| Great Lakes Chorus Grand Rapids Barbershop Chapter Come Join, Sing, & Have Fun! Beginners Welcome |
 
 
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How
To Join
To sing barbershop with us any male visitor can simply show up to any Tuesday night rehearsal and start singing. It's that easy! Although we work hard, rehearsals are informal and fun! We'll provide you with any guidence you might need. We meet at 7:00 PM every Tuesday at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, corner of 36th St SE and 7495 Cascade Rd SE in Cascade, east of greater Grand Rapids. Click here for map After a while if you get that harmonizing bug and want to sing with us in competitions, then you can join us to become an official member! Women are always welcome to listen, but for those who like to sing, we highly recommend our local Sweet Adelines Barbershop chorus, click their website address www.grsa.net FAQ 1. When does the Great Lakes Chorus meet? We meet every Tuesday, at 7:00 PM at the Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, corner of 36th St SE and 7495 Cascade Rd SE in Cascade, East of greater Grand Rapids Michigan. Click here for map 2. Do I have to have experience or be able to read music to sing with the Great Lakes Chorus? No, as long as you enjoy singing and have an ear for music, we will guide you to be a barbershop singer. Most of our members had no previous singing experience or music reading ability before joining our Chorus. A few of our other members' experience ranges from singing with church choirs or such singing groups as the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus to having degrees in music. But, we want members who are willing to learn to sing and have fun doing it. 3. How do I learn to sing your part? We offer free part-predominant learning tapes and CDs for each voice part in most songs to give you that extra edge in learning your part. No music reading experience is necessary. Our chapter directors are always patient in teaching songs and offer positive encouragement for all members in learning their parts. We regularly bring in highly experienced coaches from around the country to improve our singing and sometimes schedule a retreat before competitions to hone our skills. 4. What if I want to sing in a quartet? We strongly encourage all members who express an interest in singing in a quartet to do so and will give you all the help you need. During our chapter meetings and rehearsals, we generally incorporate quartet activities and provide opportunities for members to sing in quartets and small groups if they wish. Of course, we never force anyone to sing in a quartet or small group if they would prefer to avoid it. 5. Does the Chorus perform other than at Chapter meetings and rehearsals? Sure. We have an annual Spring show called the Great Lakes Invitational or GLI. An annual Christmas show with the women's chorus the Grand Rapids Sweet Adelines. The Chorus also sings at schools, parks, festivals, nursing homes, and other events throughout the year and is available for hire as are most of our Chapter quartets. Sometimes, we have fun nights at other venues during the year, like at our annual Corn Roast, our annual Pick-up Quartet Contest or our Chapter Officer Installation Dinner. We also have an annual golf outing and picnic. Ask a member for details. 6. Who should I talk to if I have further questions? You can always call your assigned buddy as well as Chapter Representatives at 616-447-8338. 7. Am I allowed to have fun? You are expected to do nothing less! New attendees receive information packets with more detail but here is a brief overview of what to expect. The main thing is to sing, preserve, and promote barbershop . We do a spring show and a Christmas show as well as many 'sing-outs' at parks. churches, blood drives, etc. throughout the year. Performing at shows is not mandatory but they're fun so most of us try to sing for as many as we can. But work and family obligations can sometimes make that difficult. If you can't make a show or sing-out just let your section leader know. We also compete with other chapters. There is a Spring and a Fall district competition and the winner of the Fall contest competes at International against all the winners of all the other chapters worldwide each year in July. The GLC has had the honor to represent the district at Internationals many times in it's long history but in recent history the last 2 times were in 2002 and 2012. You don't have to be a member to sing on shows and sing-outs, only when singing at contest. In either case there's a very informal audition where the director and section leader have you sing a couple songs in private to make sure your singing is competent enough. It's very support oriented and if your audition is a little rough they will work with you on it so you can try again later. |