|
Knoxville Children's Choir
Information
|
|
REHEARSAL SCHEDULE AND LOCATION
KCC has two choirs and they rehearse on Tuesday(Apprentice grades 1-3) from 6:00-6:45 and Thursday evenings(Choir grades 4 and up) at the University of Tennessee School of Music. The choir as a whole rehearses from 5:30-7:00 and its Advanced Ensemble continues rehearsal until 8:00. The choir may also rehearse one Saturday each month from 10:00 a.m. － noon. Rehearsals will be announced as needed.
SUPPLEMENTAL REHEARSALS
In organizations such as ours, every year is different, and sometimes performance opportunities come out of the blue! In addition, preparing an hour-long spring production is a huge undertaking that requires a great deal of preparation. We will, therefore, need to have occasional supplemental rehearsals as we prepare for particular engagements, and ask that you do your best to attend when an extra rehearsal is called. They will generally be held on Tuesday evenings or Saturday mornings at a location to be arranged. We will endeavor to have no more than two extra rehearsals in any given month except prior to our spring performances, when there may be consecutive Saturdays and/or Tuesdays. We appreciate your cooperation as we strive for excellence. REHEARSAL DRESS Members should wear comfortable school clothing to rehearsal, except on special occasions when we will request that members wear KCC T-shirts. KCC "KICK-OFF" CAMP We will hold a kick-off camp in August to get the year started right! This camp is included in your tuition fees, and is required attendance for all choir members who are in town. It will be an intensive week of rehearsals allowing us to get a jump-start on our holiday material. It’s a fun-filled week of activities to help us get to know one another. KCC kick off week will be held at the University of Tennessee music building, the week of August 7, 8, 10 & 11 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Friday 5:30-7:00 pm. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! There will be a parent/chorister meeting Friday night at 7:00 at which time we will review details of the season and sign the required commitment forms. Information regarding fundraisers (starting in October) and our end-of-year trip will be distributed and discussed. The meeting will conclude by 8:00. PERFORMANCE PLANS
The choir will spend the Christmas/holiday season sharing our “musical holiday cheer” at various locations around town, finishing out the holiday season with three performances with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (See long range calendar). In January, rehearsals begin for a spectacular KCC production to be presented in May to the community at large. Professional sound and lighting technicians, combined with our cast of “semi-pros” will make this concert a must-see event! Children who begin the rehearsal season with us are required to commit to season performances. It is unacceptable to rehearse for four months and then decide not to perform. Preparation for arts events is different from preparation for, for instance, soccer or wrestling. The big "pay off" comes after months of work in art, where with sports, the "pay off" comes at weekly games. Perseverance is essential! Promotion of such events will begin this summer and any ideas, input or “influence” you may have in the area of bookings, performance opportunities, etc., is always welcome. CONCERT DRESS
We have formal dresses for the girls and vests for the boys. The rental fee is included in your registration fee. During the Christmas season we will also be asked to sing throughout the community in “Christmas Attire”. This includes sweaters, scarves, and hats that you must provide. Please keep this in mind as we come closer to the Christmas season. BEHAVIOR
We like to maintain a light-hearted, fun environment in our rehearsals, however, becoming a performer requires concentration and self-discipline. Rehearsals will begin promptly at 5:30 pm (unless otherwise noted) and will be active and intense. We expect members to exhibit appropriate behavior, demonstrating respect for their instructors and their peers (which includes cooperation, participation, enthusiasm and attitude!). Consequences of inappropriate behavior may range from time-out during rehearsals to loss of solos or other member privileges, including possible removal from a performance! Should a member be asked to leave the choir permanently, there will be no monetary refund. In cases of misbehavior, members will first be given a warning by their instructor. A second offense during the same rehearsal will require that the child be removed from rehearsal and a call home will follow. If the same disruptive behavior occurs at subsequent rehearsals, the child will be put on probation and the parents will be notified. If the undesirable behavior continues, the child will be dismissed from the program with no monetary refund. We believe morale is best built in a positive work environment and that parents as well as choir members and instructors make a big difference! We ask that all participants in our program strive toward the positive, avoiding the backbiting, negative comparisons that can so easily destroy the joyful environment we strive to build. We encourage attitudes of GRATEFULNESS, focusing on the wonderful opportunities we have to share our gifts with our community! SELECTION OF SOLOISTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
We strive to be fair and impartial in the selection of soloists, featured small groups, special speakers, etc. We will, however, have the final word in these matters, keeping in mind the overall quality of our performance, the attitude of those being considered, our long-range plans, and the particular strengths of each choir member. Thank you for your support where these rather tedious and sometimes sensitive matters are concerned. On rare occasions we are honored with opportunities to provide children for special concert events, such as an opera with the Knoxville Opera Company, or a concert with a celebrity who might be in town. They may require 10 voices or 100, depending on their needs. We will choose children, according to voice part and vocal quality for the particular venue and, most importantly, attitude and dependability. Members who are selected will be required to attend all rehearsals outside of regular KCC rehearsal time, along with all scheduled performances. An understudy will replace any child who is selected and chooses not to attend slated rehearsals and performances. It is imperative that our company is reliable and professional, and that we maintain attitudes of gratefulness for opportunities that come our way.
PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Please be aware that while we perform in big fancy venues, we are not a big fancy company with loads of corporate sponsors and a huge active board of directors. We are a small company! All clerical work, bookkeeping, filing, phoning (and the list goes on and on) are done by Teresa, Jill and Kristi along with your volunteer help. Please stand with us as we strive to provide something wonderful for our children and for our community. We are the only organization of our kind in the area! KCC STAFF
In addition to occasional guest instructors, conductors and clinicians, KCC has a regular staff of highly qualified professionals:
KCC BOARD
FEES
Fees - Read below and bring any questions to Teresa.
FINANCIAL AIDE
We have very little allowance for scholarships, however we will do our best to work with you in
special situations. Please do not hesitate to contact Teresa privately with ANY financial concern. We
will do our best to work with you. We are actively seeking corporate and individual contributions toward a scholarship fund. Spread the word! MARY LOU O'HERN SCHOLARSHIP FUND
This scholarship fund has been established in honor of KCC’s founder, Mary Lou O’Hern. This scholarship was developed to offer singers 1/2 tuition to enable as many singers as possible with the ability to participate in KCC. This scholarship does not include your registration fee. For more information on the scholarship, please see Teresa, or Kristi. OTHER EXPENSES
KCC sweatshirts are available for children or adults for $20.00 - this is optional. Information will be sent out to you when we are ready to order sweatshirts. Members need to purchase a notebook in which to keep their music. All music may be hole punched and placed into the folder. MUSIC
Choristers are required to take care of all music, considering the expense involved. All marks in the music must be neat and legible. Torn music may be taped. Lost music charge is $3.00 per piece. A list of all music distributed will be in each chorister’s folder and every child will be assigned a music number. Choristers need to bring 2 sharpened pencils and their folders to every rehearsal. ATTENDANCE
Attendance at all rehearsals, concerts, tours, etc. is necessary if we are to maintain our standards and achieve our goals. The only acceptable excuses are illness, a family emergency or a required school event that extends into an evening rehearsal. If a chorister is absent more than three times in a semester for any reason, the chorister and parent must speak with Teresa before returning to rehearsals. MANDATORY EVENTS
Dress Rehearsals and performances are mandatory. Failure to attend these events will result in dismissal from the choir. Exceptions: School event or extreme illness or family emergency. It is important to make it clear that EVERY student/family who has made the choice to be a KCC member will have other activities arise that the member may wish to participate in. We will do our best to cooperate with you when conflicts arise (particularly for Saturday morning sports conflicts), but we expect that you will make KCC a priority if your singer expects to get to perform when show time rolls around. Before signing your commitment form or signing up for other activities, please check your KCC long-range calendar carefully. TARDINESS AND ABSENCES
As parents ourselves, we understand your hectic schedules. We understand that you will have scheduling conflicts from time to time. Chronic tardiness and absenteeism may result in loss of rehearsal privilege, or removal from a particular performance. If a chorister is tardy 3 times that will count as 1 absence. A chorister must be in the rehearsal room ready to begin at 5:30 or they will be counted tardy. Our rehearsals will be packed with material, guest speakers and skill-building activities. Thanks for your cooperation! Choir members who have more than 3 absences in a rehearsal season (August-December and January-May) will not be permitted to perform, unless special arrangements are made with Teresa and Dr. J, and/or the child passes a solo exam on all music. What we are doing in our organization is not of average difficulty! We don't simply "learn songs": We are training "vocal athletes,”solid musicians, and ensemble singers. It is important that every family consider our standards before committing to the program. BI-ANNUAL TRIP
Every other year we take a 3-5 day trip in early June. As always our major trip considerations are:
We will give you extensive details during kick-off week or as soon as possible so you can make your plans and financial arrangements immediately. There will be at least two fund raisers to help pay for your trip. QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS
At any time throughout the year, please do not hesitate to communicate any questions or concerns you may have. It is important to us that we take care of any misunderstanding or problem early on to avoid the potential repercussions of unresolved resentment and conflict. Teresa may be reached at 387-0211, or before or after any KCC rehearsal or function. Remember: We cannot address your concerns if you do not let them be known! Your children are very important to us! We do ask that you reserve any lengthy concerns to a time outside of rehearsals. THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!
Thank you for considering KCC for your musical performance activity! We are committed to providing an excellent program for Knoxville area youth and feel very fortunate that you have entrusted us with your children. The benefits of a program such as this will last a lifetime! Please remember: You have joined a TEAM. We train together. We sweat together. We perform together and we have FUN together. |