About the Choir Program

VISION

Performing Arts Education is an integral part of the core curriculum and provides students with unique experiences not taught in other core areas.  Study in the performing arts assists student development through allowing them to make connections between intellect and emotion, building aesthetic awareness, and helping students solve problems and communicate ideas.  Participating in the performing arts also enhances self-esteem, builds self-discipline, and reinforces societal values, such as cooperation, commitment, and working towards a common goal.  Riverside Jr. High Choir believes that every student should have the access to high quality musical training in school, regardless of grade level, ability level, or background.  The goal of this musical training is to help participants achieve a personal level of understanding, appreciation, and passion for music.

MISSION

1. The primary mission for Riverside Jr. High Choir is to nurture student musical ability through:

a. Thoughtful rehearsals
b. Positive and productive teaching
c. Providing valuable musical experiences.

While there are many secondary objectives that will also play a vital role in developing well-rounded students and that will connect them with the vision of Riverside Jr. High - using sound as a means to communicate the sentiments embodied in musical works will always be the ultimate focus.

2. Music as an art has a uniquely transformative power over societies worldwide and is often referred to as the world’s only common language.  We believe that Jr. High students are not too young to begin understanding the meaning of music as art and its place in world culture and history.  It is our mission to nurture this understanding through teaching students how to develop their performance abilities and by teaching appreciation of music in diverse cultures and periods.

3. In order for them to develop their abilities, students will be taught how to demonstrate dedication and maturity in regard to their musical development.  Dedication because the skills needed to recreate music are both numerous and complex.  Maturity because once the musical technical skills are learned, students must possess an open mind in order to understand them and to communicate the meaning of the composer’s work.

4. Literacy plays a vital role in the success of musicians.  To become a true musician one must be able to speak, write, and read about music and to obtain musical knowledge and appreciation.  Students will engage in activities that encourage them to read, write, and speak about music - enhancing their literacy and content area skills.

GOALS

The Riverside Choir program seeks to:

1. Develop strong musicianship and cultivate aesthetic awareness in the classroom through the preparation and performance of quality music literature.

2. Provide curricular and extra-curricular experiences for all students that enhance their experiences with music.

3. Facilitate opportunities for students seeking musical self-enrichment.

4. Create Community on all levels: within our classrooms, department, school buildings, local population, as well as within the national and global community.

5. Create the best possible learning environment for students to pursue an education in the performing arts.

6. To prepare students for successful integration into the high school music programs.

7. Inspire students to become life-long learners and intelligent consumers of music.

8. Address the needs of students seeking to pursue a future career in music.

ENSEMBLES

Choirs at Riverside accommodate all levels of experience with vocal music.  Students learn vocal technique through developing healthy singing habits as well as learning how to manage the adolescent voice.  Students also develop techniques in harmony singing as well as practice their proficiency reading notes and rhythms through daily music exercises.  Choir meets every day as a class for the entire year.  Students will sing unison, two-part, three-part, and even four-part literature in a wide variety of musical styles including Broadway, classical, folk, gospel, jazz, madrigal, and pop selections.  There are both auditioned and non-audition groups available.

-Golden Crescendos:
7th Grade Treble Singers

-Golden Sensation:
8th Grade Treble Singers

-Golden Voices
7th/8th Grade Tenor/Bass Singers

-Golden Sound
7/8th Grade Mixed Singers
Audition required

-Golden Harmony – Show Choir:
7/8th Grade Mixed Singers
Audition required
Meets before school

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Will Rogers is a teacher specializing in choral music and the adolescent voice.  He graduated Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in music education with concentration in choral studies and vocal music.  During this time, Mr. Rogers served as the president for the collegiate chapter of the National Association for Music Education (formerly ‘MENC’) and was an active performer with the colleges’ choirs and opera theater.  Additionally, Mr. Rogers has completed graduate work in conducting and has studied alongside numerous accomplished teachers/conductors.  Mr. Rogers began his career in Hamilton Southeastern Schools and currently is the director of vocal music at Riverside Jr. High where he was named teacher of the year in 2019.  In addition to his role in the classroom, he is an active judge and clinician, directs music-theater students, has worked to coordinate numerous extra singing opportunities for adolescent singers, has conducted many choirs in the community, and is an enthusiastic member of ACDA and IMEA.  Mr. Rogers is passionate about defining the role of Arts in education, sharing with students the joys and versatility of vocal music, as well as developing new, meaningful, and tangible ways to assess and teach the adolescent singer.