Time to Sing

Time to Sing courses (also known as Learn to Sing or Come and Sing) are a great way to recruit new members to your club. This is a tried-and-tested format which has been successfully delivered by BABS clubs across the country over many years.

Week 1 

1. Welcome (5 mins) ● Introduce key people in the chorus (MD, Chair etc) 

  • Briefly cover the plan for the course 
  • Set out the plan for the evening 

2. Warm-up (30 mins) ● Be sure to let participants know why we warm up, and talk about the purpose of each exercise 

3. Craft session (20 mins) 

4. Voice part allocation (5 mins) ● Run through the 4 voice parts and their roles in the barbershop sound 

  • Run through some range exercises to help participants pick a voice part. Since Leads and Baritones have similar ranges, you can invite participants to pick the one they think they’re most interested in. 

5. Section rehearsals on the course song (30 mins) ● Maybe focus on a small chunk of the song rather than trying to tackle the whole thing in one go 

6. Break; perhaps serve teas and coffees, encourage mingling (15 mins) 

7. Full chorus rehearsal on the course song (30 mins) 

8. Debrief

  • Ask participants to take the music home and practice the next part of the song 

9. Invite the participants to watch the last part of your chorus rehearsal ● Sing through and work on some repertoire to show what a typical rehearsal might look like 

Week 2 

1. Warm-up (30 mins) 

2. Craft session (20 mins) 

3. Section rehearsals on the next part course song (30 mins) 

4. Break; perhaps serve teas and coffees, encourage mingling (15 mins) 

5. Duets on the course song; exploring the relationships between the voice parts (20 mins) 

6. Full chorus rehearsal on the course song (20 mins) 

7. Invite the participants to watch the last part of your chorus rehearsal ● Sing through and work on some repertoire to show what a typical rehearsal might look like 

Week 3 

1. Warm-up (30 mins) 

2. Craft session (20 mins) 

3. Section rehearsals on the next part of the course song (30 mins) 

4. Break; perhaps serve teas and coffees, encourage mingling (15 mins) 

5. Teach a tag! (30 mins) ● Highlight the importance of tag singing culture in the barbershop style 

7. Full chorus rehearsal on the course song (20 mins) 

8. Invite the participants to watch the last part of your chorus rehearsal ● Sing through and work on some repertoire to show what a typical rehearsal might look like 

Week 4 

1. Warm-up (30 mins) 

2. Craft session (20 mins) 

3. Section rehearsals on the course song (30 mins) 

4. Break; perhaps serve teas and coffees, encourage mingling (15 mins) 

5. Use the rest of the evening to prepare for the upcoming performance! ● Talk about stage presence, and performance in the barbershop style