member resources

We continue to be guided by “Making Music”, our national membership organisation for music groups and promoters.

The previous mandated restrictions have, of course, been ended, but that does not mean that Covid has been conquered, rather that the impact of contracting Covid is now much reduced following the vaccination programme, increased immunity after having had the disease and mutations in the virus itself.

However, that is a general statement of the “on average” type and we need to remember that some people still get Covid very badly indeed whilst others are more vulnerable to catching the disease. Similarly we can remind ourselves that some of our members have more vulnerable people at home or for whom they are carers and I believe we each owe them a moral duty not to knowingly expose them to the disease as the consequences for them and their loved ones may be significantly worse than any symptoms we experience ourselves.

Making music therefore advise a set of “safer behaviours” which I would strongly recommend we each adopt, please :

1. Getting vaccinated – including all available boosters.
2. Letting fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meeting outside. We will have windows open at rehearsals so please dress appropriately
3. Wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where you come into contact with people you do not usually meet, when rates of transmission are high.
4. Trying to stay at home if you are unwell.
5. Taking a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms, (if available) and staying at home and avoiding contact with other people if you test positive; and
6. Washing your hands and following advice to ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’.

The single most important point is that no one should come to rehearsals if they have the slightest symptoms or if you suspect you have been in contact with someone who is carrying the disease. Can we each, please, adopt this as a personal obligation to our fellow choir-members.

I hope you will agree that these are a reasonable set of clearly-stated behaviours and that you can personally commit to their adoption.

Rehearsals for our Autumn 2024 concert

Rehearsals are on Tuesdays between 8 and 10pm at Walthamstow Hall Junior School, Bradbourne Park Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 3LD and will run from 10 September to 3 December, with the concert at 7.30pm St Nicolas Church, Sevenoaks on Saturday 7 December.

Scores

We are using the new(ish) Oxford University Press edition edited by Clifford Bartlett as it has by far and away the clearest printing. Please note that there are differences between this edition and others (eg Prout, Watkins Shaw).

Our Librarian, Brian Shirreff, has a good supply of Bartlett-edition scores available for hire for just £1, so to avoid confusion in rehearsals please hire one of these scores rather than try to battle through with an earlier version. If possible, please bring the correct money as this helps the queue move along quickly.

Rehearsal Aids

We highly recommend the aids provided on the ChordPerfect website, for which links are provided below. Each voice part is sung by a professional singer with your part “played up” and orchestral accompaniment and other voices “knocked back” – it is just like standing next to the best, most confident singer in your section!

Sopranos : Click Here

Altos : Click Here

Tenors : Click Here

Basses : Click Here

Note : use of these files is free, but you may be asked for a donation via Paypal to support ChordPerfect’s work. If you want to support them in this way then do please make a payment, otherwise you can close the panel by clicking in the top right hand corner and your use of the files will be unaffected.

If you prefer to purchase a downloadable file or buy a CD – so that you can rehearse without having to be on-line then Choraline (link below) are a reputable supplier.

Choraline : Click Here

There will, of course be other suppliers too – both on-line and CD/downloadable files)