Parent Letter: Choir

To all parents of New River Elementary choir students:

Welcome to the new 2018-2019 school year at New River Elementary! I am Mr. Jordan Stanford,
teacher of band, choir, and General music here at the school. I hope you and your kids had a great
summer! It will be nice to meet some new faces and see some familiar ones. There are a few things I
would like to mention to all of you as we get the year started.
Choir rehearsals this year will be before school on Tuesdays AND Thursdays from 7:45am-
8:30am in room 504. There will be a flyer sent home with the students the first few weeks of school.
Your child’s first choir rehearsal will be on August 28th, at 7:45am in Mr. Stanford’s music room. All
choir students will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays at that time for the rest of the school year. Any
student who arrives early before rehearsal must wait in the front office until 7:40am. If your child eats
breakfast at school, then they will be allowed to leave for breakfast when the first bell rings at 8:20am.
It is imperative that students be at rehearsal on time ready to start on all rehearsal days.
Students who are consistently late or absent after signing up will run the risk of being removed from
choir entirely. The majority of what we learn or rehearse during rehearsal greatly affects the individual
student as well as the rest of the group. If people are missing in choir, then it makes it difficult for the
group to have an accurate idea of how they sound or are how they are progressing.
Each choir student has received this letter explaining information about choir. Choir is not for a
class grade even though it meets at school, but consequences may still be implemented if students are
consistently late, absent, or a behavior issue. Since your child has agreed to be in choir, then they have
also agreed to attend and be at all performances scheduled for the school year. The currently scheduled
performance dates for choir are as follows:
- September 7th, DVUSD Choir Night, Participant Meeting Time 5:10pm, Chase Field in
Downtown Phoenix, Game starts at 6:40pm (This is optional but highly encouraged)
December 6th, Winter Band/Choir Concert, 6:00pm in the multipurpose gym
- May 9th, End of the Year Band/Choir Concert, 6:00pm in the multipurpose gym
There may also be another concert with Gavilan Peak Elementary. This will provide an
opportunity for your child to see what it’s like to perform in a middle school choir. More information will
be provided about this as soon as it’s available. Some students may also have the opportunity to be
selected and participate in the Arizona Elementary All-State Choir during the spring. These students are
selected based upon nomination, and they will be notified of being selected well in advance of the first
All-State Choir rehearsal.
Missing a performance with an unexcused absence will largely affect the entire group
negatively. In some cases, an unexcused absence for a performance may result in the student being
removed from choir. Performances may only be considered excused if the student provides a written
note signed by their parent or guardian explaining the absence.
It is my hope this year that all of my students learn valuable information that will increase their
performance ability and build well-rounded individuals.
Here is my classroom contact information:
Music/Band Room Phone #: 623-376-3543 E-mail: jordan.stanford@dvusd.org

Please don’t hesitate to contact me about any questions or concerns you might have, and I’ll get back to
you as soon as I can when I’m not teaching. Let’s have a great year!
Sincerely,
Mr. Jordan Stanford