Traveling Choir records in rehearsal

One of my students has been asking me for a couple of weeks for recordings of the Traveling Choir singing "In Christ Alone" and "The King of Love" for a friend of their family. Last Friday we finally had time in our rehearsal schedule to do a recording day. You can listen for yourself by clicking the links above.

WLA Musicians Advance to State Solo Ensemble Festival

Congratulations to the following WLA music students for advancing to the State Solo Ensemble Festival at UW-Oshkosh on Saturday, April 26, 2008:

• Dion Malenke (drum set & concert snare drum solo)
• Ashley Kuhlow (piano)
• Beth Geisthardt (piano)
• Tanya Wilsmann (violin & flute)
• Nick Schmidt (trumpet solo & trio)
• Jordan Jindra (trumpet trio)
• Levi Wolff (trumpet trio)
• Seth Westphal (concert snare drum solo)
• Britt Kerr (french horn)

Click here for WLA's schedule (aka FONDY WINN LUTH), Room Key, General Information, UW-Oshkosh campus map, and Driving Directions

2008-2009 Traveling Choir Auditions Announced

Auditions for the 2008-2009 WLA Traveling Choir will be held April 28-May 2, 2008 in the WLA Choir Room. Students should sign up for their audition time on the Choir Room door. Students who have sung in a WLA choir for one year are eligible to audition for the 2008-2009 Traveling Choir. Students may audition before school, during Block 1, 2, 3, Noon A, Noon B, Block 5, or after school as the audition schedule allows. Auditions take 15 minutes.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

1. Sing “This Is My Beloved Son” by Pepper Choplin (Streaming: mp3, Real Audio, Download mp3s: Full performance, Accompaniment only)

The music is available in the Choir Room. Students must prepare to sing the entire song in the voice part that they are auditioning for. Applicants will be judged according to the Wisconsin State Music Association vocal solo rubric in the following areas:

• Tone--the shape of the vowel and the beauty of the sound
• Intonation--staying on the right pitch, neither sharp nor flat
• Accuracy--singing the correct notes and rhythms
• Interpretation--singing musically and expressively
• Technique--breathing at logical spots and showing clear and clean diction

2. Tonal Memory Exercises
Students will hear short melodic phrases played at the piano and sing them back on “La” to test their aural memory

3. Sightreading Exercises
Students will sing a series of short graded examples to determine their sightreading ability.

4. Range Vocalization
The student will sing scales on “AH” to the top and bottom of their range.

Traveling Choir at St. Marcus, Milwaukee

Today, Traveling Choir got up WAY before the sun was even thinking about shining and boarded a school bus, not for a WLA association church, but for St. Marcus Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. We were invited by their music director, Jeff Krumbein, to sing for morning services and to join in singing with their gospel choir. Even though we were singing in an inner city church in Milwaukee, the day turned out to be more of a Fond du Lac day because not only is Jeff Krumbein the director of the Fond du Lac choir Joyful Witness (formerly known as the Winnebago Lutheran Chorale), but everyone's favorite "Irish" musician and WLA grad, Joey Schumann, played bagpipes, whistles, and violin for both services as well.

The Traveling Choir sang three songs after the sermon in the first service:

• In Christ Alone
  
• This Little Light of Mine
• Witness

Between services, we were served a huge breakfast and then rehearsed with the gospel choir for our joint piece in the second service.

• The Name (rehearsal)

The second service was video taped for Time of Grace ministries. We sang four selections before the sermon:

• In Christ Alone
• This Little Light of Mine
• The King of Love
• Witness

and joined with who we thought was the gospel choir, but ended up being the United Voices of Praise, backed by a full gospel band (piano, bass, drum set, congo, bongos, Hammond B3 organ), Joey Schumann on flute, and a special guest saxophonist.

• The Name

In all the excitement of the day, I forgot to bring my camera along to take pictures of Traveling Choir singing and rehearsing. Did anyone get pictures? Please let me know or send them my way and I'll post them here. Thanks!

Traveling Choir's 1st Sunday Recording

I got a new toy which I had to try out this morning when Traveling Choir sang at Faith Lutheran Church, Fond du Lac, WI. I've been wanting to record the Traveling Choir on Sunday mornings when they go out to the WLA Association congregations, but I didn't have a good way of doing it. Well, I was at the MENC National Convention in Milwaukee the past couple of days and found a solution– the Edirol R-09 handheld digital recorder.

So, this morning I took it along to Faith and was going to record both services. Halfway through the 1st service I realized that I never took the recorder out of my pocket! So, between services I did a little reading of the manual (which I NEVER do), popped in new AA batteries, and handed the recorder to a gentleman in the congregation who I knew wouldn't be afraid of technology, and went about directing the Traveling Choir. I was eager to get home and listen to the recordings just to see if it worked right out of the box.

Well, listen for yourself–I think not only did the recording go well, but TC sang very well this morning!

• This is My Word (Pepper Choplin)
• This Little Light of Mine (arr. Dale Witte)
• The King of Love (arr. Daniel Kallmann)
• In Christ Alone (Keith Getty & Stuart Townend, arr. Angerman)
  
• O Christ the Same (arr. Dale Witte)
• Witness (arr. Jack Halloran)
  

African Children's Choir Performs at MENC National Convention in Milwaukee

WSMA Concert Festival at Mayville H.S.

The WLA Traveling Choir will perform

Gloria (Randol Alan Bass)
The King of Love (arr. Daniel Kallmann)
Witness (arr. Jack Halloran)

on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at Mayville High School for the Wisconsin School Music Association Flyway Conference Choral Concert Festival.

Performance Times – Auditorium

8:00 Mayville Mens Choir
8:30 Horicon 6th grade
9:00 Lomira Middle School
9:30 Lomira High School
10:00 WLA Traveling Choir
10:30 Horicon 7/8th Grade
11:00 Mayville Cappella Choir

12:30 Mayville Concert Choir
1:00 Faith Lutheran Middle School
1:30 Mayville Treble Choir
2:00 Mayville Middle School Choir
2:30 Springs High School

TC will be at WLA for the first class of the day (Block 8), then change into their concert attire, board a bus, and travel to Mayville High School by 9:30 am. Warmups are 9:30-10:00. After performing at 10:00 am, we'll stay to listen to at least one choir, maybe two, before returning to WLA. It's a WSMA requirement to listen to other choirs and evaluate them at concert festival. We should be back to WLA for Block 5, but we'll probably have to catch lunch on the road.

Traveling Choir sings at Montello and Meccan this weekend

St. John's Montello (8:15 am)


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Emmanuel, Meccan (10:30)


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Academy Kids sing for Waucousta "Spring Fling"

Where in the world is Waucousta???


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4th Quarter Choir Performances

Sat. Apr. 5 AK @ Waucousta (8:30-9:15 PM) be there by 8:00 PM
Sun. Apr. 6 TC @ St. John's Montello (8:15 AM) and Emmanuel, Meccan (10:30 AM)
Sun. Apr. 13 TC @ Faith, Fond du Lac (7:45 & 10:30 AM)
Wed. Apr. 16 TC @ Mayville H.S. WSMA Concert Festival (time TBA)
FC/VC/Band/Piano @ St. Francis Home, Fond du Lac (2:00 - 3:00 PM)
Sat. Apr. 19 AK @ Campbellsport H.S. – Campbellsport Women's Club (2:00 PM)
Sun. Apr. 20 TC @ St. Marcus, Milwaukee (leave WLA 6:00 AM, services 8 & 10:30, return by 2 PM)
Wed. Apr 23 WLA State Finalists Recital (cancelled)
Sat. Apr. 26 WSMA State Solo Ensemble Festival @ UW-Oshkosh
Thurs. May 8 TC @ St. Peter's, Fond du Lac 150th Anniversary (6:30 PM)
Sun. May 11 TC @ St. Peter's, Fond du Lac 150th Anniversary (7:45 & 10:30 AM)
Sun. May 18 WLA Spring Choral Concert: Van Gogh's "Starry Night" (7:00 PM)
Mon. May 19 & Wed. May 21 2008-2009 AK Auditions (6:00-8:00 PM)