Interested in joining the Newyorkers?

 
Who Can Join?
Any person with an interest in the following:
  • If you want to develop as a singer... You'll find lots of opportunities to learn more about your voice and how to use it, through weekly meetings, workshops, schools and Barbershop Harmony Society instructional materials.
  • If you're looking for a great way to relax with other people... You'll find loads of social activities, weekly afterglows, conventions and performances.
  • If you like to stretch your abilities... You'll enjoy taking part in contests, presenting shows, and polishing your skills to their ultimate potential.
  • If you like to be a leader... You'll find opportunities as a chapter leader, music director, teacher, or coach. You can find the satisfaction of helping others develop in their hobby.  We invite anybody interested in the issues and topics we focus our efforts on to join. Members must be able to dedicate enough time to participate and make a difference in the organization.
Benefits of Joining
There are several benefits to becoming a member of our organization:
  • You make so many new friends... Our members are close friends and we have a great time when we get together.
  • It’s one of the best feelings... Joining a choir isn’t just fun; it’s actually good for you! At it’s most basic level it is good for keeping your brain active.
  • Singing is a great way to relax... Singing releases oxytocin (that chemical that manages stress and anxiety) and singing in a group increases trust and bonding.
  • It's a great place to network... You never know who you’ll meet and what relationships you generate that could hand you the advice that makes all the difference to your career.

 

How Can You Join?

 

The Poughkeepsie Chorus is growing, and we always are interested in new members! Singers of all ages and all walks of life are invited to share in the fun. Our chorus normally meets Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m., at the Crown Heights Clubhhouse, 34 Nassau Road, Poughkeepsie,NY. But double-check here to make sure whether, where, and when we are meeting on a given week.

There are a few steps to becoming a member of the chorus:

ATTENDANCE
You should attend at least three chorus rehearsals before applying for membership. Being an active Newyorkers member requires some commitment (although we do welcome members who are less active owing to their schedules). We want a prospective member to know a little about our art form and our chorus before making that commitment or considering the options. Along the way, we will teach you about barbershop harmony and provide lots of encouragement and help!

VOICE PLACEMENT
When you visit as a guest, the chorus will attempt to place you in the right voice part based on your interest, your voice range, your singing experience, and your ability to sing the melody or a harmony part. To help with the voice placement, we may ask you just to sing a simple song like "Happy Birthday" or try a little harmony singing, but if we do, this will be an informal, low-pressure experience. In the beginning we are more focused on your ear than your voice, so don't worry if you think your voice is a little out of shape!

Sometimes a guest or a member asks to change to a different voice part after trying one part out for a while. That's OK!

PREPARATION
Once a guest has decided they would like to join the chorus, they will get some help working toward preparing for their audition. We are a performing organization and do have musical expectations for performing chorus members. But Newyorkers is an educational organization. We work hard with prospective members to encourage them and help them succeed! One note: if a member is under the age of 18, we have a few extra procedures and practices just to make sure that they are appropirately supervised.

AUDITION & APPLICATION
The audition involves singing two songs in your own part from memory in a quartet, which could be a relatively simple song. This is not as big a deal as it may sound. Barbershoppers are good teachers and have a passionate commitment to helping new members experience the joys of singing a cappella harmony! We offer tools like recorded learning tracks and one-on-one coaching. Besides, there is no time limit on how long a prospective member can prepare to audition, and you can audition more than once. The audition is just for a few of our musical leaders, not in front of the whole group.

The guest also will fill out an application form to join the chorus and the Barbershop Harmony Society.

DUES
We want to be up front that we do have annual membership dues, which currently amount to about $200. There also are some up-front costs for chorus uniforms. But the dues are discounted by 50% for the first year, and payment plans are available for anybody.

APPROVAL & MEMBERSHIP
The final step in the process is the formal approval of the recommended member by the chorus board of directors. Then it's welcome to our musical fellowship!

Want to see what our members see?? Be our Guest! Click here!

For more information, please contact us by webform, telephone, or email. Click here!