How does my child become a member of the Honor Choir?

Your child must be in at least third grade and must pass an individual audition.

Why does Pink have an auditioned choir? Why can’t everyone be in choir?

Due to space limitations, we cannot accommodate more than 50-60 students in the music room at once. Safety is our number one concern. Rather than limiting the choir to only one grade, it was a campus decision to hold auditions. Schools that do not limit the size of their choirs often have 100 or more members. Last year, even holding auditions, if everyone had been selected there would have been 107 students in the choir! By limiting the size of our choir, Mrs. Wester is able to provide better more individualized instruction and ensure the safety of our students. We have had a second non-auditioned choir in the past. However, student commitment was not strong enough to warrant keeping the choir as demands on Mrs. Wester’s time increased with the addition of the guitar ensemble.

What will my child be expected to do in the audition?

Students will warm up their voices singing a descending scale pattern so that the director can assess vocal quality and range. The student will then be asked to echo melodic patterns consisting of 2 to 6 pitches in both major and minor keys to check for pitch accuracy and pitch memory. Students continue by singing “Are You Sleeping” as a round. Once given a starting pitch, the student will sing from the beginning then Mrs. Wester will follow, singing from the beginning while the student continues. Finally, the student will be asked to sing “America”, also known as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” with piano accompaniment.

Are parents or friends allowed in the audition?

No, parents and friends are asked to wait outside in the hallway.

What is the director looking for, and how are scores determined?

Mrs. Wester is looking for students with a pure children’s choir sound who can sing well in tune and have adequate pitch memory. To determine a child’s score, she uses a very thorough rubric. Areas that are considered are pitch accuracy, pitch memory, range, vocal quality, musicality/phrasing, and independence. Also, every audition is recorded so that she can go back and confirm scores or ask for a second professional opinion, especially regarding children who are near the cut-off and for staff members’ children.

How can my child prepare for the audition?

Links to practice materials are provided on the welcome page of this website. Students who do well also practice with friends and family. During the first weeks of school, we will also spend time in music class practicing for auditions.

My child takes voice lessons and sings along with the radio all the time. Shouldn’t he make the Honor Choir?

Not necessarily. First, it depends on a child’s vocal maturity. Every child grows and develops at a different rate. Some students are ready for Honor Choir in 3^rd grade while others are not ready until 5^th. Some of our best 5^th graders did not make Honor Choir in 3^rd grade. Also, choral singing requires students to have relatively wide range and be able to blend with others. When children sing along with the radio in the style their favorite pop singers, they are not really listening to themselves. Pop singing uses a chest voice and is very limited in range, usually about an octave. Also, pop style singers often use vibrato, that wobbly sound in the voice. Children’s choral singing primarily uses a head voice without vibrato. We begin working on developing the head voice in kindergarten. Eventually, as your child’s voice develops properly thoughout adolescence and into adulthood, the range of the head voice can expand to two octaves or more! Also, most experts agree that for the majority of students under the age of 12, voice lessons are not appropriate and can even harm a child’s vocal development. Be very cautious about voice lessons taught by a “voice coach”. Unfortunately, they may not be experts in children’s vocal development.

What is the cost of being in Honor Choir?

This year, the cost is $40. Parents will also be required to purchase khaki pants, black shoes, and a black belt for their child to wear for performances. Depending on our activities, other costs may arise.

Please email Mrs. Wester to submit additional questions.