 | What is barbershop?
Barbershop is a form of a cappella (no accompaniment) singing.
Unlike most harmony singing where the melody is the top part (like
soprano/alto/tenor/bass), in barbershop the melody is usually down in the
middle of the chord:
Tenor (higher harmony)
Lead (melody)
Baritone (middle harmony)
Bass (low harmony)
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| I haven't sung for a long time - can I still sing?
Singing is not something you lose, your vocal chord muscles are just out
of shape. Like any muscle, you just have to get it back in shape. That's
where the chorus can help - we'll teach you warm ups and breathing exercises
to get all those muscles back in shape in no time.
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| I'm not a solo singer, can I really do this?
Actually barbershop is best for those of us who are not solo singers. As
long as you can carry a tune, you can sing barbershop. You'll find
when you visit us that we are all amateur singers with 'real lives'. We do
this for fun.
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| I don't read music, can I really do this?
You don't have to read music to sing barbershop, although it is of
course helpful. We teach music using a variety of methods including tape
recorders.
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| When I come visit, what will happen the first night?
After you arrive the director or her designee will take you off to
another room to voice place you. What that means is that she'll sing with
you and other first-timers some scales to see where your voice is strongest.
She'll also ask you some questions about your musical background (whatever
that might be). She'll then place you into a part to try. This may not end
up being the part you sing - if you are uncomfortable, please talk to the
section leader or director about it. We want you to be comfortable singing
and this first part might not be the best one for you.
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| So what does it take to join the chorus?
If you decide you'd be interested in joining us, you'll need to learn
(memorize) 3 songs for the audition. Our current audition songs are
You're a Grand Old Flag,
Irish Blessing, and
one other repertoire song of your
choice.
You'll choose 2 songs of the 3 to sing in a small group (at least 2 people singing
each part), and the third song to sing in a quartet (1 person per part)
while the director listens to you. The small group and quartet songs can be
any of the three. We suggest you discuss your song choice of the
'other repertoire song' with the section leader and which song you plan to
sing in the quartet, so that she can help you make the best choices for you
to be most successful. They can help guide you through the
process. When you're ready (and definitely not required
to be done in one night!), just let the director know that you're ready to
audition on x song and whether it will be in a small group or quartet. She'll plan time at
the end of rehearsal for you to do this. After you've sung your song,
the director will discuss with you privately if you passed or if there are
things to work on. You are welcome to re-audition on that song when you're
ready.
As long as you've attended 4 rehearsals within a 6 week period and after
you've passed your vocal audition you're invited to complete a chorus
application which you return with your dues check. The chorus board and then
the chorus will vote on your application. More information will be
provided as you move through the process.
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| Still interested? We hope so! Please contact us to plan a visit!
membership@harmonymagic.org |
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