Leander High School Choir Insider
January & February 2024
Greetings, LHS Choir Community!
While January seems like a slow calendar month for all-things Choir, our students have been hard at work with many things. This month has been filled with prep for our upcoming Madrigal Festival for the Lionheart Singers, while some students are also preparing for their solo performances in the upcoming UIL Solo & Ensemble process. Some even participated in the all-school musical, Matilda, and devoted many late nights to this production! We're so proud of all of our students who are able to juggle all of these things on top of academics and athletics.
February is the start of what is "full-speed ahead" for our UIL Concert & Sight-Reading preparation. While these evaluations do not happen until April, our students are hard at work, practicing their repertoire and literacy skills every single day.
As we tackle the semester, we would also like to remind everyone that we are needing parents to be on our Booster Club Board for next year. Our amazing Booster Board has several outgoing members and we are in dire need to fill these positions!
We hope that you find our monthly newsletter helpful in providing you with information about all-things Leander High Choir! Also, check out our website at www.leanderchoir.org!
Items in this issue:
- Upcoming Dates & Events
- 2023 - 2024 TMEA Area Auditions & All-State Choir Results
- UIL Contract & Rehearsals for 1st, 3rd, & 5th Period Choirs
- Volunteers Needed for Pre-UIL Concert in March
- Future Booster Members Needed!
- Beginning of the Year Stuff - Please complete ASAP!
- Texas Music Scholar
- Donations Needed
- New Voice Instructor Alert!
- Parent Checklist
- Student Checklist
1. Upcoming Events and Deadlines
Additions to the Calendar:
- 2/16, Tue, School Day, - (7th Period only) Leander Legacy Tours to RBMS & LMS
- 2/20, Tue, 6 - 7:30 PM - (2nd Period only) Madrigal Festival Preview Concert @ Hope Presbyterian Church, 11512 Olson Dr, Austin, TX 78750
Upcoming Events:
- 2/13 Tue, 3:45 - 4:15 PM - Choir Council Meeting @ Choir Room
- 2/13 Tue, 6:30 PM - Choir Booster Meeting @ Choir Room
- 2/7-10 - TMEA Convention - San Antonio, TX (Directors out)
- 2/16, Tue, School Day, - (7th Period only) Leander Legacy Tours to RBMS & LMS
- 2/20, Tue, 6 - 7:30 PM - (2nd Period only) Madrigal Festival Preview Concert @ Hope Presbyterian Church, 11512 Olson Dr, Austin, TX 78750
- 2/24, Sat (Times TBA) - UIL Region Solo & Ensemble @ Westlake HS (Times TBA)
- 2/24, Sat (All Day) - SA Madrigal Festival @ Trinity Baptist Church, 319 E Mulberry Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212
2. 2023 - 2024 TMEA All-State Choir Results
Avery will perform with the 2024 Texas All-State Treble Choir at the TMEA Convention. This concert will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (San Antonio, TX), 2 PM, at the CC Stars at Night Ballroom.
Congratulations, Avery!
3. UIL Contract & Rehearsals for 1st, 3rd, & 5th Period Choirs
If you or your student is enrolled in our 1st, 3rd or 5th Period Choirs, please see the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contract below. These online contracts are due on Feb. 9th and will be posted on Google Classroom for students to fill.
Varsity rehearsal schedules for 2nd and 6th Period will be emailed and posted separately to students.
4. Volunteers Needed for Pre-UIL Concert in March
We are in need of volunteers for our Pre-UIL/Teacher Appreciation Concert on March 26, from 5 - 8 PM! We will need help with serving food, chaperoning dressing areas and guiding students. Please fill out the form below if you are interested!
5. Future Booster Members Needed!
Attention Choir Parents! It is your time to shine! Our esteemed Booster Club Board has several outgoing members and we are in need to fill their position for next year. Our Boosters are a huge part of our success and we need your help filling them! These jobs are not demanding and require only attending the meetings once a month on top of seasonal and/or event-specific duties. Please fill out the form below!
6. Beginning of the Year Stuff - Please complete ASAP!
We still have a few students missing forms and fees from the beginning of the year. Please take care of this ASAP or contact the directors for clarification!
The yearly participation fee for the LHS Concert Choirs (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 6th Period) is $75 and $150 for Leander Legacy (7th Period) Show Choir. This includes their Choir t-shirt, supplies and meals before our concerts. Please check your emails for reminders about this fee.
Parents can either pay the participation fee in full, or contact the directors in the event that a parent should opt to pay in installments. Lack of funds will not prohibit students from participation in the program as long as communicated to directors. For installments or any questions on this year’s participation fee, please contact rob.saldana@leanderisd.org and kayla.omalley@leanderisd.org for more information with the subject line “23-24 LHS Choir Fee.” We will start sending out reminders via email to choir members who have not paid the fee.
HOW TO PAY:
Parents/guardians may pay online to cover their fee payment using either PayPal or Venmo:
Pay through the LHS Choir Fees PayPal page and type your student's name on the "Add a note" field (must have a PayPal account in order to access)
Pay through the LHS Choir Fees Venmo page and type your student's name on the "Add a note" field (must have a Venmo account in order to access)
Note: If you are using a credit card through PayPal or Venmo, please add an additional $2.25 ($4.50 for Leander Legacy students paying $150) to cover credit card usage fees. It is recommended that you pay using a linked debit card or bank account on PayPal or Venmo as it does not incur extra fees.
The choir directors and the LHS Choir Boosters are committed to an inclusive program. Lack of funds will not prohibit students from participation in the program. Please let the choir directors know if you need special consideration.
In addition, please make sure that you have filled out the following:
- Complete Handbook Acknowledgment if you haven't
- Complete RankOne Account and Forms if you haven't
Students will not be able to participate with extra-curricular (outside of school hours) activities unless these forms are not filled. Please let the directors know if you need any assistance.
7. Texas Music Scholar
Students may be considered for nomination for multiple years, as long as they are enrolled in Choir. We strongly encourage our students to look into the Texas Music Scholar program, as it is a great résumé builder and a testament to their excellence as a music student during their high school Choir years.
For detailed information, please click on the link below.
8. Donations Needed!
As we begin the new year, we could use donations of the following items:
- Hand sanitizer
- Tissues
- Water bottles
Students may drop them off in the Choir Room before school. Thank you so much!
9. New Voice Instructor Alert!
Please welcome our new voice instructor, Mr. Andres Ojeda! Mr. Ojeda will be joining Mrs. Blunt as our Voice Faculty.
Andres Ojeda is a graduate of the Sound Recording Technology program at Texas State University. Andres has served as tenor soloist and section leader at St. John's Episcopal Church in New Braunfels, TX, and University United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church in Austin, TX. Andres has also performed with the Texas State Opera as a part of the Chorus in Mozart’s Le Nozze Di Figaro and cover for Prologue/Peter Quint in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. Andres has served as both a counselor and as Tenor section leader at Texas State Choir Camp. Andres has also served as the tenor soloist in Ramirez’s Misa Criolla, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and McGuire’s Street Requiem, as well as the baritone soloist for Faure’s Requiem, Rutter’s Mass of the Children, and for the world premiere of Ev Blaché’s All Black Lives Matter. Andres’ teaching endeavors include the Broadway Bound program through the George Washington Carver Museum as a music instructor, voice teacher, and assistant music director for their production of Warren’s 42nd Street. Andres has also taught at several middle and high schools throughout central Texas in San Marcos ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Seguin ISD, and Leander ISD. Andres previously sung with local ensembles such as Les Ancients, Time of Night, and is currently singing with Purgatory Creek Chorale. Andres has also been featured as a choir member an soloist throughout various cathedrals in Italy, including St. Peters Basilica at the Vatican, St. Agnes, St. Francis Basilica, St. Rocco, Abbazia di Monte Oliverdo, and Chiesa di San Gaetano. Andres is also a freelance singer/songwriter, producer, and audio engineer.
It is NOT too late to sign up for voice lessons! Please fill out the form below at your earliest convenience if you or your student would like more information and are interested.
10. Parent/Guardian Checklist
- Complete Handbook Acknowledgment if you haven't
- Complete RankOne Account and Forms if you haven't
- Pay for the Choir Participation Fee if you haven't
11. Student Checklist
- Complete Student Handbook Contract if you haven't
- Consider signing up to be a Choir Council Member this year by filling out the form above.
Remind 101 (LHS Choir Text Alerts)
To sign up for Remind (parents can sign up, too):
Enter the code for you or your student's class on the Remind app (available on the App Store or Google Play) or text the code to 81010 (including the '@' sign):
1st Period Choir: @choirlhs1
2nd Period Choir: @choirlhs2
3rd Period Choir: @choirlhs3
5th Period Choir: @choirlhs5
6th Period Choir: @choirlhs6
7th Period Choir: @choirlhs7
Rob Saldana
Email: rob.saldana@leanderisd.org
Website: www.leanderchoir.org
Location: 3301 South Bagdad Road, Leander, TX, USA
Phone: 5125701039
Facebook: facebook.com/leanderchoir
Kayla O'Malley
Email: kayla.omalley@leanderisd.org
Website: www.leanderchoir.org
Location: 3301 South Bagdad Road, Leander, TX, USA
Phone: 5125701038
Facebook: facebook.com/leanderchoir