BYNG

2019-2020 VOCAL MUSIC SYLLABUS

Dear Parents and Vocal Music Students,

            I am looking forward to the coming year in joining students in working together for continued successful experiences in Byng Vocal Music.  Please remember that “SUCCESS = COOPERATION”.  It will take the united efforts of students, parents, the accompanist, and the director alike to fulfill this mission.   This syllabus fulfills another important component of success, which is COMMUNICATION - communication from me to the parents and students of my expectations to help establish worthy targets of success for all to aim for.

In this syllabus you should find policies, grading procedures, a tentative schedule for this year, as well as a link to an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM in which parents and students will sign.  This acknowledgement form ensures me that you have read and understand the stated policies and will do your utmost to be the best individual and choir member you can be.

I believe there is no goal that we can’t reach if we purpose ourselves to engage in hard work, a great attitude, and receptiveness to change based on the director’s and students’ ongoing evaluation, both personally and for the group.  So let’s commence the work with high expectations. If you need me, never hesitate to contact me or drop by.  I’ll return your message as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

M. Lane Taylor, Director of Vocal Music

PROGRAM GOALS

• To teach all students to appreciate and understand different genres of music.
• To enable students to excel in vocal music
• To focus on music technique, music performance, and music literacy.
• To grow creative and clearer-thinking individuals that will influence our group, our school, and our society.
• To focus ALL students on personal improvement at fulfilling their responsibility to the ensemble and other school activities.
• To build a community of respect, hard work, and creativity.

CHOIR EVENT ATTIRE

High School Choir

• Choir Robe (All Choir Contests & Winter Concert)  All high school students will be assigned a choir robe that belongs to the Byng Vocal Music Department.  Men will be expected to wear a collared shirt, dress pants (Black or Kaki), and Black Dress shoes.  Ladies will be expected to wear a dress, skirt and blouse, or dress slacks and blouse accompanied by black dress shoes. It is important that, for performances, students dress their best.  In the case that the student misplaces their robe, appropriate dress will still enable them to perform.  If they are dressed inappropriately, they cannot perform.  We want to represent our school with the best presentation possible.

Choir Robe Care

The choir robes that will be issued are school property, and to ensure future their future use, students will not be allowed to take these robes home.  Students will be expected to hang the choir robes when they are finished and place them back on the choir robe rack.  If the robe is damaged due to wear during the school year, the student issued that choir robe number will be responsible for the repair or replacement of that choir robe. Replacement fees are generally $90 per robe

• Choir T-shirt (All informal Byng HS Choir events)  At all informal events, e.g. National Anthem singing at games, Spring Concert, etc., all high school choir students will be expected to wear the choir t-shirt, jeans that are unfaded, untattered, and unstained, and shoes.

6^th Grade Choir & Jr. High Choir

• Jeans (unfaded, untattered, unstained)
• Choir t-shirt
• Shoes

FEES

• Mandatory fees (Due by last Friday of September)
• ​All  Choir students are required to pay $12 (maximum) mandatory fee for the choir T-shirt that will be used as the choir uniform

• Special Fees – ​Depending on the availability of School and Activity funds:​
  • Students who wish to audition for ECOCDA, OCDA, or OMEA choruses or sing an OSSAA district or state solo might have part or all of their entry fee paid. 
  • If the student is selected for any of the above ensembles, participation and hotel fees might be provided in part or whole.
  • If a student signs up for an audition, State or District chorus participation, OSSAA district or state solo, or a vocal workshop but fails to audition or perform, they will be required to pay the associated fee.
  • Audition and Participation fees are generally as follows:

Audition Fees:

ECOCDA:                                  $10

All-State:

1.  Junior High:               $15

2.  High School                $15

Participation Fees:

 ECOCDA:                                       $16

JH OCDA All-State:                        $45

HS OCDA Jazz All-State:                $55

HS OCDA Jazz AS Alternate:          $15

HS OMEA Mixed All-State:              $80

OSSAA District Solo:                      $10

OSSAA State Solo:                         $12

OBU All-State Workshop     $135-$170

REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE RULES

• Be prepared with music, pencil, folder, and all other materials the director requires.
• Memorize concert or contest music.
• NO GUM, food, or candy during rehearsals, concerts, and contest performances.  Students who chew gum will be directed to spit out their gum.  Repeated violations will earn the student the assignment of any/all discipline procedures beyond “warning”.
• Absolutely no alcohol, tobacco, or drugs will be permitted. It is illegal on campus and off-campus school-related activities.
• Students will be responsible for their music.  They will be charged with replacing any music that is damaged or lost.
• Each student will be expected to respect all their peers, particularly the opposite gender while in class or on school-related trips.
• Practice rooms are to be used for practicing.  Practice room use scheduled by the director preempts all other use.
• Each student must do his/her best at all times to ensure a great rehearsal or performance.

ATTENDANCE

Without all of the students in attendance, it is impossible to have music prepared and polished for performances.  Students will be expected to be in attendance during school time as well as after school rehearsals, concerts, and contests.  If for ANY reason (other than school-related activities) they are absent from these assigned rehearsal and performance times, they will need to approach the director immediatley to obtain a make-up assignment and complete it by the due date set by the director.  If the student chooses to do neither, they have earned a zero grade for that assignment and I’m obligated, as the director, to award them what they have earned for that assignment.​

ELIGIBILITY

Students are not allowed to attend school activities anytime during the week of the activity if they are on the ineligible list (list of students that are not passing with a 60% or above in any subject they are enrolled in). Missing a vocal music contest or concert because of ineligibility is considered an absence, and that student will be assigned and required to do make up work for the performance missed. All rules in the “Attendance” section apply.

BUS TRIPS AND TRIP POLICIES

• Be on time!  Be on time!  Be on time!
• Remain seated at all times when bus is moving
• No fighting, pushing, or other horseplay will be tolerated.
• Do not throw objects from the bus or stick anything out of the bus window.
• Treat the activity bus better than your own vehicle.
• Do NOT leave personal items or trash on the bus. Clean up after yourself.
• Cooperate fully with and show respect to bus drivers and sponsors.
• If a parent wants the student to travel to or from a destination by means other than the bus, parents/guardians MUST download (from the Vocal Music Home Page), complete, and submit to Mr Taylor the Alternate Transportation Form prior to the trip.
• Bus will not stop between departure location and destination.  Take care of personal business such as using the bathroom before you get on the bus.
• When the bus arrives at the destination, remain seated until Mr. Taylor has given complete instruction.
• Only choir members and assigned sponsors are allowed on the bus.
• Students that are, on the day(s) of the activity, in violation of dress code or conduct codes as specified in the policy section of the Byng Student Handbook will either (1) not be allowed to board the bus to attend the activity, or (2) be referred to the appropriate principal for disciplinary action upon return from the activity.

GRADING SCALE

A (90-100)

B (80-89)

C (70-79)

D (60-69)

F (0-59)

GENERAL POINTS (REQUIRED)

Weekly Evaluation (see Rubric below):               25

Extra Rehearsals:                                                10

All Required Performances:                                50

Bi – monthly Individual singing assessment        100

Music Theory Assignments                                  25

WEEKLY EVALUATION RUBRIC

1. 25/25 (100%) points for performing ALL tasks assigned with NO distractive behavior.
2. 22/25 (88%) points for performing ALL tasks assigned with SOME distractive behavior.
3. 20/25 (80%) points for performing SOME tasks assigned with NO distractive behavior.
4. 18/25 (72%) points for performing SOME tasks assigned with SOME distractive behavior.
5. 15/25 (60%) points for performing NO tasks assigned with NO distractive behavior.
6. 10/25 (40%) points for performing NO tasks assigned with SOME distractive behavior.
7. 0/25 (0%) points for performing NO tasks assigned with ALL distractive behavior.

*NOTE* – For those students enrolled in choir who are absent for whatever reason (ill, quarantined, distance learning, etc), two points will be deducted daily from the Weekly Evaluation score for each day the student does not email, Remind text, or call the choir director to check on what they missed.

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

1. BE IN THE ROOM WHEN THE BELL RINGS.  Students who enter after the bell will be sent to obtain an admit slip from the office.
2. Limit PERSONAL CELL PHONE use to TEACHER-ASSIGNED and TEACHER-SUPERVISED activities.
3. USE YOUR VOICE ONLY for contributing to class disscussions or choir performance DURING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME.
4. BRING ALL NECESSARY MATERIALS WITH YOU TO CLASS (e.g., pencil, music, due assignments).

DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

6TH, JUNIOR HIGH, & HIGH SCHOOL

1. Warning
2. Discipline Paragraph Writing
3. Written referral

Major Offenses (fighting, bullying, etc.):  Students that display such behavior will receive no warning and will be sent to the office or assigned detention.

COMMUNICATION 

• REMIND TEXTING ANNOUNCEMENTS – Announcements and reminders will come from Mr. Taylor mainly through the REMIND texting sytem.  Students and their guardians and parents are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to subscribe to these texts in order to remain updated.  To subscribe to REMIND for your/your child’s class, complete the following instructions:
  • ​High School (9-12) Choir:  Text the message “@bynghsvm” to the number “81010”, then follow prompts from the replies you receive.
  • Junior High (7-8) Choir:  Text the message “@byngjhvm” to the number “81010”, then follow prompts from the replies you receive.
  • 6^th Grade Choir:  Text the message “@byngelevm” to the number “81010”, then follow prompts from the replies you receive.
• ​DIRECTOR’S EMAIL – Email any questions or concerns to lane.taylor@byngschools.org
• DIRECTOR’S OFFICE PHONE – Office phone number is (580) 559 – 0119.  If no one picks up, leave a message in the voicemail box and Mr. Taylor will return your call as promptly as possible.

OUTSTANDING MUSICIAN AWARDS

The Outstanding Musician Award is awarded to the Four Byng Vocal Music students (HS male and female, 6th-8^th male and female) who has earned and accumulated the most Individual Points (see Individual Points below) at the end of the year during the Spring Concert.

OUTSTANDING MUSICIAN INDIVIDUAL POINTS

• Attendanding the Byng Choir performance of the previous year’s Byng Graduation. (25 Points)
• Auditioning for District or State Choirs (10 points per audition)
• ECOCDA Selectee (15 points)
• All-State Selectee (25 points per chorus)
• Receiving a superior rating for a District or State Solo performance (25 points per performance)
• Receiving a superior rating for a District or State Ensemble performance (15 points per performance)
• Sing the Star Spangled Banner for a Byng School event (25 points, awarded only once for the school year)