Handbook Greetings! And welcome to the Deer Creek Youth Choir. We hope that your child will find singing in the chorus to be an enjoyable experience, and that it will lead your whole family to an even greater love of music. This handbook is designed to help you understand our purposes, and to provide you with information about our organization. We are looking forward to working with your child during the coming year! About DCYC Based in Harford County, Maryland, the Deer Creek Youth Choir is a community choral program supported by The Deer Creek Chorale, the premiere adult choral ensemble in Harford County. In it s 10 th anniversary season, the DCC made a commitment to the youth of our community through their support of this exciting new youth arts organization. The Deer Creek Youth Choir (DCYC) is a community youth chorus that inspires young singers to reach their full musical potential. DCYC is committed to developing each singer s vocal technique, music literacy, performance discipline, self-esteem & ability to work well with others. We strive to provide a welcoming and encouraging environment where students feel comfortable to express themselves while working towards a common goal with their peers. In line with the values of the DCC, the Deer Creek Youth Choir will have a strong commitment to serving our community. DCYC currently includes singers in grades 4-7 (with some 3 rd grade students). DCYC hopes to expand to serve singers age 7-18 in future years. We are proud of our comprehensive music education program that prides itself in a strong music education foundation for our singers as well as significant performance opportunities. Our weekly rehearsals focus on vocal technique, ear training, Kodály solfege exercises, music reading and performance discipline. Approximately 5 performances will be held during the school year in both Harford and Northern Baltimore
counties. DCYC singers are given the opportunity to work with internationally renowned composers and clinicians each year. We are committed to connecting our singers with other youth from across the state and the country through participation in the annual Maryland Young Voices Festival, and nomination for honor choirs through the American Choral Director s Association. Future goals for the organization include domestic and international tours that will allow our singers to share their musical gifts and experience our world through song. The members of DCYC are serious about their music. The artistic director selects music carefully to ensure artistic merit, a challenge for the children, and a diversity of styles. The music transcends cultural and theological boundaries, from old Welsh folksongs, to the classics of the old masters, to the best of contemporary composers. We welcome all singers the opportunity to be a part of our choral music program. Our students attend different places of worship and schools throughout Harford and Baltimore counties and Southern Pennsylvania. Our music provides the choristers the opportunity to sing in different languages and across the boundaries of other cultures and theologies. Auditions can be scheduled by visiting our website. Staying in Touch Please do stay in touch, but please do so by e-mail or phone whenever possible. Please try not to interrupt rehearsals or speak with the director or accompanist when they are in the rehearsal room. This time is very precious and is best spent greeting the children, answering their questions, and focusing our attention on the job at hand. The best way to reach us quickly is by e-mail or by phone in case of emergency. Contact info for the directors can be found on the final page of the handbook. We do want to hear from you, and we appreciate your help to make our rehearsals run as smoothly as possible. Thanks! DCYC Website Important information can be found on the Youth Choristers webpage under For Choristers at www.deercreekchorale.org/youth-choir, including Concert and Rehearsal Schedules, mp3 Learning Files for singers, Electronic Tuition payments, and other important documents and info. REMIND Text messages Throughout the year, important reminders will be sent out via text message using the REMIND text service. This special app uses anonymous numbers, keeping all phone numbers secret. You can subscribe to DCYC Reminders by texting @dcyc to 81010. You will receive a confirmation text, to which you should respond with your first and last name. Both parents and singers who regularly use a cell phone are encouraged to register for REMIND texts.
Inclement Weather Public school closings do not necessarily mean that chorus rehearsals will be cancelled, since our rehearsals are held after school and weather might improve throughout the day. An e-mail and a REMIND text will be sent out by 2pm to announce any cancellations. Taking Care of Choral Music All choral music is the property of the Deer Creek Youth Choir and will be handed out by the first rehearsal and turned in at the end of each semester. Music that is not returned or is damaged will need to be replaced at the singer s expense. These scores are often very costly and sometimes difficult or impossible to replace, and therefore each student must assume the responsibility of looking after our music very carefully. Markings in the music should be made IN PENCIL, NEVER IN PEN; they must also be neat and legible so that the next person to use the music has no difficulty reading it! We appreciate your help and support as we encourage our young musicians to treat our music with respect! Practice Charts Singers will be expected to turn in a Practice Chart each week at rehearsals. Children are expected to memorize all music for performance; we do not use our music in concert. Mp3 Learning Files for all of our songs will be available for download on the Youth Choristers webpage http://deercreekchorale.org/youth-choir. We encourage parents to transfer the songs to their child s mp3 player/ipod or CD and utilize time spent in the car for practicing too! Minimum weekly practice amount: 90 Minutes. Practice time is best when it happens in small increments -15 minutes a day is perfect! Attendance Policies The Deer Creek Youth Choir is an ensemble committed to musical excellence. If any member of that ensemble is missing, the character, spirit and sound of the whole is altered. Each individual voice and personality is of great importance to all. Your child s consistent attendance will ensure that s/he becomes a vital part of the Chorus. Each child is allowed two absences per semester (our semesters run September - December, and January -May). A student may be prohibited from participating in any concerts that semester for the reason that student's lack of rehearsal preparation puts at risk the hard work of all the other students. Exceptions may be made in extreme cases. If a student arrives late to two rehearsals in one semester, this will be counted as one absence. A student may not leave a rehearsal early without the permission of the instructor and written notification from the parent. We want to be sure that our students are safe at all times!
It is especially important that every student attend weekly rehearsal immediately before the concert rehearsal. This mandatory rehearsal is part of a carefully thought out sequence of training which prepares the student for performance, and allows each child to participate in concerts with confidence and comfort. Rehearsal Procedures Weekly rehearsals are held at Bethel Presbyterian Church, 4135 Norrisville Rd. White Hall, MD 21161. We will rehearse in both the fellowship hall and the sanctuary (depending on the needs of the rehearsal and the church facilities schedule). Parents are welcome to wait in the lobby of the during their child s rehearsal if they choose to. As soon as a singer arrives, they must go straight to the Check-In Table where their attendance will be recorded, they will turn in any necessary papers for their director, and also be given any important information, concert posters, etc. Students are required to bring their music in their black binder, 2 pencils and a water bottle to EVERY REHEARSAL. Safety Procedures Parents may drop off and pick up their singer at the side entrance to the building. We recommend that parents walk their child into rehearsal for the first few weeks until they are familiar with check-in procedures. Children should never be left unsupervised. Please be punctual to pick up your child. A rehearsal parent volunteer or director will stay until all children are picked up. Please be courteous! Mandatory Concert Rehearsals The final rehearsal before each performance is considered a Mandatory Concert Rehearsal. It is imperative that we have 100% attendance for these rehearsals in order to have performances for which our singers feel prepared and proud of. Important: A student may not arrive late for this rehearsal, or leave early. There are no exceptions to this attendance rule except for religious reasons concerning the student's immediate family and school music performances. To request an absence for a concert rehearsal please contact the director in writing AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS PRIOR TO THE PERFORMANCE. If you are late to a concert rehearsal due to a circumstance that is truly beyond your control, please DO NOT DISTURB the rehearsal. Instead, please have your child join the other children on stage as quietly as possible, and talk with Ms. Julie after the rehearsal is over. Students must wear comfortable, flat shoes or sneakers to all rehearsals, including the concert rehearsal. No food or drink is permitted in concert halls or churches during rehearsals or concerts (Bottled water is the only exception in rehearsals)
Progress Reports The Director can dismiss a student for lack of interest or progress, or behavioral problems. If there is something that is affecting your child's progress, such as multiple absences, your child's teacher will complete a progress report. This is simply to ensure that you are made aware of anything that is making your child's experience with us less than it should be. Concert Attire All singers are required to have informal and formal DCYC Concert Attire. Concert Attire is ordered through DCYC. Singers will be sized before or at the first rehearsal and a group order will be placed. Formal Concert Attire takes 5-6 weeks to arrive so it is IMPERATIVE that sizes are received by the first rehearsal. Uniform pieces are sized to waist, hips and bust and come in one length. All dresses and pants have to be hemmed to the top of their dress shoes in time for our Formal Winter Concert in December. For all performances: Jewelry, earrings, belts, make-up, nail polish are to be kept to a minimum. Please pull hair back neatly away from face. Small Headbands/clips must match your child s hair or their uniform (black). Skin-Colored Tights (Tan/Nude/Beige) for girls and black socks for boys. Plain, flat, closed-toe black dress shoes Informal Concert Uniform for ALL singers DCYC Informal Concert Shirt with khaki pants or skort Boys Formal Concert Attire Girls Formal Concert Attire
Miscellaneous but very important information Students must wear comfortable, FLAT shoes or sneakers to all rehearsals, including concert rehearsals. Gum and are strictly prohibited at all chorus rehearsals and concerts! If a child must bring a cell phone with them to rehearsal, it must remain off and away. Any cell phones that are seen will be confiscated. All students should keep their music in a one-inch binder with a pocket and they must have it at all rehearsals this binder will hold all music that we are working on. Parents, please check the binder for any information sent home for you. Singers must also bring the Musicianship Workbook to and from every rehearsal. All singers should bring a no-spill water bottle, their music in a black binder, and 2 sharpened pencils to every rehearsal. No opened food or drink containers are permitted in the rehearsal space. S Students must help to leave the rehearsal and lobby areas the way they found them (with no garbage left on floor, etc.!). Becoming a Professional Musician We are often in the fortunate position of being able to send out our singers to work with professional musicians. Our singers regularly perform with other arts organizations and, later on, many of our students set off for college to be music majors, minors, or to sing in their college chorus. Whether our students are rehearsing or performing with the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, participating in choral festivals or, in the future, singing at the college level, they are and will be working with musicians who expect of them a professional level of conduct appropriate to their artistic achievement. One of the ways in which we achieve this standard of excellence is by reviewing these suggestions for concert etiquette and expected behaviors together. Some tips on behaving in a professional manner: As a chorus member: 1. Be punctual. Late arrivals are distracting for others. 2. Be prepared. A professional musician knows (in our case, memorizes) the music and is ready to be a leader in rehearsal. Bring your folders and pencils to rehearsal when appropriate. 3. Be responsible. Take care of your music scores, your uniform, etc. Return music scores when appropriate. 4. Resolve to look like a musician, even in rehearsal. Sit/stand tall, pay attention and "put the song on your face." Please do not complain about being tired or overloaded with homework. Chances are you're not the only one in that boat. 5. When you are on-stage for a concert rehearsal or concert, refrain from scratching, yawning, playing with your hair (tie it back!), looking at your watch, or putting your head
in your hands. If you make a mistake, do not wince or indicate in any way that you've done something you wish you hadn't. 6. When you are complimented for a performance, refrain from downplaying your achievements; respect the opinion of the person who is praising you; in this case, a simple, "Thank you," is appropriate. 7. Be respectful and courteous to your peers at all times. We are all in this together. If you hear someone criticizing another singer, try to counter with a positive remark. If someone is chosen to sing a solo, please be supportive (if you were the soloist, what would you like another chorus member to say?). 8. Remember that whenever you are at an outside rehearsal or performance, or even just in the hallway during a regular rehearsal, you are a representative for your whole ensemble--and behave appropriately! Think beyond your own particular needs; in making music you are an important part of a larger effort; rejoice in the energy that comes from being a part of it, and graciously accept the responsibility that goes along with your membership. 9. In this connection, remember what a privilege it is to have the opportunity to work on great music with other musicians, whether in your own group or together with another ensemble, and take pride in your contribution. As an audience member 1. Be punctual. If you must be late, enter during applause. 2. Cell phones, beepers, pagers and watches that make noise should always be turned off in a concert. 3. Don't even think about talking, or worse, unwrapping a piece of candy, while any individual or group is performing. If you need to use the restroom or leave the performance for any reason, please wait until in between songs (during applause). 4. It is never polite to rush out of the concert hall during the final applause in order to "beat the crowd." Contact Information Julie Culotta, Artistic Director Email: YouthChoir@deercreekchorale.org For Emergencies only: 301-524-4435 (Julie s Cell) DCYC Website: http://deercreekchorale.org/youth-choir Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/deercreekyouthchoir REMIND Text messages: register by texting @dcyc to 81010 Deer Creek Chorale Bethel Presbyterian Church (Rehearsals) (Adult Choir and Parent Organization) 4135 Norrisville Rd. P.O. Box 1302 White Hall, MD 21161 Bel Air, MD 21014 Melissa Dick, Office Manager 410-692-5282 (Church Office)