Our Purpose
The purpose of the John Burroughs High School Vocal Music Association is to provide financial and volunteer support for the co-curricular and extra-curricular show choir program at John Burroughs High School and to augment existing funding provided by the Burbank Unified School District for the vocal music classroom curriculum.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the John Burroughs High School Vocal Music Association is to provide financial and volunteer support for the co-curricular and extra-curricular show choir program at John Burroughs High School and to augment existing funding provided by the Burbank Unified School District for the vocal music classroom curriculum.
Membership
Membership in the Vocal Music Association is open to parents and guardians of students currently enrolled in the choir program at John Burroughs High School as well as interested alumni and friends. Chairmanships are appointed and are open to any parent, alumni or friend, however, officer positions are voted in and are open to parents of current students only. Officers and Chairs are voted in or appointed yearly in May for the upcoming school year.
Meetings
Vocal Music Association meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the choir room (Room 7114). Meeting attendance is voluntary, however, the May and September meetings are mandatory for both parents and students and take place in the auditorium. Please check the calendar for current meeting dates.
The Program
The vocal music program at John Burroughs High School consists of both classical repertoires and show choir sets. The seven award-winning choirs include: Chamber, the advanced mixed choir, also known as Powerhouse when competing; Madrigals, the advanced women’s choir, also known as Sound Sensations when competing; Sound Waves, the intermediate mixed choir; Decibelles, the intermediate women’s choir; Men @ Work, the men’s choir; Vocal Ensemble, selected members from Chamber in an a capella ensemble; Muses, selected members from Madrigals in an a capella ensemble. (Complete list of Choirs and their Directors)
In addition to vocal music, the program also includes training in technical theatre for those students interested in learning about sound design and operation, lighting design and operation, stagecraft and working backstage as Tech Crew on a theatrical production.
While learning sight singing skills, music theory and music history, as well as classical singing in foreign languages, music students also learn modern music in multi-part harmonies. During the fall, choirs rehearse before and after school in anticipation of the competition season. After selected choirs appear in classical festivals and programs in the fall they look forward to the exciting show choir competitions in the spring. Schools from all over Southern California gather nearly every weekend starting in late January to compete for trophies and awards.
John Burroughs High School is proud to be the recipient of numerous awards both locally and nationally. The strength of the program is evidence of the commitment of our choir director, Mr. Brendan Jennings, and the hard-working choreography team, headed by Jennifer Oundjian, which includes Jennifer Stanley, Marie Gutierrez, Jason Myhre, Corey Hidalgo and Emily DePauw, the musical direction of Dan Scoville, and vocal assistance of Mary Rago, Christine DeMore, and Erin Duncan, as well as the technical theatre program headed by Jon King. With almost 200 students in our program, our parent volunteer organization is the largest on campus.
