Welcome

Our Mission

To provide youth in the Barrie, Ontario area with an opportunity to sing quality repertoire in a large choral ensemble, and to inspire those approaching high school age to participate in their upcoming secondary school choral programs.

Who We Are

This initiative is being spearheaded by the choirs of Eastview Secondary School and Bear Creek Secondary School - two of the strongest high school choral music programs in the area.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking Simcoe County District School Board students in grades 6-8 who enjoy singing and who would like to take part in a program spanning a few days in November, 2024. Participants will have the chance to build their musical skills, interact with likeminded peers, and perform in a culminating concert.

The Program at a Glance

Our goal is to create a youth honour choir of roughly 100 members, encompassing the choirs of Eastview and Bear Creek Secondary Schools, in addition to the students who sign up for this program. Broadly speaking, the program will consist of:

A weekend retreat to Mansfield Outdoor Centre, near Alliston, from Friday, November 15 (evening) until Sunday, November 17 (afternoon)
An evening rehearsal on Tuesday, November 19
A full day at Collier Street United Church on Wednesday, November 20, consisting of two matinée performances for visiting schools, and an evening performance for the public

The fee to participate is expected to be between $200 -$250 (exact amount will depend on final numbers), which covers the cost of the weekend retreat including meals.

What is an honour choir?

An honour choir is a special ensemble that brings together talented singers from various schools, communities, or regions. They are often formed annually for a brief span of time, within which the ensemble works intently on preparing and performing music. While many honour choirs are quite selective and require auditions, in our debut year we will be non-auditioned and will be welcoming members based purely on interest - no experience or special skills required!

Our Staff

Dave Stewart

Mr. Stewart has led the vocal music program at Eastview Secondary School since 2012. He attracts a large number of students at the school into his choirs. His choral ensembles have ranked in the top level tiers in local, national and international festivals including Musicfest Canada and Festival Disney. Mr. Stewart will be one of the two artistic co-directors of the Barrie Youth Honour Choir.

Rachael Clark

Ms. Clark is the choral music director at Bear Creek Secondary School. She studied vocal performance at Western University and has completed her master’s in music education. Over the past decade, she has taught private vocal lessons, was a choral director at a community church, and has performed in musical theatre and operatic productions in Canada and Italy. Ms. Clark will be one of the two artistic co-directors of the Barrie Youth Honour Choir.

Louis McIntyre

Mr. McIntyre is the music specialist teacher at East Oro Public School, where he works with the entire student population and produces multiple annual performances. In addition to his musical ambitions, he coaches at the school and has extensive leadership experience at the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre. Mr. McIntyre will be coordinating the recreational and teambuilding activities on the retreat.

Bonnie Black

Ms. Bonnie Black is the District Arts Facilitator for the SCDSB and supports K-12 Music and the Arts. Bonnie has been implementing the Music Program across all Elementary Schools in the Board, ensuring that the content and instruments are equitable. Bonnie creates and facilitates Professional Development for Teachers and provides Experiential Learning opportunities for participating schools. Bonnie will assist and support the Directors of the Barrie Youth Honour Choir.

Eligibility

As indicated earlier, no auditions or special skills are required.

Due to our affiliation with the Simcoe County District School Board and our obligation to abide by their policies, participants must be students at an SCDSB school and be given approval by their principals. Once you have expressed interest, we will seek out principal approval on your behalf.

While our target age range is grades 6-8 and our programming will be directed towards that age group, please contact us (byhc@dstewart.ca) if you have a child slightly outside of that range who would like to participate. We will consider these requests on a case-by-case basis subject to availability.

Additional Programming Details

Itinerary Overview

Friday, November 15

Drop-off at Mansfield Outdoor Centre in the late afternoon. We will have icebreaker activities, time to settle into rooms, dinner, and an hour of singing time on the first evening.

Saturday, November 16

Throughout the day, we will have four 1-hour rehearsal time blocks which will be interspersed with teambuilding activities, meals/snacks, and some free time. The evening will end with a talent show that any/all participants are invited to perform in.

Sunday, November 17

We will have three 1-hour rehearsal time blocks, interspersed with two meals, a recreational activity, and time to pack up rooms. The pick-up time at Mansfield will be 2:00pm.

Tuesday, November 19

Evening rehearsal of roughly 2.5 hours in length, including a break. Details to be announced.

Wednesday, November 20

Students are to be dropped off at either Eastview Secondary School or Bear Creek Secondary School by 8:00am (whichever is more convenient for the parent/guardian), where they will warm up and be given further instructions for the day. At 9:00am, they will be bused to Collier Street United Church where they will perform for school groups between 11:00am-12:00pm and again between 12:30-1:30pm.

At any time between 1:30-6:00pm, students may leave Collier Street United Church if picked up by a parent/guardian. We will provide supervision and activities to pass the time for any students deciding to stay through, including the option to purchase a pizza dinner.

At 6:00pm, all participants are required to meet back at Collier Street United Church, and the public performance begins at 7:00pm.

The Facilities

During the retreat, we will be making use of the Mansfield Outdoor Centre Field Centre. The full facility will be available exclusively to us for the weekend, which includes:

Dormitory style rooms that sleep 4-6 on bunk beds. Participants are required to bring their own bedding (e.g., pillow and sleeping bag).
Common washroom facilities (male, female, and universal single washrooms)
Multiple common areas for rehearsals, meals and other activities
A commercial kitchen where meals will be prepared courtesy of the Bear Creek hospitality department, under the supervision of a food safety certified teacher

All facilities are fully accessible and we should be able to accommodate most dietary needs.

Musical Growth

Choral music participation enhances a variety of fundamental musical skills. Young musicians learn to read and interpret sheet music, develop pitch accuracy, and gain further understanding of harmony, rhythm and musical style. These skills are not only important to vocalists, but are transferable to other musical activities and instruments.

All participants will learn how to follow a vocal score, will be provided with basic vocal technique training, and will gain insight into the stylistic interpretation of a variety of musical genres. Both traditional and contemporary choral styles will be explored.

Safety and Supervision

Students will be supervised by SCDSB teachers at a maximum 12:1 ratio as required by the SCDSB field trip policy. Additionally, all participants younger than grade 9 will be assigned to a high school student leader who will be able to provide support of any type at all times.

At Mansfield, participants will only be permitted to leave the Field Centre building while accompanied by a teacher or high school student leader. All student leaders will be able to contact supervising teachers or emergency services via cell phone.

Students will not be permitted to leave Collier Street United Church on Wednesday, November 20, unless signed out by a parent/guardian.

Dates, Deadlines and Registration

Our registration form is now closed. There may be opportunity for late registration. If interested, please email byhc@dstewart.ca.

Contact Information

Thank you for your interest, and if you have any questions we invite you to contact us at byhc@dstewart.ca.

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