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Come Visit Us!
We have open rehearsals year-round on Wednesdays from 7:00-9:00 pm, but please check our calendar to ensure we have a rehearsal scheduled. Guests are always welcome at rehearsals!
Our rehearsals are located at:
Bay City Western High School Choir Room
500 W Midland Rd.
Auburn, MI 48611
Enter through the North side, door 7
Once you get to Bay City Western High School, you can use the below map to help you find the choir room where we rehearse. If you have trouble finding it, give us a call at 608-572-9557 and we can help!
Why Harbor Sounds?
Harbor Sounds provides several unique opportunities for vocalists that cannot be found in other ensembles within the Great Lakes Bay Region. There are many choirs near us in Saginaw, Bay City, Midland, and the surrounding area, but we have differentiated ourselves by:
Focusing on life-long learning. You're never too old or experienced to learn new tricks. We spend a portion of each rehearsal on music and vocal education. We also frequently bring in world-class coaching through the Barbershop Harmony Society to help our chorus and our members grow.
Being a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. We're part of the largest musical organization in the world and our members have access to significant musical resources and social networks.
Singing modern, contemporary music in the English language. Repertoire is more fun to sing and listen to when both the singers and audiences recognize the song.
Requiring that all of our music is a cappella. This places a special emphasis on perfect intonation and musical expression from the chorus.
Encouraging quartets. The chorus serves as an ideal environment to meet other motivated singers in the Tri-City Area, in Michigan, and around the world so you can form small ensembles. These quartets can compete, benefit from coaching, and sing on our shows!
Giving singers a voice in the chorus. Our monthly board meetings are open to all members and annual board member elections allow members to steer the direction of the chorus and make their voices heard.
Being excellent to each other. You won't find a friendlier group of people and the chorus often meets up after each rehearsal to grab a drink and sing some old songs.
What To Expect At Your First Rehearsal
We'll have guest books available when you visit so you can hit the ground running. We'll also pair you up with a singing buddy that shares your voice part so they can help you learn the music and answer any questions you may have. In barbershop, voice parts are a little different from the classical SATB. A description of the voice parts and their ranges are shown below. If you don't know your range, arrive 10 minutes early and we'll help you find it!
Voice Parts:
We sing acapella music in four parts. Lead and bass are recommended for beginners, but pick whatever part you feel most comfortable singing!
Tenor - Upper Harmonies - Top Part
(Similar to Alto 1 in Classical Music)
Lead - Melody - Upper Middle Part
(Similar to Tenor 1 in Classical Music)
Baritone - Anti-Melody - Lower Middle Part
(Similar to Tenor 2 in Classical Music)
Bass - Foundation - Low Part
(Similar to Bass 1 in Classical Music)
