TMHS Wildcat Choir

Welcome to TMHS Choir! In this newsletter you will find the course syllabus and important contact information, including our conference period and class schedule.

Should you wish to discuss your child’s progress during the year, please feel free to reach out to us directly to schedule a conference. We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for student success, and we are here to support you and your child in any way we can.

We are looking forward to a great school year!

Please complete the following forms for this school year. All forms and fees are due by August 31st for a major grade for your student. The following forms are required of all students:

Handbook Acknowledgement

Medical Release

Travel/Transportation

THE CHOIR FAIR SHARE FEE FOR THE 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR IS $53.75. Payments will be paid through schoolcashonline. This amount will help to cover such items as uniform rental, altering, launder/dry-cleaning, postage for mail-outs, Copies, Folders, Choir T-Shirt, Choir Polo, Choir water thermos, and other necessary items.

If you did not get fitted for a choir uniform at schedule pickup and freshmen orientation, we will get you fitted for one once the school year begins!

About the trip:

The opportunity presents itself once again to perform in THE Carnegie Hall in NYC! Mr. Ragsdale has been asked to conduct in the prestigious concert hall and invite all who wish to perform Schubert's Mass in G! This will also include alums, parents and other family members who have the vocal ability and wish to perform. That's right, the performance isn't just for students! The performance is scheduled for June 6, 2026. Rehearsals in NYC will be on June 4, 5, and 6th. Details are being worked out but since this is a summer trip, academic eligibility will not be a determining factor, but behavior issues and disciplinary infractions could possibly be. This will be a unique trip with some flexibility in schedule, other than rehearsals and performance time.

A payment plan and payment system will be worked out before school begins. The trip will vary in price, as we will work to build some flexibility for families who wish to extend their trip and make this a family vacation. What we need now is for all parties, interested or not, to complete the Google form below. This is very important! We need to make plans and packages and must communicate directly with those interested. What a unique opportunity for families to possibly perform on stage at Carnegie Hall with a professional orchestra! We hope you will consider it! NYC isn't cheap, but what an opportunity! A SAMPLE itinerary is as follows:

June 3: travel, city tour, dinner together

June 4: breakfast on own, lunch on own, Rehearsal TBD (2 hours), planned excursions with various options that may include: hanging out/picnic in Central Park, Tour Statue of Liberty, SHOP, tour one of the many museums, NBC studios tour, Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, Ground Zero and possibly other options, dinner on own. Broadway show #1

June 5: breakfast on own, lunch on own rehearsal TBD (2 hours), planned excursions with various options that may include: hanging out/picnic in Central Park, Tour Statue of Liberty, SHOP, tour one of the many museums, NBC studios tour, Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, Ground Zero and possibly other options, dinner on own, Broadway show #2 (might be optional if Yankees or Mets are playing!)

June 6: breakfast on own, lunch on own, Dress Rehearsal, performance, Dinner Cruise on the Hudson.

June 7: Travel day, Breakfast on own, last minute souvenir shopping (if time permits), check out and head to airport.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? Please complete the Google Form!!!

Send a text to 81010 with the message being your class code below:

Belles - @tmhsbelles

Dudes - @tmhsdudes

Bel Canto - @tmhsbelc

Bella Voce - @tmhsbella

Chorale - @tmhschoral

Major Chords - @majorchord

What is the All State Choir?

Each fall, over 70,000 Texas high school students begin the All-State audition process. 1,810 are ultimately selected to rehearse and perform during the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention in one of 18 Texas All-State ensembles, including four choirs: Mixed Choir, Treble Choir, Tenor-Bass Choir, Small School Mixed Choir. This is achieved through a four round audition process. Last year TMHS had two All-State mixed choir members!

What is the process?

The auditions are similar to junior high Region, but there are are four rounds of auditions in the All-State process. Students will learn 3-4 choir pieces per audition for their specific voice part.

• District September 20th @Grand Oaks HS: Any student wishing to begin the process must audition first at District. You must be academically eligible to participate and have gone through the TMHS District Mock Auditions.
• Region October 25th @TMHS: 72 Treble students per section and 50 Tenor Bass students per section will advance to the second round of auditions. This round will determine the region Treble and Mixed choir participants that will perform with a notable clinician. If you are selected for a Region choir, you must participate in Region weekend (November 14th & 15th).
• Pre-Area December 2nd @The Woodlands HS: The top 18 (tenor bass) or 20 (treble) chairs in each section of the All-Region Mixed Choir advance to the Pre-Area audition. This audition will also have a sightreading portion.
• Area January 10th @The Woodlands HS: The top 5 singers from each section represent our Region at the Area auditions. This audition determines their participation in the All State Choir at the Texas Music Educators' Convention in San Antonio (February 11th - 14th).

What do I need?

• Music: Students may purchase their own music or purchase from us. Packets are $28-29 not including shipping at amcmusic.net, or $25 from TMHS Choir.

• Rehearsal tracks: We have the rehearsal tracks in a google folder that students may download or stream on their devices. There are also links below. We will have a district workshop on July 1 that is free for any student wishing to participate in the process. There are also many other camps and workshops locally that we will advertise throughout the year.

What is the cost?

TMHS Choir will cover the audition fee for any student wishing to audition. Per the TMHS Choir Handbook, if the student chooses to enter a competition and does not participate in said contest, the student must reimburse said fees, no matter the reason.

Cost of music is above. Students auditioning must have original copies of the music, scans are not allowed.

If a student receives a spot in a region choir, there may be additional costs for meals for the weekend.

Below is the sign-up for our Labor Day Flag Fundraiser. We welcome your help in distributing flags to our subscribers that support all we do in choir! Your student will earn service points that they can use on choir trips, banquets, & many any other choir expenses. These points apply to the 2025-2026 school year so you can bank them for future expenses.

The deadline to sign up is Tuesday, August 19, 2025. We will distribute flags on Saturday, August 23rd. We will be at Tomball Memorial High School (bus parking lot) from 9 -10 AM for you to pick up your flags. Flags need to be picked up and returned to the high school on Sunday, September 14th, from 3 - 4 PM.

PLEASE BE PROMPT WITH BOTH PICK-UP AND RETURN OF FLAGS! **NEW** FLAGS MUST BE PLACED AT ADDRESSES BY SUNDAY EVENING AUGUST 24TH. If you are unable to place all flags by Sunday evening, please find a friend to help distribute. PLEASE CONTACT THE FLAG COORDINATORS, Rachel or Tanya, TO LET THEM KNOW WHEN YOUR ROUTE HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

These times are when someone will be at the school to give & receive the flags, NOT when you should start collecting the flags for return. You can pick them up the day before, but you will need to store the flags in a secure location until the return time. Please be sure to cover in a vehicle or place in garage to protect them from inclement weather if you choose to pick up early. We will be watching the weather for the weekend and will address any potential changes as they come up.

Please be sure to enter max number of flags you are willing to distribute when signing up. We will do our best to give the requested number of flags but this is dependent on the number of students who sign up so could be less in order to give everyone the opportunity to earn points.

*****Please be sure you can fulfill both the distribution and pick-up of flags before you commit, or partner with a friend to each do one day or both together!****

Thank you so much for participating!

If you have any questions or issues, contact Rachel Lagaly 281-723-8482 or Tanya Soler 612-280-1767

Family & Individual Supporters

$25 Donation - Booster Supporters will receive slideshow recognition at our end-of-year concert.

$50 Donation - Silver Supporters will receive four reserved seats to the winter concert and slideshow recognition at our end-of-year concert.

$100 Donation - Navy Supporters will receive four reserved seats to the winter and senior recognition concerts, as well as slideshow recognition at our end-of-year concert.

$250 Donation - Wildcat Supporters will receive four tickets to the Pop Show, four reserved seats for all concerts, and slideshow recognition at our end-of-year concert.

Business & Community Supporters

$250 Donation - Big Cat Supporters will receive two tickets to the Pop Show, two reserved seats for all concerts, and slideshow recognition at every concert.

$500 Donation - Super Cat Supporters will receive four tickets to Pop Show, four reserved seats for all concerts, and slideshow recognition at every concert.

$1000 Donation - King of the Jungle Supporters will receive a TMHS Choir t-shirt, four tickets to the Pop Show, four reserved seats for all concerts, and slideshow recognition at every concert.

Our Pop Show theme for this school year is Icons and Legends! Please see the list of current approved icons and legends and note that if you have an artist in mind that is not on this list, it must be approved by directors prior to auditions.

We are very excited that this year will be another big musical year! Auditions for this years musical will be held August 19 and 20 after school. There will be 2 parts to the audition - song and dance. Auditions will be done in a rotation format.

For the singing portion of the audition, students should prepare a 30 second to 1 minute long portion of a song from a musical of their choosing. The singing audition MUST be with a memorized and with a track, NOT a cappella.

A short dance sequence will be shared for students to learn at home and present in groups at the audition. The dance will be reviewed before the auditions begin.

If you are wishing to be a part of any other theatre plays, you will need to prepare a monologue.

This year, TMHS choir will be switching from CutTime to Presto! You should have received a welcome email from Presto with instructions on how to set up your account. If you did not receive a welcome email, please let us know.

August 12 - First Day Of School!

August 15 - 3:00-4:30pm - Ice Cream Social

August 19-20 - Musical Auditions after school

August 23 - 9:00-10:00am - Flag Pick Up

September 2 - 7:00pm - Demonstration Concert

September 9 - 6:00pm - Booster Club Meeting

September 11 - 5:30-8:00pm - Open House

September 14 - 3:00-4:00pm - Flag drop off
September 15 - 3:00-6:00pm - District Mock Auditions

September 20 - TMEA All-State District Auditions @Grand Oaks HS

September 24 - Rock the Block Homecoming Parade

September 26 - Home Football Game (Homecoming)

September 27 - Homecoming Dance

October 6 - 7:00pm - Fall Concert

October 10 - Home Football Game

October 14 - 6:00pm - Booster Club Meeting

October 17 - Home Football Game and Patriotic Halftime Show

October 20 - 3:00-6:00pm - Region Mock Auditions

October 24 - 3:00-7:00pm - Fall Solo and Ensemble

October 25 - HOST TMEA All-State Region Auditions

October 28-29 - Pop Show Auditions after school

October 30 - 5:00-7:00 - Trunk or Treat Social

November 1 - 9:00-10:00am - Flag pick up

November 6 - Bella Voce Kemah Choir Days Festival

November 7 - Home Football Game (8th Grade Night with WWJH and GLJH)

November 11 - 6:00pm - Booster Club Meeting

November 14-15 - Region Weekend Clinic and Concert

November 16 - 3:00-4:00pm - Flag drop off

November 20 - 6:00pm - Family Feast Thanksgiving Social

December 2 - TMEA All-State Pre-Area Auditions

December 4 - 7:00pm - Winter Concert

December 5 - 5:00-7:00pm - Winter Social

December 6 - TISD Winter Festival

December 9 - 6:00pm - Booster Club Meeting

Bolded events are required of all choir students

jedragsdale@tomballisd.net

jordynwhite@tomballisd.net

Website: tmhschoir.com
Location: 19100 Northpointe Ridge Lane, Tomball, TX, USA
Phone: 281-357-3230 1106
Twitter: @theTMHSchoir
Instagram: @tmhschoir