Membership Expectations & Rehearsal Guidelines

Core Membership Requirements

Musical Qualifications

  • You must love to sing!
  • You should have a basic understanding of musical notation and ability to follow along in rehearsals.  The notation should serve as a “map,” but sight-reading is not required.
  • You need the ability to sing your part accurately, on pitch and in rhythm as written, with practice.

Commitment Expectations

Your membership is a covenant commitment with the leadership, other chorus members, and yourself to devote yourself to the work of making the group successful. This includes:

  • Practice Time: Devote at least one hour per week (minimum) outside of rehearsal to learning and rehearsing the music using the tools provided. While one hour/week is the minimum, 15 minutes or more per day is recommended.
  • Missed Rehearsals: If you miss a rehearsal due to illness or other constraints, review and practice with the recording of the missed rehearsal in a timely manner, preferably within the week.
  • Extended Absences: If you will miss more than two rehearsals in a session, talk with Alice to discuss your strategy for ensuring you are prepared for the concert.

Attendance

Make the time to attend every rehearsal that you can. Your time in rehearsal isn’t just for you, it’s for all of us. Each individual contribution enhances the group overall. If we don’t have critical mass, we can sing notes but we can’t make music.

Transportation

TCC members are expected to arrange for their own ongoing transportation to rehearsals. The organizing committee can no longer facilitate transportation. For specific one-time needs, it is acceptable to post to the mailing list or make an announcement at a rehearsal break.

Rehearsal Guidelines

Timing and Setup

  • Rehearsal starts promptly at 7:00 PM
  • Please arrive a few minutes early so you have a chance to catch up with your fellow singers, we can get settled in, and start on time
  • If you can come by 6:45 to help set up chairs, many hands make light work.

What to Bring

  • Water bottle: Your vocal chords need appropriate lubrication. Bring a reusable water bottle and drink freely. Put your name on your water bottle so it can find you when it gets lost.
  • Pencil: Have one with you, sharpened and at the ready. When Alice tells you to mark something in your music, do so! If you think you’re going to remember it, you’re probably fooling yourself.

During Rehearsal

  • No talking: When Alice is working with just one section, please be polite. Brief, quiet discussions of the music within a section is reasonable, but keep your voices down. Having a loud conversation or doing social catch-up when other folks are rehearsing is rude and disrespectful of both your director and your peers. Please save that for before and after rehearsal and during the break. If Alice needs to raise her voice to be heard over your conversation, it will burn out her voice, even with the PA system.
  • Ask questions: If you have a question about the music, chances are someone else has that same question. Do go ahead and ask it. We all learn more about the music in the process.

Fragrance Policy

Please do not wear perfume, cologne, or fragrances to rehearsals. Some folks are very sensitive to these products (to the extent of having it affect their breathing), and we’re in a relatively small space for the size group we have. Appropriate use of deodorants is fine.

Music and Folders

Please take care with your music and your folder. In consideration of the cost of the folders, the music, and the effort needed to procure replacements, we will be assessing a $75 fee for any folders not returned at the end of the session. (The fee will be waived if the folder and music make their way home instead.)

We encourage everyone to use the standard-issue numbered folder, as this significantly simplifies tracking the music. Some singers use digital copies of the music on a tablet. If you are interested in this, speak with Chris Manly for details.

Cancellations

While weather-related cancellations are rare in the fall session, they’re definitely a risk over the winter. If we are going to cancel a rehearsal, we will do our best to make the call before 6:00 PM. If the weather looks iffy, please check your email before you leave home. If we don’t cancel rehearsal by 6:00, it probably means that we will at least have someone there and we’ll do some singing. Certainly, if you ever don’t feel safe driving to rehearsal, stay home. We’ll understand.

Illness-Related Policies

  • We are no longer requiring documentation of vaccination status for COVID-19.
  • We expect participants to be responsible. If you are feeling sick or know you have been exposed, do not come to rehearsal.
  • To mitigate the effects of potential missed rehearsals, we will record rehearsals so that you can still participate at your convenience during the week.
  • Use of masks in rehearsals may vary according to current conditions. Generally, masks will be optional for rehearsals; however if conditions change we may require the consistent use of masks. Anyone who prefers to wear a mask for rehearsals is welcome to do so.