The CD project is coming up fast.  We have secured the dates of June 4, 5, 6 and 7 to record the CD.  It will take about 5 hours per song to record, which is two songs per day.  The times will be Friday, June 4 from 12:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday, June 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.  Sunday, June 6 from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Monday from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  If we can raise enough money for 8 songs, it will be till 10:00 p.m.

Everybody will not be there all of those times.  We will schedule you in shifts so that you will only be there for about half of the time.

Recording can be a long process, but there are some things that we can do to speed it up.  The process will feature you singing by yourself.  You will be wearing headphones and in the headphones you will hear your own voice, a click track and a recording of a keyboard playing the mixdown.  You should practice to the recordings on the website so you are used to singing this way.  Everytime we have recorded in the past, we have discovered that over time, the parts change from what is written on the page.  Please use your music every time you practice so that you can catch any mistakes.  We are also making studio cheat sheets for everyone.  Since you can't turn pages while recording, we are making one page sheets that have just your part on them.  Everyone must also make sure they have plenty of water during the recording sessions.

To date, we have raised $2,730, which is well on our way to our goal.  The bad news is that all of the donations except one, have come from me.  This is also the good news, in that there should be a lot more donations coming in from all of you.  We are committed to the recording sessions, but if we don't get those donations in, you'll never be able to hear the final product.  Please ask everyone you know and maybe even some people you don't know.  You may be surprised at the responses you get.  With the matching gift program, we really only need about $2,000 more to be in great financial shape and record 8 songs.  If your sponsors can give cash, or use the Paypal option on our website, it will be much easier to get the money matched, as we need cash for that.  If they need to write a check to Cypress Lake High School, I will work on getting it available to match.

I have set up a fundraising concert at Seven Lakes.  This is the same place that we did the Veteran's Day performance.  The concert will be Friday, June 11.  We have the option of 2:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.  Please let me know which is better for you tomorrow so we can get it finalized.  They are charging $5 per person to get in and then asking for donations to help out.  If this concert goes well, it could earn half of the $2,000 that we need.

I know that this is a lot of work at the end of the year, but the reward will be amazing.  Our last two CDs have been great, but this one is being done by an a cappella specialist.  They only record a cappella groups!!  That fact and the fact that the group is sounding great should make for a truly amazing album.  The alums that were at the concert the other night all said that the recording experience was truly memorable and that they still listen to the albums that they were a part of and marvel at how good they are.  I hope that all of you will make the most of this opportunity and do your part, in both raising money and getting yourself prepared to record.

Please read the directions very carefully and do everything they ask.  You will lose points if you do not write the chord note names in as your first step!!!

Workbook pages 145-147.  Please do everything and following the instructions carefully.

For section I. Setting melodic fragments - make sure that you determine what type of cadence it is first and then proceed by following the steps that we talked about and are laid out in the textbook.

For sections II - Cadences with figured bass -  Read the Realizing Figured Bass section in the textbook.  Use the guidelines that are listed in the teal box on pages 246 and 247.  Hint - the 8 in the first chord of the first one means that the tenor note should be an octave above the bass.  Suspensions are usually listed as two numbers or a number and symbol with a dash between them. (9-8 or 4-#)

For the Writing Exercises, follow the procedure that we talked about in class and that is detailed in the instructions.  Please use the hints and advice that are given in the instructions for each exercise.  They are there for a reason.

Workbook pages 137 and 138.

II. Folk melody harmonization - Do both A & B

Analysis I. Brief Analysis - Do A only.

For those that did complete A. & B. on the top of page 137, here are the directions

Write the requested basic phrase progressions below.  Begin by filling in the bass line as specified by the Roman numerals, then compose the SAT parts.  Plan your setting to include some passing tones, neighboring tones, suspensions, retardations, and anticipations.  When a chord is repeated, you may change the voicing of the upper three parts to incorporate consonant skips that may be filled in with passing tones.  You may also include single consonant skips, but for this exercise do not use arpeggiation.

Label each embellishing tone in your setting, using the abbreviations described above.  Strive for eighth-note motion in at least one part within each beat.