Dear Choir Parents,

SwingFry is less than a month away! Below you will find some information that will help you and your family plan for the big event! This is the Annual Northridge Choirs Fundraiser. We will be having a big party over at NHS filled with food and entertainment on Sat. Nov. 14. Dan’s All You Can Eat Chicken and Fish will be served in the cafeteria and every middle school and high school choir will be performing in the auditorium for their scheduled time. You may come and go before or after any set of songs.

Please remember that this is a Fundraiser. Prices are higher than a normal meal price to help raise funds for the middle school and high school choirs. Selling tickets for the dinner, selling bake sale items, making money off of the Silent Auction, and funds raised from the concession stand will help us build our MMPA accounts to help us fund NMS and NHS Choir Department needs throughout the year. Please, please, PLEASE invite family and friends to help us raise money for our kids. Links for Volunteering Positions can be found here – https://mmpa.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/157506 If you’re at all able to volunteer, please do! It only helps the students! You will find all kinds of jobs to pick from. This is a very big party and we cannot do it without everyone’s help!

This is the link to buy tickets! – https://northridgechoirs.ludus.com/index.php

We will be having a mandatory dress rehearsal for all choir students after school on Thursday, November 12. Students do not need to dress in their outfits for this rehearsal. It will be at the high school so you will pick up your child there. See below for the time and location:

6^th graders should be picked up  at 5:15 at Door 23 (Back side of NHS closest to US20.  Pool Parking Lot.

7^th graders should be picked up at 5:30 at Door 1 (Front of NHS in teacher’s parking lot.

8^th graders should be picked up at 5:45  p.m. Door 29 (Back side of NHS Band Parking Lot …which is the side opposite of the Pool Parking area).

Knight Light Students will rehearse until 6:30 p.m.  All Knight Light students should be picked up at Door 23 (Back side of NHS closest to US20.  Pool parking lot.

Dress Rehearsal, NHS Auditorium, Thursday, November 12

1. Parent Volunteers who signed up for treats please send in treats or water for Dress Rehearsal. Have your child drop them off in the choir room that morning.
2. Students will be either walking over to the high school, or riding buses, depending on the weather.  Students should bundle up for the short walk! After the rehearsal students will be dismissed to a specific door for pickup in hopes of reducing the waiting lines in the parking lot.

SHOW DAY – SATURDAY NOV 14TH students should be in the NHS Band room 30 minutes before their performance times:

3:55 – Company Eight, 4:00 pm – 6th Grade, 4:20 pm – Chamber Lights & Vox Lumina, 4:40 pm – 7th Grade, 5:00 pm – Varsity Lights, 5:20 pm – 8th Grade, 5:40 pm – Starlights Concert, 6:00 pm -Northern Lights, 6:20 pm- Combined HS Choirs, 6:40 pm – HS Jazz Band, 7:00 pm – Knight Lights, 7:20 – Northern Lights and Starlights Show Choir

PLEASE NOTE:

***Students will be asked to watch at least 2 other choirs perform their set before going home.  Our choirs learn so much by watching other choirs perform! This will help them complete a written critique assignment on Monday.* If you can’t stay for them to watch the two 20 minute performances, we have a make-up assignment that they can be given to complete at home. The groups that they watch are up to you, and your own schedule. We encourage our parents to sit with their children to monitor their behavior and enjoy this experience together. If you are working a volunteer shift or unable to sit with your child we would like our students to sit in the reserved seating made available for them so that they can be monitored.

What our kids should be wearing for their show:

BOYS: Black pants, black socks, black dress shoes (if not dress shoes, all black tennis shoes are acceptable), white long sleeve shirt with a collar. No colored shirts under the white button up please, the stage lights amplify any color under the white tops. A clip-on tie will be given to them when they arrive.

GIRLS: Black knee length skirt (or longer) or black pants, black dress shoes (if not dress shoes, tennis shoes are acceptable), White blouse with a collar that buttons closed. They will receive a rosette tie to put on when they arrive. No colored shirts under the white blouse please, the stage lights amplify any color under the white tops. Hose or tights are not necessary, but if students choose to wear them, please ensure they are black. Please ensure any shorts worn under skirts do no exceed the length of the skirt.

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

• Dress Rehearsal Chaperones will meet Mr. M & Mr. N in the NMS Choir room on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 2:45. You will be given instructions at that time. You should be finished around 6:15 p.m. A rehearsal outline will be sent home to you with detailed instructions the day before dress rehearsal.
• Chaperones for SwingFry Concert Day should meet their choir in the bandroom at NHS 40 minutes before the performance times listed above. You will be asked to take attendance on the clipboards and assist the kids as they put their ties on ☺.
• Treats and Water reminders will be phoned next week. Please drop them off Thursday morning, Nov 13th.
• A complete list of each grade’s parent volunteers (treats, water, dress and show chaperones) may be found on the nmschoir.org website under the Sign-Up Genius page. The NHS sign up for SF Day volunteers is here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DAAAE2AA2F4C52-66530516-2026#/
• If you signed up to help out at SwingFry as a server, greeter, etc. Your committee chair should be contacting you with details soon.
• If you signed up to send in Baked Goods for the bake sale you can drop your items off in the high school auditorium lobby on Friday Nov. 13th, from 3:00 – 7:00 or Saturday, Nov. 14th from 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Sincerely, Mr. Maura and Mr. Norwood

maurad@mcsin-k12.org; norwoodc@mcsin-k12.org

Hey all!

We had a couple parent questions about the upcoming Annual Band vs Choir Dodgeball Deathmatch, so we just wanted to put it all out there in one place for your convenience (a quick parent letter/flyer will also be going home with the kids in classes tomorrow).

What: Annual Band vs Choir Dodgeball Deathmatch
When: Tuesday, May 26th, 2026 (after school-4:45pm
Where: NMS Tetherball Courts (Between the NHS Tennis Courts and NMS)
Who: 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade NMS Band and Choir Students

Hope to see lots of the kids out there to round out the year with some good old dodgeball fun!

Secondly, if you weren’t able to make it out to the Final Blast a couple weeks back you missed a rocking show! The kids absolutely knocked it out of the park and Mr. Maura and I could not be prouder of the performance they put on! If you did happen to miss it or if you just want to relive the night, a link to the recordings of the show, along with pictures (a huge thank you Mrs. Norris and Mr. Schneider for taking those!) can be found here (link to Final Blast 2026 Pictures & Recordings; link to Norris 6th Grade Choir Pictures).

Finally, as the year winds down to a close, we just wanted to say one last huge thank you to all of you for all of the help volunteering, donating, chaueffering, etc. throughout the course of the year! We truly could not do it without your help and so on behalf of Mr. Maura, myself, and all of the students, THANK YOU!!! Hope you all have a wonderful final week of the school year next week and a fantastic summer!

-Mr. Norwood and Mr. Maura

Hey all!

We’re finally at the start of show week for the Final Blast and the show is really coming together! In the kerfuffle of getting things rounded around, we realized that we had given several reminders out in class, but completely spaced on putting those up here as well. So to consolidate everything here in one place, here are some final updates as we approach Saturday’s performance.

First off, in case your child has not mentioned, concert attire for the Final Blast takes it a little more casual. Instead of our usual Black and White Dress clothes, the kids will be wearing a shirt designed by one of our 8th Graders (Matthew Schieber) along with Jeans (shades of blue preferred) and a shoe/sneaker on bottom. The shirts came in just under $10/per shirt and the students have been asked to bring in $7 by Friday when the shirts will be sent home with them (colors and sizing have already been collected). Please reach out by note/email if there are any money concerns. Additionally, if you would like to donate towards the covering of the cost of a shirt for another student, any amount would be welcome.

Tickets sales have begun as well! Tickets are $3 each (cash or check) and can be purchased in the students’ classes or at the NMS front office through the end of the week. Remaining tickets will be sold at the box office outside the NHS auditorium on concert day (also $3) until they sell out. (*Children 5 and under get in free). We were pretty close to selling out for the Christmas concert, so recommend getting your tickets in advance because you won’t want to miss this show!

Finally, here are the main detail points for rehearsals and show for the week ahead:

Tech Rehearsal (Solos, Speakers, and Dancers Only) – 3-5:45pm at NHS (Pickup at Door 23)
Dress Rehearsal (All NMS Choir Students) – 3:00-5:45pm at NHS (Pickup Door 23-6th, Door 1-7th; Door 29-8th)
*Knight Lights will rehearse until 6:15 on the Dress Rehearsal night only (Pickup Door 23)
Final Blast Concert
-Where: NHS Auditorium
-When: Saturday, May 9th at 6:30pm (Doors open at 5:50)
-Student Call Time: 6:00pm (chaperones asked to be there at 5:40)
-Tickets: $3

I think that’s everything we have at the moment! Excited to show off these kids as they bring Broadway to the stage this Saturday! Hope to see you there!

Hey all,

Reminder slips were sent home with students today for parent volunteers helping out with our Final Blast show week next week (May 9th at 6:30pm at the NHS Auditorium). As we were passing them out, we were noticing that there are still a few areas of need that we could use a few more volunteers to help with. The main spots we are needing volunteers for are:

6th Grade:
Dress Rehearsal Chaperone – Need 2-3
Concert Chaperone – Need 3-4
Ushers – Need 5-6 (across grades)
Box Office – Need 1-2 more (across grades)

7th Grade:
Dress Rehearsal Chaperone – Need 3-4
Ushers – Need 5-6 (across grades)
Box Office – Need 1-2 more (across grades)

8th Grade:
Ushers – Need 5-6 (across grades)
Box Office – Need 1-2 more (across grades)

If you would be able to help out in any of these capacities, please feel free to either fill out the signup genius slot for your grade level or reach out to Mr. Maura/Mr. Norwood by email/phone. Thank you for the consideration! Excited to show off all of the hard work these kids have been putting in! Thanks all!

Hey all! We hope your April has been going swimmingly so far! Our last show of the year, the Final Blast is quickly approaching and we had some information to pass along to you to help get things on the schedule! Just in case it doesn’t make it’s way home with your daughter/son tonight, a copy of the letter can be found below:

Dear Choir Parents,

We are quickly headed towards our final concert of the year! The Final Blast will take place on Saturday, May 9th at 6:30pm. This year we will be hitting the stage in a musical way as the choirs take on the music of Broadway!

Tech Rehearsal for students with special roles will be Tuesday, May 5th until 5:45 at the NHS Auditorium. This rehearsal is only for students who will be performing a solo, duet, or dance number in the show. Pickup will be at Door 23 for all students.

Dress Rehearsal will take place on the following Thursday, May 7th at the NHS Auditorium until 5:45. (Knight Lights will rehearse until 6:15) The pickups for the different grade levels will be: 6th Grade: Door 23 (by pool/MAC parking lot); 7th Grade: Door 1 (front parking lot across from the football field); and 8th Grade: Door 27 (Band side parking lot). Knight Lights will be picked up at Door 23 after their rehearsal finishes.

Tickets will go on sale Monday, May 4th and can be purchased in classes by the students, at the NMS front office, or at the door on the day of the concert. Due to longer than expected lines at the Christmas Concert, we will be having additional box office volunteers, but recommend getting your tickets in advance if at all possible. Tickets will be $3 for the show (5 and under get in free).

Finally, we will be reaching out to volunteers within the next week with pertinent information, but we still have a few open positions where we could use some additional volunteers. If you could take a look and see if there might be something you could help out with, it would be greatly appreciated and help the show go off without a hitch! Here are what we are still looking for:

6th Grade: Dress Rehearsal Chaperones (2-3), Concert Chaperones (3), Concert Ushers (2-4)

7th Grade: Dress Rehearsal Chaperones (3-4), Concert Chaperones (1), Concert Ushers (2-4)

8th Grade: Dress Rehearsal Chaperones (1-2), Concert Chaperones (1), Concert Ushers (2-4)

All Grades: Box Office (2-3), Tear Down Crew (Any available hands afterwards would be appreciated)

Can’t wait for them to hit the stage for one last amazing performance to round out the year! Hope to see you there! Thanks all!

-Mr. Maura and Mr. Norwood

Hello choir folks!

If you are not a parent of an 8th grade choir member, feel free to ignore this message. If you ARE a parent of an 8th grader choir member, this is for you!

We are planning on bringing our 8th graders to Skyzone after school in about two weeks as a reward for all the hard work they’ve put in this year + throughout their entire tenure in our choirs. Below, you will find a form to fill out indicating whether or not your student plans to go to Skyzone, as well as what specific day would work best for your student. If you could fill this out at your earliest convenience, it would be very much appreciated.

The cost for the Skyzone trip will be $20 per student, and that fee will need to be turned in by the day of the trip.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaoS_KWMbgEQoKFouGikCxfy_Pz8wvgnB0RmzNWba59tw3Vg/viewform?usp=header

Singcerely,

Mr. Maura & Mr. Norwood

Hey all!

If you are a parent of an 8th grade choir student who is thinking/planning on being a part of the Northridge High School choir program next year, the MMPA (Middlebury Music Parents Association) asked us to pass along an invitation to you all for the upcoming meeting tomorrow night (April 14th, 5:30-6:30 in the NHS Auditorium). There will be information shared about upcoming fundraising opportunities (for the current year and next year) as well as the Summer Ice Breaker for the 2026-2027 SL/NL show choir groups.

Sorry for the late notice, but hopefully some of you will be able to make it out! *They also mentioned that parents of 6th/7th grade choir students were also more than welcome to join as well if they wanted to see what high school show choir was all about.;)

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter/Spring Break! Thanks all!

Congratulations to all three of our choirs on earning a gold rating at ISSMA this year! Our students worked incredibly hard and clearly it paid off. Thank you to everybody who came out to Goshen to support our choirs, and thank you to all the chaperones who volunteered their time and energy to make sure this event went smoothly! Mr. Norwood and myself couldn’t be prouder of the performances the students gave today, and we are so excited to keep making music with them for the rest of the year. It’s a great day to be a choir beast!

P.S. Also – the success was not just limited today to choir. Both 7th and 8th grade band competed at ISSMA earlier this morning. Both of them earned Gold ratings with distinction. Congratulations to our band friends as well.

P.P.S. – ALSO ALSO – congratulations to the Starlights for earning 1st runner up in State Show Choir Finals, and best of luck to the Northern Lights as they hit the stage at 8:30 tonight!

Singcerely, Mr. Maura and Mr. Norwood

Dear Choir Parent,

Our big competition is only two weeks away! Saturday, March 21st our students will be meeting at NMS and taking buses over to Goshen Middle School for ISSMA Contest 2026.

Our choirs will be performing 3 competition pieces for 3 judges and will be rated on their note and rhythm accuracy, tone quality, blend, dynamic contrasts, breath control, phrasing, and overall musicianship. It’s been so exciting to watch them as they have really worked to perfect their music in hopes of being the best choirs in their division. ISSMA is an exciting time for our students to show their very best and be rated among all of the other area choirs. They will be shooting for Gold and we would love for our kids to achieve the “With Distinction” Award recognizing their scores as some of the top in the state!

Here are a few details that will help you plan ahead. 

a. We will wear our black and white concert attire. Ties and rosettes will be handed out at GJHS. 

b. All students must travel over together on the bus. If parents wish to bring their child home after ISSMA, students will need to turn in a handwritten note to the chaperone as they board the bus on Saturday or email Mr. Maura and Mr. Norwood ahead of time. Please do not wait until after they sing, it makes things confusing for our chaperones. They must know where each child is before the buses can return to NMS. 

c. Students will board their assigned bus in the NMS front teacher’s parking lot (Door #1). The buses will drop them off in the same parking lot after our performances. 

d. Below you will find the list of times for departure, arrival, performance, and return to NMS. 

e. Please be on time to pick up your child. We will not have access to the building and chaperones will not be able to leave until your child is picked up. 

f. This is a free show open to the public. Warning: if you are late you won’t get in the door. 

Drop Off at NMS	Buses Leave	Arrival at GJHS	Warm-up	Perform	Buses Leave	NMS Pick Up
7th: 1:00pm	1:15pm	1:40pm	2:05pm	2:25pm	2:50pm	3:10-3:15pm
6th: 1:55pm	2:10pm	2:35pm	3:00pm	3:20pm	3:45pm	4:05-4:10pm
8th: 2:40pm	2:55pm	3:20pm	3:45pm	4:05pm	4:20pm	4:40-4:45pm

What our kids should be wearing for ISSMA:

BOYS: Black pants, black socks, black dress shoes (if not dress shoes, all black tennis shoes are acceptable), white long sleeve shirt with a collar. No colored shirts under the white button up please, the stage lights amplify any color under the white tops. A clip-on tie will be given to them when they arrive. 

GIRLS: Black knee length skirt (or longer) or black pants, black dress shoes (if not dress shoes, tennis shoes are acceptable), White blouse with a collar that buttons closed. They will receive a rosette tie to put on when they arrive. No colored shirts under the white blouse please, the stage lights amplify any color under the white tops. Hose or tights are not necessary, but if students choose to wear them, please ensure they are black. Please ensure any shorts worn under skirts do no exceed the length of the skirt.

Chaperones will receive specific instructions. They will ride buses to PHS and return with the kids. They will be taking attendance on the bus and following us throughout the warmup and performance route! These are the chaperones for this competition: 

6^th grade: Andrea Christian, Amber Byers, Heather Wyse, Amanda Turner

7^th Grade: Lauren Walker, Josh Schneider, Jacquelyn Fair (We’d love at least one more chaperone!)

8^th Grade: Jennifer Dickhaut, Chad Dickhaut (We’d love at least two more chaperons!)

Photographers for ISSMA will be taking pictures during the warm up time, and throughout their performance.

Grade 6: Felicia Nolt, Amber Byers 

Grade 7: N/A

Grade 8: Jessica Runions

Locker Decorations: 

6th: Alyssa Yutzy

7th: Misty Stroup (Period 2), N/A (Period 4)

8th: N/A (Period 5), Amanda Turner (Period 6)

If you are able to fill in any of the blanks listed above would you please send Mr. Maura an email or tell your child? Anytime you move 270 middle school students back and forth it helps to have as many adults as we can! 

Singcerely, Mr. Maura and Mr. Norwood maurad@mcsin-k12.org/norwoodc@mcsin-k12.org