandparents Mass, Art & Song, Cinco de Mayo w/ Voices+, Blues performance at Saint Anne, Music Appreciation Banquet, 2 graduations with choirs, Pentecost and Solemnity of the Body & Blood of Christ, and diocesan ordination of three young Catholic men. In the back of my mind I am preparing for teaching at IMC, getting the 80th Messiah performance ready, and planning the activities involved in touring to NYC with the HS Choir. I'm sure I've left things out, but they say the brain can only handle 7 things at a time. Oh, I remember another one, recording soloists for the NCACDA. Success to me? Finding JOY in each day. That's true success. Joy is found in friends and family, in making progress - not perfection, and enjoying God's gift of beauty. This picture is of the volcanos surrounding Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Truly a place where you can see beauty and believe it or not... JOY.

Vigil is in View

Easter Vigil is around the corner - at the end of the week. What a journey we've taken. I think what I learned most this lent was to breathe. There's a time and a place for anxiety. Only when it will move things in the right direction should it be given life. In the last 4 days, the music in my life has been more than satisfying. The Cathedral Church Choir sang very well last night. They have so much potential and will be so amazing in a year, it will be hard to recognize them. I hope it continues to grow and that those involved are spiritually moved to a place that is truly bringing them closer to God. The choir will be singing for the Triduum.

We had a concert today at SMCHS. It's our annual "Text & Tone". Speeches by the speech club (3) and music by the vocal jazz choir. It's a really nice afternoon, and the performance was quality! But, we can't seem to get the audience there. I wish I knew how to change that. I think it's just the time of year. PR was done appropriately. Tomorrow, the SM Blues get to sing for Holy Hoops. It's in front of the entire school and we'll sing the National Anthem. Not a lot of pressure, but a big gig. So, little time to rest up, but that's life during the school year. I'm going to watch the news. The camera man was there today and took a bit of footage with an interview. Thanks Tom S. for taking such nice video of our St. Mary's Men when they were singing "Johnny Schmoker" on Thursday. Thanks also to: Aanders, Glenn, Don, Pat, Tami, Jim, Leann, Michelle, and all the others that helped with the concert yesterday and today!

I received a site suggestion from a colleague at school, so to see what you can create with Wordle, you can go to http://www.wordle.net/ . Today was a great day for our Singing Saints. The students really had to do a lot on their own for our West Region Vocal Contest preparation after I started them on the task due to our crazy March (musical march madness) and our unusual weather circumstances. After a short pep talk and prayer they were off to many adjudicators and performances. What we came away with was nice. Our choir starred in 18 events bringing home 62 stars and better yet, 31 of the 35 participants qualified to advance to the State Class A Vocal Contest to be held in Minot on April 24th. Way to go Saints!! I get to break the news to them tomorrow. There is abundant joy in knowing they worked hard and will be rewarded. Sunday we have a concert. The vocal jazz choir shares and afternoon with the speech club. Text & Tone... It's a nice afternoon, seated around tables, great friends, conversation, entertainment, and even original music by our students. Well, that's all for now. Later.