Singing Lions' Chorus at Cook Elementary Performs at Carowinds

On Saturday, May 12, the Singing Lions’ Chorus at Cook Elementary School, which is directed by Renee Matthews-Phifer, performed at the 2013 Carowinds Festival of Music  The group received an overall “Excellent” rating. Choruses are judged on: tone, technique, interpretation, intonation, balance, musical effect, diction, stage presence and choral discipline, etc. They earned marks of “Superior” in the categories of Technique, Diction and  Musical Effect and “Excellent” marks in all other categories.

The Carowinds Festival of Music program provides music students an opportunity to perform and play in one unique setting.  Nationally known adjudicators listen, evaluate and comment on each group's performance. Plaques and ribbons are awarded for Superior and Excellent ratings.

The Singing Lions’ Chorus is a mixed (girls and boys) audition-only group composed of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders.  The singers must be able to match pitches and pass a sight-singing test.

Phifer said that she is extremely proud of the Singing Lions’ Chorus, in part, because they haven’t had as many opportunities to perform in formal settings as her other choruses. She is also proud because they were able to do a great job on some difficult choral literature.

“I believe in providing a rigorous music program that challenges my students to become all that they can be inside and outside of my classroom,” she said. “I always remind them that if you can handle these hard musical tasks, you can do anything. This group received wonderful remarks from the judges. Some music teachers in the audience came up to me and said they couldn’t believe that an elementary chorus could sound like that.”

 

This year, Phifer established a Chorus Homework/Behavior Challenge Contract that had to be signed by students and parents.  The stipulations were: Any student with missing homework during the two months before the trip to Carowinds would not be allowed to go. Any student receiving ISS (in-school suspension) or OSS (out-of-school) would not be allowed to go to Carowinds.

Phifer said that she saw her students taking personal responsibility for meeting the standards set.  “If a student was struggling with completing homework, we used parent contact and other ways to help that student get back on track,” she said. “When a student felt like they were in a situation that might lead to an altercation, they came to me or their teacher for help with conflict resolution strategies. The Homework/Behavior Chorus Contract had 98-percent success rate and I believe my students gained valuable experience on how to set, meet and even surpass their goals.”