Strathmore Children’s Choir Policies
Attendance:
Choir members are expected to be on time for every rehearsal. Bravo choir rehearsals are for 30 minutes; Encore choir rehearsals are 60 minutes; Finale choir rehearses for 90 minutes, so there will be a short 5 minute break for them in the middle of their rehearsal; Showstopper rehearsals are 30 minutes. We will require the entire time to get through the material being taught, so plan to be on time and ready to sing. If for some reason your child will be unable to attend a rehearsal, please email Loralee in advance at:
director@strathmorechildrenschoir.com
Should your child choose not to complete the full year of choir, we will require one month’s notice for termination, and will deposit that month’s cheque.
Music:
Bravo choir members will not be given sheet music, as we will be learning most of our pieces by listening and repeating back the melody they hear. They will be given other handouts, and some music help sheets as well. These will need to be brought to rehearsals as instructed. Encore and Finale members are expected to bring all music handed out to each rehearsal in the folder provided. Each singer will be assigned a number that they will keep throughout the year, and all music handed out will correspond with that number. The music deposit of $20 will be held until May. If your child has kept all music in good order, your music deposit will be returned to you or destroyed.
Please try to keep all music in good repair, as we keep it for choirs in years to come.
Uniforms:
All choir members are required to wear a black sleeved shirt; for the boys it should also have a collar. Black pants & socks/black skirt & tights, and black shoes are required for all performances. The choir owns scarves and bow-ties that we provide for choir members to wear at performances.
Behaviour:
All members of the choir will be expected to behave respectfully before, during, and after rehearsals. As we will be trying to accomplish as much as possible in our rehearsal, there will not be time for repeated warnings to children who are acting inappropriately. Please encourage your child to be on his/her best behaviour, as otherwise they may be asked to sit out for a portion of the rehearsal. We also have an agreement with the United Church that our choir members will be well behaved and respectful of their surroundings. If your
child has behavioural issues that you are aware of, please let us know in advance so that we can work together to find the best way of working with each child.
Practicing:
As children will be allowed to bring their music home during the week and we encourage them to practice with it as much as possible. We will be providing recordings of the songs the choirs are working via downloadable files from our website. Please practice these songs with your child and encourage them to listen to the songs on their own. The more exposure they have to their music, the more prepared they will be on rehearsal day. It is our hope that the more you become involved in the learning process with your child, the more they will learn as well. It is also helpful to listen to other choirs sing the same recordings that the choirs are learning. If you receive a link to a performance, please try to watch it with your child as well.
Observing Rehearsals:
We ask that all parents who choose to stay and observe the rehearsals either inside the sanctuary or outside the sanctuary doors, remain quiet during rehearsal. Returning parents are asked to come in time to pick up their child promptly when the rehearsal has finished. We will have a “Sneak Peek” rehearsal sometime in November where you will be able to come and observe rehearsals and see what your child has been learning.
Drop-off and Pick-up:
Please drop off your child no sooner than 5 minutes prior to rehearsal. Pick-up for children is promptly upon the ending of rehearsals. Please be respectful and arrive on time to pick up your child, as one of the adults from choir is required to wait with them until they have a ride. There will be a parent volunteer in the lobby of United Church to supervise the Encore choir as they wait for their rehearsal to begin. Please walk your child to the door and the parent volunteer will look after them at that point. This is to cut down the amount of traffic and noise in the lobby while Bravo choir is trying to rehearse.
Payments:
Post-dated cheques will be deposited and e-transfers processed on the first business day of each month. A $25 charge will be applied to any NSF cheques.
Parent Volunteer Positions:
• Concert Coordinator: Responsible for organizing refreshments and all other necessities required for a concert, as well as supervising parent volunteers for setup and clean up
• Choir historian: Responsible for taking pictures at all events and saving all newspaper articles, etc.
• Printed Materials Designer: Responsible for designing programs, invitations and posters for upcoming concerts.
• Website Administrator: Uploads any pictures from recent concerts and rehearsals onto website; Ensures all upcoming events are on website; Uploads all music that choir is learning onto website
• Drop-Off Supervisor: Responsible for ensuring children are lined up and ready to go into rehearsal each week. This is a monthly, rotating position.
Most communication for parents on the board will be done via email, unless there is need to call a meeting. Again, this is not a huge time commitment throughout the year, but the specific duties help tremendously in carrying out the other responsibilities within the choir.