Interested in attending a rehearsal?
We love having visitors attend our Tuesday night rehearsals. This page will give you an orientation to our chorus and our organization to help you feel right at home even before you step through our doors!What to Expect on Tuesday Night
Our rehearsals are held every Tuesday night from 6:45pm-9:30pm at the Hope Center, 1100 Freeport Rd
Mars, PA 16046. Once inside, go down the hallway and you will see a lot of smiling, friendly faces as you arrive. A member will be there to greet you and will ask if you would like to sing with us. A member of our music team will ‘voice place’ you (listen to your voice and recommend a part to sing) in an adjoining room. She will then hand you a guest book with our music and have you stand next to another member who sings the same part. If you are not sure whether or not you are ready to sing, we encourage you to be voice placed anyway — then you can decide if you would rather sit and listen or stand on the risers with us.
About Our Rehearsals
Our rehearsals usually follow this pattern:
- Physical warm-ups - getting your body and mind into rehearsal mode and getting the heart pumping.
- Vocal craft - various exercises to help everyone with good singing technique.
- Song rehearsal - varies from week to week based on things in the schedule for the chorus, but always a varied and vibrant time.
- Small group and quartet singing time - using some of our regular repertoire and easy "tags" we encourage singers to try to sing in smaller groups.
- Business and fellowship
Attending our rehearsal is always an exciting event — you could experience learning a brand new song, rehearsing choreography for an upcoming performance, polishing an established song for the first hour to get ready for contest, or singing several songs in a row to get ready for a show. Occasionally we’ll have a coach visit us — you will see these dates listed on our calendar. Attending several rehearsals will give you a better idea of what it is like to be a member of our chorus. Our visitors attend an average of 2-4 times before deciding on membership — some decide quickly, others take longer!
Educational Opportunities
One of the best perks of being a chorus member is how much we learn about singing and improving our vocal technique and style! There are opportunities within our chorus, our 4-state region, and within the Sweet Adelines, International, organization. Our director, assistant directors and the members of our music team have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share.
Our chorus members learn new music using a variety of techniques. Not everyone who sings with us can read music and others have advanced musical skills. We supply members with learning tracks as well as written charts (sheet music) for our entire repertoire. We have choreography rehearsals where we learn our visual plan and work on making songs interesting for the audience. Individually, we receive private voice instruction (PVI), either free or at low cost, and given by members of our music team or by a recognized coach in Sweet Adelines.
Performing Opportunities
Members perform at local venues throughout the year. Our chorus has been seen at Market Square, The Byham Theatre, and other venues throughout the city and surrounding areas. We have even traveled to Ireland, France, Italy, Washington, D.C., and Boston on performance tours. Our members regularly perform at our regional competition in the spring and our chorus prepares at least one show per year.
A Path To Membership
At the end of your first visit with us, please let a member know if you are interested in pursuing membership with our chorus. We will provide you with the information you need to prepare for an audition and give you more details on the benefits and costs associated with joining our chorus. Auditions are low-stress, and we will work with you to help you with your audition. Of course, you can continue coming as our guest until you are ready to audition.
