Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Dear Music and Worship Arts Participant,
If you are like I am, you are getting out your calendars and preparing your schedule for the fall so that you can fit everything in for yourself, your children, and others. Here is a calendar for Music and Worship Arts at Grace.
I am in need of a music librarian, a wardrobe person, and a coordinator that can help get folks ready with music and robes on Sunday mornings for each ensemble. The music librarian is a during the week job. If you are interested in any of those three jobs for an ensemble, please let me know.
We are going to kick things off with a potluck dinner for all Music and Worship Arts participants (including Youth, Children, and parents!) on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 from 6:30 PM-8:00 PM, in the Activity Center. This includes all our Music and Worship Arts folks including Drama, Communion, Altar Guild, and Fine Arts. We will have a great time eating together, and have an old-fashioned hymn sing. In order to have a balanced dinner, just like a balanced choir, food assignments are based on your voice part or range in the bell choir. If you are not in a music ensemble, but need to know your voice part, I will trust your judgment:
Sopranos and 6th and 7th octaves: Casserole
Altos and 4th octaves: Salad
Tenors and 3rd octaves: Dessert
Basses and 2nd octave: Bread/rolls
Music and Worship Arts Committee/Staff: silverware, drinks, and set up.
Parents of Children and Youth, pick an item above to bring.
Rehearsals resume the week after Labor Day starting with Daychimers. I look forward to seeing you all again for the 2009-2010 year!
Blessings, peace and thanks to you this day and every day,
Jon-Philip Olson
Director of Music and Worship Arts
Grace United Methodist Church
2009-2010 Music and Worship Arts Master Schedule
Rehearsals
The Wesley Choir | Grades 1 through 5 | Wednesdays 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room | Sings every other week at 10:15 AM |
| 37th Street Band | Youth/Adults | Wednesdays 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room | Sings every Sunday at Crossroads |
| The Chancel Choir | Adults | Wednesdays 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room | Sings every Sunday 10:15 AM |
| The Chapel Choir | Youth gardes 6 grade through 12 | Sundays 4:00 PM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room | Sings every Sunday at 10:15 AM |
| Grace Chimers | Handbells- Youth and Adults | Thursdays 7:00 PM top 8:30 PM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room | Plays approx. once a month at 10:15 AM. |
| Daychimers | Beginning Adult Bells | Tuesdays | 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM | Schedule TBA |
Warm Ups
These times are when Warm Ups start on Sunday Morning. You need to have your music, robe and self in order before the warm up starts. We will start with hymns and combined choirs, then move to individual anthems. Please do any necessary vocal or physical warm ups prior to coming to this warm up, as there is not enough time to do so and review every anthem. Your Sunday School teacher understands and knows you have worship duties and will gladly release you. Your choir coordinator will be there to assist you.
I hate asking people to miss a portion of Sunday School - I am working closely with Kathye Harrington-Taber to minimize the impact on our Sunday School program.
We must remain on schedule so that the 10:15 service starts on time.
Please be ready to go at your time.
| The Chancel Choir and Chapel Choir | 9:45 AM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room |
| The Wesley Choir | 10:05 AM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room |
| The 37th Street Band | 8:30 AM | Wesley Hall Rehearsal Room |
| The Grace Chimers | 8:00 AM | Sanctuary |
Worship Performance Schedule
| Wesley Choir | Chapel Choir | Chancel Choir | 37th Street Band | Grace Chimers | Daychimers | Grace Players | |
| 9/13/09 Homecoming | X | X | X | X | |||
| 9/20/09 Christian Ed/Bible Sunday | X | X | X | X | |||
| 9/27/09 | X | X | X | X | |||
| 10/4/09 World Communion | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| 10/11/09 Children’s Sabbath | X | X | X | X | |||
| 10/18/09 | X | X | X | ||||
| 10/25/09 | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| 11/1/09 All Saint’s Day and Communion | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| 11/8/09 | X | X | X | ||||
| 11/15/09 | X | X | X | X | |||
| 11/22/09 Thanksgiving Sunday | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| 11/29/09 Hanging of the Greens in Worship Advent I | X | X | X | X | X ? | ||
| 12/6/09 Communion Advent II | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| 12/13/09 Advent III | X | X | X | ||||
| 12/20/09 Advent IV | X | X | X | ||||
| 12/24/09 Christmas Eve I | |||||||
| 12/24/09 Christmas Eve II | |||||||
| 12/24/09 Christmas Eve | X | X | X | ||||
| 12/24/09 Christmas Eve IV | X | X | X | ||||
| 12/27/09 1st Sunday of Christmas | X | ||||||
| 1/3/09 Epiphany | X | X |
SPECIAL REHEARSALS, CANCELATIONS AND OTHER BITS AND PIECES
No Chapel Choir rehearsal on October 18th.
No rehearsals, all groups, November 23rd -29th
Children’s Christmas Pageant dress rehearsal Saturday December 12th 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Christmas Eve combined rehearsal with Wesley Choir and 37th Street Band December 23rd 5:30 PM
Christmas Eve Orchestra Rehearsal for Chancel Choir and Chapel Choir December 23rd 7:00 PM
No rehearsals December 25th through January 9th 2010.
Rehearsals for fall resume with Chapel Choir on January 10th at 4:00 PM
A calendar will be posted in Wesley Hall. If you are going to be gone from a rehearsal or performance, please sign out. It is important that this happen so that if a large number from an ensemble will be gone, then that rehearsal or performance can be canceled. Please sign out prior to a rehearsal or performance, so that should a rehearsal or performance have low attendance, accompanists and other personnel, like our office manager can be notified in advance. This way heating and air can be turned off and accompanists will not have to make a trip here to find rehearsal canceled.
Please have a pencil to mark your music.
All ensembles, including handbells and 37th Street Band will be assigned a folder number and robe number (Well, Ok, 37th Street Band will not have a robe). Please only use your robe and folder number. You may store gloves for handbells in your slot. If you are missing a copy of music, see your music librarian for a replacement. Because music is so expensive, we will be keeping track of missing music and appropriate replacement charges will be made.
Your robe is washable. Feel free to take home and wash anytime. Same goes for handbell gloves.
All ensembles please check that you are here on the attendance sheets located in your folder cabinet when you arrive.
All ensembles and acolytes: Please hang your robe neatly on its hanger and return your music (if you do not take home to practice) to its slot at the end of worship.
For weather cancellations, Grace UMC follows the Des Moines Public Schools. If evening activities are cancelled, so are activities at Grace. For rehearsals not on schooldays (Chapel Choir), the church staff will work as a team and make a joint decision so that all activities for the evening will be canceled. E-mail, phone trees, Facebook, the church website and Twitter will be activated at that point.
For a large number of people, e-mail is the fastest, most free, best form of communication. If you do not have e-mail and prefer a letter or phone call, please let Jon or your ensemble coordinator know so that we can communicate with you. We will also make more use of the church website and youth website this year. Please check regularly for updates. A Facebook ® page and a Twitter ® account has been established for the music department. More information will be given out at your first rehearsal.
Remember that we rehearse far ahead of performance dates. If you are going to be gone on a Sunday, please try to come to the Wednesday rehearsal. It will be to your benefit.