1. Selecting music
The music committee will request musical submissions from the choir beginning in January of each year. The last day for musical submissions is the first Thursday in May. Choir members may submit songs that:
• are in 4-part choral arrangement
• are secular and do not refer to a specific religion or a specific God
• are in harmony with the Mission and Vision statements and choir policies and guidelines
• reflect the values of peace, harmony, social justice and ecological stewardship
• represent diverse cultures, themes, languages* and tempos
*Songs submitted in foreign languages must include a literal interpretation

The committee members shall delegate one person to be responsible for collecting and holding submitted music and CDs. A box will be set in the back of the rehearsal space for this purpose.

On the first Thursday in May, the music committee will meet to determine which songs are in harmony with the Mission and Vision statements and policies and guidelines of the Rogue Valley Peace Choir. These songs shall be presented to the full choir at the song selection meeting in June. Prior to that meeting, the Music Director shall review the songs so that he/she may make recommendations at that meeting regarding the suitability of songs for the choir. E.g. level of difficulty, appropriateness for a 100+ choir, etc.

This music shall then be available to choir members who wish to familiarize themselves with the music before voting.

2. All-choir song selection meeting
A special choir meeting to vote on music selection for the following year’s repertoire will be held on the first Thursday in June following the choir season. The chairperson will arrange to have each musical selection introduced to the choir by the person who submitted it for consideration. Each song presentation should run no longer than 3-4 minutes and may be sung by the presenter or designated other(s) or by playing a recording of the song. The submitting person may have handouts of his/her song for choir members. When all songs have been presented, each choir member shall vote for his/her favorite new songs, plus 3 songs from any previous year. Each choir member will have the same number of votes as songs needed. E.g. If the choir is to choose 10 new songs, each choir member will have 10 votes. The songs that receive the highest number of votes will be selected depending on the number of songs needed for the next year, typically 8-15. The selected song list will be emailed to all members of the RVPC.

Songs which are chosen and not learned the following season due to time constraints, will automatically be brought forward to the next year and be the first songs learned.

3. Selecting soloists
The Music Committee in collaboration with the Music Director shall select soloists for singing and speaking parts. When a song is best served by having a soloist, the Music Committee, with a minimum of 5 committee members, along with the Music Director shall hold auditions to determine the voice that will best serve the song. The Music Committee shall also seek out choir members for speaking parts. In the spirit of community participation, the Music Committee will work with the Music Director to determine how many songs shall be introduced by the choir members to enhance our performances. The person who submitted the chosen songs will be asked first if he/she would like to introduce the song. This introduction can be a poem or a dramatic reading that tells a story behind the song or in some way illuminates the meaning of the song. These introductions, approved by the Music Committee, shall be no more than one minute long and can be read from notes or memorized. They will not be improvised. The Music Committee will work with the introducer on his/her speaking part. Speaking parts will accompany specific songs and will be part of the general performance. Speaking and singing soloists can be rotated. If the person who submitted the song chooses not to introduce it, that person can work with the Music Committee in selecting someone else.

4. Making the practice CDs
During the summer, the Music Director shall utilize the Section Leaders (or appointee) to create practice CDs. Each of the Section Leaders shall work with the Music Director to sing his or her part. The CD is made in a recording studio. The result is that each singer can turn on the CD and hear the whole song with all parts at once if desired. Or, by turning the speaker all the way to the left, the singer can hear only his or her own part. Then after practicing a number of times, the singer can begin to tune in the rest of the “choir” and can practice singing his/her part with the other voices.

The choir budget will include the costs for making and duplicating the CDs. The CDs shall be ready for distribution by the first practice in September.

5. Preparing music for the new season
The sheet music subcommittee shall copy all of the music, organize it and distribute it to the choir members the 1st week in September of each year. Music should be copied at the print shop where the choir has an account. The sheet music shall then be available to choir members at each rehearsal in the back of the room.