Who is the Lone Star Harmony Chorus?
The Lone Star Harmony Chorus is made up of men (and women) with a wide variety of backgrounds and ages. We have engineers, teachers, massage therapists, retirees, programmers, writers, salesmen, among other professions. Our common thread is we like to sing and make harmony – without the aid (or hindrance!) of external instruments. Our voices are our instruments, and they are amazing instruments at that!
What’s unique about Lone Star Harmony Chorus?
What sets us apart from other singing groups is that we sing without any accompaniment at all. What sets us apart from other barbershop harmony groups in the area is our location. Because we’re in the far north Dallas suburbs, we attract singers who are out our way. Some of our members are also members of other choruses. We have a nice relationship with other choruses in the region.
Do I have to sing in a quartet to sing with the Chorus?
Nobody is required to sing in a quartet. Each week we go over songs as a chorus, and after a few times through the song, the director calls on volunteers to sing the same without your other compadres to assist you. It can be intimidating at first because you either know your part or you don’t, but know that no one in the chorus is out to criticize or bring you down. Just the opposite. We encourage quartet singing because you learn your part faster and are able to follow the director more closely.
Will you be required to join a formal quartet? Not at all. It’s encouraged because then you get to pal around and practice with three others, but it’s certainly not required.
Who can join the chorus?
We don’t have formal membership yet because we are so new, but we encourage men and women ages 12 through 106 to come sing with us. If you enjoy singing in church or even in the shower, you are a great candidate for our chorus. Even if you don’t have a lot of musical ability, that’s fine. That can and is always being taught.
Is the chorus a part of some singing society?
Because we’re so new, we are still attracting people to join up with us. The Barbershop Harmony Society asks that new choruses have at least a half dozen who are not already members as well as a half dozen others. When we get those numbers, we may apply for membership into this great organization.
How old do I have to be to come sing with the chorus?
If you can sing, you’re old enough to participate. If you enjoy singing, that’s even better. There are no age restrictions.
What if I haven’t sung in 20 years?
If you have not sung since high school or college, call us. It tells us you have a musical background and you like to sing. Perhaps life happened and you didn’t get a chance to further develop your musical skills, write us. You’ll love getting back into a group of people who love singing.
How do you learn the music?
The really good thing about the music is all of the learning resources available to our members. Each new song is accompanied by learning tracks of each part. With your part being played in one ear and the other three parts in your other ear, it’s easy to pick out your part and learn. Of course we have the sheet music that you can follow along, but most members find the learning tracks to be invaluable in tackling new songs. Plus, each rehearsal our director goes over the songs at least a few times. Then, he’ll ask for pickup quartets to sing it. So, there are a variety of ways we go about learning new material. As you look around during rehearsal time, you’ll see members in a variety of learning stages. Some have their music downloaded to their Ipads following along. Some are struggling because they’ve learned a slightly different version and have to block out the old version to make way for the new. Some have sheet music and are following along. The director gives us plenty of time to be “off the page.” He encourages that sooner rather than later.
How often do you practice?
We practice once a week on Tuesday evenings. After about 2.5 hours, we head on over to Kelly’s at the Village for some food and drinks. Normally they set aside a room just so we can fellowship and sing some more!
How much music will I have to memorize?
The common answer is, more than you think you have to but less than the previous year.
Let me explain.
As your internal repertoire expands, the more the chorus is able to draw from that. For our Christmas show, for example, there were perhaps 3-4 songs that were totally foreign to the group, and another 7-8 that we just had to dust off and learn some parts to. Unfortunately, those totally new to Barbershop had to learn most of these from scratch. Given enough time and “reps”, the songs become easier and easier.
If you are a new singer, we are encouraging you to learn what we call Barber Polecat songs. There are two sets of those songs. One set has been around forever, and the second set was introduced to the Society about 10 years ago. If you go to any convention or competition, you can round up three other parts and sing any one of those 12 songs from the Polecat 1 book because most barbershoppers know them. The newer songs are still being learned but many barbershoppers know them as well.
But once you learn these songs, you have a solid foundation to sing these with anybody in the Society.