Sound of the Rockies is committed to treating our rehearsals as if they were performances, so that we practice what we most want to execute on stage and make the most productive use of our collective time as possible. As such, we expect both our members and guests to adhere to the following etiquette during all phases of the rehearsal (including physical warm-up, vocal warm-up, work on specific elements of the repertoire, sectionals, and business meeting.

RESPECT THE REHEARSAL SPACE: Our agreement with our host church calls for us to leave the space in at least as good condition as we found it. Members and guests should clean-up after themselves after break and double check before leaving after the rehearsal ends to be sure they have collected all personal articles. Our use of the church is limited to the following locations: Barnes Hall (main rehearsal space), kitchen, Upper Room (east of Barnes and up the stairs to the left), two classrooms on the upper floor (west of Barnes), and the bathrooms on the main floor to the east of west of Barnes. If additional space is needed for small group activities, members should make arrangements with George Davidson well in advance.

BEGIN PROMPTLY: Rehearsals begin with a warm-up (physical and/or vocal). At that time, all members and guests who wish to sing should quickly find their place on the risers and focus their attention and energy toward the warm-up leader. Once the rehearsals begins, no other conversations should be held within the rehearsal hall. Should such conversations need to continue, they should be moved well outside the rehearsal room so that they are not a distraction to anyone on the risers. Once a call is made to reconvene after the break, members should retake the risers as quickly as possible and regain their focus up front.

JUMP ON IN: If you arrive late, or step down from the risers and are returning, simply jump back into your riser position.no need to wait to be invited invited by the Director to take your place. 

LISTEN, DON’T TALK: In general, there is no reason for members and guests on the riser to talk at any time during a rehearsal, unless requested to by the Director or a Section Leader. This approach is designed for the Director and the chorus to be as efficient and effective as possible in communicating and absorbing information, respectively. Focus on understanding the insight the Director has to offer and how it applies to you personally – try as much as possible to not be concerned about how it might apply to others on the risers (that is the responsibility of the Director and the Section Leaders).

LISTEN, DON’T FIX: Often when there is a pause, chorus members will want to correct their own mistakes or those of their neighbors. Although this may seem important, REFRAIN. You will miss important comments from the Director that apply to everyone in the chorus. If you have a question, direct it to your section leader during a break or in a sectional – do not ask it from the risers during the rehearsal. Even if a guest looks lost, refrain from offering verbal support – he will be able to work through it.

LISTEN, DON’T SING: When the Director is demonstrating how to sing a particular passage, do not sing with him unless requested to. If you sing with him, you keep yourself and everyone else around you from hearing him, and instead, you become the example. That keeps us all from learning from the expert. Further, when the Director is working with a section other than yours, don’t sneak-sing your part with them. You may think no one will notice, but it’s guaranteed the Director at the least will notice and be distracted by it.

LISTEN, DON’T HUM: When the pitch pipe is sounding, don’t hum the pitch. It keeps you and everyone else from hearing the pitch accurately.

TEN-SECOND RULE: If the Director or your Section Leader has not addressed the chorus or your section within 10 seconds of a pause in singing, you may talk quietly with your riser neighbor until the Director resumes. Keep your eye on the Director so you know when he has resumed, and then immediately give him your attention. Note that this situation does not occur very often.