Symphonic Choir Class Update - 12/10/20

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

​Hello Symphonic Choir 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