This page should answer many of the questions you have about choir at Tompkins High School. If you can’t find your answer here, then please contact one of the directors or any of the Choir Booster Club board members.
Just as there are different levels in other subject areas, it is also necessary to have different levels within the choir program. All choirs are equally important performing organizations.
The 4 choirs available at Tompkins HS are:
- Sound FX
- Chorale Women
- Women’s Choir
- Forte – Men’s Choir
For more information on each of the choirs and the placement guidelines see our page.
For the answer, see this document: Fine Arts and Recommended Graduation Program.
The All-State audition process for high school choir students leads ultimately to qualification in one of three All-State Choirs that perform at the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention: Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir, and Mixed Choir.
UIL Concert and Sight-reading contest is held each year during the Spring semester. This is a choir competition rather than an individual competition.
Each choir will perform 3 pieces of music. At least one of the pieces must be sung A cappella. They will be judged by three judges and will receive a ranking based on their performance. Following their concert, they will be taken to the sight-reading room, where they will be given a piece of music they have never seen before. They will be 6 minutes to practice before they must perform it for the judges. They will again be ranked based on their performance.
Parent chaperones will be required to accompany each choir.
Each year, usually in the early Spring, students are required to participate in the UIL Solo & Ensemble Contest. This competition is held on a Saturday and takes most of the day.
Parent volunteers will be needed to chaperone this event. Students should dress in attire like they would wear to a nice event or church — no jeans or shorts.
The students will select (choir directors and voice teachers often help in the music selection process) a piece of music appropriate to their ability to learn and then perform in front of a judge. On the day of the contest, the student will sing in front of one judge and will be judged on a number of qualities (including tone, technique, interpretation and general effect). Rankings range from 1 (highest) to 3 (lowest). Students receiving a 1 on a level 1 solo may choose to participate in the UIL Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest (TSSEC) at the end of the school year.
Coffee House concerts are fundraisers that give selected choir students a chance to perform their favorite music either in small ensembles or as solo acts. Coffee Houses are held in the ninth grade commons and admission is $5.00. Students who perform in the coffee houses are chosen by audition a few weeks before the performance.
There are many places where you can purchase character shoes. One of the closest and most convenient places is on S Mason Rd.
Costumes & Dancewear
515 S. Mason Rd.
Katy, TX 77450
:(281) 398-1990