Helena Middle School Choir

What’s the Big Noise?

Why 6th Grade Choir?

People were made to sing and make music! No additional parts needed. 6th
Grade Choir at HMS is the perfect opportunity for students to learn about
music, develop a better singing voice, make lasting friendships, increase
teamwork skills, and be a part of successful organization. Singing is a skill
that students WILL use for the rest of their lives. Everyone would like to be a
better singer. Students who exceed in singing can expect many performance
and solo opportunities that will begin in the 6th Grade.

Singing is Fun!!
Our culture loves music. It is a regular part of our lives and a form of artistic expression.
Choral rehearsals occur every day, during the school day, as an elective. This
experience will be different from your Intermediate School Choir. 6th grade choir
students can expect to enjoy:

Daily vocal training; Improved vocal abilities; Singing in harmony with others; Basic piano
skills; A variety of shared musical experiences; Music listening from a broad range of styles;
A Minimum of six concert opportunities for 6th graders including District Festival and the
Choir’s Spring Trip
Our 6th graders perform at all of our major concerts along with the 7th and 8th grade. We take more field trips
than any other group at Helena Middle School… And all of them are to Sing! Practice, hard work, and a
willingness to learn are necessary traits to become a successful choir. Students will be amazed how singing
an hour a day will dramatically improve their abilities.

Be a part of a great program

The Helena Middle Choral Department is one of the best choral programs in the
county. Our choirs have scored Superior ratings for both 6th grade and 7th and
8th grade choirs both years we’ve been open. That’s the best!
-The HMS Choir recently won 1st place in a National Choral Festival against middle
schools from across the Southeast, and as far away as Miami, Florida.
-HMS Choirs were invited to sing in Disney World on Friday March 12th, 2010 after
passing a rigorous audition process. We performed at Disney!

Students learn all about music

HMS choirs are not just about performance. Students learn how to read and
sing music right off the page. Our students score top marks in sight-reading
every year. Choir members learn to interpret musical symbols, and develop
code reading skills. They will have exposure to classical, jazz, and alternative
forms of music and develop the skills to write their own music.
Performances
This elective offers great opportunities to display your talents. Another
important trait is the ability to perform in front of others. Public speaking
is a fear that outranks death. Public singing is a fantastic medium to
develop confidence on the stage, and in front of others. That’s a skill that
translates to any field. This year’s performances by our choirs include: (we
transport ourselves and most of our performances are during the day)
Regional Competition in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios; Shelby
County Choral Festival; State Festival and adjudication; The
Albertville Diamond Classic; The Homewood Southeastern Classic;
Capital City Classic; Choirs for a Cause; The Fall Concert; The Winter
Concert; The February Concert; The Spring Concert; The Riverchase
Helena Basketball Game & Pep Rally; an outreach performance at
Shelby Ridge; the HMS Talent Show.. Show Choir has performed at
the Talent Show, the parent preview, the Southeastern Classic at
Homewood, the Albertville Diamond Classic, and Choirs for a Cause
(we provide transportation to all of our performances and most are
during the day)

Students can play sports and be in the Choir

Many of our performances occur during school. With the exception
of the 9 week performances, almost all of our performances are
optional. We want you there, but we understand most of you are
carrying multiple commitments. Don’t let that discourage you
from joining!

What can your student expect from being in the 6th grade
choir?
In short, a lot… 6th grade Choir students learn a minimum of 10
choral works over the year, participate in all of our concerts, are
eligible for the Spring Trip, Festivals, and Competitions, develop
competitive sight-reading skills and receive skills in music literacy
and lots the vocal training. That makes a big difference.
Students who start in 6th Grade and stay in our program for three
years can expect to be very good singers by the time they finish
middle school. They will receive every opportunity to develop
into terrific singers.
Individual Opportunities
Many of our students are already, or soon develop to be, accomplished singers. These students
are given the opportunities to sing solo works in our concerts, sing solos with the choir, and
participate in State Wide Choral Festivals that put the best middle school choristers under one
roof to make one of the finest middle school choirs in the nation. These opportunities are the
Alabama All-State Choir and the Young Voices Festival Choir.

Catching on, with room to grow

The Choir is looking for singers to help grow our department. Our philosophy is
“the more, the merrier.” Acoustically speaking, larger choirs typically sound better,
too. We have doubled our size in the last year to 135 strong. Come be a part of a
great program where YOU are important, everyone participates, and you work with
a team!
WE WANT YOU IN CHOIR!!
… There… I said it.