New Student FAQ's

Is choir for me? 
We think everyone can learn to sing.  If you want to be here and don’t mind working hard as a team, then choir is for you.  When you start out in our program, you will learn all you need to be a part of choir.  We work with everyone to progress through the choirs during your high school career.

How many choirs are there? 
We have 6 choirs at Lafayette.  There is something for everyone.  See our ensembles page for a description.

How many students are in the choirs? 
The Lafayette choirs server nearly 200 individual students each year.  We range from choirs as big as 70 to choirs as small as 15.

Will I be in choir with my friends? 
We recognize that being a part of a performing ensemble can be a positive social experience for students.  We believe that if you aren’t in choir with your friends, those in choir will soon become your friends.

Do I have to Audition? 
Auditions are not required for Men’s and Women’s choirs.  All other choirs require an audition.

How can I fit choir in my schedule? 
It may seem daunting to plan out your schedule for high school with all the course requirements facing you, but if you take a broad look at all four years, you CAN be a part of choir each year of high school.  In fact, if you take three years of choir you can satisfy your arts credit and do not have to take the Arts and Humanities class as a junior.

When do the choirs meet? 
All choirs meet during the school day.  We occasionally have after-school rehearsals and regular evening concerts.  The daily choir schedule can change from year to year.

Can I do it all—including drama and sports? 
We believe that active and involved students are successful students.  Our singers are often the most active and involved students ranging from student council, speech, drama, band, orchestra and sports.  We encourage students to be involved and do our best to be accommodating with our schedule.

What kind of music do the choirs sing? 
We perform all varieties of music from classical to multi-cultural to gospel and even popular music, we try to sing as many styles as we can.  We do emphasize the importance of learning standard repertoire.  We believe that once you can do the standards and have a solid foundation in vocal technique, you can branch out to do other syles.

Do I have to have a good solo voice? 
We help you develop your individual voice to the best of your ability.  We encourage individual accountability and through class as well as optional after-school private lessons.  Being a part of choir

Are private lessons required? 
Private lessons are certainly not required.  We encourage individual improvement by sponsoring an optional after-school private lesson program (M2) that is subsidized by the Chorus Boosters Board

When are auditions? 
The choral department places all incoming freshmen in Men and Women’s choir without audition.  The exceptions to this are for scheduling requirements for SCAPA students.  If you would like to schedule a special audition, contact Mrs. Howard.  Auditions focus intensely on sight-reading abilities.

Should I expect to get into Singers as a freshmen? 
It is very rare that freshmen make Advanced Lafayette Singers.  It is important that all incoming students receive a solid foundation in solfege, sight-singing and vocal technique in Men’s and Women’s choir.  We work with students in these choirs to develop skills to be prepared to audition for and make Singers as they progress through the choirs.  Lafayette has many many outstanding singers both in SCAPA and not.  Everyone has to work hard to attain a place in advanced choirs.

For Parents

When do the choirs meet? 
All choirs meet as co-curricular activities during the regular school day and student receive class credit.

Are there any after-school choirs? 
All choirs meet as a for-credit class during the regular school day.  We have no after-school singing groups.  The only after school obligations are for occasional extra rehearsals and concerts.

Can my student really fit chorus in their schedule? 
Absolutely.  Figuring out your student’s schedule can be a daunting task.  It can be even trickier if your student is in SCAPA or Pre-Engineering.  But it still can be done!  Many times students are loaded up on classes during freshmen and sophomore years, and have very open schedules during senior year.  Courses can be balanced to include choir and other electives every year of high school.  It is important to sit down with your student and map out his or her schedule for all four years of high school.  In fact, if you take three years of choir you can satisfy your arts credit and do not have to take the Arts and Humanities class as a junior.

Can my student still participate in Band? 
Yes.  We have many Band and Orchestra students as well as SCAPA students from other disciplines who sing.  We find that often our most outstanding singers are those who have an instrumental background.  We also know that singing makes instrumentalists better players.  And singing in the choir is valued by the band and orchestra directors.  We want students to be as well-rounded musicians as possible 

Can my student participate in sports or other after school clubs? 
Absolutely.  We believe that active and involved students are successful students.  Our singers are often the most active and involved students ranging from student council, speech, drama, band, orchestra and sports.  We encourage students to be involved and do our best to be accommodating with our schedule.

When are auditions? 
The choral department places all incoming freshmen in Men and Women’s choir without audition.  The exceptions to this are for scheduling requirements for SCAPA students.  If you would like to schedule a special audition, contact Mrs. Howard.  Auditions focus intensely on sight-reading abilities.

How do students progress in the choirs? 
We work with students to improve their individual ability so that all students have the skills to advance through the choirs.  All advanced choirs require an audition held in the Spring.  This audition focuses heavily on sight-singing skills taught in earlier choirs.

What choirs are offered at Lafayette? 
We have 6 choirs at Lafayette.  There is something for everyone.  See our ensembles page for a description.

Are private lessons required? 
Private lessons are certainly not required.  We encourage individual improvement by sponsoring an optional after-school private lesson program (M2) that is subsidized by the Chorus Boosters Board

Should I expect my child to be in Singers as a freshmen? 
It is rare that freshmen make Advanced Lafayette Singers.  It is important that all incoming students receive a solid foundation in solfege, sight-singing and vocal technique in Men’s and Women’s choir.  We work with students in these choirs to develop skills to be prepared to audition for and make Singers as they progress through the choirs.  Lafayette has many many outstanding singers both in SCAPA and not.  Everyone has to work hard to attain a place in advanced choirs.