Current Schedule

Summer Break

We will resume rehearsals on August 13 and sing for the Water service on August 16. See you there - and bring your friends and family!

Future Schedule

The future schedule we have so far:

August 16 Down to the River to Pray (with Children's Choir)
Wyatt, Somos el Barco (with Children's Choir)
Dalglish, Fount (with Children's Choir)

August 23 Hutchinson, All Will Be Well

August 30 Tallis, If Ye Love Me

Sept. 6 (Hardy, Os justi, depending on projected attendance)

Sept. 13 Schubert, Lebenslust

Sept. 20 arr. Walker, May the Lord God Bless You Real Good

Sept. 27 Aharony, Mima'amakim, movt. III

Oct. 4 Music by Eric Howe

Oct. 11 TBA (possibly Bruckner, Os justi)

Oct. 18 TBA

Oct. 25 Goetze, Song of Songs or Dello Joio, A Jubilant Song
(Emerson or Whitman texts)

Nov. 1 Collaboration with Colleen Haas, percussion

Nov. 8 Scarlatti, Exultate Deo

Nov. 15 TBA

Nov. 22 TBA

Nov. 29 TBA (possibly Barnwell, Spiritual)

Dec. 6 TBA

Dec. 12 Orchestra rehearsal for Holy Breath, time TBA

Dec. 13 Boyce, Holy Breath - entire cantata with orchestra
(Everybody both services!)

Dec. 20, 24 TBA

Dec. 27, Jan. 3 Choir off

Mark your calendars for these special events second semester:

Feb. 14 Big music Sunday: Love music. Everybody both services
April 4 Easter, Breeden-led gospel Sunday
April 11 Bach, Mass in A Major, Kyrie, Gloria, Cum Sancto with orchestra
(Everybody both services, rehearsal with orchestra the day before)

Do's and Don'ts

UU Church Choir:

Helpful Guidelines for Meaningful Participation and Maintaining a Cheerful Director

1. Do arrive on time.

2. Do pick up new music.

3. Do sign your name and the copy # on any music sign-out sheets.

4. Do pick up a pencil (and use it!)

5. Do introduce yourself to choir members you don’t know.

6. Do let the music director know of any personal or church-related items you would like announced.

7. Do let the music director know if you have expertise about something relevant to the music at hand.

8. Do pay attention to what we are rehearsing, even if your section is not participating, so you’ll know where to start.

9. Do treat all choir members with respect.

10. Do limit rehearsal-stopping questions to really crucial ones.

11. Do make every piece your own – it may take some personal translating.

12. Do remind the music director if she forgets to choose a benediction.

13. Do turn in your Gift of Music music on Sunday morning. Leave benediction music and music from previous weeks in your folders.

14. Do vocalize 10%, listen 90%.

15. Do sing with good posture – strong core and relaxed jaw, neck and shoulders.

16. Do channel your attention, energy, wit and wisdom into the forward momentum of the rehearsal.

On the other hand,

1. Don’t pick up music you already have in your folder (check again – are you sure?)

2. Don’t suggest a mass rearrangement of seating in the middle of rehearsal.

3. Don’t let your attention wander and then ask a question that has just been answered.

4. Don’t raise your hand with a question when the choir is about to sing.

5. Don’t tire your voice by over-singing.

6. Don’t disrupt the choir’s concentration with chatter.

7. Don’t ask the choir to spend a lot of time working on things they rehearsed while you were absent. (You can ask the Music Director to work with you individually, if necessary).

8. Don’t miss important announcements and carefully-planned warm-ups by arriving late.

Policies and Procedures

Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington Choir!

Policies and Procedures

Personnel

All who attend rehearsals and contribute a positive attitude are welcome in the UU Church choir. There are no auditions. Members of the choir span a wide range of abilities.

Everyone rehearses together on Thursday nights, but choir members may opt to sing only one service on Sunday morning. Please plan to give an indication on Thursday evening which service(s) you will sing on Sunday, so we can address any quorum issues.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals are Thursday evenings, 7:00-8:30, in the Meeting Room.

Sunday mornings, the first-service (9:15) choir will rehearse at 8:30, and the second-service (11:15) choir will rehearse at 10:30.

We rehearse music several weeks ahead, so even if you will not be available on Sunday, it is still advisable to attend rehearsal. If you have to miss a rehearsal or arrive late, please advise the Music Director in advance (preferably by e-mail), because it might affect the rehearsal plan.

The primary goal of rehearsals is to work in a concentrated way on the music, using our focused attention to connect with each other and with the beauty of the music and texts. Choir members are encouraged to monitor their own rehearsal behaviors, eliminating those that are distracting or slow the rehearsal momentum.

Music

Each choir member has his or her own folder, which can be left at church or taken home between rehearsals. New music will be left out near the folders each week, so pick up any new pieces before rehearsal. If the music is borrowed or expensive, there will be a sign-out sheet for your name and the copy # of the music. Please help us take care of our precious music library! And please make sure you have only one copy of each piece in your folder. If you have missed a rehearsal, ask the Music Director for any music handed out while you were gone.

On Sunday morning, music used in that service should be handed in immediately after the service, except benediction music, which usually remains in the folders. Old music can be put in the Dump File near the new music each Thursday.

Rehearsal Procedures

Arrive on time.

Pick up your folder, a pencil, and pick up and sign for any new music.

Declare your intentions for service(s) you will sing on Sunday.

Check for any posted announcements.

After rehearsal, either leave your folder in the cart or take it home.

Rehearsal Cancellations

On rare occasions, rehearsals may be cancelled due to severe weather conditions or other reasons. Notice will be given by email. One member of each section will be designated to phone the members of his or her section without email.

Sunday Mornings

We rehearse 45 minutes before each service on the music for that service. This usually consists of a Gift of Music and a short benediction. We also sometimes sing an introit/processional or prelude, descants to hymns, or lead special congregational songs.

After the service, please keep benediction music in your folder (unless instructed otherwise) and put all other music from that Sunday on the Music Director’s stand.

Costuming

The choir does not wear robes or uniforms. Choir members are encouraged to use common sense about clothing that is not noisy or distracting. (Remember that we sit on an elevated platform, so very short skirts can be an issue). Occasionally, the choir has been asked to dress cohesively (in solid colors, for example, or in black and white).

Special Events

A few times a year, the choir performs special music which requires some extra rehearsal - usually a Saturday dress rehearsal and occasionally an extra half hour the Thursday evening before. On these special Sundays, the entire choir sings both services.

Our choir is a part of the social justice network of the church, and as such, we consider it part of our mission to perform outreach programs. We make an annual trip to the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle for a Martin Luther King, Jr., Day program, and we have performed for many community and church special events. Most choir members find these events very rewarding, but participation is always voluntary.

Good Times

The UU Choir is full of wonderful, fun people who enjoy each others’ company and share each others’ joys and sorrows. If you have a personal or church-related announcement, please let the music director know before rehearsal, so it can be integrated into rehearsal at an appropriate time. Because rehearsal time is dedicated to music-making (and chatting is strongly discouraged), we make other times for social interaction before and after church, post-rehearsal parties, special events and retreats.