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Greetings all! I thought I would take a minute to share with you something I came across on the Ambassadors of Harmony web site about riser etiquette. One way for us to progress as fast as possible is to give full attention to the person standing in front of you . That chorus has put this out to their members in hopes of maintaining high expectations. Yes, they are a gold medal chorus, but like a lot of other things, the ingredients that go into that gold medal are things that any chorus can do. That being said, here is a list of items to keep in mind on the risers: The Ambassadors of Harmony This has been updated to include some further specifics befitting a Gold Medal Chorus. In agreeing to and practicing what follows, we as Ambassadors of Harmony commit to treating our rehearsals as if they were performances, so that we practice what we most want to execute on stage. WAIT: If you arrive late, or step down from the risers and are returning, simply stand on the side and wait until invited by the Director to take your place.No Crossing: Under no circumstances should we ever cross in front of the Director while getting on the risers. If crossing to the far side of the risers, walk behind him instead, or circle behind the risers.Have Fun – by enjoying the great stuff the Director has to offer. Save your fun with your neighboruntil after the rehearsal. (Exception – see Ten Second Rule)Ten Second Rule: If the Director has not addressed the chorus within ten seconds, then you can talk quietly with your riser neighbor until the director resumes. Keep your eye on the director so you know when he has resumed, and thenimmediatelygive him your attention.
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Riser
Etiquette|
Listen, Don’t Fix: Often when there’s a pause, chorus members try to correct their own mistakes or those of their neighbors. Although this may seem important, RESIST. You will miss important comments from the Director that affect everyone in the chorus. Bear in mind that the Director fixes all the problems eventually.Listen, Don’t Sing: When the Director is demonstrating how to sing a particular passage, do not sing with him. He’s usually doing that to demonstrate micro-differences in pitch, nuances of vocal quality, or in some cases, notes or words. If you sing with him, you keep yourself and everyone else from hearing him, and instead, you become the example. That keeps us all from learning from theexpert.When the Director is speaking to the chorus, don’t pass the time singing or reviewing your part. It makes it difficult for all of us to pay him proper attention and to learn, because we’reinstead paying at least some attention to you.When the Director is working with another section or sections, don’t sneak-sing yourpart with them. You may think no one will notice, but it’s guaranteed the Director will notice, and be distracted by it.Listen, Don’t Hum or Sing: When the pitch pipe is sounding, don’t hum the pitch. It keeps youand everyone else from hearing the pitch accurately.
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