Scheduling Choir

[Guest]

I'm wondering if anyone has ideas for scheduling.

I was called as the choir director just before Christmas.  In January, we rotated blocks.  We're now in the unenviable position of starting at 11:00am.  This usually sounds great for anyone else.  All our meetings allow us to sleep in a bit on Sundays.  We still have sufficient time after church to get dinner ready.  We can even go home teaching.  BUT it is havoc on the choir.

Because of the size or our building, we don't have anywhere we can stay long enough for a full rehearsal.  So, I'm stuck going to the relief society room at 9:45.  People are always late, so we only get about 15 to 20 min of real practice before the earlier ward gets out of Sacrament.  Then we move into the chapel where people are still lingering and disturbing the remainder of our practice until prelude music begins and ends our practice.

No one really wants to open their homes at 9:30 am on a Sunday.  And the afternoon is littered with meetings, home teaching, dinner prep, etc.  It seems the schedule is causing the choir to fall apart.

Any ideas?

[NightSG]

Get the directory for the earlier ward and send it to prisonchaplain.  Once he converts them, that time slot will be available.

[Jane_Doe]

Does your building have a 1:00 PM ward?

If not, the logical thing to do is to have choir meet at 2, right after church gets out.  That way everyone is already there-- no need for an extra trip.  Practice until 2:30 (or however long you practice).  That's plenty of time leftover to do HT/VT, relaxing, and dinner. 

[my two cents]

Instachoir!  Some of the best turn out I've seen has been when anyone was invited to go up.  The choir director had basic instructions written (ladies 1st vs, men 2nd vs, etc) and would hold it up and then post it on the music stand.  We're not competing with the Motab - just singing praises and bringing the Spirit into the meeting.

[zil]

We have 9am church.  Our choir practice is at 4:!5 in the chapel (after the last ward finishes their meetings).  I have no idea how well that works - if I showed up and tried to scream, grown men would run screaming from the room in horror.

ETA: Asking Mormons to come early for something is futile.  99% of Mormons believe that "Thou shalt be late" is a commandment.

Edited February 24, 2017 by zil

[MrShorty]

When you figure out the perfect time to have choir practice, let me know. After a few years as choir director, I still have not found the best time.

We have done the "right after church" time as well, with some success. I don't know if it is more successful than other times.

I think my favorite suggestion is to have choir practice during Sunday School, but getting approval for that is above my pay grade.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Jane_Doe said:

Does your building have a 1:00 PM ward?

If not, the logical thing to do is to have choir meet at 2, right after church gets out.  That way everyone is already there-- no need for an extra trip.  Practice until 2:30 (or however long you practice).  That's plenty of time leftover to do HT/VT, relaxing, and dinner. 

Yes, there is a ward after us as well.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, my two cents said:

Instachoir!  Some of the best turn out I've seen has been when anyone was invited to go up.  The choir director had basic instructions written (ladies 1st vs, men 2nd vs, etc) and would hold it up and then post it on the music stand.  We're not competing with the Motab - just singing praises and bringing the Spirit into the meeting.

It may actually come to that -- based on attendance since the beginning of the year.

[Guest]

48 minutes ago, MrShorty said:

When you figure out the perfect time to have choir practice, let me know. After a few years as choir director, I still have not found the best time.

We have done the "right after church" time as well, with some success. I don't know if it is more successful than other times.

I think my favorite suggestion is to have choir practice during Sunday School, but getting approval for that is above my pay grade.

Sunday School would be great for the adults.  But I believe the youth and children (who make up more than half our choir) need to be in their classes.

[BeccaKirstyn]

My life story. Our block just changed to 3pm church (it's a nightmare) and 2 other wards are before us during the day (Ours is a YSA ward). We are not in a typical chapel and have limited rooms, and our only available time to practice is right before church, but the majority of people who want to participate in choir are in ward council which is every Sunday at 2pm as well. It is quite the nightmare for me right now. And no one (not even myself) wants to practice after church at 6pm. I might be reaching out to our new bishop about allowing it during Sunday school as well, or sometime during church since we're having some issues. 

Edited February 24, 2017 by BeccaKirstyn

[my two cents]

2 hours ago, BeccaKirstyn said:

My life story. Our block just changed to 3pm church (it's a nightmare) and 2 other wards are before us during the day (Ours is a YSA ward). We are not in a typical chapel and have limited rooms, and our only available time to practice is right before church, but the majority of people who want to participate in choir are in ward council which is every Sunday at 2pm as well. It is quite the nightmare for me right now. And no one (not even myself) wants to practice after church at 6pm. I might be reaching out to our new bishop about allowing it during Sunday school as well, or sometime during church since we're having some issues. 

The YSA ward in our stake would practice before institute or fhe.  Just a thought.

[askandanswer]

Both last year, when we were the second of two wards to meet, and this year, when we are the first of two wards, we have held choir practice straight after meetings .Last year when we were the afternoon ward, we were able to hold practices in the chapel, but this year, as the morning ward, we have to hold them in the Relief Society room. Having practice straight after church means that the choir members miss out in Sundae Sunday, which we had last Sunday. For special occasions, such as Christmas, we will practice at the choir director's house on Thursday nights. The biggest problem for our choir director is that about half the choir show up for practice each week, but its never the same half two weeks in a row, and then there are the ones who only show up the week before we are due to sing.