Performing Arts Tryouts

It’s time to play a game of “Name that performing art,” where a series of questions pertaining to AHS’s performing arts most frequently asked questions will be answered. Now let’s start the game.

Chanteurs consists of both guys and girls who express their happiness through singing and dancing in competitions and through public organizations. President senior Laurel Cho said, “We always get many requests from a variety of public organizations for instance retirement homes, hospitals, and schools.” One disadvantage about joining Chanteurs is that each member will have to skip numerous days of school to be able to attend their shows and participate in competitions while it is their responsibility to keep up with their missed work. If this acclaimed group seems like the perfect fit, then come to the preliminary tryout date on May 3rd.

Another talented group of singers and dancers is New Spirit, an all-girl show choir. Similar to Chanteurs, New Spirit will help increase one’s musical talent while forming close bonds with many new faces. One’s stage fright will certainly disintegrate as one’s harmonious abilities reach a new level. Senior Macie de Castro said that one will “meet so many new people from other schools [and will be able to] reach out in the community.” One drawback of being in New Spirit is that it is time consuming, both during and after school.

Marching band has a very high commitment level first semester because of the many competitions, practices, sectional meetings, half-time football game performances one must attend. As long as one is capable of reading music, they qualify for this prestigious group. Despite these long hours, “one will meet over 350 great people and have an experience in high school unlike any other…[Band] is like a school inside of a school,” according to president senior Israel Coleman.

Orchesis Dance Company (ODC) is open to juniors and seniors and requires both zero and first period of rehearsal time. For those who are interested in learning advanced dance techniques and choreography and want to further their knowledge of dancing to a whole new level, then joining ODC would be the right place. Although there are many hours of rehearsal time outside of school that is an obligation, the rewards of performing at school assemblies, dance festivals, and various other shows and productions are worth all of the rehearsing.

There are essentially no auditions to become a part of Orchestra I or II, but within each Orchestra, seating auditions are arranged, where each student plays a piece that exemplifies their experience. Orchestra III president senior Julia Namkoong said, “Throughout the year, everyone improves musically, technically, and the bonds between students grow stronger.” Furthermore, members of Orchestra III, the highest and most selective Orchestra, are chosen based on the student’s performance to play a piece chosen by the conductors, a piece personally chosen, and specific scales at tryouts. Also, Orchestra III members must have already been in Orchestra for a full year, whether it was Orchestra I or II.

Advanced Drama Department (ADD) consists of highly skilled students who have great acting skills and demonstrate their abilities through numerous stage productions throughout the year, acting competitions, comedy shows, monologues, and many other various theatrical activities. To become a member of such a distinguished group, one must have already taken Theatre I, have an audition, as well as an interview. This course requires a lot of rehearsal time outside of school, as they must practice for upcoming shows and productions. One who joins will create strong friendships with many new people because they rehearse, perform, and essentially have fun as a family. The information meeting to join ADD is on Apr. 28 and 29 at the AHS library.

Colorguard is a renowned group of both girls and guys who spin weapons and flags as a competitive performing art. Sophomore Catherine Hua explained that “Colorguard is very time consuming and requires a lot of practice, but going to competitions and performing at your greatest compensates for the extremely long, enduring rehearsals.” Even though many of their competitions and rehearsals take place on Saturdays, this is the time where they capture their memories that last a lifetime.

“A Percussion member learns a lot from the staff, like staying focused, or else you will get yelled at,” sophomore Lawrence Chan said. Percussion has a high commitment level, like Colorguard, and has weekend competitions taking up most, if not all, one’s Saturdays. One’s memorization abilities must be high as well as keeping a steady beat. Despite these hardships, Percussion teaches teamwork and how to achieve even the toughest of goals.


***I still need to find out the tryout dates for some of the groups

It’s time to play a game of “Name that performing art,” where [when] a series of questions pertaining to AHS’s performing arts most frequently asked questions will be answered. Now let’s start the game. [this second sentence is a little awkward]

Chanteurs consists of both guys and girls who express their happiness through singing and dancing in competitions and through public organizations [try community shows... better way to describe what chanteurs & new spirit do]. President senior Laurel Cho said, “We always get many requests from a variety of public organizations; for instance, retirement homes, hospitals, and schools.” One disadvantage about joining Chanteurs is that each member will have to skip [each member has to skip] numerous days of school to be able to attend their shows and participate in competitions [attend the various shows and competitions] while it is their ]each is singular, so "their" incorrect. it is the individual's...] responsibility to keep up with their missed work. [But maybe skipping school is an advantage! could be a humorous/positive take... so much of the paragraph is focused on the downside] If this acclaimed group seems like the perfect fit, then come to the preliminary tryout date on May 3rd. [Also, you haven't stated that this is a show choir~]

Another talented group of singers and dancers is New Spirit, an all-girl show choir. Similar to Chanteurs [Like Chanteurs] , New Spirit will help increase [New Spirit helps to increase] one’s musical talent while forming close bonds with many new faces. One’s stage fright will certainly disintegrate as one’s harmonious abilities reach a new level. Senior Macie de Castro said that one [All these ones are both awkward and repetitive. try rewriting?] will “meet so many new people from other schools [and will be able to] reach out in the community.” One drawback of being in New Spirit is that it is time consuming, both during and after school. [But like Chanteurs, New Spirit is largely time consuming with practices during and after school.] [End on a positive note!]

[Start with a positive/introductory note] Marching band has a very high commitment level first semester because of the many competitions, practices, sectional meetings, [and] half-time football game performances one [all members] must attend. As long as one is capable of reading music, they qualify for this prestigious group [This sentence is awk-- you haven't transitioned in or out of it very well... and it seems to interrupt the flow of the focus on the time commitment] . Despite these long hours, “one [one is just a really awk pronoun that most people don't use in conversational English-- which is largely what the pow wow is written in...] will meet over 350 great people and have an experience in high school unlike any other…[Band] is like a school inside of a school,” according to president [President] senior Israel Coleman.

[start on positive, introductory note!] Orchesis Dance Company (ODC) is open to juniors and seniors and requires both zero and first period of rehearsal time. For those who are interested in learning advanced dance techniques and choreography, and want to further their knowledge of dancing to a whole new level, then joining ODC would be the right place [choice]. Although there are many hours of rehearsal time outside of school that is an obligation [requirement; also, the sentence structure is awk], the rewards of performing at school assemblies, dance festivals, and various other shows and productions are worth all of the rehearsing.

There are essentially no auditions to become a part of Orchestra I or II, but within each Orchestra, seating auditions are arranged, where each student plays a piece that exemplifies their experience [better... but still not a great intro. the whole lack of auditions demeans more than encourages the group; also, its not obvious that you're talking about all three orchestras, rather than just I and II]. Orchestra III president senior Julia Namkoong said, “Throughout the year, everyone improves musically, technically, and the bonds between students grow stronger.” Furthermore, [how is this "furthermore"?] members of Orchestra III, the highest and most selective Orchestra, are chosen based on the student’s performance to play a piece chosen by the conductors, a piece personally chosen, and specific scales at tryouts. Also, Orchestra III members must have [also] already been in Orchestra for a full year, whether it was [be it] Orchestra I or II. [end on positive note]

Advanced Drama Department (ADD) consists of highly skilled students who have [with] great acting skills and demonstrate [you can't have __ and __ with the first blank being a noun (skills) and the second a verb (demonstrate). be consistent, cuz parallel structure is important] their abilities through numerous stage productions throughout the year, acting competitions, comedy shows, monologues [how does monologues compare with shows productions and competitions?] , and many other various theatrical activities. To become a member of such a [of this distinguished] distinguished group, one must have already taken Theatre I, have an audition, as well as an interview [awk]. This course requires a lot of rehearsal time outside of school, as they must practice for upcoming shows and productions. One who joins will create strong friendships with many new people because they rehearse, perform, and essentially have fun as a family. The information meeting to join ADD is on Apr. 28 and 29 at the AHS library.

Colorguard is a renowned group of both girls and guys [y guys and girls for chanteurs and girls and guys for colorguard? if you want variation, reword completely. if not, be consistent. preferably former option] who spin weapons and flags as a competitive performing art. Sophomore Catherine Hua explained , that “Colorguard is very time consuming and requires a lot of practice, but going to competitions and performing at your greatest compensates for the extremely long, enduring rehearsals.” Even though many of their competitions and rehearsals take place on Saturdays [what's wrong with saturdays? practically all competitions are on saturdays....] , this is the time where they [inconsistency.... before it was one and now its they? remember you're trying to recruit, not give a narration] capture their memories that last a lifetime.

[don't start with a quote... see above notes about intros] “A Percussion member learns a lot from the staff, like staying focused, or else you will get yelled at,” sophomore Lawrence Chan said. Percussion has a high commitment level, like Colorguard, [don't compare time commitments; ADD chanteurs and new spirit have huge commitments too. only compare activities, or more relevant stuff] and has weekend competitions taking up most, if not all, one’s Saturdays [again with the saturdays] . One’s memorization abilities must be high as well as keeping a steady beat [again, noun verb inconsistencies] . Despite these hardships, Percussion teaches teamwork and how to achieve even the toughest of goals.

[Conclusion?]

[I feel like a lot of this article is written in a rather spontaneous way-- the sentence structure and word choices are often very awk. if you read out loud the places i pointed out, you should see what i mean.]

Chanteurs:
Pros:
• Both guys and girls are able to express their happiness through singing and dancing in competitions and through public organizations, such as retirement homes, hospitals, schools, and many more.
• Be a part of a group with such high reputation that competes at many regional competitions and participates in many tours.
Cons:
• Each member will have to skip numerous days of school to be able to attend their shows and participate in competitions while it is their responsibility to keep up with their missed work.
• Rehearsals are time consuming and demand practices after school.

New Spirit:
Pros:
• This talented group of singers and dancers are part of an all-girl show choir that helps increase musical talent while forming close bonds with many new faces.
• One’s stage fright will certainly disintegrate as one’s harmonious abilities reach a new level.
• Senior Macie de Castro said that one will “meet so many new people from other schools [and will be able to] reach out in the community.”
Con:
• One drawback of being in New Spirit is that it is time consuming, both during and after school.

Marching Band:
Pros:
• One is able to gain an unmatched sense of discipline.
• One will over 300 new people throughout the season, forming friendships that will continue on through the years.
• "Research proves that playing music improves concentration and focus which in consequence can lead to better grades and attentiveness in class," according to senior drum major Leandro Alcantara.
Con:
• Many Fridays must be sacrificed for half-time performances at home football games as well as Saturdays for both rehearsals and competitions throughout first semester.

Colorguard:
Pros:
• Colorguard is a renowned group of both girls and guys who spin weapons and flags as a competitive performing art.
• Sophomore Catherine Hua explained, "Going to competitions and performing at your greatest compensates for the extremely long, enduring rehearsals."
• One will form great time-management skills, discipline, and capture cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
Cons:
• This is a very rigorous performing art that demands at least 8 hours of practicing a week outside of school hours. It's a year-long class that competes with the Marching Band first semester and competes individually second semester at indoor competitions.
• Expenses for costumes and travelling can get quite pricey.

Percussion:
Pros:
• Percussion teaches teamwork and how to achieve even the toughest of goals.
• One’s memorization abilities must be high as well as keeping a steady beat.
• “A Percussion member learns a lot from the staff, like staying focused, or else you will get yelled at,” sophomore Lawrence Chan said.
Con:
• Percussion has a high commitment level, and has weekend competitions taking up most, if not all, one’s Saturdays.

Orchesis Dance Company:
Pros:
• For juniors and seniors who are interested in learning advanced dance techniques and choreography and want to further their knowledge of dancing to a whole new level, then joining Orchesis Dance Company (ODC) would be the right place.
• The rewards of performing at school assemblies, dance festivals, and various other shows and productions are worth all of the rehearsing.
Cons:
• It requires both zero and first period of class time.
• There are many hours of rehearsal time outside of school that is an obligation.

Orchestra:
Pros:
• Throughout the year, everyone improves musically, technically, and the bonds between students grow stronger
• “For Orchestra III tryout, the student must play a provided piece chosen by the conductors, play a personally chosen piece, and also play specific scales. The tryout process seems hard, but it’s a chance for the student to show off his or her talent and passion for music. It's a great experience. The process helps the student to gain self confidence and sense of achievement,” said senior Orchestra III president Julia Namkoong.
• Through Orchestra many students learn time management, musical skills, and learn to become a more independent responsible student.
Con:
• There are many performances outside of school that are mandatory to attend.

Advanced Drama Department:
Pros:
• Advanced Drama Department (ADD) consists of highly skilled students who have great acting skills and demonstrate their abilities through numerous stage productions throughout the year, acting competitions, comedy shows, monologues, and many other various theatrical activities
• One who joins will create strong friendships with many new people because they rehearse, perform, and essentially have fun as a family.
Con:
• This course requires a lot of rehearsal time outside of school, as they must practice for upcoming shows and productions.

Pep Squad:
Pros:
• Members are able to perform at school assemblies and rallies while cheering on nearly all of AHS’s athletic teams.
• Pep Squad can also compete in their individual teams of Cheer, Song, and Flag in numerous competitions throughout second semester when there aren’t many sports playing at the time.
Con:
• Since it is mandatory to attend many athletic games to cheer on the Apaches, this class is very time consuming.

try to even out your pros/cons a little.
the bullet points need to be in parallel structure: decide if you're going to have full sentences; if not, is it going be a "you can...." type format? Decide, and stick with it.

by even out, she means like an equal number of each for each perf. art

Chanteurs:
• Both guys and girls are able to express their happiness through singing and dancing in competitions and through public organizations, such as retirement homes, hospitals, schools, and many more.
• Be a part of a show choir with such high reputation that competes at many regional competitions and participates in many tours.

New Spirit:
• This talented group of singers and dancers are part of an all-girl show choir that helps increase musical talent while forming close bonds with many new faces.
• One’s stage fright will certainly disintegrate as one’s harmonious abilities reach a new level.
• Senior Macie de Castro said that one will “meet so many new people from other schools [and will be able to] reach out in the community.”

Marching Band:
• One is able to gain an unmatched sense of discipline.
• One will over 300 new people throughout the season, forming friendships that will continue on through the years.
• "Research proves that playing music improves concentration and focus which in consequence can lead to better grades and attentiveness in class," according to senior drum major Leandro Alcantara.
• Besides competing throughout first semester, one can watch most, if not all, of the Boys Varsity football team’s home games free of charge because marching band members perform during half-time.

Colorguard:
• Colorguard is a renowned group of both girls and guys who spin weapons and flags as a competitive performing art.
• Sophomore Catherine Hua explained, "Going to competitions compensates for the extremely long rehearsals."
• One will form great time-management skills, discipline, and capture cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
• The prices that are paid for costumes and traveling expenses make going to competitions even more worthwhile because the rigorous practices are finally being paid off.

Percussion:
• Percussion teaches teamwork and how to achieve even the toughest of goals.
• One’s memorization abilities must be high as well as keeping a steady beat.
• “A Percussion member learns a lot from the staff, like staying focused, or else you will get yelled at,” sophomore Lawrence Chan said.
• If on varsity, a Percussion member will get the chance to compete with the marching band as well as compete as an entity of their own when second semester rolls around the corner.

Orchesis Dance Company:
• For juniors and seniors who are interested in learning advanced dance techniques and choreography and want to further their knowledge of dancing to a whole new level, then joining Orchesis Dance Company (ODC) would be the right place.
• The rewards of performing at school assemblies, dance festivals, and various other shows and productions are worth all of the rehearsing.
• Since both zero and first period are for ODC, one will have a large chunk of time to dedicate their bodies to dancing as well as staying physically fit by lifting weights and doing aerobic exercises.

Orchestra:
• Throughout the year, everyone improves musically, technically, and the bonds between students grow stronger
• “The tryout process seems hard, but it’s a chance for the student to show off his or her talent and passion for music,” said senior Orchestra III president Julia Namkoong.
• Through Orchestra many students learn time management, musical skills, and learn to become a more independent responsible student.

Advanced Drama Department:
• Advanced Drama Department (ADD) consists of highly skilled students who have great acting skills and demonstrate their abilities through numerous stage productions throughout the year, acting competitions, comedy shows, monologues, and many other various theatrical activities
• One who joins will create strong friendships with many new people because they rehearse, perform, and essentially have fun as a family.
• The many productions shown throughout the year gives the members a chance to showcase what they have been working up for.

Pep Squad:
• Members are able to perform at school assemblies and rallies while cheering on nearly all of AHS’s athletic teams.
• Pep Squad can also compete in their individual teams of Cheer, Song, and Flag in numerous competitions throughout second semester when there aren’t many sports playing at the time.
• Since one attends many athletic games to cheer on the Apaches, it’s as if they are a part of everything, as said by many current members.

With tryouts coming soon, one needs to list the pros and cons with their desired performing art group in mind. The time commitment may flash a huge red alert sign in one’s mind, yet the rewards of being a part of such a prominent group overpowers any doubts one may find. What Leandro said applies to every single performing arts group out there. “With all performing arts groups that wish to be successful, the time aspect is a crucial component. After all, time spent practicing makes for perfection.”