EVANSTON CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Guidelines and Information for the 2010-2011 Season*please scroll down
Office:
2110 Warren St.
Evanston, IL 60202-1954
Gary Geiger, Director:
(847) 733-0814
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Kathryn Crabb, Associate Director:
(317) 605-5410
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Rehearsal Location:
Noyes Cultural Arts Center
927 Noyes St.
Studio 107
Evanston, IL 60202
CHOIR STRUCTURE
Overview:
The Evanston Children’s Choir (ECC) accepts girls & boys grades 2 through 12 from all over the Greater Chicago area. The ECC currently consists of four treble choirs at three different levels: Junior Choir 1 and Junior Choir 2 (entry level), the Main Choir (upper level) and the Concert Choir (advanced level). All 2nd graders and most 3rd graders start in the Junior Choir. Kids in 4th grade and above are assigned to the appropriate Choir according to their current levels of both maturity and musical development. All new kids must audition—2nd & 3rd graders for an initial evaluation, and 4th graders and above for placement. Since we are strictly a treble choir, we unfortunately cannot accommodate older boys with changed voices.
Rehearsals for the Main and Concert Choirs are conducted by Gary Geiger, assisted by Associate Director Kathryn Crabb (or an intern) and Pianist Evelyn Dias. Junior Choirs 1 and 2 are conducted by Gary Geiger and Kathryn Crabb respectively, and each Junior rehearsal is assisted by a volunteer member of the Main or Concert Choir, plus our pianist Evelyn. Both Junior Choirs learn the same material. 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 7th, 2010 and ends with the December 19th Holiday Concert. Winter/Spring Semester begins Monday, January 10th, 2011, and ends with the Spring Concert in early June. The ECC goes on hiatus for the summer.
We accept new kids well into each semester, provided there is room. If you know of a potential new singer for us, please have his/her parent or guardian call Gary Geiger at the Office number listed above (which is also his home number) to set up an audition.
Tuition:
Tuition this season is $140 per semester for all Choirs, even though the semesters and rehearsals differ in length. Please make checks payable to “Evanston Children’s Choir.”
Our policy is to 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 might need a tuition break.
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.
REHEARSALS
Who, What, When, Where:
Rehearsals are held weekly at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Studio 107, in Evanston, as follows: - Main Choir: Tuesdays, 4:15-5:15, Directed by Gary Geiger; semesters start Sept. 7th, Jan. 11th
- Concert Choir*: Tuesdays, 4:15-5:45, Directed by Gary Geiger; semesters start Sept. 7th, Jan. 11th
- Junior Choir 1: Fridays, 4:15-5:15, Directed by Gary Geiger; semesters start Sept. 10th, Jan. 14th
- Junior Choir 2: Mondays, 4:15-5:15, Directed by Kathryn Crabb; semesters start Sept. 13th, Jan. 10th
*The Concert Choir is a subset of the Main Choir. Concert Choir members rehearse as part of the Main Choir until 5:15, then work on their own material until 5:45, after a 5 min. break.
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.
Rehearsal Guidelines:
- Attendance: One of the single most important things to us is consistent attendance. The Main and Concert Choirs in particular accomplish as much in one rehearsal a week as many other groups do in two. We can only do that and maintain the level of excellence we have risen to if our kids show up consistently. Please see “ATTENDANCE” on p. 3 for details.
- Behavior: The ECC is very fortunate to have a residency on the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, where we hope to remain for generations to come. 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 213 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 longest any of our groups rehearses for one stretch is an hour, and 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” on p. 5).
- 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:
The evening after every rehearsal, 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 very important as they 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 Parents Info navigation, followed by Notes to Parents (see “ECC ONLINE” on p. 6). 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 not, you risk being “out of the loop.”
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.
PERFORMANCES
Overview:
Attendance at performances is paramount, and should be given the highest priority. Please see “ATTENDANCE” below.
The Main Choir, which includes the Concert Choir, is our primary performing choir. The 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 Main/Concert Choirs typically do 8 to 10 performances a year, while the Junior Choirs usually do 4. The Concert Choir performs as a subset of the Main Choir, and does not do its own independent gigs at this time.
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.
There are occasional performances which necessitate kids being excused from school—usually concerts for student assemblies at public schools during the school day. We feel concerts such as these are very worthwhile, that the best way to share our music with other kids en masse is to bring the concert to them. The ECC performs concerts like these free of charge as part of its outreach efforts, bringing quality multicultural music to people who otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience it. Still, we don’t ask kids to get out of school lightly and we will only ask that of either Choir once per semester, or twice a year, maximum. If we happened to get another amazing performance opportunity 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” on p. 6). Parents/guardians of Main and Concert Choir singers will be required to sign a form acknowledging all performances and listing any known conflicts.
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 and Lake Street Church. 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.
ATTENDANCE
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. Also, please keep in mind that we need to hear about absences directly from parents or guardians so we can trust that the information is accurate.
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. For us, this means that with about 36 rehearsals a year, keeping each child’s absences to 3 or 4 per year (that’s 1 or 2 per semester) would have us reach that goal. Attendance is a key consideration in deciding whether or not to promote a singer from the Junior level to the Main Choir, or for promotion to Concert Choir. 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 give the director a courtesy call or e-mail letting him/her know, along with a reason for the absence, just as you would if your child had to miss school or if you had to miss work. 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.
Concert Choir members who miss more than 2 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 more rehearsals are missed. Alternately, mandatory make-up sessions may be planned for Concert Choir singers who miss more than 2 rehearsals, at the discretion of the Director. Concert Choir singers who miss 5 or more rehearsals in a semester for any reason will have to forego membership in the Concert Choir for the remainder of that 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 taken very seriously, especially in the Main and Concert Choirs. For Main Choir members, warnings will be given after the first 2 such absences. A 3rd no-show for a Main Choir member will result in that singer being placed on non-performing status for the next performance or series of performances. A 4th no-show will result in suspension or dismissal from the Main Choir. Concert Choir members will be given a warning after one no-show absence, and will be demoted from that group upon a 2nd such absence.
Attendance at Performances:
Attendance at all performances is also 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 your child cannot sing in. 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 or hours 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 Main and 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. A first such offense by a Main/Concert Choir member will result in that singer being put on non-performing status for one or more subsequent performances. A second such offense will result in dismissal from the Main and/or Concert Choirs.
UNIFORMS
Overview:
At this time, the uniform for all Choirs is identical. The primary component is a gold (yellow) polo shirt with the ECC logo on it. It is inexpensive and versatile, looking good both with dress or casual bottoms. Kids 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 a bout 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: our gold polo shirt with your own black dress bottoms, black socks/hose, and black dress shoes. Girls may wear skirts or dress pants. All kids should be sure to wear a bottom that the shirt can be tucked into. Please note that the ECC provides only the uniform shirt, and families are expected to provide their own formal clothes that are solid black from the waist down to wear in formal performances. Any Main/Concert Choir member who shows up to a formal performance either without his/her ECC shirt or not wearing solid black dress clothes from the waist down (including shoes) will not be allowed to perform. If any Main/Concert Choir family cannot afford nice-looking black dress pants/skirts or shoes for their singer(s), the ECC will pay for them. Simply go to Target or another similar store and buy an inexpensive black skirt or a pair of inexpensive black pants or shoes (whichever you need), turn in the receipt to us, and the ECC will reimburse you. The purchased clothes will remain property of the ECC and should be returned if your child outgrows them or leaves the ECC.
- Casual dress: 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:
Families are asked to make a one-time purchase of our gold uniform shirt for their kids when initially joining the choir. If you can’t afford to buy, you get a free loaner which remains property of the ECC. The cost of the shirt this season is $15. Families must provide their own black dress bottoms and shoes as described above in “Formal vs. Casual.”
When your child grows out of her/his uniform shirt, simply let us know and we will up-size you at no cost as long as that child is in the choir. In other words, you only buy once. If you lose your shirt, you are responsible for the cost of its replacement.
BINDERS & FOLDERS
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.
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!). The ECC has now simply grown too large for us to hold this event on one day only, so this season it will be held on Friday evening, March 25th and Saturday afternoon, March 26th. The Main/Concert 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. 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.orgThis 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 “Parents 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 Parents Info, you will see the following sub-headings open up:
Parents Info Notes to Parents
Performance Schedule
Rehearsal Schedule
Guidelines
Repertoire
Here is what you will find by clicking on each of those sub-headings: - Notes to Parents: This is a complete log of notes to parents for all Choirs for each season, arranged chronologically with the most recent at the top. These are near exact copies of the notes often attached to our weekly e-mails (sometimes edited slightly for world-wide publishing considerations).
- Performance Schedule: This duplicates the paper “Performance Schedule” you will all be given, and is kept 100% current. It also has call times, dress, and pick-up information for each performance, which the site’s calendar and the “upcoming performances” navigations on the right-side of the site do not. The latter are more for the public, and this is for you.
- Rehearsal Schedule: This is a complete rehearsal schedule for each Choir, posted for each semester.
- Guidelines: This is simply an e-copy of these Guidelines and Information for the 2010-2011 Season (what you are looking at right now!)
- Repertoire: This contains a complete repertoire list for each Choir per semester.
Beyond being a resource for you, the other critical function the site serves is that it is a professional, public representation of who we are and what we’re up to, and it is an excellent place to refer people who ask you about the ECC. If people read our homepage and click on About Us and Join Us, they will get a pretty good introduction to us. Other interesting features on the site for both you and the public are: “upcoming performances” and the calendar, which contain compete performance/event info for the public (including descriptive blurbs and map links); a complete Performance Log of everything we’ve ever done since we started and the narrative of Our Story, both under About Us; Contact Us for contact info and bios; and the ability for people to make Donations online, as well as a running list of each season’s donors.
The ECC MISSION STATEMENT:
The Evanston Children’s Choir was founded on the belief that we can share in each other’s cultures and celebrate our differences through music. The ECC learns and performs both sacred and secular songs from a wide variety of cultures, ethnicities, traditions and genres, in multiple languages. Our mission is not only to sing a diverse repertoire of music, but also to involve a diverse group of children in the process and to share this music with a diverse array of people. We believe strongly in accessibility and inclusion, and we strive to break through boundaries often created by race, class, religion, and other socio-economic forces. Rehearsals are conducted passionately with a philosophy of positive reinforcement and mutual respect. We believe that multicultural artistic endeavors such as this educate the human mind and enrich the human spirit in a way that few other things can.
The Evanston Children’s Choir is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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