What to Expect

Rehearsal Visits

Our door is always open to guests and visitors. We will ask you to make yourself a name tag and sign our guest register and provide us with your contact information for future reference. You will then be provided with a Guest Book that contains a copy of the music we will be singing that evening. 

You will be invited to sing along with us, but It will be your choice to sing along or just sit and listen as we sing. If you choose to sing we will place you next to someone who will be singing the same part you want to sing. Don't be shy. Many of our members cannot read music and learn their part primarily by listening.

You will be invited to return the following week and to make a habit of spending your Monday evenings with the Big Chicken Chorus.

Vocal Audition

At your request, usually after you have visited at least three of our rehearsals, we will "audition" you for membership in the chapter. Don't let the word audition frighten you, we simply want to know the range of your voice, your ability to repeat a series of notes we'll sing for you and your ability to harmonize with a recognizable melody. You will not be required to read a sheet of music you have never seen or to sing any of the songs in our current repertoire.

Learning the Repertoire

All members of the chapter have access to the sheet music and "MP3 learning files" for the songs in our repertoire. These can be downloaded from the "members only" section of our website. If you do not have access to the Internet or have difficulty downloading the songs, we can provide you with a CD of our current repertoire with your voice part for all the songs. Most of our members commit the songs to memory by listening repeatedly to the learning files as they drive around town in their cars, or in the comfort of their home. We do provide some level of assistance with the learning process at rehearsals, but we expect our members to learn the words and notes to our songs outside of the rehearsal and come to rehearsal prepared to sing and bring the songs to a musical level appropriate to perform for an audience.

Time and money commitments

We would like all of our members to attend all rehearsals and performances, but we have learned over time that this is not a realistic expectation. We all have lives to live outside of our hobby which tend to make "perfect attendance" a near impossibility. Most of our members do attend more than 70% of our rehearsals and performances and our Chorus Membership Policy will require that certain attendance standards be maintained a specific times, prior to major performances, for a member to be permitted to be included in that performance.

As hobbies go, Barbershop Singing is a rather inexpensive hobby. We do have annual dues, about $150 per year (half that for students), and uniform costs, about $300, for our two standard performance uniforms. Both of these costs can be spread over time for members who do not have the means to make the total outlay at the time they become members. We also have ways to help any member who cannot meet the monetary outlay and we hope that no one would fail to join for financial reasons.

Educational events

\Each year the Dixie District, of which we are a part, conducts an educational event called the Dixie Lakeside Harmony Weekend (DLHW) at Clemson University in Clemson, SC. Classes are conducted by experienced Barbershoppers on a host of subjects intended to increase the musical knowledge and singing skills of those in attendance. As you might expect, there is also a lot of singing and socializing associated with this event.

Our Society also hosts Harmony University each year at St. Joseph, MO that is attended by Barbershoppers from all across the U.S. and Canada. The Harmony University is full week in length and offers a much more in depth level of education as well as a broader array of classes than is offered at DLHW. Those who can afford the time and expense of Harmony University, come away from this event with a much better appreciation of our hobby and the variety of skills that can be put to use in the pursuit of improved musical performance.

The Big Chicken Chorus also brings coaches from around the country to our rehearsals periodically to help us improve the ability of the chorus and it's individual members to perform.  

Performances

The Big Chicken Chorus sponsors a Christmas Show each December and a Cabaret Show each year, usually in the Spring or Summer. Additionally, we perform several concerts per year, some open to the public and some for private events sponsored by local business or non-profit organizations. 

We are also proud to be listed by the Georgia Council for the Arts as a "Georgia Touring Artist." This designation promotes us a a performing entity around the state of Georgia. In 2008 we will be performing in Waynesboro, Dawson, and Waleska, Georgia as a result of organizations who learned about us because of the "Georgia Touring Artist" designation.

Social events

Periodically we also have social events such as a dinner with our wives or significant others or a trip to Turner field to cheer on the Atlanta Braves. These events are sporadic and normally occur at times of the year when we have a break in the performance schedule.

Conventions and contests

The Dixie District sponsors a Spring and a Fall Convention and Contest. These events are always held on weekends and in a rotating choice of cities within the six state area of our District that includes the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. 

The Big Chicken Chorus has performed at these events annually over our 20 year history.

If you like what you've read, please join us.