The East York Barbershoppers are always looking for new members to enjoy this great hobby with us, and the process is much easier than you might think. Just follow these four easy steps to become our newest member:
The East York Barbershoppers meet at the Harmony Hall pretty much every Tuesday night of the year. Read the Visit Us section for more details.
When a Guest is ready to join the Chapter, they set up an Audition with the Director. This involves first picking one song from our repertoire to use as their audition piece. We will make sure the Guest has a copy of the sheet music and a recording (voice part specific) of the song to take home with them between practices to help get the song "off the page", and will provide any one-on-one coaching they may need. When they are ready the Guest will perform the song on the risers (surrounded by the rest of the guys in his section) without the aid of the sheet music. The Guest uses a handheld recorder to capture their results, and the recording is later reviewed by the Director, who determines whether the Guest has passed his Audition or needs some further coaching and development before trying the Audition again. We encourage Guests to take things at a pace they are comfortable with, but generally we find that Guests are ready to try their first Audition after 3-5 visits.
When a Guest has passed his Audition, he will be provided with a Membership Application Form. The form should be filled out in full and returned to the Chapter Secretary for processing with the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS).
Payment of the first year of annual dues must be submitted with the Membership Application Form. For most members annual dues will total approximately $300 (Barbershop Harmony Society, Ontario District and East York Chapter), although discounts are available to Seniors (after they have reached 70 years of age and 10 years of membership) and Youth (anyone under the age of 26). The Chapter Treasurer will review the annual dues structure and payment options with the Guest prior to submission of the Membership Application.
As soon as the application and fees are processed, a membership card confirming membership with the East York Barbershoppers of the Ontario District of the BHS will be presented to the new Member at the first weekly practice following its receipt by the Secretary from BHS. The Guest has now officially become a Member!
The final step is to get the New Member "Performance Ready". In order to sing with the chorus at a competition or public performance, each member needs to (a) satisfy the Music Team they are ready to perform (i.e. have the notes, words, and moves "off the paper" for all songs to be performed); and (b) have the necessary uniform. Don't worry - you will get lots of support on both fronts. Our Music Team will give you all the tools you need to learn the repertoire, and our Uniform Chair will equip you with our "formal" and "casual" outfits (which will cost the New Member a one-time fee of $180).