Frenship High School and Ninth Grade Center Choir had five choirs participate in UIL Concert and Sight Reading Evaluation on March 22. Based on each ensemble’s ratings in concert and sight reading, Frenship choirs were all awarded Sweepstakes – the highest rating a choir can receive for this event.

“We are extremely proud of the work our students put in to make this achievement happen,” said Amy Moss, Director of Choirs. “They are truly superior musicians and wonderful humans!”

This event is a culmination of intense preparation that begins in August for each choir. Concepts studied throughout the course of the year that tie into the preparation for this assessment include healthy vocal technique, vocal agility, music literacy, aural skills, musicality, appropriate diction of foreign languages, interpretation of composer intent, interpretation of text, style, and historical context.

For the contest, each ensemble prepared three concert pieces to demonstrate the aforementioned skills for the concert portion. For the sight reading portion, each choir sang a piece of music they had never seen or heard prior to the contest, all without the help of any instrumental backing. They were assessed on accuracy of pitch, intonation, rhythm, dynamics, style, phrasing, and overall musicality. Prior to performing the new piece, they are only provided with six minutes of study time that does not include any singing. They may only audiate (hear the music in their heads), chant their parts, and practice rhythms. After time is called, they sing through the piece for the first time. They are given an additional two minutes to correct any mistakes or talk through any adjustments without singing, then they must sing the piece again. All of the pieces they sight read were written for three different voice parts or more.