To keep up with Dade County Chorus: Take Note, please fill out the form HERE to subscribe to our new email newsletter format! :)  We will need each family to subscribe any email address you would like to receive our newsletter.  Students, Parents/Guardians can all subscribe! 

If you have any questions, please let me know via email at gabriellehaston@dadecs.org

What an amazing event we had for our first annual Dade Fine Arts Showcase?!  We were thrilled to be able to showcase our Visual Art, Band, Chorus, Theater and Spanish students to our parents and community members! Many thanks to Tritex for the donation of the tablecloths and thanks to Los Tres Amigos for preparing the delicious churros! Our Treble Chorus had the audience holding their breath as they listened to the intricate harmonies and beautiful poetry about our grandmothers.  I had several parents stop me and say the Sixth Grade Chorus had brought tears to their eyes with the sweetness and beauty of their voices.  I am so proud of them! 

Upcoming Events: 
Nov 11: 
HS Veteran's Day Performance involves both Treble and Mixed Chorus. Students will wear blue jeans with no holes or frays and  solid black shirt.  Performance Bulletins will go home Thursday, Nov 7. 
MS Veteran's Day Performance involves the 7th Grade and 6th Grade Chorus. Students will wear blue jeans with no holes or frays and  solid black shirt. Performance Bulletins will go home Thursday, Nov 7. 

We are busy preparing for our Winter Concerts and the High School Universal Performance.  It is very important your student is at school these next several weeks.  

HS Go to College Week: November 12-15
We will have guest conductors Tues-Fri from colleges in the surrounding area! We are so excited to welcome Darrin Hassevort from Chattanooga State, David Tahere from Covenant College, Gregory Wilson from Piedmont College, and Kevin Ford from UTC.  

Performance Bulletin for the Christmas performances will be sent home BEFORE Thanksgiving Break because the Middle School Choir Concert is the day we get back from Thanksgiving Break! :) Please put these dates on your calendar now and ask off of work so you can hear the beautiful music your students have been creating! :) 

Dec 2:
12-2:30pm Dress Rehearsal at DCHS
7pm MS Winter Concert

Dec 9:
7 pm HS Winter Concert

Dec 16:
6:30 pm HS Christmas Coffeehouse 

I can't believe we are almost at the end of the first 9 weeks! Our students are chomping at the bit for their first performances! This week's Take Note will be a reminder for the upcoming events for all choirs! #savethedate so you do not miss any Dade County Chorus performances

*MoonPie fundraiser was an AMAZING success!!  Thank you all for you hard work selling our fresh baked MoonPies and for your support of our Chorus program! 

UPCOMING EVENTS:
October 3: Dade County's Got Talent Show at 12:55 pm in the DCHS Auditorium
*HS students: Be sure to get your ticket for $2 in the Cafeteria Tues-Thurs! Who do you think the NEXT Dade County's Got Talent winner will be?! 
 
October 28: GMEA District VII MS Honor Chorus at Woodland High School(select students)

October 29: Dade Fine Arts Showcase: Featuring the DCHS Spanish Dept and Fine Arts 
*This event is based on the Mexican tradition of "Dia de Los Muertos." Have you ever seen the movie Coco?  The closest thing we have to it in our Southern culture is Decoration Sunday.  Where everyone gathers at the cemetery, clears the brush, replaces the flowers and then everyone piles into the fellowship hall for fried chicken and mashed potatoes while you share stories about that one time a cow got into Mamaw's flower garden. :) We are asking students to bring in pictures of their loved ones who have passed to honor and remember them.  More details will be coming soon! 

November 2: Dade County Children's Day featuring the DMS 7th Grade Chorus and DCHS Treble Chorus

November 4: GMEA District VII HS Honor Chorus at Woodland High School(select students)

November 9: GMEA All-State Chorus Auditions

December 2: DMS Winter Concert

December 9: DCHS Winter Concert

December 16: DCHS Christmas Coffeehouse

December 19-22: DCHS Choruses perform at Universal STARS program 


I am so proud of our students and how hard they have been working this first nine weeks! It's showing not only in class, but across the nation! They are getting noticed for their excellent musicianship and kind spirits!  We're at OVER ONE THOUSAND VIEWS on our "I Lift My Voice" video on our YouTube channel! Plus our composer tweeted and mentioned us on Facebook! Amazing things are happening in Dade County Chorus!  

It's here! On Friday, Sept 20th, we debuted our collaborative video project with the DMS Media Arts classes on all our social media platforms.  If you didn't catch it on Facebook or Twitter, be sure to catch it here or on our YouTube Channel at this link.

To celebrate #WorldPeaceDay, our 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade choruses combined to perform “I Lift My Voice,” composed by Andrea Ramsey as part of the Justice Choir Songbook.
Our students so identified with the lyrics they wanted to write a third verse themselves! All three of our 8th Grade Chorus sections wrote their own verses that were then voted on by the 6th & 7th Grade choruses to decide which would be added to the beautiful lyrics originally composed by Andrea Ramsey. Verse three in the video was their final choice. ❤️
Andrea writes, “I was inspired by the line ‘With glad defiance in my throat I pierced the darkness with a note’ from James Weldon Johnson’s poem “The Gift to Sing” and I created this song in hopes of acknowledging the power of music and the importance of community in pursuing justice and unity.”

I am honored to work with such amazing students who not only have beautiful voices, but they also have beautiful hearts for making this world a better place! I am so thankful for each and every one of them! A few shoutouts because we cannot accomplish anything without our community: A special thanks to Mr Wil Martin and the Media Arts classes for creating such an amazing visual product, DCHS Student Aides: Mr. Ben Robertson and Ms. Cassidy Walker for all their help behind the scenes in Media Arts and Chorus classes, and DMS principal, Dr. Sandra Spivey, who didn’t think I was crazy when I came to her and said: “So ...I’ve got an idea...” 😉

We hope you enjoy our video!
​
TAKE NOTE of the information for your class below:  

MOONPIE SALES for all Choruses end this week! Be sure to sell all the moonpies your student has signed out and turn-in your money by Sept 27/Sept 3o at the latest. Thank you all for your support of Dade County Chorus! You've sold a literal TON of MoonPies!!!! :) 

6th Grade Chorus: 
Sixth Graders are wading into the waters of music reading!  We've spent the last seven weeks building our ears and training our eyes to begin reading new music in Sight-Reading.  Sight-Reading is a true way to assess a student's understanding of music notation.  This week our 6th graders will be venturing below do to read low ti, low la, and low sol. 

Please encourage your student to use their PerfectMyMusic account to practice at home what we are working on in class!  

7th Grade Chorus: 
Our 7th Grade class is working on music for their performance on Children's Day(Nov 2) and developing healthy vocal production with an aspirate(on the breath) onset. Much of what we hear on the radio/Spotify is what is called a glottal(hard/aggressive) onset which is unhealthy for young voices especially. Our students are aiming for a clear and free tone as they explore music in Latin, a gospel influenced African-American spiritual, and a medieval Christmas chant! :) 

Choir Ninjas! Several students are well on their way to completing their Yellow and Orange belts.  Please be sure to remind your student they can use Google Classroom/Flipgrid at home to submit pass-offs. 

7th Grade is the first grade level in which a student can audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

8th Grade Chorus: 
Our 8th Grade students are working on their pure vowels for our Latin piece, Gratias Agimus Tibi.  Latin is one of the best languages for developing pure vowels with a ringing tone because each vowel has its own sound.  What you see is what you get! :) Every letter is pronounced! Our students sing in many different languages throughout the year to develop their diction and so they are exposed to different cultures around the world. 

8th Grade students can audition also for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

I am so proud of all our 8th Grade students who auditioned for District Honor Chorus!! We had SO many more auditions this year than last year! :) I'm so excited   Congratulations to our DHC singers! Be sure to return your forms as soon as possible this week! 

HS Treble Chorus: 
Our treble singers are building their confidence in their 3part pieces, The Voice and Lineage. I know I said it last week, but I really can't wait for you all to hear them perform Lineage at our Dade Fine Arts Showcase on Oct 29th! Each choir is currently working on a Latin piece to lay the foundation for pure vowels and a free tone throughout the rest of our repertoire this Fall. 

Assessments: Rhythmic Dictation Quiz Wednesday, Sept 25/Melodic Dictation Quiz Friday, Sept 27

HS Mixed Chorus: 
We dove right into our music for Universal after we received news of the board approval after our acceptance to the STARS program!! We are working on music across the centuries from the Medieval/Renaissance carol Gaudete to the Pentatonix version of Silent Night. Please encourage your student to practice their parts at home using the rehearsal tracks we have recorded in class.  The more practice at home, the more music we can make in rehearsal! 

DCHS students are also eligible to audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

GMEA District Honor Chorus information should have been returned this past week.  If your student has not returned their form or fee, please get that turned in as soon as possible! 

WE'RE GOING TO UNIVERSAL!!! The trip dates are Dec 19-22.  We will be traveling by charter bus and staying in the Universal Studios Cabana Bay Resort and Hotel.  Cost and other itinerary details were sent home on Friday, Sept 20. Chaperones must be adults who are legal guardians of the student. If there is a question, please contact me via email.  

I am so excited for our students to be able to show their talents on a national stage! :) Thank you for your support of Dade County Chorus! 

This is our first year selling MoonPies as a fundraiser and they are flying off the pallet! Our Kick-Off with our fundraising rep, Ms. Sara Holder, was Tuesday, September 17! Students went home with a brightly colored permission slip containing the details of our sale. We are selling FRESH baked MoonPies...they were baked this past weekend just for our sale, delivered on Monday, and we began selling them on Tuesday! 
-All checks are made payable to Dade County Chorus. 
-Moonpie Sale is from Sept 17-Sept 27/30.  
-Parent permission is required to participate because essentially we are giving you $36 worth of product to sell.  Students are required to sell the box and return $36 OR return the box with the product in the condition in which it was given.
From the form: "YES! Send home a box of moonpies to our family! You have my permission for a box of MoonPies to be brought home by my student. I agree to return $36 to the school by the last day of the sale for the 1st box plus any additional boxes requested." 

On a fun note...our foreign exchange student at DCHS had never tasted a MoonPie before! ;) She got to try her first one at our kickoff! Her words... "It's DELICIOUS!"


​TAKE NOTE of the information for your class below:  


DMS CHORUS STUDENTS, SAVE THE DATE...SEPT 20th! 
Our video collaboration with the DMS Media Arts Program to celebrate World Peace Day will be released on all our social media platforms on Friday, Sept 20th! Our students participated in both audio and video recording sessions in preparation for this release.  We are so grateful to Mr. Wil Martin, Mr. Ben Robertson, and the Media Arts classes for their collaboration with us! 

6th Grade Chorus: 
A round of applause for all our sixth graders who auditioned for Sixth Grade Statewide Honor Chorus. I was SO proud of each of them!  Congratulations to our four finalists!

7th Grade Chorus: 
Choir Ninjas! Several students are well on their way to completing their Yellow and Orange belts.  Please be sure to remind your student they can use Google Classroom/Flipgrid at home to submit pass-offs. 

7th Grade is the first grade level in which a student can audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

I am so proud of all our 7th Grade students who auditioned for District Honor Chorus!! 7th Grade made it particularly hard to narrow it down to only four students! :) Congratulations to our DHC singers! Be sure to return your forms as soon as possible this week! 

8th Grade Chorus: 
8th Grade students can audition also for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

I am so proud of all our 8th Grade students who auditioned for District Honor Chorus!! We had SO many more auditions this year than last year! :) I'm so excited   Congratulations to our DHC singers! Be sure to return your forms as soon as possible this week! 

HS Treble Chorus & Mixed Chorus: 
DCHS students are also eligible to audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

GMEA District Honor Chorus information should have been returned this week.  If your student has not returned their form or fee, please get that turned in as soon as possible! 

We submitted our video application on Wednesday, 9/11, and received our acceptance to perform for the Universal Studios STARS program on Thursday, 9/12.  Our school board approved the details of the trip on Monday, 9/16! :) Mixed and Treble Chorus students are eligible to perform on this trip.  We will also be happy to take parents/guardians as chaperones.  The trip dates are Dec 19-22.  We will be traveling by charter bus and staying in the Universal Studios Cabana Bay Resort and Hotel.  Cost and other itinerary details will be sent home by the end of this week! I am so excited for our students to be able to show their talents on a national stage! :) Thank you for your support of Dade County Chorus! 

On September 5th, our DMS Chorus students participated in an audio recording session for our collaborative project with our Media Arts classes.  This Thursday, Sept 12, our students will participate in the video recording session to complete this project.  ALL DMS CHORUS STUDENTS should wear blue jeans and a black shirt and/or a black DC Chorus/Fine Arts shirt.  If your student does not have a black shirt, please let me know so we can bring some of our extra t-shirts over from DCHS!  We cannot wait to show you the finished product so be sure to #savethedate on Sept 20th for our release! 


TAKE NOTE of the information for your class below:  

6th Grade Chorus: 
We have been hard at work developing listening, solfege(pitch) and takadimi(rhythm) skills and are entering into our first music reading activities.  Our goal is to not only create musicians who can read the music, but also ones who understand the music.  These students will be truly literate musically and have a lifelong love of singing.  They received their first official piece of sheet music on Friday, Sept 6 and are working very hard at accomplishing our standards for score reading and utilizing pitch and rhythm skills. 

Sixth Grade Statewide Auditions will be happening this week in class. Students who are selected will have a handout for their parents before Thursday. 

7th Grade Chorus: 
Choir Ninjas! Several students are well on their way to completing their Yellow and Orange belts.  Please be sure to remind your student they can use Google Classroom/Flipgrid at home to submit pass-offs. 

7th Grade is the first grade level in which a student can audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

Also, GMEA District Honor Chorus auditions will be happening this week in class. Students who are selected will have a handout for their parents before Thursday. 

8th Grade Chorus: 
Our 8th Grade Chorus has been diving into the world of three-part music with a wonderful piece, "Homeward Bound" arranged by Jay Althouse.  Middle school students(both boys and girls) face the challenges of the voice change in different ways.  Encourage your student to keep singing in all areas of their range in order to strengthen the ear to voice connection that sometimes gets a little fuzzy during adolescent growth.  

8th Graders are also eligible to audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

Also, GMEA District Honor Chorus auditions will be happening this week in class. Students who are selected will have a handout for their parents before Thursday. 

HS Treble Chorus: 
Our treble singers dove straight into their brand new sheet music "Lineage" by Andrea Ramsey this morning! (Click HERE to listen to a performance recording of this music) This piece will be featured at our Dade Fine Arts Showcase on October 29th. Our theme for our inaugural event showcasing each of the Fine Arts offered in Dade County is "Dia de Los Muertos."  This tradition comes out of Mexican culture and is a way to honor our grandmothers and grandfathers. The DCHS Spanish Dept will also be showcased.  More information coming soon! 

DCHS students are also eligible to audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

GMEA District Honor Chorus information is going home this week with the students who have been selected. 

HS Mixed Chorus: 
Our HS singers will have their chance to be recording artists as we work on our video to submit for the Universal Studios STARS program.  Information will be coming SOON as we finalize amounts, but our travel agent has been able to get us some great hotel prices! I will send home information and schedule a parent meeting as soon as possible! (yeah!) 

DCHS students are also eligible to audition for All-State Chorus. All Dade County Chorus students have access to a PerfectMyMusic account with practice tracks and sight-reading tutorials to prepare for their audition.  If your student is interested, please be sure to remind them to practice using their PerfectMyMusic account. 

GMEA District Honor Chorus information is going home this week with the students who have been selected. 

We have been off to the races in all five Dade County Choruses this Fall! As we begin our third full week of classes, our singers are busy developing their musicianship! We are also right in the middle of our annual t-shirt sponsorship fundraiser! Please contact Mrs. Haston if you have any questions about the handout! 

TAKE NOTE of the information for your class below:  

6th Grade Chorus: 
Our DMS Chorus newbies have blown the roof off our classroom several times since school started! They are developing their ears and have begun translating neutral pitch patterns into solfege. This class has a dictation quiz on Wednesday,  August 28th, and a solfege hand sign test on the Major scale on Friday, August 30th. We have been working towards this Major Scale hand sign test since the first week and I am so proud of their hard work! 

7th Grade Chorus: 
Our 7th graders are working towards being Dade County Chorus NINJAS! :) This class will be working toward their Yellow and Orange Belts in the first Nine Weeks.  Several students are chomping at the bit to get started and all students will receive their checkoff sheets this week.  First pass-off day is Wednesday, August 28th. 

8th Grade Chorus: 
We have a special collaborative project with the Media Arts class(More info coming SOON!) and our 8th graders have played a leading role in developing their composition and lyricist skills! This class will have a rhythmic dictation quiz on Wednesday, August 28th. 

HS Treble Chorus: 
Wow! Our treble singers have been able to jump straight into three part music! We are spending these first weeks in "Choir Boot-Camp" getting the basics down in their first semester of High School Chorus.  It is a joy to see these young singers developing their independent singing voices. This class has a sectional singing test over "Ana El Na" on Friday, Aug 30th. 

HS Mixed Chorus: 
Movement Monday, Barbershop Tag Tuesday, New Warm-Up Wednesday...Well, it looks like Mrs. Haston has named every day of the week this semester! Our students are working towards mastering their solfege(pitch), takadimi(rhythm), improvisation, and aural(ear training) skills!  
It's never too early for Christmas music! :) Our High School Mixed Chorus will be submitting an application to perform for the Universal Studios STARS program in December. This class has a sectional singing test over "Carol of the Bells" on Friday, Aug 30th. 

We would like to thank our DC Chorus sponsors for 2018-2019!! All sponsors should be receiving a letter within the week to add to their tax deductions for charitable donations! 

This week we kicked off our Tumbler/Gourmet Snack Fundraiser! We had to switch the Krispy Kreme fundraiser because of a scheduling conflict with them.  This fundraiser is FANTASTIC and we have set a goal of each student selling at least 10 items! The quick turn-in date is today, Friday, Feb 9, but I will extend the quick turn-in prizes to Monday, Feb 12.  Students must have the $ to count for the quick turn-in. We would like to purchase some new sheet music for all five choirs, a keyboard carrying case for traveling to local performances, and some new black button down shirts for our HS Men.  If we exceed our fundraising goal, we would like to purchase formal performance dresses for our high school women as well!   The final turn-in date is March 1! Sell, Sell, Sell! :)

Progress reports come home today! If you have any questions about grades, please feel free to contact me via email at gabriellehaston@dadecs.org.

We have begun using Google Classroom for links to practice tracks AND for HS sectional singing tests in preparation for our LGPE performances! Google classroom is a WONDERFUL FREE resource for our school system! More information and resources will be added soon! :)

SAVE THE DATE:
March 12, Dade County Chorus Festival Concert, ALL DMS and DCHS Choirs will perform
April 19(UTC Rehearsal) and April 20(UTC Concert): DCHS Choirs will perform alongside the UTC choirs, Signal Mountain High School Choir, and Heritage High School Chorus!
​