The Mad River Chorale

Rehearsals for the 2010/11 season begin on Thursday, September 16th.

Junior Treble (Grades 1-5)
Piero Bonamico & Alexis Murphy-Egri, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Thursdays at Bethany Church in Montpelier

This ensemble will focus on essential vocal concepts and basic musical information: loud/soft, fast/slow, high/low and long/short. And, through the use of developmentally appropriate repertoire, these students will learn the essentials of music notation, pitch, rhythm and articulation/expression symbols. Movement, games and guided listening will help students both reflect on and make connections with and through music. Most importantly, this first ensemble will establish a positive approach to the work done in rehearsals, deepening both the students’ musical understanding and their awareness of themselves as young musicians.

Then, as the complexity of the repertoire increases a new focus will be placed on establishing an understanding of form, harmony and meter. Students will begin to learn to critique both their performance and the performances of other choirs that will be shared with them during guided listening exercises at rehearsals. Singers will receive skills they need to clearly and accurately evaluate tone, diction, vowel formation, musical accuracy and musical expression. At this point they will be able to gauge their individual accomplishments and those of the ensemble as a whole.

This ensemble will have the opportunity to work as a whole and in smaller groups during rehearsals to better suit the changing needs of this age-group.