Mt. Vernon High School Performing Arts

Vocal Music

Senior, Tristan Matthews relaxes before 2006 District Contest

Chamber Choir:

A small group of sixteen singers, the Chamber Choir experiences a wide variety of repertoire ranging from the renaissance to the twentieth century. Recent concerts have featured the music of the Anonymous 4, Anuna and Benjamin Britten

Concert Choir:

The principal ensemble of the school, Concert Choir performs a wide variety of music. Repertoire ranges from American popular song to works by Brahms, Victoria and Handel.

Women's Chorus:

The Women's Chorus is comprised of newcomers to vocal music and is devoted to introducing vocal technique, sight-singing and general music skills. Repertoire is dictated by enrollment and musical accomplishment with a goal of singing three and four part music by the end of the academic year.
 

Extra-curricular ensembles for the 2009-2010 academic year are:

Angelus: A women's ensemble specializing in sacred music ranging from the 13th century to contemporary compositions.

About the Directors:

Dana W. Taylor has served as director of Vocal Music at Mt. Vernon Senior High School for twenty-one years. Mr. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting, each from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN). Mr. Taylor is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, United States Institute for Theatre Technology, The Entertainment Services and Technology Association and the Educational Theatre Association. Mr. Taylor contributes articles to Projection Lights and Staging News, Dramatics and Teaching Theatre Magazines and was named Technical Theatre Educator of the Year (2005) by Stage Directions Magazine. In 2006, Mr. Taylor was named Technical Editor of Dramatics magazine. In 2009, Mr. Taylor was named a Distinguished Alumni of the Indiana University "Singing Hoosiers". In 2011, Mr. Taylor received the "Founders' Award" from the Educational Theatre Association and was named "Artist of the Year" by the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana.

Teresa Bloodworth (Musical Associate/Accompanist) has a long standing relationship with the vocal and instrumental music departments at MVHS serving as a volunteer accompanist and music coach. Mrs. Bloodworth operates her own piano studio and earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Evansville.

Attendance Guidelines and Grading

All mandatory (co-curricular) events are noted on the enclosed calendar. Absence from any of these events will result in the lowering of the student's final grade by 1 letter per event missed. All excused absences, as determined by the high school attendance policy, will be honored.

I am mindful of the number of activities our students are involved in and will try to work with students and their families on an individual basis. Should you encounter conflicts with any of the listed events please contact me as soon as possible. Please note, work is not an excusable absence.

Class work, rehearsal/concert attendance and the semester final examination will determine your child's grade in vocal music.

A breakdown of the grading system is as follows:

*Class Work 75-80%

*Rehearsal/Concert Attendance 10-15%

Final Examination 10%

(*percentage variations are due to the number of rehearsals and concerts scheduled during each semester)

Class work comprises the largest portion of the student’s grade. The student is graded on participation, effort, mastery of the techniques of singing, sight-reading, and the understanding of pronunciation, diacritical/musical markings and musical rudiments.
 

Choral Musician Tips

Journal Examples

Vocal Parts Midi Files

Byrd "Ave Verum Corpus"