OUR ETHOS
Harmania Casual Choir is an inclusive, non auditioned choir for over 18s. We welcome everyone regardless of background or singing experience. Our repertoire mainly focuses on songs from the Indie/Pop/ Rock /Alternative/Club and Folk genres. However, nothing is off the cards !! In order to honour our ethos of inclusivity and accessibility, we teach everything by ear using participatory methods so there is no need to read music. We also believe that the type of music we sing is best learned by ear due to nuances in the style that’s picked up easier by ear than written notation. Please bare in mind that for these reasons we do not provide music scores for any of our songs. Also, be mindful that if you come from a choral/classical background that singing songs from the above genres is a different discipline. In saying that we believe it is for everyone regardless of past experience
TERM SCHEDULE
We have three terms of 10 weeks each year. Start and finish dates may vary each year according to public holidays.
Autumn/Winter (September – December)
Winter/Spring (January -March)
Spring/Summer (April-June)
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is for the person that signed up only. It’s not transferrable to another person or from one term to another.
WHAT YOU GET:
– 10 rehearsal sessions ( x 1.5 hrs) with a qualified choral director/music teacher and arranger specialising in participatory teaching methods.
Original/Bespoke arrangements created exclusively for our choir.
– Membership of our private Facebook, WhatsApp and SoundCloud groups where learning resources are shared.*
– Opportunity to take part in performances (dependent on attendance). We aim to offer the opportunity to do at least on public performance a term for casual members. Public performances are NOT obligatory **
– The opportunity to audition for the performing choir, smaller ensembles and professional gigs.
– Opportunities to take part in professional audio and video recordings, again, dependent on attendance. Please note that we don’t do a video every term. ***
– First refusal for membership in subsequent terms.
* Practice tracks are provided occasionally if the director feels they are needed. They are an extra resource and are not included in your membership fee. It is completely at the discretion of the director if they are provided or not.
** We usually need to have extra rehearsals coming up to a performance. There is extra charge for the cost of running these – rental/musicians/director. The cost will depend on the amount of people taking part in that particular performance.
*** Professional video/ sound/,studio recording – The production costs of recording videos is not included in the term fee. Anyone wishing to take part will need to contribute towards the production costs. Again, the contribution will depend on the amount of people taking part.
FEE PAYMENT
The fee is fixed per term and is paid by the term. The fee usually stays the same for the year but may increase if extra resources are provided or annually in line with cost of living increases. The full fee must be paid at the start of term. We do not accept payment after the start of term or in instalments. Your membership is not active until full payment is received. Failing to pay the full fee at the start of term will result in your place been given to the next person on the waiting list.
Please note that the deposit is non – refundable
The Fee is paid in two parts:
– Deposit (approx one third of the full fee) to secure your place once we contact you with an offer or at the end of term if you are already a member.
Remainder on or before the first night of term.
We have a minimum commitment of one full term. Your fee covers your membership of the choir for the term and should not be thought of as a weekly amount per rehearsal – 1.5 hours rehearsal time does not equal 1.5 hrs of work/resources/overheads
* Refunds or discounts cannot be given at any time for missed rehearsals or a person’s inability to attend every rehearsal in the term. In exceptional circumstances i.e. illness or bereavement, we may offer our members the option to freeze their membership and carry it over to the next term . This is entirely at the discretion of the Harmania team.
REHEARSAL CONTENT
As a member of Harmania you are given access to materials, harmonies, arrangements , concepts, ideas, teaching methods and techniques that are considered intellectual property and owned by Harmania Indie Choir. By becoming a member, attending workshops, performances or any event put on by Harmania, you are agreeing not to share, use, copy, amend or distribute any of this content to another person, group or event. Any breech of this agreement is taken seriously and may result in legal action. Harmania Indie Choir reserve the right to refuse admission ( without refund) to anyone they feel may challenge this agreement .
PERFORMANCES
We aim to give our casual members the opportunity to take part in a couple of performances throughout the year. Performing members are expected to take part in more performances. The Performing choir is strictly auditioned. These auditions are held once or twice a year. We ask casual members to complete at least one full term before auditioning. There is an exception to this for people with a background in singing publicly.
Our performances can vary between having the whole choir or sometimes a small ensemble with a limited amount of singers.
Whether you are a performing member or causal member, by signing up to do a performance, you are agreeing to attend every weekly rehearsal plus any extra rehearsals involved in preparing for the event. You are also required to practice your part at home using resources given by the director. If you miss rehearsals, you will be asked to step down from taking part in the performance.
While this is not desirable, we consider it to be crucial in achieving an acceptable and respectable standard ,especially if we are charging people to attend our gig. It’s also the fairest option for the choir as a whole. We would ask our members to consider carefully before committing to a performance.
We’re fully aware some people just like to come and sing once a week for the enjoyment of singing in group. That is totally fine with us and we value these members just the same as our performing members.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Harmania is an inclusive choir welcoming people from all backgrounds regardless or race, creed ,disability or sexuality. We require all our members to value the same principles towards everyone involved in our choir, be that members, visitors, audiences, third parties and any member of the Harmania team. As human beings, we are fully aware that people have differing views on how things should be done. However, in order to ensure the smooth running and positive experience of our group, we must insist that the professional opinions, decisions and instructions of the Harmania team are followed and respected at all times.
The wellbeing of our members and team and being able to offer a safe, welcoming environment is of paramount importance. Undesirable behaviour in any form ( threatening/abusive/undermining behaviour or harassment of any kind) towards any member, guest, third party or the Harmania team will not be tolerated and will result in immediate cancellation of the offending person’s membership without refund.
Harmania Indie Choir reserve the right to refuse admission and/or membership.
CANCELLED REHEARSALS
Occasionally, due to circumstances outside of our control i.e. illness, adverse weather conditions, pandemics etc we may need to cancel or postpone a rehearsal. We’ll do our best to reschedule that rehearsal within the current term , however, if it’s not possible, we’ll add an extra one to the following term.
HEALTH & SAFETY
The health and safety of our members is extremely important to us. For insurance purposes every member must sign into each weekly session at the start of the night.
Rehearsals can sometimes involve long periods of standing and/or movement. If you have any issues that may effect your ability to do this, please let us know and we can arrange for you to participate without having to do so. It’s important that you inform us of any disabilities, issues or concerns that you have so that we can make provisions to ensure an accessible and comfortable rehearsal for you.
Harmania cannot be held responsible for any loss, damage or theft of personal belongings so we ask you to please look after your own property with care.
SOCIAL MEDIA , ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
By joining Harmania you are agreeing to us using any photos, videos and recordings taken in rehearsals, performances and all Harmania events to be used in social media forums and for advertising purposes. These images and videos will form part of our portfolio and may be used in the future even if you are no longer part of the choir.
You are also agreeing to us contacting you via email. Facebook, WhatsApp or phone regarding any choir notifications or your membership.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]