Welcome to Chorus 

not only to help remember dates/events but also as a learning tool. I will try to keep it updated

weekly to remind you of upcoming assignments, things you need to have memorized, performance

dates, fundraising info. and any other information I think will be helpful to you as vocalists.

Please come visit the website often and feel free to email me with any questions/concerns

you may have.

                  Spring Concert

            Six Flags Trip      

Backstage Broadway Update - (2/10/09)

Backstage Broadway Update - (2/8/09)

Well, here we are, coming into the final stretch - it's Sunday evening and BBC is only 3 nights away.  Things are looking better as far as tables are concerned - we have 9 donated so far - 7 more to go.  As far as other donations are concerned - we still need the following:  juice, 2-3 cases of bottled waters, cold drink cups, some more finger foods and a couple of large garbage bags.  (For cleanup afterwards).  Drop off for the card tables will be on Wednesday afternoon between 3PM and 5:30PM at the WVHS auditorium up front by the stage.  I will be there all afternoon.  Drop off for everything else will be by 7:15PM to the cafeteria.

Does anybody have one or more black lights?  - I would like to use them for the opening number if possible.

Parent help still needed:  We still need a couple of parents - one to oversee makeup/costumes and one or

                                              more to oversee the cafeteria/food area.  Please contact me if you are available

                                              to help.

Costumes:  As far as costumes for the soloists are concerned, here is what we need:  For "Magic To Do" - we will be dressed in all black on top and bottom with white gloves and white socks.  For "I Got Rhythm"  the girls will be wearing either a dress or skirt/blouse with flats and boys will be in dark slacks with white shirt and tie.  Think "swing dancing".  Any questions - send me an email.  (Soloists should already have in mind what they will be wearing for their individual solos.)  Also - if you will be using any props for your solos, please let me know by tomorrow so we can start getting a list to our prop master.

Arrival Times:  The following are arrival times for all involved in the evening's performance.

                                                                       Please be prompt!

                                          Who                   Time              Report To

                             set-up/decorating crew ------5:30PM --------Mr. Postas/auditorium

                             sound/light/stage crew ------6:00PM --------Mr. Postas/auditorium

                                                     vocalists -------6:30PM -------Mr. Postas/auditorium

                                                     emcees --------6:45PM ------- Mr. Postas/auditorium

                                  make-up/costumes --------6:30PM ------- Mr. Postas/auditorium

                                                  food prep -------6:30PM ------- TBD/cafeteria

                                                waitresses -------7:00PM ------- TBD/cafeteria

                             door greeters/ushers -------7:00PM -------  Mr. Postas/auditorium

                                          prop manager --------7:00PM ------- Mr. Postas/auditorium

That's all for now.  I will give one final update on Tuesday just to let you know how things are progressing.  Please try your best to see if we can come up with those final tables.  If anyone has any questions do not hesitate to send me an email and a final thank you to those of you that have already donated items.  I am confident that this will turn out to be one spectacular evening.

                                                                                                          - Mr. Postas

         Backstage Broadway Update      

Well, the show is in less than two weeks - time flies!  First off, I would like to offer congratulations to those students who passed the auditions.  We will begin rehearsals this week for the two ensemble pieces which are "I Got Rhythm" from the show "Crazy for You" and "Magic to Do" from the show "Pippin".  You should have all picked up a copy of these lyrics in the main office before you left school on Friday afternoon.  If you forgot to get a copy of these you can try lyrics.com or some other search engine.

As far as parent-help is concerned, I still need at least one parent to supervise the costume/makeup area as well as one or more parents to supervise the cafeteria/food/drinks area.  Please send me an email if interested.

In terms of donations - as of now we have both coffee urns, hot cups, sugar, milk, coffee and some finger foods.  We are still in need of the following: paper cups, paper napkins, juices, bottled waters and more finger foods.  (these could be appetizers: ie. mini quiches, pizza bagels, mini hot dogs etc.  and/or cookies, brownies, etc...)

Finally, we are still short on card tables.  To date we have two card table donations.  Please know that unless we have a minimum of 16 card tables we cannot have the show.  If you or anyone you know has a card table that we can borrow for the night please send me an email so I can put them on my master list.

Well, that's all for now.  I'll update this again soon.  If students/parents have any questions please don't hesitate to email me at cpostaswayne@yahoo.com     Thanks - Mr. Postas

 6th Gr. Chorus - Backstage Broadway Cafe

On Wednesday evening, February 11th, we will be having our annual Backstage Broadway Cafe at Wayne Valley High School.  This venue is an exciting opportunity for the students to showcase their individual talents as singers in a cabaret-style theater setting for parents and fellow classmates.  All performances will be solo performances (except for opening numbers for each of the two acts) and will include costuming as well as choreography/blocking.  Students have already discussed music/songs from Broadway shows they would like to perform.  If you have changed your mind about your songs, don't have a song yet, or have decided that you would like to audition, now would be the time to speak up.  If you don't have a song yet, let me know - I know plenty of songs for you to sing.  Please send me an email with any changes/questions you may have.  (cpostaswayne@yahoo.com)

I would like to get started with rehearsals as soon as we're back in school next week.  I will be setting up a rehearsal schedule on Monday - rehearsals will be in the chorus room during rec. times every day.  Each person trying out will get two rehearsals with me before the final audition.  I would like to have the rehearsals during the weeks of 1/5-9 and 1/12-16 and hold the actual auditions the following week.  This will give us three weeks to "fine-tune" our songs and learn the group numbers for the opening acts.

Attention parents:  Each year I ask for a few parents to help donate their time and gifts to help this evening run smoothly.  This is what I am looking for:

Costumes/Makeup - a couple of parents who have experience with costuming and makeup - we may have one or two quick costume changes and I need parents in charge of making sure the performers have their costumes together and makeup on before they go out on stage.

Cafeteria - Two parents (one for each act) willing to oversee the food/drink prep area and the students that are working there as well as the wait staff coming in and out.

Stage Manager - Someone to oversee the production from backstage to make sure things run smoothly - this will include making sure the acts are ready to go, they are coming onstage in order, students are getting onstage/offstage in time, the hallway is quiet, and all other students backstage (ie. emcees, stage crew, prop manager etc...) are doing their jobs.  I would prefer to have someone who has some managerial experience.

Well, that's about it for now - we'll talk more in class on Monday about the other jobs available for students (waiters/waitresses, greeters, food prep, prop manager, stage crew, lighting, sound, set-up and tear down crews).  Please think about what job you may be interested in doing for the evening.  Hopefully everyone will be interested in participating - it is alway a fun and exciting evening for all involved.

My wishes for a happy and healthy New Year to all of you and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.       

                                          - Mr. Postas

                                          Holiday Concert 

This is just a reminder to all students and parents that our annual Holiday Concert this year will be held on Thursday evening, December 11 at 7:30 PM at Wayne Valley High School.  Students need to be dropped off at the front of the building between 6:30 - 6:45 and report to their chaperone in the cafeteria.  The concert will end at approximately 9:00PM.  Students must remain for the entire duration and may not leave after their group has performed - there will be combined pieces at the end for all grades.  Remember that concert dress is required (GW Chorus shirts for all grades, black on bottom - slacks for guys/skirts for the girls, and black shoes/flats.)  Please invite all family/friends, there is no admission.  I look forward to seeing you all for this wonderful evening of music.

Mr. Postas

Dear Parents,                            

Welcome to GW Chorus. I would like to thank you for taking the interest and time to read through this information. It shows me that you care about what your child is doing during the chorus period.

First of all, I would like to mention a little bit about what we do in class. Singing should be a fun activity and I believe if you ask your child, he/she will tell you that we have fun in chorus - however, we also work very hard. In order to present a polished, finished product we must work as a team to get the best possible sound we can. This includes daily physical and vocal warm-ups prior to working on our performance repertoire. Your children are learning how to relax their muscles and bodies so they don't strain themselves while singing. Each exercise targets a specific area used to help in sound production. We also do vocal exercises (vocalise) and each focuses on a specific aspect of singing - whether it's working on vowel sounds, pitch recognition, or breath support/control in singing long phrases.

Our goals here are simple:
- to gain an appreciation for good choral music.
- to learn teamwork in creating a well-balanced sound.
- to improve our individual singing voices.

This brings me to the area of assessment. It is obvious that no two voices are the same. Some of us are blessed with better singing voices than others. Therefore, any assessment in chorus must be an objective one. Children will not be graded on their voice quality (which is highly subjective) - the focus here is on using the tools they are given to help improve their voices. Participation is also a large factor here, as well as motivation. One additional note regarding assessments - both concert performances as well as the adjudication performance at 6 Flags are mandatory - students must be present for all three performances. I have given dates for all three performances to give plenty of time to make arrangements around these dates. Any unexcused absence will affect your child's grade. I can't stress the importance of participation in our performances enough. Each year I always have one or two parents that bring up a conflict with the performance date and it's usually a week or two before the concert. Many times this has been a conflict with things like dance recitals, birthday parties, etc... The whole idea behind chorus is that it's a performance class and a major part of the grade your child earns in class is on them being at the performance. These performances are something that your child has worked hard at to prepare for months in advance. (Not showing up would be like not taking a final exam for a Science class - would a student expect to get a passing grade if they didn't show because they had a party to go to or a dance recital?).
For more information about what constitutes as an excused absence vs. unexcused see the attached Chorus Grade Policy. If you have any questions regarding this matter - you may contact me via email.

Next is our website. You can link directly to it by going to www.yourclasspage.com then find my name in the left column and click on it. On the website you will find a welcome page, calendar of events and folders that contain outlines of specific events, etc... These folders contain all pertinent information on fundraisers, 6 Flags trip, performances etc... Please take the time to check out our website within the next day or so. I will try to update it on a weekly basis.

Performances: We will be performing two concerts this year - both will be held at Wayne Valley HS and will combine the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade choruses. Our holiday concert will be on Thursday evening, December 11, 2008 at 7:30 PM and our spring concert will be on Tuesday evening, June 16 2009 at 7:30 PM.   Check out our website as the time draws near for more concert details.

Fundraisers: The fundraisers in which we will be involved this year are:
-Kids Stuff books (you should have already received these )
-Pointsettia sale - holidays
-Candy sale - this winter
-Spring flower sale

A portion of each sale will go into your child's personal chorus account which they will have throughout their years at George Washington and Wayne Valley (should they stay with the choral program).

Students participate in fundraising for several reasons. First, it helps defray the costs of our trip to 6 Flags in the spring. It also helps to build up our general choral account for things like videotaping at concerts, choir robes at the high school and various other musical expenses. The Choral Parents Association also has an annual scholarship for a graduating senior in the choral program. ( For fundraising due dates etc... check out the calendar on our web site. )

6 Flags/Great Adventure: Each spring we participate in a music festival called "Music in the Parks". We have an early morning adjudication at Lakewood High School where we enter a competition with other choral groups from all over the northeast where our performances are judged by two professional musicians. This is a wonderful opportunity and a great learning experience for the children. We then take buses over to Six Flags/Great Adventure and have a fun-filled day in the park. In the evening all the schools gather in an arena for the awards ceremony. This has always been one of the highlights of the school year for us all and we always come back with at least a couple of trophies. Our trip to 6 Flags this year will be on Saturday, May 16, 2009.
In addition to our regular concerts, we also have a performance venue available for the 6th grade chorus members - our annual Backstage Broadway Cafe The idea here is to give individuals the opportunity to use their talents in a small, intimate, dinner theatre type setting in front of an audience. The BBC also allows others to participate in the evening's events by helping out as ushers, waiters/waitresses, emcees, sound/lighting crew, costumes/makeup etc... The Backstage Broadway Cafe been a huge success and we look forward to carrying on that tradition. Our annual BBC this year will be held on Wednesday evening, February 11, 2009. Stay tuned to our website for more details to come..

Well - that's about all I can think of for now. I'd just like to thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to share the gift of music to each one of your children. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. If you need to reach me you may email me at cpostaswayne@yahoo.com or you can call the school at 973/633-3140 (x37)

Thank you - Mr. Charles Postas