Quartet
Etiquette
By Bonnie McKibben, Greater Harmony Chorus,
Region 17
What a wonderful hobby we have
— and how lucky we are to have found Sweet Adelines International,
a place where we can sing and dance, have wonderful friends, and
be recognized for our contributions and accomplishments. We share
a big part of our lives with our sisters-in-song.
It is hard to not share our good fortune of Sweet Adelines.
How often have you been in a conversation with an acquaintance and
heard the words come out of your mouth, “Do you like to sing?”
If you’re like me, I’m sure it is quite often! We are
always promoting Sweet Adelines, and always looking for new singers.
We want to share what a great organization this is, where we can
learn and grow and be surrounded by people that want us to do our
best.
When we’re together with our quartet, or small groups from
our choruses, we just can’t help but burst into song! But
there are a few times and places where bursting into song is just
not the right thing to do.
Case in point — at a recent regional competition weekend,
the judging panel was enjoying a lovely meal together after the
festivities had concluded on Saturday night. The upscale restaurant
was filled with many folks out for a night-on-the-town, a few prom
couples sprinkled throughout the room, and there were also groups
of fellow Sweet Adelines, many still in chorus or quartet costumes
complete with stage makeup.
Songs began popping up every few minutes from different tables in
the restaurant. It was like a mini-afterglow. Folks out for a nice
meal were looking about, some with smiles, but some with frowns.
The prom-goers didn’t quite know what to make of it. As soon
as one song stopped, another sprang up from another area. Those
not taken by our beautiful art form were having difficulty carrying
on their meal-time conversations.
This was probably not the best place to be singing unsolicited.
Had there been a private room for just Sweet Adelines, by all means!
Just try to stop us!
Before being seated, why not let the management know that you are
all singers and would like to sing at your table — they may
be able to accommodate you with a table in an isolated area. When
this happens, it is a win/win situation for everyone! This will
also give the restaurant management the opportunity to invite you
to sing Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary to diners out for a
celebration. And often, when that scenario presents itself, you
may be invited to sing another song or two! That is spreading the
joy of Sweet Adelines in the desirable way.
Our hospitality rooms in hotels are a wonderful place to share our
love of song with fellow Sweet Adeline singers. Hopefully, the hotel
management knows that we will be up singing all hours of the night
and morning. Those rooms are often at the end of a hallway, and
often flanked by sleeping rooms. Our attendance in the rooms usually
over-taxes the air-conditioning, and the rooms soon become saunas.
So we tend to spill out in the hallway, and sometimes down the hall.
When this happens, non Sweet Adeline guests of the hotel are bothered
and will either ask the singers to move, or will call security and
let them handle it.
I’ve heard folks say, “We’ll just do it until
security comes.” But by then, the image of Sweet Adelines
has been tarnished with those folks whose sleep we’ve disrupted,
and the damage has been done.
When booking the hospitality rooms, ensure that hotel management
understands that Sweet Adelines use their hospitality rooms, often
until the wee hours of the morning. If they are concerned that other
guests might be disturbed, perhaps then they will offer a banquet
room on a non-sleeping floor, where the air-conditioner is set to
handle large groups of people.
So next time when you’re out with your sisters-in-song, before
blowing that pitch pipe, look around and see who is there and ask
yourself how you’d feel if the tables were turned. How would
you feel if a group of people started – fill-in-the-blank
– right here and right now? My fill-in-the-blank would probably
be singing Gangsta Rap. I just don’t get it. So let’s
ensure that we always put our best face forward to the non-Sweet
Adeline community. You never know when a new member might be just
around the corner.
And remember the old adage, “Leave ‘em wanting more!”
