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
-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

As we’re gearing up for our Northridge Choral Invitational this Saturday, the high school wanted me to pass along that there are still several volunteer slots available/needing to be filled to help the day go off without a hitch! If you are thinking of attending and could take a glance at some of those opportunities to see if there might be anything that you might be able to help out with, it would be greatly appreciated! (*just remember to avoid the 11:30ish timeslot so you can catch the Knight Lights performance!😉)

Link to 2026 NCI Volunteer Sign-Up

Thanks all and hopefully see you there!

Our NMS Choir Beasts have been hitting the performances hard this weekend! To start, the members of the Knight Lights show choir traveled to Carroll this past weekend for their first competitive performance of the year. Going up against 8 other groups from all over the state, the Knight Lights put on an awesome performance taking 2nd Runner-Up out of 9, with 8^th Grader, Corban Hershberger receiving the Best Performer award for the group as well! If you weren’t able to make it down for the fun-filled evening, you can find the recording of last night’s livestream here (KL performance starts around 3:46:00). They take the stage again next week at the Homestead Classic Showcase (Friday, Feb. 13th @8:55pm). Huge congrats to the Knight Lights on their fantastic first performance!

But wait, there’s more!

27 brave beasts from grades 6-8 also traveled out to Fairfield Jr/Sr High on Saturday for the ISSMA Solo and Ensemble Contest. Out of our 27 Middle School Choir Students who took a solo, 25 of them received a gold rating (highest possible rating)! On top of that, we also had 7 from among those 25 students who also earned a perfect score from their judges along with their gold rating! Mr. Maura and I could not be prouder of all of these kids and the hard work and practice they put into these performances! Awesome job kids and keep it up!

This announcement is for all 7th Grade Choir Parents (8th Grade Parents, look out for an update after Christmas Break!;)

Hey all! Coming home with your choir daughter/son today should be the following parent letter with the information for our upcoming 7th Grade Christmas Scavenger Hunt Night. (Link to Parent Letter can be found here for your convenience)

1. Who: 7th Grade NMS Choir Students Only
2. What: 7th Grade Choir Pizza and Christmas Scavenger Hunt Night (Cost: $5)
3. Where: Northridge Middle School
4. When: December 17th, 2025 (after school until 5:30pm) *Pick up outside of Door 1
5. Why: To reward and get to know these awesome kids outside of the classroom and have some festive fun to celebrate the season!

This will not be a mandatory event but we sure hope your daughter/son can join in for the fun! Pick up time will be at 5:30pm at Door 1 of the Middle School.

Hope to see them there! – Mr. Maura and Mr. Norwood