New Member Welcome
Because our chorus serves as a social community as well as a singing group, we especially want to find ways to welcome new members.
Membership Committee
- Plan a welcoming party before the first Chorus rehearsal of the fall season.
- Make sure that name tags are prepared for the first rehearsal and for the welcoming party. Consider nametags for the front and back of each singer!
- Greet new section members at the first rehearsal and make sure they are introduced to their Section Leader and several members of their section.
- Plan a new member orientation 30 minutes before the first rehearsal of the season:
- Introduce Membership Committee, Music Section Leaders, Board Chairs and staff.
- Invite questions.
- Be an upbeat cheerleader for the chorus!
Chorus Administrator
- Prepare the Singer Handbook and other intro documents for packets.
- Update and circulate a current member roster.
Artistic Director
- Greet and welcome new members at the orientation and recognize them at the first rehearsal.
- Acknowledge the challenges of new membership especially for the first few rehearsals that involve lots of sight-reading.
- Plan several introductory activities as a part of the first rehearsal (in sections and as a full group).
- Give an overview of the upcoming season at the first rehearsal.
Buddy System
Membership Committee will solicit current singers who have interest in being a buddy for a new singer during the first four weeks of rehearsal. Membership Committee will assign Buddies to new members within their own section if possible. Buddies are encouraged to:
- Phone call during the first week
- Invite the new singers to a chorus social event
- Regularly make contact during the first 4 weeks of rehearsal
- Check in with a phone call if a new singer misses a rehearsal
At their First Concert
- Recognize all the new singers that joined since the beginning of the season.
- "Pin" the new singers with some kind of award or button.