1) We’re a team, so show up on time and don’t miss rehearsals. Regular attendance is expected and you are expected to be punctual. Please do not come to rehearsal if you are sick. Please inform your section leader if you will be absent from rehearsal. If you have more than 4 absences, you may be subject to a music test to confirm that you know your part. Please understand that illness, work, family obligations, and travel all count as absences, no matter how unavoidable. Religious observances do not count against your absences.
2) Bring a pencil and get a binder. Please put all your music into a hardcover black notebook or binder immediately, and do not wait until the dress rehearsal. Shuffling around a pile of loose papers while looking for the next piece is a big time waster in rehearsal, and unnecessary if your music is in a binder. You are also expected to bring a pencil to rehearsal to make notes in your music. Repeating instructions that have been given multiple times is another big time waster in rehearsal. Write stuff down!
3) Be quiet and pay attention during rehearsal. You are expected to pay attention and not talk among yourselves when you aren’t singing. What is said to other parts usually applies to your part as well, and every time a director has to repeat something, it is a waste of everyone’s time. All too often the directors have to shout to be heard or to get the attention of those who are engaged in conversation or other activities like texting. Please be respectful of the directors and other choristers by staying engaged and not chatting or texting among yourselves.
4) Practice your music between rehearsals. You are expected to review your scores and listen to the suggested videos and rehearsal tracks outside of rehearsal. Although we do spend rehearsal time learning notes, more home-prep means we can focus on other aspects like phrasing, dynamics, entrances and cut-offs, diction, blend, vocal tone, etc. Not every song will have rehearsal tracks posted, so keep in mind that if you aren’t a reader, you will have to find an alternative way of learning your part. If you need extra support, please be proactive in finding online resources. You may also consider bringing some sort of recording device to rehearsals to record your part as it is being rehearsed.
5) There will be Saturday rehearsals that you are required to attend. We have occasional Saturday rehearsals that you should do your best to attend. Dress rehearsals occur the week of performances and may be on Wednesday or Friday or both. Dress rehearsals are mandatory.
6) We have a dress code for concerts. We wear all black with a pop of color. This means formal dress clothes—no black jeans or collarless shirts, and no bare arms or extremely short skirts. This also means dress shoes—no black sneakers or flip-flops. There may be some departures from this depending on the concert, so pay attention when dress code is announced!
7) Pay your dues! Dues are $130 per semester and expected to be paid prior to the start of the semester. We don’t want financial issues to stop any member from singing, however, so if there are any issues regarding the ability to pay the dues, please speak to the President or Treasurer. Dues are important to the choir, as they help pay for rehearsal space, concerts, directors, piano tuning, concert programs, music, occasional snacks, extra musicians, sound setup, pencils, nametags, riser pickup and delivery, and more!
8 ) You are expected to occasionally bring snacks and clean up afterward. One of the fun aspects of the BCC is our socializing. We have a break most rehearsals and you will be asked to sign up to bring snacks for everyone. Please note that when you bring snacks you are required to also stay after rehearsal long enough to help clean up.
9) Help with chairs. Chairs have to be set up at the beginning of rehearsal and taken down at the end. Please help with this as much as you can, it isn’t fair to expect other people to do this for you.
10) We have occasional opportunities for solos and select chamber choirs. All solos and chamber membership are at the discretion of the directors and are subject to a successful audition. The directors want to assure you that they try to be as fair as possible, but they must also be relatively certain that a soloist or chamber member can learn their part on their own and perform it reliably at concerts. The choristers who are chosen are not necessarily the people with the best voices, but are the people who have best prepared for their auditions. Also, quite often, few people show up for auditions, which forces the directors to choose people they know and that have a proven track record of ability and willingness.