Parents' Letter 2008-09

Happy Fall to everyone! The Performing Arts Department is excited to begin a whole new year, and we welcome a new member - Melanie Sroka-Chaunce! She will be with us half-time for now teaming with Mrs. Wightman in chorus, and teaching Sound Technology and Just About Music - a great new non-performance class.

If your son or daughter is a member of an MVRHS performing group, will have many opportunities in music and theatre this school year. On this same website you will find a calendar of events which includes concert, audition, and festival dates, along with drama and All-Island information. Please take the time to go over the dates so that conflicts can be avoided.

In addition to our school and community concerts, we participate in the All-Cape and Islands Festival and the Southeast District Junior and Senior Festivals, as well as the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild Festival. If your child signs up to audition for one or both of these, all fees for the auditions (approx. $10) and festivals (approx. $25 for music, TBD for drama) will be the parents' responsibility. All fees MUST be paid in advance; due dates will be clearly indicated. Depending on circumstances (location, host families, etc), the department will make every effort to take care of housing and transportation costs. Further information will be sent home with audition and festival details to parents whose son or daughter expresses an interest in participating in this opportunity.

Your child’s attendance at and proper concert attire for the Department Music Concerts are requirements of the course work and are part of the grade for each term. Concert attendance is considered as the midyear and final exam grades as well. The Performing Arts faculty feels that it is our responsibility to ensure that the students learn that presentation and appearance are important elements of performing. Please note that proper concert attire is: white shirt/blouse, black trousers/skirt or slacks, and black shoes. Girls who wear skirts that are not full-length are asked to wear black nylons or tights. No tank tops, extremely short skirts, or other attire deemed inappropriate will be allowed. Students who come to a concert without the correct concert dress will be sent home to change or will not be allowed to participate in the program. The latter will affect their grade for the course and will require them to take either the midyear or final exam.

If you have any concerns about these requirements or any other questions or comments, please contact your child’s teacher or Mrs. Wightman via e-mail or at 693-1033, ext. 131 in advance of our first concert so that we can work together for a successful experience for all our performers. We are looking forward to a very rewarding year, and hope to see you at many of the events scheduled. Thank you for encouraging your child to participate in these performing groups.