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Goal: Achieve musical excellence by having fun, having a positive attitude, participating fully each week, and continuing to improve. "As a member of the Heart of Illinois chorus, I pledge to be a great Heart member by supporting the chorus goals to the very best of my ability by doing the following things." 1. Participate fully and respectfully. a. Have fun. b. Have a positive attitude and help others to do so. Demonstrate compassion and empathy for others. Be proud and celebrate. Exhibit a spirit of striving for excellence. c. Be a giver more than a taker. Help others freely without expecting something in return. d. Attend rehearsals, events, performances, etc. regularly with the goal of getting a little bit better each time. e. Arrive on time and participate in warm-ups, auditions, quality evaluations, etc. Stand on the risers as much as possible. f. Be prepared for rehearsals by knowing songs, singing daily, doing chorus homework, learning songs & choreography when needed, etc. g. Be committed. Focus 100% in the moment. h. Be quiet and respectful of people that are providing direction or instruction. i. Strive for excellence in my role(s). Agree to take on roles and assignment as requested when possible. Be accountable and responsible for myself. Be the best in my spot. Perform my role (as a singer or other duties) to the best of my ability and support others in their roles. Take initiative to improve physically, mentally, and vocally. j. Participate and offer timely positive input into decisions. Support decisions once made. k. Be willing to do what it takes to be prepared to succeed. l. Participate in chorus fund-raising and social events. m. Support the leadership and those performing all roles, large or small, by following their guidance, encouraging them, offer to help them if needed, appreciate them, and let them do the role they've been given. n. Appreciate and value individual differences. o. Demonstrate good sportsmanship. Accept defeat graciously. Support winners. p. Assist in recruiting new chorus members. q. Keep the main thing the main thing. Focus on overall objectives. r. Provide constructive feedback to chorus administrative and musical leaders. 2. Improve incrementally and continuously a. Seek out and take advantage of learning opportunities such as personal vocal instruction, taping program, coaching, etc. b. Listen openly to constructive feedback and genuinely work to improve skills little by little. c. Provide positive constructive feedback based on understanding of facts before judging. d. Be a positive advocate when changes occur. The CHORUS LEADERSHIP agrees to provide the following to support the chorus goals. 1. Have fun. 2. Have a positive attitude with a spirit of striving for excellence. 3. Provide training tools (CDs/tapes, sheet music) to help members learn music. 4. Offer opportunities for chorus members to provide input to important decisions and plans including chorus goals, extra commitments, and large spending decisions. 5. Provide coaching and mentorship opportunities on vocal production, performance skills, music theory for the chorus as a whole, for individuals, and for musical leaders. 6. Be transparent with what is being planned and why. Provide effective, open, honest, and timely communications to keep all members informed. 7. Be a good listener. Provide constructive feedback in a caring way. 8. Serve as role models: exemplify the chorus member pledge, demonstrate vocal techniques, etc. 9. Challenge the chorus musically. 10. Provide variety in rehearsal activities, music, sectionals, etc. 11. Prepare for rehearsals. Post agendas at rehearsal. Communicate plans and homework for rehearsals so that members can be prepared. 12. Communicate plans, roles and responsibilities, team responsibilities, results of meetings, etc. in a timely manner to all members. Develop and communicate long-range strategies and tactical plans. 14. Continuously improve as a musical leadership team. 15. Provide social opportunities inside and outside of rehearsal. 16. Diligently manage chorus assets with consideration for chorus goals, available funding, and budget plans. ===================================================================================================
What does the Hearts Pledge contain and why was it created?
It contains the overall goal of the chorus, along with a list of
things that chorus members and musical leaders agreed by consensus
to do to support the chorus goal. It is a mission statement that
should stand the test of time, though minor updates to clarify
understanding may occur. The intent of the Pledge is to align
expectations across the chorus on what we're about and what we
expect of each other over the course of time. With the changing of
directors in 2005, it seemed like a good time to affirm these
things. It is not intended to provide tactical direction that may
change year-to-year such as would be needed to determine budget and
other resources needed to accomplish competition, performance, or
membership growth activities. Such direction should come from the
chorus leadership groups in alignment with chorus member support as
part of normal operations.
What did the consensus process involve? The chorus
held a retreat in the first half of 2005 to identify key elements of
a goal statement as well as thoughts on expectations that Hearts
members had of each other and of chorus leaders. Notes from that
retreat were written into draft versions of the Hearts Pledge and
distributed for multiple rounds of feedback from Hearts members
during the first half of 2006 and then confirmed by the Performance
and Management Teams of the chorus as a version that contained
consensus of chorus members.
Questions about the Hearts Pledge can be referred to Rhonda Flottmann. |
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Heart of Illinois Chorus
