[HANASHIR:15422] Re: choir members miss rehearsals. What to do

[Jacqueline Guttman <jguttman...>]

See replies below in red:

From: Rabbi Richard Schachet <LVRabbi (at) cox(dot)net>
Reply-To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2003 19:25:38 -0700
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
Subject: [HANASHIR:15411] choir members miss rehearsals. What to do


Have a question that perhaps you can help us with--

We have a 12 voice all volunteer choir with a professional outstanding music
director and Cantor.

On more than one occasion, some of our choir members have missed practice.
Why--
"I had to help my married daughter pack for her trip back home"--"We have
family in town"-- "I have to work late"  I think it goes with the territory,
but last year we started taking attendance, it part to make a point. Also, I
gave them all the dates we'd be singing and the rehearsal schedule. It's
helped a bit, but there are still those who cavalierly skip. Most, however,
either come consistently, or at least apologize profusely. We also have the
"prima donna" issue, just a bit, with one or two who think they are that
much better (not so) that they can afford to skip. They have not learned
that it affects the whole choir if we then have to go over what they missed.
 
Also we have a 16 year old in the choir-- Outside of her menopausal actions
(I don't think so!) :-) sometimes that go along with being a teen ager, she
can never stay for the entire rehearsal..  She has school early in the
morning and must leave rehearsal at 8:00 PM-  It usually lasts until 9:30..
so she does not get the full rehearsal in.  She is also one who misses some
rehearsals completely.  I am thinking of requesting no teen agers for next
year for the adult choir.  Also requesting that the choir member make a
commitment to all of us.  If they miss even one rehearsal they can miss 3 or
4 numbers.  We've run into that with teens also.
 
Also next year we are starting rehearsal for High Holidays in June-- This
year we started in August.  Much to late and I feel the pressure-- We also
started in August, and I've been thinking of going through June, taking July
off, and then restarting. Another possibility I'm considering is starting
closer to the holidays but rehearsing twice a week, if I can schedule it.
This year, our 23-voice choir was missing 4-8 (different) people at every
August rehearsal because the were away. It drove me bonkers and wasted huge
amounts of time. So there we were in September, with vacant stares from half
of them when I worked on a new sermon anthem. It's disheartening.

I'd welcome more discussion of this topic, especially concerning rote
learners, which my choir mostly is. We made tapes this year for the first
time, because we had 3 new people, and that helped, but only the people who
actually listened!

Jackie Guttman




I am actively involved in going over the music with my music staff-- since I
like to choreograph the service in my mind before  we even walk out on the
bima.

This is one of the reasons, with all my faults, my pulpit is different and
good.


Rabbi Richard I Schachet
Valley Outreach Synagogue

The past has a vote, not a veto.  M. M.Kaplan z'l