What to Expect on your First Visit to Island Hills Chorus

First of all, big congrats to you for taking your first step in trying something new, maybe even a little scary. Putting yourself out there as a singer is a BIG DEAL...and we know because we've all done it too! So number one, try not to let nerves overwhelm you. We're super chill and pretty fun if we do say so. And we're so happy to welcome you.

For your first visit, we recommend you come a little early if you can. We rehearse (almost) every Thursday -- even through the summer months -- from 7:00 to 9:30 pm at the Long Island Center for Community Engagement at 75 Davids Drive, Hauppauge. There's a handy map at the bottom of every page of this website. We recommend our members show up at 6:45 so we can begin warmups at 7:00 sharp, so feel free to arrive around then.

• When you arrive, you'll probably be knocked over by about 20 people who want to greet you. You may have already been in contact with one of our membership committee members, so she'll be looking out for you. She'll give you a brief overview of the group and walk around with you, introducing you to people. 
• At 7:00, we'll make our way into the main room of the venue where we'll start physical warmups. These allow our bodies to relax and stretch, get our blood pumping, and tune our minds into working in tandem with the other members. It's a key weekly moment of unity and joy, and we miss out when we skip it!
• After that we'll adjourn to the room where the risers are set up and get into position for vocal warmups, led by our director. You'll be welcomed to join us on the risers for this part! If we have an idea where your vocal range might be, you will probably be positioned next to someone who has a similar range to yours. Warmups are the time to gently put our voices through their paces, and we throw ourselves fully into all the exercises both serious and silly. This is a no judgment zone!! :)
• After warmups you can step off the risers, and we'll offer you a comfy chair and a visitors' book of our musical repertoire that you can use to follow along as we practice. We may be getting ready for a show, or we may be working on our holiday music, or we may be preparing for our yearly contest by reviewing the two songs we'll be singing for adjudication. Regardless, you'll get a feel for how a rehearsal flows, and how we all work together for success.
• Once rehearsal is complete, the membership team will touch base with you to see if you'd like to return for a second visit. Listen, we know joining a chorus isn't a slapdash decision to be made on the fly. It's important that you have the opportunity to be sure we're a good fit for you, and vice versa. So you can visit several times before you decide if you want to begin the process of becoming a member, which will include a low key (but important) audition. We hope you'll want to come back, but there's no pressure to make up your mind in one night.

Before you come, here are a few things you might want to know about barbershop singing.

Voice parts

Women's barbershop (or more inclusively, barbershop in the treble range) has its roots in men's barbershop from years past. Therefore, we use the same vocal classifications as the ones they established back in the day. They are:

Lead: the voice that almost always carries the main melody

Bass: the lowest voice that sings the keynotes and fifths

Tenor: the highest voice that sings harmony above the leads (that's right, the melody is NOT the highest part)

Baritone: the voice that sings in generally the same range as the leads, but fills in middle harmonies to complete the signature barbershop chord structure

Musical training requirements:  NONE

If you're a trained singer, you're going to have a BLAST singing four part a cappella barbershop because it's one of the most challenging (and fun) forms of singing there is. But if the bulk of your singing experience has been in high school chorus, church choir, or even in the car or shower, you'll still be able to enjoy this artform to the fullest. The ability to read music is helpful but NOT required. We provide learning resources that include premade vocal tracks for those who learn by listening, along with the sheet music. If you can carry a tune, learn a song, and hold your part while three different parts are singing around you, you're going to be a successful barbershopper.

We appreciate you taking the time to get a feel for your first visit before you arrive. If you have any questions, please reach out to a membership coordinator by emailing [email protected] and we'll be SO happy to help. Hope to see you soon!!