<p>“since they don’t perform until Sunday, Aug 23rd they don’t need to move in early before Thursday, Aug 20th which is upperclass move in day.”
So the issue is what?</p>
<p>Menloparkmom - all the groups that perform have lost 1/3 of their members who have graduated. Those graduating seniors included soloists and different types of voice - alto, mezzo, soprano, contralto, etc.</p>
<p>Prep time is needed to rework the songs and replace the soloists who have graduated. Parts may need to be reworked for the type of voice.</p>
<p>Just think about what happens every year to your high school or university choir and band - they lose their graduating seniors - usually about a third of their members. They can’t just just go on stage in front of 1,000 students and parents and give an impressive performance without any prep time. And two or three days just doesn’t work for singers - you can’t overpractice without the risk of damaging your voice. There are guidelines for voice health that need to be followed.</p>
<p>"all the groups that perform have lost 1/3 of their members who have graduated. Those graduating seniors included soloists and different types of voice - alto, mezzo, soprano, contralto, etc.</p>
<p>Prep time is needed to rework the songs and replace the soloists who have graduated. Parts may need to be reworked for the type of voice.</p>
<p>Just think about what happens every year to your high school or university choir and band - they lose their graduating seniors - usually about a third of their members. They can’t just just go on stage in front of 1,000 students and parents and give an impressive performance without any prep time. And two or three days just doesn’t work for singers - you can’t overpractice without the risk of damaging your voice" </p>
<p>I get all of that, my son was pres of his HS choir. I guess my point is it’s the groups choice to sing at orientation. If the request and denial for an early move in date keeps on happening year after year, then it means the chances of the college changing its policy is not good, unless circumstances change. So change the circumstances. If it is a financial or logistical hardship for kids to sing at Orientation, then the group should refuse to sing until the college changes it’s policy. Maybe that will get the administration to change it’s mind. The group doesn’t seem to have any other card to play. Until then, there are other opportunities for the incoming Freshman class to find out or hear the group sing, other than at orientation, are there not?</p>
<p>"Never mind that most of the groups have lost 1/3 of their members due to seniors who graduated. Obviously the VP and his housing staff don’t realize that performers can’t just go on stage without 1/3 of their members and wing it. "
Since the group knows far in advance which students will no longer be with them the following year, perhaps they need to meet a number of times before the prior school year ends to rehearse their orientation program without the graduating seniors. Voices can be kept in tune, and music can be learned individually over the summer. That way they are ready to perform and don’t have to “wing it”.</p>
<p>I’m going to go out on a limb here and ask if this is an a cappella group?</p>
<p>The reason I ask is because my daughter is part of one, and although they don’t perform the first weekend, they do have auditions the first week of school, and each a cappella group gives a shortened concert so that freshman (or anyone auditioning) can hear what the different groups sound like, and they can list their preferences for which group is their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices. The groups want to sound good, because they want all the new auditionees to list them as their first choice so that they have the best picks (it’s done in rounds, kind of like a draft). And yes, at the end of each year, each group loses its graduating seniors (how many depends on the year - for my daughter’s group, this upcoming year will be hard as it is heavy on the senior side). </p>
<p>So for D’s group, it’s more than a performance, it’s a chance to ‘audition’ for prospective students and it’s a big deal.</p>
<p>Maybe they could meet somewhere else and rehearse for a few days before coming to campus on the 20th, which is still several days before the performance. Perhaps the school would compromise enough to let them store their stuff at the school.</p>