Membership

We're so glad you are interested in becoming a new member of Northern Gateway Chorus!  Here's what you can expect as a new member:

We all work together to create an atmosphere of teamwork, support, and trust so that each singer learns, grows, and succeeds. Each member’s experience and ideas are valued and considered as plans are implemented to serve the greater good of the chorus identity.

Presently, we rehearse at home, meet twice a month on Zoom to stay connected, improve our musicality, and stay on the same page regarding performance and technique. We have occasional 'sectionals' with everyone in our section (tenor, lead, baritone or bass), and provide our section leader with tapes of ourselves singing with the learning track to show how we are coming along with our individual performance. Section leaders (and our Director) are very encouraging and provide wonderful feedback. You'll be able to download music and learning tracks from our website once you are a member.

Although singing is about the beautiful voices and harmony we create together, it is also a physical activity that involves use of the whole body (your instrument). Our songs will also include a visual component including facial expression and body movement (dancing, choreography, etc.). We often do physical warm ups together, along with vocal warm ups, which you are encouraged to do when you rehearse on your own.

New songs are distributed every one to two months. Typically we listen to the learning tracks to begin learning the song in the first few weeks, and expect to be 'off paper' in a month. When we rehearse in person, being off paper makes it much easier to watch the Director and listen and blend with the voices around us.


Just know you can take things one step at a time.... it will take awhile to learn the songs that many of us have learned years ago and have been singing for a long time. When new members join, each one comes in with different backgrounds and experience, from someone who has only sung in the shower or with their church, to someone moving into the area with years of musical education and Sweet Adelines’ experience. Everyone progresses at their own rate, and no one will be made to feel uncomfortable stepping into a performance in front of a live audience before they are ready. As you become fully immersed in this amazing group of singers, you'll find help
is provided along the way and each step is celebrated with your new Sisters in Harmony!