Senior Chorus
-
The Senior Chorus consists of volunteer Fifth and Sixth Grade students who wish to make music through singing. The rehearsals take place on Day 1 & 3 for OMR and Day 3 (Mrs. Lajara) and Day 5 (Ms. Southard) for Camp. See the attached schedules below.
The ensemble is broken up into two sections- Soprano (Part 1) and Alto (Part 2). Majority of the the children's voices are in the same vocal range at the Elementary level, therefore there aren't very many true Sopranos or Altos yet. The group is split into two distinct parts for purposes of harmony and vocal comfort. Although the students' voices are similar at this age, some may feel more comfortable on a specific part. The students sing for me during the first few rehearsals and I place them accordingly. I call them Soprano/Alto so they become accustomed to correct Choral vocabulary at a young age.
The Senior Chorus performs music from all over the world. The chorus sings in different languages, in unison to four part harmony, using solfeggio, in different time signatures, and in different genres and styles.
The Senior Chorus has two main performances throughout the year. There is a Winter Concert in December and a Spring Concert in May. Often, there are other performance opportunities with collegiate and/or professional musicians for select students or volunteers. In the past, North Merrick choristers have joined the Nassau Community College Chorus to perform Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (2007) and Leonard Bernstein's Mass (2008).
