Welcome to the homepage of the San Juan Hills High School Vocal Music Conservatory. Students have the opportunity to enroll in the Vocal Conservatory alongside their normal curriculum in choir. Students who complete the Conservatory program will be better prepared for applying for college as music majors and get a head-start in music careers. Students involved in the Conservatory are expected to reach learning benchmarks at the end of each semester to progress in the program. This is an exciting program that demands excellence and gives students greater opportunities to improve their skills.
Our Mission
Our mission in the Vocal Music Conservatory is ultimately to give our students a higher level of education for those students who wish to pursue music as a potential career. Many talented students who study music in high school find themselves woefully unprepared when they enroll as Music Majors in college. The purpose of the Vocal Music Conservatory is to bridge the gap and alleviate the culture shock that happens to many students transitioning from high school to college-level music. The curriculum is set up to give students the requisite skills to succeed in their first years as a Music Major in College.
What am I learning?
Students in the Vocal Music Conservatory have to reach benchmarks of learning every semester including a vocal jury. Juries are a common practice in college-level music in which you must perform solo repertoire in front of your instructors for a grade and/or approval to continue in the major for the next year. Juries are held regularly for our Conservatory students each semester while those students who are in their Junior and Senior years must perform in a recital. By their senior year, Conservatory students should be able to perform classical art songs and arias in all of the major western languages including: English, French, Italian, and German. While much of the jury/recital repertoire is classical, Conservatory students are also encouraged to sing a variety of musical styles including musical theater, jazz, and pop.
Conservatory students are also tested on their sight-reading skills, piano playing skills, music theory knowledge, and ear training. Additional requirements are to attend professional/college music performances, volunteering in arts/music based organizations, a minimum of three solo performances per semester, and auditioning for local honor choirs.
Do I have to take Additional Classes?
Yes, but not a lot. Conservatory requires students to manage their own time since the majority of the learning is outside of the normal curriculum. Students are expected to be enrolled in choir every year, enroll in a minimum of one year of drama, and enroll in AP Music Theory. Additional requirements also include maintaining a 3.0 GPA in all classes as well as earning a minimum of a "B" in AP Music Theory.
I want to Learn how to Conduct
Great! We have a Choral Conducting specialization in the Conservatory for those students who may be interested in being a choral conductor in their future. Students who pursue the Choral Conducting specialization must complete all of the Vocal Music Conservatory requirements in addition to the requirements for Conducting. These requirements include weekly conducting coachings, book reports, conducting juries, and conducting performances. This is a wonderful opportunity unlike any at the high school level.