Schubert Singers is open by audition to children ages 5-17 for the fall and spring seasons. Our 2014-15 auditions are Tuesday, June 10, and Tuesday, August 19, at St. Paul's Church, 4535 Piney Church Rd., Waldorf, MD 20602 which is our rehearsal home. Please request an audition time via our contact form.
Prospective Preparatory Choir singers (5-8) and Choristers (8 and up) do not need to bring a prepared piece. They will be asked to match pitch, echo a two or three-note pattern, and sing a familiar song. Children may sing with a friend if they wish. Please see the info below about our performing choirs, theEnsemble and Chorale. |
For further information, please use our contact form or e-mail Paula FitzGerald at SchubertSingers@gmail.com.
Training Choirs
Preparatory Choir welcomes children from 5 to 8 years old. Basic musical and rhythmic concepts are taught using folk songs, movement, and games. Children should be able to sit, listen, and follow directions. These singers rehearse for one hour each week and perform 2-4 times during the year.
Choristers offers training in voice and theory to those children who have moved up from the Preparatory Choir or who have auditioned for the first time. Children must be at least 8 years old and be able to match pitch, echo a two-note musical phrase, sing a familiar song such as “Happy Birthday” (with light piano accompaniment for support), and read English. Upon the recommendation of the Preparatory Choir Director, mature 7-year-olds may audition for Choristers. Music will generally be in unison, with some two-part pieces, as well as folk songs and rounds. These singers rehearse for 1-1/2 hours each week (including the time spent in Musicianship Class – See below) and perform 4-6 times during the year.
Performing Choirs
Ensemble is a select group of young singers. Children must be at least 9 years old with treble voices. They must have sung for at least one year as a Chorister and have completed Book II of A Young Singer’s Journey – An Integrated Approach to Musical Literacy to audition for this choir. (Children who have not gone through our development program may audition with a recommendation from a music teacher and the successful completion of a music theory test.) Singers must be able to echo a four-note musical phrase, have some sight-singing ability and some recognition of intervals, be able to sing “Silent Night” or “America” without accompaniment, and possess a healthy vocal tone. Music may be unison, two-part, or three-part. These singers rehearse for 1-3/4 hours each week (including the time spent in Musicianship Class – See below) and perform 8-10 times during the year.
Chorale is a select group of girls and boys with unchanged voices who have attained a high level of musical accomplishment and choral experience. Young people must be at least 12 years old and have completed Book III of A Young Singer’s Journey – An Integrated Approach to Musical Literacy to audition for this choir. (Young people who have not gone through our development program may audition with a recommendation from a music teacher and the successful completion of a music theory test.) Singers must be able to echo a six-note musical phrase, sing any interval within the range of an octave, sing a prepared song from the standard repertoire for young people (not Broadway show tunes), and possess a healthy vocal tone. Music is challenging and requires well-developed skills in reading music, part-singing, and responsibility for individual practice. These singers rehearse for 2 hours each week (including the time spent in Musicianship Class – See below) and perform 10-12 times during the year.
Musicianship Classes
All choir members (except the Preparatory Choir) attend a 40-minute Musicianship Class, which meets before or after the rehearsal. Students will be taught using a curriculum correlating to A Young Singer’s Journey – An Integrated Approach to Musical Literacy. Students must bring their workbooks to class. Each week, students will be expected to complete assigned pages at home.
Preparatory Choir welcomes children from 5 to 8 years old. Basic musical and rhythmic concepts are taught using folk songs, movement, and games. Children should be able to sit, listen, and follow directions. These singers rehearse for one hour each week and perform 2-4 times during the year.
Choristers offers training in voice and theory to those children who have moved up from the Preparatory Choir or who have auditioned for the first time. Children must be at least 8 years old and be able to match pitch, echo a two-note musical phrase, sing a familiar song such as “Happy Birthday” (with light piano accompaniment for support), and read English. Upon the recommendation of the Preparatory Choir Director, mature 7-year-olds may audition for Choristers. Music will generally be in unison, with some two-part pieces, as well as folk songs and rounds. These singers rehearse for 1-1/2 hours each week (including the time spent in Musicianship Class – See below) and perform 4-6 times during the year.
Performing Choirs
Ensemble is a select group of young singers. Children must be at least 9 years old with treble voices. They must have sung for at least one year as a Chorister and have completed Book II of A Young Singer’s Journey – An Integrated Approach to Musical Literacy to audition for this choir. (Children who have not gone through our development program may audition with a recommendation from a music teacher and the successful completion of a music theory test.) Singers must be able to echo a four-note musical phrase, have some sight-singing ability and some recognition of intervals, be able to sing “Silent Night” or “America” without accompaniment, and possess a healthy vocal tone. Music may be unison, two-part, or three-part. These singers rehearse for 1-3/4 hours each week (including the time spent in Musicianship Class – See below) and perform 8-10 times during the year.
Chorale is a select group of girls and boys with unchanged voices who have attained a high level of musical accomplishment and choral experience. Young people must be at least 12 years old and have completed Book III of A Young Singer’s Journey – An Integrated Approach to Musical Literacy to audition for this choir. (Young people who have not gone through our development program may audition with a recommendation from a music teacher and the successful completion of a music theory test.) Singers must be able to echo a six-note musical phrase, sing any interval within the range of an octave, sing a prepared song from the standard repertoire for young people (not Broadway show tunes), and possess a healthy vocal tone. Music is challenging and requires well-developed skills in reading music, part-singing, and responsibility for individual practice. These singers rehearse for 2 hours each week (including the time spent in Musicianship Class – See below) and perform 10-12 times during the year.
Musicianship Classes
All choir members (except the Preparatory Choir) attend a 40-minute Musicianship Class, which meets before or after the rehearsal. Students will be taught using a curriculum correlating to A Young Singer’s Journey – An Integrated Approach to Musical Literacy. Students must bring their workbooks to class. Each week, students will be expected to complete assigned pages at home.
