Home   /   Events Calendar    /   About Us    /   Sponsors   /    Meetings    /    Membership    /    Contacts    /   Links 

  Membership

.. If you can sing "Happy Birthday To You", you can sing with the Arlingtones!  We'll teach you how to sing the words and music in close harmony. Part of our learning method is to send recordings (.mp3 files) of your part to you by e-mail. Then, during the weekly rehearsals, we blend all the voices together. Don't worry about your voice being too high or too low. All barbershop-style music is arranged to fall comfortably within the voice-range of the four parts: Tenor (1st tenor), Lead (2nd tenor), Baritone, or Bass . Lead is singing the melody (most of the time). You select the part you want. That warm feeling of "close harmony" comes when the all the voices adjust to each other's pitch and sound.

The music in the Arlingtones' repertoire is selected because of ease of learning and its popularity. Men and women who are interested in learning about singing barbershop are encouraged to attend a chorus rehearsal, If you enjoy the music and fellowship, pick-up a sheet of music and join-in with the section that your voice finds most comfortable. You can listen to the chorus member next to you to find the note. When you join the Arlingtones, you're becoming a member of the 33,000-man Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). It has over 700 chapters in the U.S. and affiliates around the world. There are over a dozen barbershop choruses in the greater D.C. area. The BHS Code of Ethics embraces "... the association of congenial men and women of good character... who aspire to preserve old-fashioned, vocal quartet harmony." To this end, BHS organizes many events and has published ten songs (Polecats) that all members are encouraged to learn. Imagine going to Baltimore and singing with a two thousand-person chorus! The Arlingtones welcome any man or woman who is sincerely interested in singing barbershop-style, close harmony and is willing to participate in chorus activities. There is no audition required to join, The cost of membership is low, about $20 per month. This is possible because the chorus operating expenses are funded by admission fees colected for performances and paid sing-outs . If you have further questions about the Arlingtones, don't hesitate to ask. Bob O'Harrow Membership