You Are Always Welcome!
Sound of the Rockies encourages visitors and prospective members to visit our rehearsals - both singers and non-singers alike.  There is an abundance of good music and fellowship for you to enjoy, whether you sit back and listen with the audience or try your hand at singing on the risers with the chorus.  Do not worry if you can not read music - that is not a requirement for visiting or for membership.  Songs are typically learned by practicing with  part-predominant learning MP3 files as demonstrated below.

You are cordially invited to join us at a rehearsal, Thursday evenings at 7:00pm

Note:
The Thursday 12/17/09 chorus meeting will be held at St. Luke's United Methodist Church 8817 South Broadway, Highlands Ranch, Colorado (map)

There will be no Sound of the Rockies rehearsals on 12/24/09 or 12/31/09.

Rehearsals are currently held at:
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
7691 S University Blvd., Centennial, CO
Approximately one block south of Dry Creek and University Blvd. on the west side of the street. There is parking available on the north and south side of the building complex. (map)

Do you love to sing?    Do you enjoy four-part a cappella harmony?    Would you like an opportunity to join one of the      top amateur men's choruses in the world?    Would you like to learn the craft of singing taught      by a dynamic director and talented, world-class      coaches?    Would you enjoy the fellowship of over 100      fellow singers?    Would you like the opportunity to compete      against the top choruses in North America? Join the excitement!  Join chorus members on the risers and take your singing experience to a new level.  You do not have to be able to read music, and you do not have to be a professional singer - you just have to love to sing!

If you are joining us for the first time, please arrive a few minutes before 7:00 and ask to see Pete Boldrin.  He will help orient you and provide you with music, if you wish to sing with the chorus.

Occasionally, our rehearsal location and/or time will change, so check back to this page a day or so before you plan to attend. 

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The Mile High Chapter, Sound of the Rockies Chorus is a member of the worlds largest all-male singing organization, the Barbershop Harmony Society an organization of over 30,000 men of all ages, from all walks of life, who love to sing a cappella harmony.

Sound of the Rockies actively participates in and promotes a variety of singing activities along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

   We produce two shows each year, a Spring Show (typically in March),
       and a Christmas Show in December.
   Quartets composed of members from the chorus spread Valentine
       cheer to sweethearts throughout the Metro area during our Singing
       Valentine program.
   Students can earn college credit from Arapahoe Community College
       by practicing with the chorus and singing in one of the annual shows.
   The Sound of the Rockies and several chapter quartets are active
       competitors, participating in district and international competitions
       sponsored by SPEBSQSA.
    Bring harmony to your special event.  The entire chorus or one of the 
       chapter quartets can be engaged to provide entertainment for conventions,
       meetings, parties, fundraisers, weddings, or for other special occasions.

If you love to sing, we encourage you to come by and explore the world of 
a cappella harmony with us.

Watch Singing Is Life: An Introduction To The Barbershop Harmony Society....     Ahh, that sound -- barbershop harmony. Pure and sweet, bright and brassy, mellow and heartfelt. It's all that. Most importantly -- it's easy, it's fun, and you can do it, too, as a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

Try your hand voice at some A CAPPELLA singing.  It's fun and easy to learn a part.  Then sing along with 3 other voices in a quartet:

Let's start with one of the old time barbershop favorites: Let Me Call You Sweetheart
1) Download and print the Sheet Music (it's in a PDF format) 
     Don't panic - you do not need to know how to read music, but it helps to follow along.
2) Pick a voice part that you would like to try.  The files are in a MP3
     format.  Double clicking on the link should start the file playing 
     (Or you can download the file and play it from your hard drive).
    Lead - Most of the time the lead sings the song's melody.
    Bass - Provides the foundation of the harmony.
    Tenor - Sings the harmony part above the lead.
    Baritone - Usually sings between the Bass and Tenor.  "Dances"
    around the melody filling in harmony notes.

The way the learning files are set up, there is a predominant voice (bass, baritone, lead, or tenor) on one of the tracks and the other three voices on the other channel.  Initially, listen to each of the 4 parts and decide which one seems to best fit your voice range.

One effective way to learn a part is to turn the volume down most of the way on the 3-voice channel while singing along with your voice part on the other track.  Follow along on the sheet music.  After a while, you can start to increase the volume of the 3-voice channel and you will begin to hear and sing with the other voices.

Once you are comfortable singing your part, begin to turn the volume of that track down while singing with the 3 voices on the other channel.  Soon you will be singing your part alone, in close harmony with the 3 other voices.

The final step in the learning process is to come to a Thursday evening rehearsal, find 3 other guys, and sing the song in a real quartet.

All songs in the Sound of the Rockies repertoire are learned this way - by listening and practicing.  If you don't read music, don't let that stop you from trying this marvelous hobby. 

Barbershop Roots - A selection of early quartet songs from the turn of the 20th century.

In a March segment of NPR's Present at the Creation series, Jim Wildman reported on the Roots and Styles of Barbershop for Morning Edition

An interesting article on Four Part Harmony from January of 2002 is available from American Profile.