Celebration Sing Out! Primary Choirs FAQs answered
PLUS other useful info, and some sample notes
1. What you and your choristers wear
2. Concert weekend rehearsals
No parents in the hall at this or any rehearsal – they don’t have child protection and it is not a reality TV show. The acoustics at Granville are very challenging so it is essential that parents and teachers don’t sit up the back and chat while Gwen is trying to rehearse.
Sunday 28th October
Sydney Town Hall
On arrival at the Town Hall on Sunday 29th October .
Mal will then take everyone through the combined repertoire
The break
If it is raining
The Concert
Numbers and stage positions
‘Southern crush doors’.
At the end of the concert
Tickets
Sydney Town hall Risk Assessment
Below are some notes we have used over the years which you might like to adapt for your own.
1. Travel by train note
2, A note to tell parents about the concert weekend
___________________________________________________________________________________
1. Travel by train note
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
The Celebration Concert at the Town Hall will take place in term four on the last weekend in October. I would like to give you some details of what will be required on both days.
Rehearsal, Saturday 28th October :
All choir members need to attend this rehearsal at VENUE TBA.
The rehearsal is from 1:30 pm to 4:30pm
Choir members will meet at the school hall at 1pm. Parents will need to collect their children from the hall at 4:35 pm. Children wear normal weekend clothing and bring a drink and a snack for the afternoon break.
On Sunday 29th October , we will travel by train to Sydney Town Hall, for the afternoon rehearsal. The train will leave xxx station at
xxx p.m. For the performance, each child needs a white top and dark pants or skirt. Children may wear a top of their choice for the rehearsal. They will need a warm jacket for the evening. The white top is to be carried in a plastic bag, as the children will change before the performance.
They will need to bring something to eat and drink for lunch, which we will eat on the train. Children will also need to bring some money to buy their dinner (probably at McDonalds).
You may choose to meet us after the rehearsal, at 4.45pm to take your child to dinner. Children need to return to St Andrews Square, adjacent to the Town Hall by 6:00 p.m.
If you are coming to see the performance and have travelled in by car, you may collect your child from us at the end of the concert. If you are not coming to the concert, you will need to arrange for your child to travel home with a friend's family. Teachers will not be escorting children to XXXXXX on the train because most families have indicated that they will be driving home from the concert.
Please fill in the attached permission form and medical form. Please provide a phone number on which you can be contacted on Saturday evening and Sunday night.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another Note about concert weekend
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
As you are aware the Celebration Concert at the Town Hall will take place over the weekend of the 27th and 28th October .
If you have yet to place your order for tickets you are advised to do so before the concert to avoid the long queues.
For the rehearsal on Saturday 28th October, all choir members will need to attend. It is being held at VENUE TBA from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Choir members will meet at the school hall at 1pm. Parents will need to collect their children from the hall at 4:35 pm. Children wear normal weekend clothing and bring a drink and a snack for the afternoon break.
Parents are not permitted in the hall.
On Sunday 28th October, the afternoon rehearsal commences at 1.30pm. Children will need to have lunch prior to meeting at St Andrews Square, adjacent to the Town Hall at 1 pm.
For the performance, each child needs a white top and dark pants or skirt. They also need a small bright scarf to wave in the finale. Children may wear a top of their choice for the rehearsal. They will need a warm jacket for the evening. The white top is to be carried in a plastic bag, as the children will change before the performance.
Children will need to bring a small bag with a water bottle and a light dinner. You may choose to meet us after the rehearsal, at 4.45pm to take your child to dinner, however, children need to return to St Andrews Square, adjacent to the Town Hall by 6:00 p.m.
Please provide a phone number on which you can be contacted on Saturday afternoon and Sunday night.
Thank you,
PLUS other useful info, and some sample notes
1. What you and your choristers wear
- White plain top preferably with a collar and definitely with sleeves.
- Black or dark blue long pants or skirt with opaque tights.
- Black shoes if possible
- Choir teachers sing at the end of the rows on the steps. (also in white tops and dark pants/skirts)
- Each child will need a small bright scarf to keep in their pocket and then produce – hurrah ! – and wave in the finale. 😊
2. Concert weekend rehearsals
- Granville Public School , Saturday 27th October
Commences at 1.30 pm, goes until 4.30 pm
All students and teachers should bring a hat, snack and drinks. There is no opportunity to buy anything but there is a nice shady area to sit outside. - Address: Lena St. Granville.
This location is within easy walking distance of Granville Rail Station, if travel by train is an option for you (but check track work on that day) - Entry to the school on foot will be via the car park gate on Lena St. providing access to the school hall.
- Buses should unload in Lena St., then should be able to remain in Lena St. or park in Daniel St (Northern side) or Florrie St. (Western side of the school). There is no restriction on parking near the school on Saturdays. from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm
No parents in the hall at this or any rehearsal – they don’t have child protection and it is not a reality TV show. The acoustics at Granville are very challenging so it is essential that parents and teachers don’t sit up the back and chat while Gwen is trying to rehearse.
- Please limit student trips to the toilet which tend to break out at the 2.30 pm mark and the last half of the rehearsal is disrupted by endless toing and froing of groups of girls with simultaneous urgent needs to go to the toilet. You all know how this goes.
Sunday 28th October
- Security at Sydney Town Hall
This works in time intervals. Mal and I give the security folk a time table which commences at 8 am and covers all entries and exits.
For example there is a security ‘window’ to get everyone in and then out again.
When you come back after your break on concert day the security staff will ask me if everyone is ‘in’.
That’s why you need to be checked in and out and also why we can’t wander in and out or into other areas.
If you accidentally go to an area you shouldn’t the security staff will immediately ask me why and are not impressed by the answer ‘Beats me!’
Sydney Town Hall
- Arrive at 1pm if your group needs to go to the toilet
Commences at 1.30 pm goes to 4.30 pm
On arrival at the Town Hall on Sunday 29th October .
- You will be greeted in St Andrews Square and then if you know where to go you will proceed (quietly ) across the hall in front of the stage and to the Marconi room to drop off your belongings.
The senior choir and orchestra will be rehearsing as we arrive.
If you don’t know where to go someone will show you.
After all the ‘have to go and check out the Town Hall toilets’ action has been completed.
You will be shown to your second half positions. This may be in the galleries or the main hall.
Both positions are really close to the action. No one gets stuck out the back with 100’s of tired children.
Mal will then take everyone through the combined repertoire
- When it is our turn to go up on stage to rehearse, school by school, we will line up the sopranos on the left hand aisle facing the stage and the altos on the right hand side facing the stage.
- Height order within schools would be wonderful. We then follow the leader up onto the stage and fill the rows from top to bottom. Yvonne and I then look very carefully to make sure that every child can be seen.
- Please let us to this and we will try to be unobtrusive as possible It is best to have the taller children at the end of the rows; there will be also be altos in the northern gallery and sopranos in the southern gallery.
Your school may not all be in the same row but they won’t be far off – stick with it. Teachers sit on the ends of the rows. Teachers keep an eye on all students.
The break
- Some lucky teachers will hand over their children to waiting parents.
The rest of us will stroll off to have dinner somewhere. - You need to be back at St Andrews Square at 6pm. Please be on time.
- We will come and find you or wave at you to come in. You will then go to the Marconi room, find a place, settle your students.
- Silence is not necessary but a noise level below bedlam is appreciated. At 6.30 pm line up your altos and sopranos in two lines in height order.
- Yvonne will take the sopranos to their places on stage and I will take the altos. We do this school by school.
If it is raining
- The Marconi room will be very cosy indeed with both the senior choir, some of the orchestra and us. Some of us may be better in the hall outside this room.
You decide just don’t block the entrances/exits Hopefully it will not be raining and we can spread out onto the Terrace.
Last year it DID NOT RAIN and but still remained incredibly cosy but it was not for long. (we kept telling ourselves )
The Concert
- We are on stage for the entire first half of the concert.
In the interval, you will go to your second half positions to watch the senior choir and orchestra and to take the place by storm in the finale.
Numbers and stage positions
- As soon as we know numbers we begin the process of seeing how everyone will fit in. If you are travelling with someone let us know and we’ll make sure you are together.
- If you have a student or students in wheel chairs or who need to use the lift, please let us know on Saturday 28th October and we will make sure you and/or your school are seated near that student.
- On the Saturday before the concert, if the numbers are in, we will be able to tell you where you will be in the second half of the concert. In the last couple of years, it has been in the front 9 rows of the Town Hall which are parent free and guarded by two really good volunteers from Penrith. Not a cushy gig I can tell you.
‘Southern crush doors’.
- Only choirs and their helpers are allowed to use the ‘Southern crush doors’. Parents have to drop students off to you and then pick up them up afterwards from St Andrews Square adjacent to the Town Hall.
At the end of the concert
- Parents exit via the front doors and go around to St Andrews square.
Tell all your parents that they definitely are not to try to come and get to their children in the hall or yell at their children to come to them.
This way you keep tabs on all your children until parents come to you in St Andrews square. Much less stressful believe me.
Tickets
- These are bought by the parents online, through the CSME website.
Sydney Town hall Risk Assessment
- This is available on the Sydney Town Hall Web site if you need it for your excursion documentation. I have also sent you the Town Hall spec’s.
Below are some notes we have used over the years which you might like to adapt for your own.
1. Travel by train note
2, A note to tell parents about the concert weekend
___________________________________________________________________________________
1. Travel by train note
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
The Celebration Concert at the Town Hall will take place in term four on the last weekend in October. I would like to give you some details of what will be required on both days.
Rehearsal, Saturday 28th October :
All choir members need to attend this rehearsal at VENUE TBA.
The rehearsal is from 1:30 pm to 4:30pm
Choir members will meet at the school hall at 1pm. Parents will need to collect their children from the hall at 4:35 pm. Children wear normal weekend clothing and bring a drink and a snack for the afternoon break.
On Sunday 29th October , we will travel by train to Sydney Town Hall, for the afternoon rehearsal. The train will leave xxx station at
xxx p.m. For the performance, each child needs a white top and dark pants or skirt. Children may wear a top of their choice for the rehearsal. They will need a warm jacket for the evening. The white top is to be carried in a plastic bag, as the children will change before the performance.
They will need to bring something to eat and drink for lunch, which we will eat on the train. Children will also need to bring some money to buy their dinner (probably at McDonalds).
You may choose to meet us after the rehearsal, at 4.45pm to take your child to dinner. Children need to return to St Andrews Square, adjacent to the Town Hall by 6:00 p.m.
If you are coming to see the performance and have travelled in by car, you may collect your child from us at the end of the concert. If you are not coming to the concert, you will need to arrange for your child to travel home with a friend's family. Teachers will not be escorting children to XXXXXX on the train because most families have indicated that they will be driving home from the concert.
Please fill in the attached permission form and medical form. Please provide a phone number on which you can be contacted on Saturday evening and Sunday night.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another Note about concert weekend
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
As you are aware the Celebration Concert at the Town Hall will take place over the weekend of the 27th and 28th October .
If you have yet to place your order for tickets you are advised to do so before the concert to avoid the long queues.
For the rehearsal on Saturday 28th October, all choir members will need to attend. It is being held at VENUE TBA from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Choir members will meet at the school hall at 1pm. Parents will need to collect their children from the hall at 4:35 pm. Children wear normal weekend clothing and bring a drink and a snack for the afternoon break.
Parents are not permitted in the hall.
On Sunday 28th October, the afternoon rehearsal commences at 1.30pm. Children will need to have lunch prior to meeting at St Andrews Square, adjacent to the Town Hall at 1 pm.
For the performance, each child needs a white top and dark pants or skirt. They also need a small bright scarf to wave in the finale. Children may wear a top of their choice for the rehearsal. They will need a warm jacket for the evening. The white top is to be carried in a plastic bag, as the children will change before the performance.
Children will need to bring a small bag with a water bottle and a light dinner. You may choose to meet us after the rehearsal, at 4.45pm to take your child to dinner, however, children need to return to St Andrews Square, adjacent to the Town Hall by 6:00 p.m.
Please provide a phone number on which you can be contacted on Saturday afternoon and Sunday night.
Thank you,
