09/13/2021 – A lot of important stuff…
Hello all,
This is long, but it’s important information. Prepare your favorite beverage and get comfortable or read it in segments…just be sure to read the whole thing before Tuesday night.
It was great to see those of you that were able to stop by Bethel today! Special thanks to Lance for taking care of today’s multiple financial demands; to Hope for providing the singer masks for new members and those that didn’t get them last spring; to Donna for getting our music ordered, organized, and distributed…a lot of work; and of course, to our FANTASTIC choir administrator, Melissa, for getting everything organized for kicking off the new season.
The following are some topics that you need to be aware of before Tuesday’s first rehearsal:
Music – Some of you got your music on Sunday, everyone else can get it Tuesday night…come early if that applies to you. Music will be available starting at 6:15. Please remember that most of the music for the season is in your packet, however there are some items that are yet to arrive and some that you will need to print for yourself from our shared Google Drive. Read the syllabus that you received with your music or refer to the one posted on our website at https://deercreekchorale.org/choristers-members/ (username <dcc>, password the same three letters) to be sure you are prepared for rehearsal.
Copyright – DCC makes every effort to comply with regulations respecting the property rights of the composers and publishers that make music available to us. It can be confusing, but it is worth a few moments to understand. The sheet music we use is either printed by publishers or is printed by DCC having been authorized to do so by the publisher. There is some music that we have a legal right to make available for you to print. All of the music that is available on our shared Google Drive is in compliance with copyright. PLEASE DO NOT COPY ANY MUSIC THAT IS NOT POSTED THERE. If you have any music needs, please share them with Melissa and she will coordinate all music requests with our librarian, Donna.
Learning Files – Learning files are completed and will be available for most of the titles we will be singing, however, because we are in the middle of a redesign and update of our website, there may be some short delay in making them available. Access will be as it has been on the website; Hover over “Members Login,” Click on “Choristers,” then on the members page, “Learning Files” will be a choice in the menu on the right. Click on it and you will be taken to where the learning files will be available. We’ll cover more about them in rehearsals.
Virtual Rehearsals– Our rehearsals will be broadcast live as a Zoom meeting and recorded, and that recording will then be posted on our shared Google Drive. This is specifically for those unable to attend due to not being vaccinated against COVID, but will be a great benefit to others when a rehearsal is missed or if you just need to go back to something you had forgotten from rehearsal. The Zoom link will be posted on our member page as well as being distributed by email.
COVID Restrictions – In an organization of many people coming from many different homes, areas, and situations, providing an environment that provides relative safety from COVID transmission is an incredible challenge. Given such high stakes and additionally, the vulnerability of a large number of our singers that are 65+, if we are to err, we will err on the side of caution. The board of directors has determined that our COVID restrictions will be based on recommendations provided by local, state, and federal health authorities.
Currently, Harford County is identified as an area of “high risk of transmission.” The relevant recommendations as stated by the CDC are as follows:
- If you are not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, you should wear a mask in indoor public places.
- If you are fully vaccinated, to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
With an abundance of caution, we are asking that if you are not vaccinated that you do not attend rehearsals for now and participate remotely for the time being and that those who are vaccinated wear masks for rehearsals. Certainly, there may be exceptional circumstances for individuals that can be discussed with Marty or me. As COVID conditions improve, restrictions will be modified and relaxed.
Whew! That was a lot, but we’ll be reminding you. As always, if you have questions, let Marty or me know.
See you at rehearsal!
Wayne