The
choir rehearse on a Monday evening starting promptly at 7:45 PM. The rehearsal lasts 2 hours, that is finishes at 9:45 PM. There is a 10 to 15 minute
break generally after about an hour of singing during which tea, coffee and
squash (with a biscuit) is available for a small contribution (20 pence). There
is usually a tin on the counter for this.
Before
a concert it is usual for there to be additional rehearsals and the date and
time of these will be announced in good time. These additional rehearsals are
usually held at the venue for the concert in question (so for example at the
church in Hampton if that is where the concert is to be). There will almost
always be a rehearsal during the afternoon on the day of the concert itself (at
the concert venue). Occasionally, there will also be a rehearsal on either the
Saturday or Sunday of the weekend before a concert. It is important for
members to attend these additional rehearsals, not least because this is the
time that seating/staging is arranged and if other musicians (for example, an
orchestra) are involved, then the choir will rehearse with them.
The
regular Monday evening rehearsal currently takes place at the Scout &
Guides HQ on Shadowbrook Lane, Hampton in Arden (location). The building is next to the Hampton Tennis
Club and there is plenty of parking.
How
many rehearsals are there in a year?
The
choir’s “year” runs from September to July. There are no rehearsals during August.
The start date is usually the first Monday after the August Bank Holiday. The
year is divided into two terms, from September until the Christmas concert
(mid-December) and from January (after the Christmas and New Year break) until
July.
What
is the “format” of the weekly rehearsal?
On
arrival members must sign the weekly register. There will be a table
close to the entrance, usually attended by a Committee member who will “tick”
you in.
At
the start of the season members will be asked to sign a “commitment register”.
This is so that John Bayley (the choir’s musical director/conductor) knows how
many members (and which voice parts) will be available for each of the concerts
during the year. It is important for members to “commit” as John needs to know
whether he has a balanced choir, or even a choir at all! Of course,
circumstances can arise whereby a member has to miss a concert, sometimes at
the last minute. This is not a problem but all that is asked is either John or
a member of the Committee is notified of non-attendance as soon as possible.
It
is helpful if members can assist in getting chairs organised before the
rehearsal starts at 7:45 PM.
The
rehearsal itself lasts around 2 hours with a half-time break. Before the start
of the break notices are given usually by the chair of the Committee and John.
Please pay attention as some notices may be about future rehearsals, timings,
venue, etc.
Notices,
leaflets, information sheets, etc will be on display during the course of the
rehearsal. Please take time to look at these.
At
the end of rehearsals it is helpful if members can take their chair back to the
store room.
Music
will be available for loan for every concert. Of course, members can purchase
their own copies independently should they wish but before doing so it is
important that the correct edition is confirmed with John Bayley first.
Music
will first be available at the first rehearsal after a concert. The choir
librarian (currently David Russell) will be on hand to distribute copies,
and to record which number copy each member has taken.
Whilst
no charge is made to members for the loan of music, the choir does get charged
by the lending library and so therefore it is important that copies are not
lost or defaced in any way. It is each individual members’
responsibility to ensure that the music is returned in good condition. Please
only make mark-ups in pencil and erase these before returning.
How
many concerts do the choir perform during a year?
The
choir performs 2 major concerts each year, one in each term. The first term
concert is usually sometime in October (although depending on the complexity of
the music this may be a date in November). The Spring
concert is usually held in May (although this can be late-April depending on
the availability of venue).
In
addition to the two main concerts, the choir perform a “traditional” Christmas
concert mid-December and hold a Singalong in July.
The
dates of future concerts are usually available at least 12 months in advance.
Please make a note of these.
The
usual venues for the choir are the Parish Church of St Mary and St Bartholomew,
Hampton-in-Arden or Fentham Hall (also in Hampton-in-Arden).
The
Singalong is held over the course of a full day (Saturday) usually in July. The
venue is the church in Hampton.
The
format of the day is to rehearse morning and afternoon (generally starting
around 10 AM until 1 PM, then 2 PM until 5 PM) followed by a free concert
(6 PM until 7 PM) performing the piece of music rehearsed during the day.
(NOTE: The timings can vary; these are provided by way of illustration.)
The
music rehearsed may be familiar to the choir or may be something totally new. Members
of the public are invited to attend and the day is an opportunity for potential
new singers to join in, to meet old friends from other choirs in the area and
to generally have a fun day!
The
lunch break can either be spent across the road at the White Lion (the food can
be ordered in advance by the individual) or in the grounds of the church (if
the sun is shining) enjoying a picnic. Sandwiches made at the local shop are
usually available and these are ordered in advance, orders being taken at the start
of the morning as participants register.
During
the afternoon rehearsal there is a break for tea and cakes, provided by members
of the choir for a nominal charge.
Family
and friends are welcome to attend the concert in the early evening at no charge.
However, there is usually a collection after the concert with the monies all
going to the church funds.
What
happens on the day of a concert?
Arranging
a concert requires volunteers. Please keep an ear out for requests for
volunteers. It is also helpful for a husband/wife/partner to be “volunteered”
as certain jobs will need to be attended to whilst choir members are getting
ready to perform (for example, collecting/selling tickets on the door).
It
is almost always the case that the choir will rehearse during the afternoon on
the day of a concert. Please be aware of this when putting dates in diaries.
During
the interval, a glass of wine or soft drink is usually available for the
audience (a small charge applies) and members of the choir.
At
the end of the concert, and after the presentations to any soloists and to the
conductor, assistance to remove chairs (and staging if appropriate) is always
appreciated. This is particularly so when the choir is using the church as this
needs to be made ready for the following day’s early morning service.
What
do I wear for the concert?
The choir has a fairly basic
concert “dress code”. For the ladies this is either black dress, or black long
skirt/trousers and black “top”. The top should be a plain and long sleeved with
a round neck (T-shirt style). It should not be a blouse or have a collar. A
turquoise-green sash will be provided in advance of the concert which is pinned
to the left hand shoulder. Men should wear a black dinner jacket and trousers
with a white dress shirt. A turquoise-green bowtie will be provided in advance
of the concert.
Music
should be inserted into a Hampton Singers folder, which will be handed out in
advance of the concert.
Music
should be returned not later than the first rehearsal following the concert.
Occasionally
different arrangements for the return of music will be necessary most usually
requiring music to be returned immediately after a concert (for example, after
the Christmas concert when the next rehearsal will be several weeks away).
Please be aware of this and listen out for announcements.
The Singers have their own website
at www.hamptonsingers.org.uk.
The site comprises of various
“public” pages which provide general information about the choir, dates of
future concerts, contact details and so on. There is also a “private” members’
area which requires a password to access. Because this document is designed to
be readily available to members, it is not going to be placed within the
“members’ area” of the website and therefore the password is not disclosed in
these FAQs. Please ask any “seasoned” member, of one of the Committee for the
password.
For the majority (if not all) of
the concert music, rehearsal aids for each part (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) will
be produced. These take the form of electronically generated music files which
highlight the specific part making rehearsing of that part so much easier.
These files will either be in the “members’ area” of the website or a link will
be provided to access them via another site.
The rehearsal tracks are usually
provided in two formats which, without being too technical, are designed to
cater for different downloading speeds.
Once downloaded onto a PC then the
tracks can either be played on the PC or “recorded” onto a CD, iPod or other
digital music playing device.
For those members who do not have
access to a computer, or who are simply unsure about what to do, copies of the rehearsal
tracks on CD will be provided for a nominal charge (usually 50 pence) to cover
costs. This service is always “announced” as and when new
material is ready but if in doubt please ask any member of the
Committee.
The Hampton Singers are a
registered charity. The main benefit of this is the ability to reclaim tax by
way of the Gift Aid scheme.
As a charity, then the choir must
have a constitution and be properly “managed” which is where the Committee comes
in. Not only this, but to run any organisation requires
some form of “management structure”.
A copy of the constitution can be
found in the members’ area of the website. This is modelled on examples
produced by Making Music of which the
choir is a member (see below).
Members of the Committee at any one
time can be found listed on the website (on one of the “public” pages).
The Singers are members of Making Music, the UK’s number one
organisation for voluntary music, whose aim is to “encourage all kinds of music groups and individuals to be part of a
vibrant multi-cultural music scene”. Making
Music has over 3,000 members and they are available to provide help and
assistance in setting up, running and developing music groups in the community.
For more information visit their
website www.makingmusic.org.uk
This fund raising “scheme” was
started in April 2011. The Club is open to choir members and others (for
example, family and friends). Participants pay a single, annual sum for each
“number” that they wish to have in the draw. A percentage (typically 50%-60%)
of total contributions is allocated to the cash prize fund. Numbers are drawn
once a month. The prize structure makes provision for 8 “ordinary” monthly
payouts, 3 quarterly prizes (larger than the “ordinary” monthly payout) plus
one “grand prize” (larger still). The amount of each payout varies depending on
the number of participants in the scheme.
Members are invited to join at the
commencement of each “Club year”. Once the year has started then no new members
are permitted to join the scheme.
It is unlikely that these
FAQs will be exhaustive and cover every query and eventuality and no doubt they
will be added to as time goes on. Hampton Singers aim to be a welcoming and
friendly group of people and if any new member has a query, question or comment,
or any thought on how things might be improved then please do not hesitate to
speak to someone, be that one of your Committee members or the person sitting
next to you.