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Table of Contents
Chorus Roles
Various roles exist within the organisation, from singing members to company directors; they're set out below.
Structure
Here's the formal structure of our organisation:
Role overview
Role (link to details) | Deputy | Required at committee meetings? |
---|---|---|
Singer | n/a | - |
Company director | Chair (of committee meetings) | - |
Musical Director | Deputy MD | ✔ |
Chair of Singers Association | Company Director (chairing) Membership (representation) | ✔ |
Membership | Librarian Chair (representation) | ✔ |
Secretary | Publicity | ✔ |
Treasurer | Wardrobe | ✔ |
Gigs | Logistics | ✔ |
Publicity | Secretary | ✔ |
Deputy MD | MD | - |
Performance director | MD | - |
Librarian | Membership | - |
Copyright | Finance Assistant | - |
Section leader | two per voice part | - |
Logistics | Gigs | - |
Individual event coordinator | Gigs | - |
Social | Welfare | - |
Rehearsal refreshments | Ad hoc | - |
Welfare | Social | - |
Register | Training | - |
Training | Register | - |
Wardrobe | Treasurer | - |
Role Details
Chair of Singers Association
- Chair committee and singers' meetings
- Represent the singing members at meetings and contests
- Make a report at the Annual Singers Meeting
- Be the first suggestion for a Bristol A Cappella Friends trustee
Company director
- Make annual returns to Companies House and HMRC
- Ensure appropriate insurance is in-place
- Oversee the work of the committee
Copyright
- Take care of copyright clearance for new songs
- Receive copyright agreements from new members and set up their web site account
Deputy MD
- Be prepared to deputise for the MD at any event
- Arrange for someone to take musical notes from each rehearsal and add them to a weekly email
- Supervise any personal vocal improvement programmes
Gigs
- Act as a contact point for external bookings
- Develop leads for gigs that would further the aims of the chorus and any subgroups
- Find a coordinator to take over the organisation for each individual event booked
- Keep an overview of the progress of each gig's planning
- This might be at Operations subcommittee meetings, or via informal conversations with individual event coordinators and Logistics.
- Chair any Operations subcommittee meetings
Individual event coordinator
- Make sure that the gig checklist is followed if their event is a gig
- Make sure that contest entries are correctly registered
- Work with Logistics, Publicity, etc. to make their event happen
Librarian
- Arrange for the printing of new and replacement sheet music
- Keep the music library organised and inventoried
- Make sure there are complete sets of music available for visitors
Logistics
- Arrange any transport and accommodation needed by the chorus
- Take care of registrations or tickets needed by the chorus
- Help an individual event coordinator:
- Arrange for external musical services like coaching or retreats
- Prepare a detailed schedule of who needs to be where and when for events
- Make sure risers and keys, etc., for event venues will be handled by someone
Membership
- Maintain a list of singing members and their details
- Ensure that the Data Protection Act is followed for singers' information
- Record when people have passed voice checks
- Ensure a register is taken at all chorus (non-social) events
- This might involve negotiation with the Section Leaders or nominating people who will do this in each section, at Membership's discretion.
- Respond to membership enquiries
Musical director
- Rehearse new and current repertoire to a high standard for gigs and contests
- Direct the chorus for gigs and contests
- Oversee voice checks for prospective singers to check satisfactory progress or skill
- Choose appropriate new music that will further the aims of the chorus
- Make a report at the Annual Singers Meeting
- Lead music planning for one year and longer terms
- Oversee production of teach tracks
- Supervise the production of a performance plan for each song
- Select section leaders and performance director
- Chair the Music Team
Performance Leader
- Create a performance plan for each song in collaboration with the MD
- Develop singers' performance
- Teach singers any movement from performance plans
Publicity
- Create events and stories on social media
- Design (or arrange to have designed) chorus publicity for gigs, recruitment, etc.
- Reach out to external media organisations (such as newspapers, radio) to promote the chorus and its events
- Chair any Communications subcommittee meetings
Rehearsal refreshments
- Provide squash (blackcurrant and orange), tea and coffee (caffeinated and decaffeinated), and biscuits for members to use at rehearsals
- Present receipts for the refreshments to the Treasurer to be reimbursed
Register
- Update the attendance spreadsheet for each rehearsal and gig to record who was present, gave apologies or was absent without notice
Secretary
- Write minutes of committee and singers' meetings
- Prepare weekly notices to be emailed to singers
Section leader
- Check with the other voice part SL that at least one of you will be at each rehearsal (or deputise someone)
- Know and teach the notes for each song
- Know what sound the chorus is working towards and help to train singers in achieving it
- By rota (1 upper, 1 lower) take non-voice-checked singers to work on the voice check song
- Check expected attendance from your section for chorus events and update the event web page
- Make sure voice checks happen by the required time and inform Membership
- Carry out voice checks where possible and sign off
- Meet with other SLs at least once per month for rehearsal and discussion
- Work towards chorus training targets
Singer
- Come to or send apologies regular rehearsals
- Arrive promptly for chorus events
- Learn notes at home so that rehearsals can focus on musicality and the joy of singing
- Follow the riser etiquette
- Bring sheet music, a pencil and water bottle to rehearsals
Social
- Organise at least one large group social each quarter
- Encourage members to come to the pub after rehearsal
- Act as a secondary contact for welfare issues
Training
- Record in the training spreadsheet who has started and completed training levels
- Manage a stock of training materials (to be kept in the rehearsal venue cupboard)
Treasurer
- Keep the company accounts up-to-date
- Prepare annual statements
- Make a report at the Annual Singers Meeting
- Settle bills
- Pay in money received
- Pay reasonable expenses on production of receipts
Wardrobe
- Maintain a list of singers' measurements, in accordance with the Data Protection Act
- Keep an inventory of chorus-owned wardrobe and its location
- Order new items of wardrobe
- Chair wardrobe subcommittee meetings
Welfare
- Ensure that our safeguarding policy is followed at all times
- Act as the primary contact for welfare issues
- Stay in occasional contact with members who are absent for extended periods through ill health