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Should choir members who missed rehearsal be allowed to sing anyway?

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What's the best policy about attendance at choir rehearsal?

Some choirs have decorum guidelines that include strict requirements about rehearsal attendance. If you miss the rehearsal, you can't sing at the performance. Other choir directors try to "play it by ear" and let the choir member decide whether he or she is prepared to sing. What are the pros and cons of each philosophy? Let's talk about it!

(photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Different approaches might be best for different choirs. Here are some thoughts on each side of the issue.

Ideas IN FAVOR of having a "no-rehearse, no-sing" policy

  • A lot of people will do anything they can get away with. If they can skip rehearsal without suffering any consequences, they'll do it.

  • Sometimes choir members think that they know the music well, but they may be wrong about that. The choir director needs to hear them in rehearsal to know for certain that they're solid on the material.

  • Sometimes the director will want to make changes to the way a piece is performed. A member who doesn't come to practice won't know that and they'll be singing the song "the old way".

Ideas AGAINST having a "no-rehearse, no-sing" policy

  • If you tell one member that they can't sing, that makes the work harder for everyone else in their section. This can especially be a problem in small choirs where you only have a few people on each part.

  • A rule like that makes for more work for the choir director or the choir secretary. They have to keep track of who came to rehearsal and who didn't, who called with a valid excuse for missing practice and who didn't, etc. And then someone has to be the one to tell the prodigal member, "You can't sing today."

  • Rigid rules can sometimes inspire feelings of resentment.

A choir in rehearsal

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What do YOU think?

Give us your opinion!

Should choir members who missed rehearsal still be allowed to sing?

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YES - If they know the music, they should go ahead and add their voice.

NO - If they missed rehearsal without a good reason, they shouldn't sing this time.

Elizabeth McCardel Chan says:

It depends. How many have they missed? How well do they know the song? What's their attitude? Choir needs both the cohesion of pitch and rhythm AND the team perspective. (As having been both a member and choir director, the group KNOWS that it's wrong for there to be no accountable for a select few who miss rehearsals or like to leave early most weeks.) I have never met a well-rounded, well-rehearsed choir member who missed many rehearsals or came late/left early.

If you sing a song every week, they need to be at the one rehearsal for that song. If you sing every two weeks, same thing. We have a policy that members have to attend three out of four rehearsals (barring an emergency) and if they've missed more than one out of four, they have to sing the song in their part to me personally and I will get to determine whether they are prepared.

Nuff said.

EMC in NYC

Posted February 05, 2012

TOM says:

An EMPTY SEAT has NO minestry

Posted June 07, 2011

MORG.E says:

NO. wHEN YOU ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN IT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF EVERYONE ELSE COMING AND LEARNIG THE MATERIAL PROPERLY. wHEN YOU JUST JUMP IN ON sUNDAY MORNING, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT WAS PRACTICED AND YOU THROW EVERYONE ELSE OFF. IF EVERYONE ELSE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SHOWING UP THEN YOU SHOULD TOO IF YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF IT. IF NOT THEN DON'T WASTE THE MINISTER OF MUSIC'S TIME, THE DIRECTOR'S , THE CHOIR MEMBERS NOR THE PASTOR'S TIME. JUST BE A MEMBER AND CALL IT A DAY.

Posted September 15, 2010

Composer51 says:

No, No, No, No, No----as a general rule, if you miss rehearsal, you should NOT be allowed to sing in performance--the only exceptions to this should be:

* You have contacted the Director to discuss your particular situation, you KNOW THE MUSIC TO BE SUNG, AND YOU KNOW IT IN YOUR SLEEP, and you have a history of NOT missing rehearsals. If you don't meet all these requirements, you should NOT sing, PERIOD!! And the truth of the matter is (like I tell my choir members), if you know that you've missed the rehearsal before the performance (which in most cases is the only rehearsal), you already KNOW that you don't KNOW the music---so your "conscience" ought to tell you that you shouldn't sing . . .

Of course, we know our "folks" . . . .
Had a sister just last week, came LATE to performance, had missed rehearsal, told her NOT TO COME, and she came anyway, sat on the front row, and didn't know the words to the songs!!!!

Posted June 16, 2010

strayspay says:

In high school I skipped a choir rehearsal and then the program and got a grade of "F." ..only one I ever got but I respected the teacher who gave it to me. If a choir member is ill and it can be documented (their responsibility to provide the documentation without having to be told to do so) then OK but for someone who just decides they don't want to rehearse (like i did in high school) then they should not be allowed to sing.

Posted March 21, 2010

 

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  • Reply
    Chris Rowbury Mar 25, 2010 @ 4:44 am | delete
    I agree that rules shouldn't be too rigid. I treat each individual case differently, but make it clear that if anyone intends to miss the important final rehearsal, then they need to have a chat with me. I also make it clear that you don't have to sing every song. If you don't know a song well enough (in my opinion!), then just stand at the back and don't sing it.

    I try and always add last minute changes so that people know that if they miss that rehearsal, they won't know what's happening!

    Chris Rowbury
    From the Front of the Choir: http://blog.chrisrowbury.com
  • Reply
    strayspay Mar 21, 2010 @ 9:54 pm | delete
    Very good topic and lens! I think as Christians we have become too permissive in the Lord's church and about the Lord's work.
  • Reply
    JoyfulPamela Mar 21, 2010 @ 6:08 pm | delete
    Hard question! As a choir director I want to say "no rehearsal - no sing" to be fair to the others who have attended faithfully and prepared to sing their best. But, as a Christian choir director, how can I turn down anyone who wants to come and sing to the Lord! I have to admit I've been known to gently remind groups that we want to give our best to Him, and one way to do that is to attend rehearsals regularly. It will be interesting to see what others say about this. :)
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JoanTheChoirLady

I've been singing in, playing for, writing for, and directing gospel choirs all my life. I live in Los Angeles.

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