Overview:

The Evanston Children’s Choir (ECC) accepts girls & boys grades 2 through 12 from all over the Greater Chicago area.  The ECC consists of three treble choirs at different levels: the Junior Choir (beginners), Intermezzo (intermediate) and the Concert Choir (advanced).  All new singers must audition for an initial evaluation and for placement in the most appropriate choir.  Since we are strictly a treble choir, we regret that we cannot accommodate older boys with changed voices.

The Concert Choir rehearses twice a week and is directed by Gary Geiger, assisted by an intern and pianist Evelyn Dias.  Intermezzo rehearses once a week and is directed by Associate Director Monica Blacconeri, also assisted by our pianist Evelyn and possibly an intern.  The Junior Choir rehearses once a week but is split into 2 rehearsal groups on different days.  Both Junior Choir groups learn the same music, will perform together, and are directed by Monica Blacconeri, assisted by volunteer interns plus our pianist Evelyn.  Parents and other visitors are always welcome to observe all rehearsals.  Gary Geiger also serves as Administrative Director for the ECC.  The ECC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  As such, its operations are overseen by a Board of Directors.

Semesters:
Our season consists of two semesters. Fall Semester begins Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 and ends with the December 18th Holiday Concert.  Winter/Spring Semester begins Monday, January 9th, 2012, and ends with the Spring Concert in early June.  The ECC goes on hiatus for the summer.  We accept new kids about halfway into each semester, space permitting.

Tuition:
Tuition this season is $150 per semester for the Intermezzo and Junior Choirs, and $195 per semester for the Concert Choir.  Please make checks payable to “Evanston Children’s Choir.”  

We do not turn any child away because of money, so we have an “honors system sliding scale” with respect to tuition.  We ask all parents/guardians having trouble with the full fee to simply pay the amount of the fee they can afford.  We want to be accessible to everyone.  Just let us know if you need tuition assistance.

Refunds will be issued if requested within 2 weeks of a new semester, or within 2 weeks of joining.  No refunds will be given as of the 3rd rehearsal of a semester, or the 3rd rehearsal after which a child joins.

Who, What, When, Where:
Rehearsals are held weekly at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Studio 107, in Evanston, as follows:

• Concert Choir: Tuesdays 4:15-5:45 and Thursdays 4:15-5:15, Directed by Gary Geiger; semesters start Sept. 6th, Jan. 10th
• Intermezzo: Wednesdays, 4:15-5:30, Directed by Monica Blacconeri; semesters start Sept. 7th, Jan. 11th
• Junior Choir Monday*: Mondays, 4:15-5:15, Directed by Monica Blacconeri; semesters start Sept. 12th, Jan. 9th
• Junior Choir Friday*: Fridays, 4:15-5:15, Directed by Monica Blacconeri; semesters start Sept. 9th, Jan. 13th

*Although both Junior Choirs are essentially the same, singers must choose one rehearsal group, Monday OR Friday, to be a part of for each entire semester.

The complete rehearsal schedule for each semester will be posted on our website (see “ECC ONLINE” below).  Rehearsals are typically extended a bit close to major performances, and once in a while an extra one may be added.  These things will all be announced as they come up.  Parents/guardians are responsible for keeping up with the rehearsal schedule.

Rehearsal Guidelines:

• Attendance: One of the single most important things to us is consistent attendance.  We can only achieve what we do if our kids show up consistently.  Please see “ATTENDANCE” below for details.
• Behavior: The ECC is very fortunate to have a residency on the Noyes Cultural Arts Center.  All kids are expected to treat the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, its staff, and its other resident artists and their facilities with the utmost respect at all times.  Misbehavior in or around the Noyes Center may threaten our residency there and will simply not be tolerated.  Significant misbehavior is grounds for expulsion from the ECC.
• Attention & Focus: A particularly high level of focus and attentive participation is expected of kids in the Main and Concert Choirs.  Consistent lack of attention or disruptive/distracting behavior may be grounds for demotion to a lower ECC Choir.
• Water: Kids should bring water bottles to rehearsal, but only drink in-between singing (you’d think that should be obvious...).
• Food & Snacks: Food is allowed in the Noyes Center, but we very much prefer that kids either eat snacks on the ride to rehearsal or on the ride home, for the sole reason of avoiding messes.  Break time for Concert Choir members should primarily be used as a bathroom break.  Kids who do bring snacks should be sure to clean up after themselves or they will forfeit the privilege.  Food is never to be eaten during rehearsal time.  Water is the only beverage allowed into Studio 107 by singers.  Gum and cough drops are dangerous while singing and are not permitted.
• Bathroom: We ask that kids please try to use the bathroom sometime before rehearsal.  The vast majority of our bathroom requests come from our Juniors, and their rehearsals are only an hour.  We don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask kids to hold it for an hour unless they’re seriously about to pop.  Once the first person is allowed to go, the pleas to go typically become constant and are extremely disruptive to rehearsal.
• Cell Phones: These must be turned completely off during rehearsal time, save for exceptions allowed by the director.
• Binders/Folders: Kids should always have these at every rehearsal, whether they think they need them or not.  If they take them home during the week, they should bring them back to use at the next rehearsal (see “BINDERS & FOLDERS” below).
• Pick-up: While waiting to be picked up after rehearsal, we prefer that kids wait inside the Noyes Center unless in the company of a parent or other trusted adult.  The ECC and its staff cannot be responsible for kids once they leave the building.  Please be sure your kids have clear instructions from you as to where you expect them to be, or to go, right after rehearsal.

Weekly E-mails and Notes to Parents/Guardians: THIS IS CRUCIAL!
The evening after every rehearsal (after the Tuesday rehearsal for Concert Choir), the director sends an e-mail “check-in” to every parent/guardian on the e-mail list.  These e-mails will often contain an attached note containing information about coming events, any recent issues, etc.  These notes are the ECC’s primary means of communication with all of you.  They often contain crucial information about times & places of performances, changes that sometimes arise, etc., as well as a myriad of other important things.  These notes can also be viewed at any time on our website by clicking on the Parent/Guardian Info navigation, followed by Notes to Parents/Guardians (see “ECC ONLINE” below).   Please make it a habit to check your e-mail and/or the website for notes on or soon after rehearsal days, looking for an e-mail with “ECC” in the subject line, and be sure to check your “bulk” or “junk” mail inboxes too since these group messages often end up there.   All ECC parents are responsible for keeping up with the information in the notes, and we ask that you please read all notes thoroughly.  If you do not keep up with the notes, you will not know what’s going on.

Sometimes there are additional things to address in-between rehearsals too, so generally keep an eye out for anything with “ECC” in the subject line.

If you do not have e-mail access, please let your director know so you can receive notes in paper form.

Overview:
Attendance at performances should be given the highest priority. Please see “ATTENDANCE” below

The Concert Choir is our primary performing choir.  The Intermezzo and Junior Choirs perform too, but not as much.  Our season centers around our two biggest self-produced annual concerts: the Holiday Concert in mid-December and the Spring Concert in early June.  All ECC Choirs will participate together in those two concerts, each singing its own material and possibly some songs together.  In-between those concerts there will be a number of other performances, which will always be announced well in advance as they arise (see “ECC Performance Schedule” below).  The Concert Choir typically does 8 to 10 performances a year, while Intermezzo may do 5 or 6 and the Junior Choirs usually do 4.  Parents/guardians are responsible for keeping up with the performance schedule.
 
Please keep in mind that we consider any performance to be very important if it is worth doing at all—not just the Holiday and Spring Concerts.  Performing at various venues is how we share ourselves with a variety of audiences, and it also helps us build our reputation and grow.

Our Junior and/or Intermezzo Choir traditionally does one concert each May during a school day for a student assembly at chosen public school.  These free concerts are performed as part of the ECC’s outreach efforts, bringing quality multicultural music to other kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience it.  Still, we don’t ask kids to get out of school lightly and usually only ask once a year.  Since it is more difficult to get older kids dismissed from school for daytime performances, we avoid booking such gigs for the Concert Choir.  However, if we happened to get an amazing performance opportunity for the Concert Choir during a school day, we would either ask for volunteers to see if we could get enough kids together to swing it or we would turn it down.  The ECC has already turned down professional performance requests during school days in the past.

ECC Performance Schedule:
Everyone will receive an “ECC Performance Schedule” containing a summary of dates, times, and locations of upcoming performances for each Choir.  These may be updated periodically in any semester.  Please always keep the most current schedule posted somewhere helpful to you so you can keep track of performances, e.g. on the fridge.  The Performance Schedules for all Choirs are also posted on our website (see “ECC ONLINE” below).

The “CALL TIME” on the list refers to the time that singers should have already arrived at a given location before a performance.  The time between the call time and actual performance is crucial for warming up, reviewing our material and cues, and going over logistics.  

A “CHECKLIST PICK-UP” is a procedure we follow at many performances, particularly for performances where we are "out in the field" and not doing self-produced events at our familiar venues of Alice Millar Chapel, Lake Street Church or Nichols Concert Hall.  For such performances, we ask that all parents or carpooling chaperones please check in with the director or another designated staff member or volunteer when picking up kids, so we can check each kid off on our list and make sure every singer is safely accounted for.

General Comments:
Consistent attendance at rehearsals and performances is one of the single most important things to us, as is communication with your director if your child has to miss something. We know that sometimes, often for a stretch of time, circumstances in your lives may make it particularly difficult for your child to attend rehearsals and/or performances.  If you are experiencing such difficulties, please tell your director.  Perhaps we can help (e.g. with coordinating rides), but at the very least we’ll know you’re not just skipping out on things due to lack of interest or commitment.  Communication is the key, and we are very patient and understanding about life difficulties if you simply let us know they exist for you.

Attendance at Rehearsals:
We take rehearsal attendance seriously.  Our overall goal for attendance is 90%.  This is a standard goal for most serious groups.  Attendance is a key consideration in deciding whether or not to promote otherwise qualified singers from one Choir to the next level.  There are understandably times when a singer must miss rehearsal—due to illness, a special religious event, etc.  We just ask that you please not skip rehearsals lightly.  If your child must miss a rehearsal, please:

• NOTIFY your director beforehand, or very soon afterwards.  It’s required, and it’s common courtesy.
• Give a REASON for the absence.  It’s also required, and it’s also common courtesy.

We ask that such communication come directly from the parent or guardian of the child in question.  Keep in mind that if a singer misses several rehearsals—for any reason—close to a performance, it may be necessary for that singer to sit out the upcoming performance.  Singers who miss too many rehearsals for any reason may be required to sit out for the remainder of a given semester

Concert Choir members who miss several rehearsals in a semester may be required to pass a vocal “test” on the music currently being learned, i.e. that singer must be able to sing through her/his part alone (with piano accompaniment) on all material covered up to that point.  This test may be repeated if even more rehearsals are missed.  Alternately, mandatory make-up sessions may be planned for Concert Choir singers who miss several rehearsals, at the discretion of the Director.  Concert Choir singers who miss too many rehearsals for any reason may fall too far behind, and may therefore be asked to switch to the Intermezzo Choir for the rest of a given semester.

“No-show” absences at rehearsals—those for which the director was given no notice either in advance or very soon after the rehearsal—are not acceptable.  They are taken very seriously, especially in the Concert Choir.  A warning will be given after the first such absence.  Any Concert Choir member with more than 1 no-show absence risks losing the privilege of being in the Concert Choir, and may be asked to switch to the Intermezzo Choir.  Intermezzo or Junior Choir members with more than 2 no-show absences may be required to sit out an upcoming performance, or the matter may be dealt with in another manner as deemed appropriate by the Director.  Members of any Choir who pile up too many no-show absences may be dismissed from the ECC altogether.

Attendance at Performances:
Attendance at all performances is mandatory.  As stated earlier, we take all performances very seriously—not just the Holiday and Spring Concerts—and they should all be given high priority.  Please mark your calendars as soon as you receive a booking, and plan around all performances to the best of your ability.  That having been said, we realize that there are times when conflicts arise that simply cannot be worked around, and some kids must miss a performance.  If this is the case, please notify your director well in advance of any performance in which your child cannot sing.  We try our best to give very advanced notice about upcoming performances (see “ECC Performance Schedule” on p. 3), usually 2 months or more, and we ask that you let your director know about any conflict with any performance immediately, as soon as it arises.  If too many singers pull out of a performance just days beforehand, it undermines that performance and leaves the director no option to cancel it, putting the group in a precarious position.  Accordingly, late notification of absences from performances are not acceptable unless accompanied by a very good reason.

“No-show” absences at performances are the most serious infraction of all, particularly for Concert Choir members.  It should never be the case, barring a truly traumatic event, that a singer misses a performance without prior notification or an explanation immediately afterwards.  Any such offense may result in demotion from the Concert Choir.

Overview:
The uniform for the Junior and Intermezzo Choirs is identical, consisting basically of a gold (yellow) polo shirt with the ECC logo on it.  The plan had been for Concert Choir members to have new formal uniforms this season, but due to various complications this has been put off until next season.  For now, Concert Choir singers will wear the same polo shirt as the Junior and Intermezzo Choirs plus newly-issued black pants/skirts.  Singers should refrain from wearing any accessories that stick out too much (thus the term “uniform”), such as huge bracelets, long & chunky necklaces, etc.  We are not too particular about how kids wear their hair, but we do expect kids to look nice and presentable.  In the case of an outdoor performance, long hair should be pinned down or pony-tailed in case the wind kicks up.  Please choose stable, comfortable shoes that stay securely fastened to your child’s feet!  High heel and platform shoes are prohibited, as they are dangerous on stairs and risers, and can interfere with kids walking swiftly and smoothly on and off stage in formation.

Formal vs. Casual:
For each performance, the appropriate dress will be indicated as either “formal” or “casual.”  The dress code is as follows:

• Formal dress: For Concert Choir members, this means our gold polo shirt plus the newly-issued black skirt/pants, with your own black socks/hose and black dress shoes.  For the Intermezzo and Junior Choirs, the formal uniform is our gold polo shirt with your own black dress bottoms, black socks/hose, and black dress shoes.  Junior and Intermezzo girls may wear skirts or dress pants, but should be sure to wear a bottom that the shirt can be tucked into.  Any ECC singer who shows up to a formal performance not in full uniform (including black socks/hose & shoes) will not be able to perform.
• Casual dress: This is the same for all Choirs, including Concert Choir: our gold polo shirt with any casual bottoms (e.g. jeans).  We would typically dress casual at events like a radio broadcast or a street fair.  Even with casual dress, kids should still wear bottoms that shirts can be tucked into, and still avoid problematic shoes.

Uniform Cost:
The cost of the gold polo shirt for all choirs is $15. The cost of the black Concert Choir skirt/pants is an additional $25.  Any ECC family that cannot afford the required uniform will be given a loaner uniform, to be returned to the ECC at the end of the season or when the singer leaves the ECC.  For any family paying less than full tuition, the uniform will automatically be considered a loaner.  Intermezzo and Junior Choir families must provide their own black dress bottoms, and all families must provide their singers with their own black socks/hose and black dress shoes as described above in “Formal vs. Casual.”  

Our intent is that families only pay once for any given uniform.  When your child grows out of her/his uniform, simply let us know and we will up-size you at no cost if the uniform is returned in good condition, for as long as that child is in the choir.  If any component of your child’s uniform becomes damaged or lost, you are responsible for the cost of its replacement.

Overview:
Every singer in each Choir will be given a new 3-ring binder or folder to use each semester, with his/her name on it, containing all of that semester’s repertoire.  All binders, folders and sheet music remain property of the ECC.  We ask that you do not take music in and out of the binders and folders because the binder rings bend, the folder fasteners get messed up, and the music gets lost.
 
The binder/folder is to be used during rehearsals and also may be taken home for practice, which we encourage.  Periodically, often before performances, your director may require all the kids to take their binders/folders home to practice, usually to work on memorizing words.  Almost all of our performing is done from memory.

Refundable Deposit:
Each family is required to submit a refundable $20 deposit for each binder or folder, to be returned (or shredded, if a check) upon the ECC’s receipt of that binder or folder at the end of each semester, or when a singer drops out of the ECC.  The original Fall Semester deposit check may be rolled over to Winter/Spring Semester if the Fall binder/folder is returned.  Binders/folders not returned within 2 weeks after their due date will be considered lost, and the deposits for those binders/folders will be cashed.  Please treat your binder/folder like a school textbook.

FUNDRAISING:

Overview:
The ECC is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  We never turn any child away because of money, we do not charge admission to our self-produced concerts, and we offer free outreach performances/concerts at various venues throughout the community each year.  Tuition, which we keep low in the spirit of accessibility, covers less than half the ECC’s annual expenses.  We must make up the difference through fundraising.  We undertake two annual fundraising endeavors, listed below:

The Holiday Fund Drive:
This is a standard solicitation-by-mail campaign in November/December.  It is run by the ECC Board of Directors.  We welcome the names of any potential donors you may offer who you think wouldn’t mind receiving a letter from us and may support us.

The March Fundraiser:
Our big annual fundraiser is held every March, and typically includes a silent auction (including arts & crafts from ECC kids and families), a major raffle, food & beverages, and performances by various ECC Choirs.  It may have some sort of theme (in addition to the theme of raising cash, that is!).  It is held over 2 days simply due to the size of the event.  For the 2011-2012 Season it will be held on Friday evening, March 23rd and Saturday afternoon, March 24th.  The Concert and Intermezzo Choirs will perform on Friday, and the Junior Choirs on Saturday.  This event requires the participation of everyone—our kids, the ECC Staff and Board, our ECC parents and families, and area businesses and other friends—whether that means bringing food, selling raffle tickets, finding/making/offering silent auction items, or volunteering.  In the weeks before the fundraiser, we will be asking every ECC family how they can help with the event.  Many ECC kids usually get involved beyond their performances, either volunteering or using their artistic and crafty talents to make silent auction items for the event.  In the spirit of giving as we receive, the ECC traditionally donates a portion of the returns from this event to a different charity each year, usually one of our kids’ choosing.

ECC ONLINE*

*Please note: The ECC is on Facebook, but our Facebook page is NOT an official source of information for ECC families.  Please always check the ECC website (below) for performance and rehearsal information, notes from your director, etc.

www.evanstonchildrenschoir.org

This is our official website.  It contains a wealth of information about the ECC for parents and the general public alike.  The most important place on the site for you is the navigation near the upper left called “Parent/Guardian Info,” which gives you online access to all the info you need as ECC parents.  For ECC parents, the website is a back-up resource in case you can’t find notes sent via e-mail, and it is a convenient way to get any information about anything ECC-related, from any computer at any time.  So, if you click on Parent/Guardian Info, you will see the following sub-headings open up

Parent/Guardian Info

Notes to Parents/Guardians
Performance Schedule
Rehearsal Schedule
Guidelines & Info
Repertoire