Typically the North Carolina Elementary Honors Chorus is a group of approximately 195 students who are chosen from across North Carolina to perform at the NCMEA Conference each year. The 2021 event will be restricted to approximately 115 students in order to allow for better social distancing on the stage. The purpose of this Honors Chorus is to provide students with the opportunity to develop their abilities to the greatest possible extent. Due to the reduced size of the ensemble, teachers who are members of NCMEA are permitted to send in auditions from four of their students, rather than the traditional six. Adjudicators are hired to select the members of the Honors Chorus. Teachers then work with their students in preparation for the concert and students spend the day before the concert working with the clinician. Participating in the North Carolina Elementary Honors Chorus is very rewarding for teachers, students and their families.
Eligibility requirements for NCMEA Elementary Honors Chorus are set by the Honors Chorus committee. NCMEA supports each member section’s autonomy when setting criteria for participation in student events.
Greetings From The 2021 NCEHC Chair
Hello, my elementary music friends! My name is Christy White and I will be serving as the NCEHC chair for 2021. I taught general music at Banks Elementary in Lenoir County for 24 years and am currently Title IV Enrichment Facilitator for Wayne County Public Schools. I hold a BM in Music Education and Music Therapy, an MM in Music Education and an MSA in School Administration from East Carolina University. I am a National Board Certified Teacher in early and middle childhood music.
If I can be of any assistance, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Our NCEHC co-chair for 2021 is Mary Ann Foltz. She is in her 33rd year of teaching, the last 22 years of which have been in the Charlotte area of North Carolina. Mrs. Foltz presently teaches TK-4 General Music and is Director of Elementary, Middle and High School Choirs at SouthLake Christian Academy. Mrs. Foltz originally studied with Dr. Robert Holquist and Dr. Joyce Farwell at Western Carolina University and earned a BA in Vocal Performance and a BEd in Music at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio (’88).
2021 NC Elementary Honors Chorus Conductor
Dr. Derrick Fox is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He earned a BME from Arkansas State University, a MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a DMA in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University, where he was awarded the prestigious University Enrichment Graduate Fellowship. Dr. Fox has taught at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels. His conducting experiences have included singers from upper elementary choirs through collegiate and community choirs.
Dr. Fox has conducted all-state choirs, led international, national and regional choral concerts/residencies and presented professional development workshops across the United States and internationally. . Dr. Fox has held teaching residencies at the Latvian Academy of Music and Syracuse University, led performance tours through Lithuania and Estonia. His recent engagements include presentations in Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, New York, South Carolina, North Dakota, Missouri and Florida; as well as conducting the Hawaii All-State Choir, Alabama All-State Choir, New York All-State MS/JH Choir, the Wisconsin Collegiate All-State Choir and the 2019 National ACDA Middle School/Junior High Mixed Honor Choir. He recently traveled to South Africa as a 2019 ACDA International Conductor Exchange Fellow where he led choral workshops and rehearsals in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Potchefstroom.
His compositions and arrangements are published by Hal Leonard and Brilee Music. His book, Yes You Can: A Band Director’s Guide to Teaching Choirs is published by Carl Fischer. He launched The Derrick Fox Choral Series with Music Spoke to publish works by and about marginalized/underrepresented people.