Hello North Hills,
 
Attached is our 2023 Tour Letter #1 - finally!
 
It was interesting opening the trip letters from last year to see all that we were trying to figure out. We didn’t even remember it all because it changed so many times. We did figure it out, though, and we had an amazing tour together.
 
We really thought that this would be the year that things became more “normal,” but instead our group again proved how we don’t allow those challenges to define us. You have built special ensembles. Thank you for an amazing year so far!
 
Planning this tour has been a bit of a challenge itself. If you follow the scene of NYC shows at all, you know that it is adapting as it rebounds from the pandemic:

• After 29 years and 11,472 performances, STOMP closed in New York City on January 8th.
• Phantom of the Opera, the longest running show in Broadway’s history, will close on April 15th after 35 years. The revival of Music Man just closed as well.

 
So, it took us some time to be able to get the information that we needed. Shows and venues were simply not committing to dates in April as early as we would normally schedule.
 
We are excited to move forward, though! Because of the delay in sharing specific information, we are asking for a quick turn around in showing your interest in attending the tour. Thank you in advance for your help with this!
 
As we get back into the swing of touring together, you will find that each of our tours is very different in its location, format, and performance opportunities. Our rotation has been intentionally developed this way over the years to provide the most experiences for our students over their time in the program.
 
Some years our students will compete with other groups, some years they will perform publicly like in Orlando. This tour includes the opportunity to work closely with the amazing Music Department faculty at Messiah University in clinics and rehearsals. Please browse their bios and check out the remarkable Parmer Hall.
 
After performing and learning together on Friday, we are off to see the “greatest city in the world” from as many perspectives as we can. Traveling together through the city will be different than going to different rides in the Disney parks.
 
Most importantly, thank you for all that you do to continue to make the finest music opportunities available to your students. We want this culminating experience to be something for our students to work towards, learn from, and enjoy together. It does make a difference, and it is an honor to keep figuring it out with all of YOU!

We've been communicating through Google Classroom so far this school year, but in case someone missed the email that was sent today, here is our latest class update:

Hello Chorale Class Students and Families!

Since we're heading into the home stretch for the first semester and second quarter marking period, I thought it would be a good idea to touch base with everyone.  As a reminder, the new NHSD directive for virtual instruction is that Zoom meeting attendance with cameras is required.  Please make sure to attend class each day so that we can record period attendance and you can keep up on what is happening.

We're working toward a virtual holiday concert.  Flipgrid video recordings are due over the next few days for "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas," "Sleigh Ride," and "Silent Night."  Everyone should have already submitted their part to the "Hallelujah" chorus, which will be edited with the alumni choir submissions.  My goal is to have everything edited into one virtual concert video that will be uploaded to our choir YouTube channel and shared for friends and families during the week of December 21.

In addition to prep on those songs, we've been engaged in several listening activities since the beginning of November.  We did a "Choral Christmas Classics" unit where we listened to a different choral performance of a standard carol then discussed in class.  During the week of Thanksgiving, we had some performances focused on thankfulness.  And in December, we've been voting on our favorite Pop Holiday Songs in a March Madness-style playoff bracket.  For each of these activities, there have been "questions of the day" posted in Google Classroom, each worth 5 points to give us a way to document participation, since not everyone was attending Zoom, and not everyone was contributing to the full discussion.  All you have to do is answer the question with your opinion as directed in the question and you receive the points.  I have them listed in PowerSchool by week, so that there are 20 or 25 points per week, depending on the number of days we have class.

I'm hoping to have the grade book updated in the next day or so with all assignments given for Q2.  There are some who have not submitted anything yet, and now is the chance to get caught up!  Additionally, if there are outstanding assignments from Q1 (such as the #tbt video quizzes) that you'd like to complete, you may do those as well and still get at least partial credit, raising the Q1 grade and improving the overall semester grade.  If completing any of those assignments, please e-mail me so I know to go back and look to update the gradebook as we're in a new marking period.

This is certainly not the year we imagined it would be, and I'm sure we all miss being together, making music, hearing each others' voices, and figuring out how to blend together to make the best possible sounds.  While we're in this virtual and hybrid model, this is the best we can do for a choir class, so I appreciate how everyone is cooperating and participating.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

If I don't see or hear from you in the next 2 weeks, I hope you enjoy your holidays -- socially distanced, of course!

Thanks,
Mr. Cloonan

Our Madrigal Dinner is quickly approaching - THIS FRIDAY at 6:30PM in the High School Cafeteria B Side!  Thank you so much to all who have already signed up to donate items or time for our fundraising event.  We already have about 40 reservations, so pass the word along that folks can go to www.nhchoiranddrama.net to reserve a seat (and pay at the door) or use a credit card and purchase tickets online.

Here are ways you can help:

1. Lottery/Lotto tickets.  We are hoping to have a lottery tree along with our raffle baskets.  If we could have choir families bring in lottery tickets, they can be turned in to the appropriately labeled drawer in the front of the choir room.  Please put it in an envelope with the name of the choir student or family.
2. Desserts.  On Friday, we will need an assortment of dessert items to serve our guests.  We're asking each choir family to donate a dessert item (store-bought is fine or homemade!).  Pies, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, whatever you'd like.  We will plate everything ahead of time and have them on trays for the servers to take to each table.  Dessert items can be brought in Friday morning (if they don't need to be refrigerated) to the choir room, dropped off right after school, or brought to the cafeteria after 3:00pm.
3. Volunteers & Donations.  There are still several spaces on the SignUp Genius for items to be donated, but specifically for volunteers to work the raffle basket table, help with food preparation (salads, plating food, etc.).  Please click this link to see if there is anything you can donate or any time you can give to help the night be a success.
4. Attend! Even if you can't donate or volunteer, we hope you can attend with your family and friends to support our choir and the students who are performing.  It's a great night to get you in the holiday spirit.

For students participating in the skit, the schedule for this week is as follows:
Tuesday, 12/3 - 2:15-3:00
Skit & song read through (shortened due to added Singers practice)

Wednesday, 12/4 - 2:15-4:00
Skit/song rehearsal

Thursday, 12/5 - 2:15-4:30
Run through in costume of skit/songs

Friday's schedule for everyone:
Volunteers for set-up/decorating may access the cafeteria beginning at 3:00 after the custodians have finished cleaning.  We are in the B side, which is the back of the building (less windows to give more of a castle look)
2:15-3:00 - Run skit one last time, gather items to take to cafeteria
3:00-5:00 - Set up cafeteria and decorate, organize raffle baskets, 50/50, desserts
5:00-5:45 - Run skit with sound system in cafeteria, servers report, help to make salads
5:45-6:30 - Skit participants eat pizza in choir room, get into costume
6:00-6:30 - DOORS OPEN Servers help seat guests
6:30-8:30 - Dinner & program (meal served with skit parts between), raffle winners announced
8:30-9:30 - Clean up, take equipment back to choir room, turn in costumes, gather belongings

Also, on a different matter, Friday is also the deadline for submitting commitment forms and $25 deposits for the Virginia music department performance tour in April 2020. The information packet can be found here.  Please submit the commitment form & payment in an envelope with the student name on the front to the drawer labeled Virginia 2020.

Thanks for helping us as we begin the crazy holiday season.  Email with questions and we'll do our best to answer what we can!