LFC Covid19 Plan 2020 – 2021

 

  1. Choir terms and breaks
  2. Subscriptions
  3. Payments for Jonathan and Leo
  4. Additional ideas for wider choir involvement
  5. Ongoing monitoring of government rules and guidance for amateur choirs during the Covid19 pandemic
  6. Plans for emerging from lockdown

​1.         Zoom meetings have now replaced our usual rehearsals at The Cornerstone. There are planned rehearsal schedules for these meetings together with opportunities for social interaction.
Choir recordings are compiled by Jonathan and we sing (muted) to accompany videos of past choir concerts.
The summer holiday has been reduced to a four week break with our last Zoom rehearsal on 27 July. We resume on Monday 7 September, 7.00pm.
I have offered to keep the Zoom meetings going through August if people want to keep meeting up while Jonathan has a break. Let me know if you are interested.

Christmas holiday break dates have yet to be set.

  1. We will continue to request members’ subscriptions whilst accommodating both those who can’t afford to pay, and those who find the technical side a barrier to participation. This will be at the current rate (on LFC website).
  1. We will continue to pay Jonathan and Leo at their full rates as retainers. As Jonathan is currently putting in considerably more time for planning and recording than in ‘normal’ times, the committee has agreed to substantially increase his payment while this situation continues.
  1. We would like to get a wider participation from the choir during this period: currently some 60 members are accessing the Zoom meetings but we are aware that this is not feasible for others. It may be that Part reps can play a role in supporting a wider approach.We would like to find other ways of involving people that require less technical savvy and welcome suggestions from choir members.  I will shortly be sending round a questionnaire to gauge ideas and interest in other activities.
  1. We will keep a close eye on government guidance for performing arts (currently focused on professional artists) and guidance published on the Making Music website. Jonathan has written a paper on The Benefits of Lockdown which we hope to get publicised. We desperately need a Social Secretary who has time and expertise to promote the recordings Jonathan is producing, and choir information. Please contact me if you can help here.
  1. We are considering outdoor performances later in the year (weather permitting) as this may be the first step for choirs coming out of lockdown. Already some choir members are meeting regularly at weekends to sing together in small groups and others may wish to follow suit. In order to observe social distancing in rehearsals we will need to find a larger venue than The Cornerstone and are considering Greenleaf Baptist Church which is currently having pews removed to increase capacity.

         This Plan will be regularly reviewed as we get new guidance – with the ultimate aim
         for every one of us to be back singing all together again as soon as ever we can.

July 2020