Dear Choir Parents, October 8, 2021  

Our first big show for all choirs will be the SwingFry Choir Fundraiser.  This will be the first time our full choirs hit the stage.  Swingfry is a concert/dinner/fundraiser all rolled into one!  The Middlebury Community really supports this fundraiser and thousands show up for a very big “party” on Saturday, November 13^th.  SwingFry takes place at Northridge High School.  We have every middle school and high school choir singing 3-4 songs, each show choir performs, as well as special soloists between each group.  This is an unconventional concert in that our audience comes and goes in between each group.  You can watch the groups that you want to watch and then duck out for dinner in the cafeteria.  The dinner that we serve for Swingfry is Dan’s all you can eat Chicken or Fish dinner along with homemade desserts.  (The pie is AMAZING)!!  Our choirs raise money from the number of dinner and concert tickets sold, along with a huge bake sale, a concession stand, and  a “to go” coffee shop.  All of the funds raised help the NHS Choirs and NMS Choirs function for the rest of the school year.

As we said, this is a huge party!  To pull this off, the high school choir parents volunteer their time in the early to late afternoon shifts, and the middle school choir parents volunteer their time during the early evening hours.  That way, each parent gets to watch their child perform and also volunteer their time to run this big shindig.   We are hoping that all of our middle school choir parents roll up their sleeves for an hour or two and chip in to make this party a success.   Before signing up, you should check the estimated performance time for your child.  Please sign up for a shift that doesn’t interfere with a chance to see your child! 

6^th graders will perform at 3:00 p.m

7^th graders will perform at 3:40 p.m.

8^th graders will perform around 4:00 p.m.

Just the Guys (all boys in Choir) will perform around 4:20 p.m.

Knight Light Show Choir will perform around 6:40 p.m.

To be prepared for SwingFry you will need to do the following.   

1. Go to https://northridgechoirs.com/swingfry/
2. Sign up for a volunteer position.
3. Locate the choir outfit for your son or daughter.

Outfits: (Picture examples can be found on the choir website www.nmschoir.org)

The girls will need: a black knee length skirt, a long sleeved white blouse that has a collar and buttons down the front, and black shoes.  They will be given a Rosette tie. 

The boys will need:  black dress slacks, black socks and black shoes, a long sleeve white dress shirt with a collar that  buttons down the front.  They will be given a tie.

Dress Rehearsal will take place after school on Thursday, Nov 11.  

1. Parents sending in treats or water for Dress Rehearsal should have their 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.

Concert Day, Northridge HS Auditorium Saturday, November 13^th!!

Choir Arrival and put on ties Warm-Up in Home  Room                 Perform

NMS 6^th Grade Choir 2:25 2:35 3:00

NMS 7^th Grade Choir 3:05 3:15 3:40

NMS 8^th Grade Choir 3:25 3:35 4:00

Just The Guys X 4:05 4:20

NMS Show Choir X X 6:40

****Students will be asked to watch at least two other choirs perform their set before going home.  Our choirs learn so much by watching other choirs perform! This will help them complete their written critique 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.  A list of all NMS and NHS Choral performances may be found on the back of this letter. 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.  

Volunteers:  If you volunteered for SwingFry on Sign up genius for treats, water, or chaperoning you will receive a phone call reminder a week before the event and specific information to help you perform your duty.  The Concert Day volunteers who sign up for slots via the enclosed link will receive reminder calls from their committee Chair Person.  Again we ask that all of our choir parents volunteer for one slot on performance day so that the high school parents can watch their kids perform.  The shifts are short and go quickly!  Sign up now so that you get the slot you want. 

Conflicts:  If your son/daughter has a conflict with concert day please read about the make up assignment they will need to complete to take the place of this mandatory performance.  Conflict forms are available at the nmschoir.org website or in the choir room.  These are due by Friday, October 22nd to be excused.  

Sincerely,  Mrs. Armington and Mr. Norwood