User:Lyle shaw/sandbox

Other activities
Other activities include Environmental Committe, Show Choir, Band, Student Council, and Junior Booster Club. The school has a very distinguished music department which offers both co-curricular and extra curricular choral and band activities. There is also an active chapter of the National Honor Society at Shepherd Hill.

Music Activities
Shepherd Hill features both vocal and instrumental ensembles. In regards to the vocal ensembles, Concert Choir, Show Choir, Chamber Singers, Women's Choir, and Madrigirls are available to students that wish to join. For the Show Choirs, Shepherd Hill features one that is an integrated boy/girl choir named Fantasy and an all girl choir named Illusion. Concert Choir and Women's Choir are the only vocal ensembles that do not require an audition. Both Show Choirs, Chamber Singers, and Madrigirls require an audition process to join. Each vocal ensemble is run by director Connie Galli.

The Show Choirs, Fantasy and Illusion, are the most active vocal ensembles at Shepherd Hill. They compete at multiple events and high schools against some of the top show choirs in the area during the academic year including Lowell, Somerset, and Waltham. The Show Choirs also perform the same material throughout the entire year. The other ensembles change their material in relationship to the season. For example, the concert choir will learn Christmas music during the months of November and December. At the end of each year, each choir performs at a final concert called "The Pop Concert". It is usually a farewell concert to the graduating class and features the seniors as solo performers during each of the songs.

Aside from the vocal ensembles, the instrumental ensembles include Jazz Band, Marching Band, Pit Band, Winter Guard, and Winter Percussion. Pit Band is the only ensemble that performs with any of the vocal ensembles. Specifically, they perform together with the Show Choirs. The pit band usually includes Piano I and II, Guitar, Bass, and Drums. In 2007, the pit band even featured Scott Ciprari from SJC Custom Drums.

The Jazz Band performs at multiple events throughout the school year. The Shepherd Hill Jazz Band usually features a large brass section including, Alto and Tenor Saxophones, Trombone, and Trumpet, with Electric Guitar, Upright Bass, and Drums.

Similar to the vocal ensembles, The Winter Percussion, Marching Band, and Winter Guard perform at various events during the year. The Marching Band usually also performs at half-time shows during football season at home games.

The Shepherd Hill Music department also offers Guitar and Piano beginner classes as well as a Music Theory class. The Music Theory class is particularly useful to students that wish to continue their education in music at a college or university after high school. In the Music Theory class, students learn how to identify intervals of notes, harmony, and modes.