Today, I'm talking about our seating plan.
This is for people who are thinking of coming to choir, but are worried about what they do once they get here. The big question is- Where do I sit?
Left-Sopranos
The way we're set up, the Sopranos sit on the left side, facing Sapphire and me. (So they're on the right when the audience looks at us.)
The first Sopranos are the farthest to the left, right up against the far wall, and take up about 3 rows of 2 or 3. The first sopranos technically sing the highest, but are also the ones who most often have melody. So, some of you might want to sit there even if you can't hit all the highest notes. On the music, you'll always read the very top line of notes in the treble clef (the one that looks like a fancy S). We've moved them into a bunch so that there are no fist sopranos behind the second sopranos.
The second Sopranos come next. They sometimes have a few lines of harmony, in some songs where the Soprano line gets divided. The music will say "div" and the seconds sing the bottom half. Sometimes it's squished between the first soprano part and the alto part and it's hard to read. When there are first sopranos sitting behind you, it's hard to concentrate on your part (see above). There are 3 or 4 rows of 2 or 3 second Sopranos.
Now, we'll move to the left side of the room before we do the middle.
Right - Altos
The Altos sit closest to the door. They never sneak out, though. When we're performing, they're on the audience's left.
The Altos technically sing lower than the Sopranos. They almost never sing melody. We cheer when they get some melody, like "Yay! The Altos have three bars of melody!". They get cool harmonies and special bits that signal key changes. They sing the second line of music, but it's often written just below the Soprano line, also in the treble clef. When we sing 2-part music, the Altos always get the bottom line. When the Altos divide (div), it's front row and back rows, and the back row usually takes the harder part. We planted some really strong singers in the back row, so that the others can follow them.
Middle and Back- Tenors and Basses
Most of the time, the Tenors and Basses sing the same part, and it's the bottom line, in the bass clef (looks like a backwards C). When we sing 2-part music, they sometimes sing the top line and sometimes the bottom line. Either way, they sing 2-part music an octave down.
The Tenors sit in the front of the middle, usually 2 rows of 2. Tenors are men and women who sing pretty low for women and pretty high for men. They occasionally have some melody, like the Altos. LIke Altos, Tenors have cool parts and they can be quite difficult.
The Basses sit behind the Tenors, in a row or in two rows. Basses sing the lowest. Their music is at the very bottom. They have some really cool parts, especially endings. They almost never have melody. They sound really good singing "bum-bum-bum" or "oh". Even when we sing in 3 parts and there is no Bass part, they sometimes have to sing special notes, an octave down, because they can't hit the high notes and they don't like to lip-synch. And, it sounds good to have some really low notes. ( I don't mind a bit of lip-synching when you can't hit the notes you used to be able to hit when you were in high school. Someone will cover for you. Teamwork.)
Changing your mind (redecorating)
If you start off sitting somewhere where you don't feel comfortable, feel free to move. Try out another part. It's harder to do the longer you wait, so do it as soon as you feel it.
Changing my mind (moving)
I've been known to change the seating plan from time to time, to make a group stand out better or in response to disharmony. When this happens, please be patient. We might end up changing back. Or, you might end up liking it better the new way.
If you're new and worried about where to sit the first time, don't worry. We'll help you. We're a friendly bunch and once you're singing, you'll forget about being worried.
I hope this helps.
Yours in harmony,
Renate
