Elementary Choir
Important Information:
***Choir is open to 4th and 5th graders who are interested! 5th graders get priority and the remaining spots are first-come-first-serve for 4th graders.
***Choir meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:15pm resuming for second semester January 9th.
***Choir will automatically be cancelled if school is cancelled. Practice tracks are available below.
***We will have quite a few performances this year! We will perform at the 4th and 5th grade programs (Dec. 7th, April 25th), Veteran's Day (Nov. 11th, virtual), the Baldwin Choral Festival (April 8th), and the talent show at the end of the school year (May 22nd). Our biggest performance is on February 23rd at the 2024 KMEA in-service workshop in Wichita!
***Each participant will be required to purchase a t-shirt for $10 (design shown below) if they do not currently own one that fits. Checks can be made out to BESIC and money can be turned in to Miss Jacobsen or the front office. Any other costs throughout the year will be optional.
***Scholarship money is available for those who need it for any choir fees. Simply email Miss Jacobsen!
Signing Up:
***Sign-ups will be open for the 23-24 school year until Friday, September 1st at 3:00pm! To sign-up, simply fill out this Google form (READ QUESTIONS CAREFULLY!): https://forms.gle/MwV31k6HjCBbG5Wu6.
***Missed the deadline for signing up? Email Miss Jacobsen at kjacobsen@usd348.com and we will get something figured out right away!
Other Choir Opportunities:
NEKMEA District Honors Choir
Participants for this choir are selected by Miss Jacobsen. Students selected will be sent home with a letter for parents to sign. Only 8-12 students can represent Baldwin at this event. Those who accept the opportunity will spend an extra 30 minutes after choir with Miss Jacobsen to learn the required music, running from October through November. The performance is at Topeka High School on Saturday, December 2nd. We will arrive there at 7:30am for registration and the day will conclude with a public concert at 11:15am (recommended $5 ticket price). The cost of this choir is $35.
KMEA All-State Elementary Choir
This choir is selected based on recorded submissions of the song "My Country Tis of Thee" in the key of F. Any 3rd-5th grade student can audition for this honors choir! To make a recording, students work with Miss Jacobsen to review the song then schedule a time with her to make a recording for submission. Recordings must be made by October 30th. Audition fee is $10. The KMEA Elementary Honors Choir will be announced in mid-December and selected students will perform at the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop February 22nd, 2024. For more information or if you have questions concerning KMEA, please email Miss Jacobsen at kjacobsen@usd348.com.
KCDA All-State Treble Choir
This choir is selected based on recorded submissions of the song "Alleluia" which is linked below. Any 5th grade student can audition for this honors choir (even if they are auditioning for the All-State Elementary Choir)! To make a recording, students work with Miss Jacobsen to learn the song then schedule a time with her to make a recording for submission. Recordings must be made by September 25th. Audition fee is $10. The KCDA Honors Choir will be announced in November and selected students will perform at the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop February 23rd, 2024. For more information or if you have questions concerning KCDA, please email Miss Jacobsen at kjacobsen@usd348.com. (More info on www.kschoral.com.)
The Importance of Vocal Music:
***Singing is a communal activity. Each participant must work with others to create the end result, helping teach students responsibility, independence and collaboration.
***Vocal music explores a number of languages and cultures, fully immersing students in the musical experience.
***Choral music challenges each student's brain as they alternate between accompanied and unaccompanied music, unison and harmony, Western and world music, and a variety of dynamics, emotions, time signatures, key signatures and more.
***Singing is a full-body experience. In its very nature, it attends to the needs of aural, visual and kinesthetic/tactile learners.
***Vocal music helps us be empathetic to the feelings of others as we engage in performing their words set to a melody.
***Singing helps us express ourselves when mere words seem to fail. "We sing because we can't speak anymore." -Kristen Chenoweth