Our Thursday night rehearsals include a number of
activities, beginning with physical warm-ups to get our bodies set
to sing and ending with announcements and a final evening song together.
Here's what happens on a typical night:
| 6:30 p.m. |
Mingling and auditing. This is a time to just
connect with each other and check your chorus mailbox. If a
member needs to audit a piece of music prior to performance,
she will often make plans with an auditor/tape listener to do
so. Members may also gather to review choreography. |
| 6:50 p.m. |
Physical warm-ups. A member of our Visual Team
leads us in stretches and light aerobics to uplifting music.
This gets our bodies ready for a night on the risers. |
| 7 p.m. |
Chorus vocal instruction (CVI). Our directors
take us through vocal warm-ups to engage our singing instrument.
This can include not only work on our ranges, but also breathing
exercises and rhythm drills. |
| 7:20 p.m. |
Section rehearsals. Each voice part goes to a
different location to work on music. Section leaders conduct
the sessions, helping each singer become more confident in her
notes and words for repertoire music. |
| 8 p.m. |
Learn new music. The chorus will stand in sections
on the risers and work on new songs. |
| 8:20 p.m. |
Choreography. A member of the Visual Team will
work with the chorus on new choreo or review repertoire movements. |
| 8:45 p.m. |
Repertoire work. The directors work as a team,
refining interpretation, trying new ideas and making the chorus
sound its best on given pieces of music. |
| 9:10 p.m. |
Performance rehearsal. If there is an upcoming
performance, we'll review the music and emcee spots as if we
are in actual performance. |
| 9:40 p.m. |
Weekly announcements. A member of the Integrated
Management Team will coordinate announcements about upcoming
events, chorus initiatives or any other chorus business. |
| 9:50 p.m. |
Circle up! We stand in a circle, hand-in-hand,
and sing a repertoire song together to close out the night in
a spirit of fellowship. |
| 9:50 p.m. |
Of course, there's alway more mingling! This
is also a possible time for auditing, choreo review, quartets
singing, checking your mailbox -- or just sharing the joy of
being together. |
