Membership
IDENTIFYING CHORUS CULTURE What makes your chorus unique?
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ach chorus has a unique culture made up of values, beliefs, interests, and habits. This culture is learned and re-learned, passed on to new members, and continues on as part of a chapter’s core identity. It’s important to check in on your chorus culture now and then to make sure it reflects the values you’ve established as part of your chorus vision and mission statements (see “Aligning Your Chorus Identity” in the January 2020 issue of The Pitch Pipe for ideas on crafting vision and mission statements for your chorus!). Choruses who understand their culture have a cohesive vision of who they are and where they’re going. If your chorus is interested in membership growth, marketing, or even just creating a more welcoming and cohesive group, you need to first understand your culture — in other words, the way things are now — before you can potentially grow and change into your best version. In many ways, culture is like personality. In a person, behavior is guided by the personality, which is made up of values, beliefs, interests, and habits. The chorus culture is made up of these attributes and behavior but is shared by a group of people.
How do you define your chorus culture?
You can define your chorus culture by answering four core questions: Where are we now (our framework)? What do we believe in (our values)? Where are we going (our vision)? Who are we (our personality)?
Our Framework
Examine the framework of your chapter — who you are now — by answering the following questions: 1. At what level is the musical product we offer? Your chorus may be competitive, wanting to shine on the international stage, or you may focus on community engagement. The beauty of Sweet Adelines is that we offer choruses for singers of all musical levels and goals, and we provide education for those who want to improve or enhance their abilities! 2. How does our chapter function administratively? Be it a board of directors or a management team, how you administer your chapter affects how your members experience and participate in your chorus. 3. How does the director contribute to the chorus? Directors are often the focal point of the chorus; how they interact with and direct the group influences how your group works.
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4. How is the health of the chapter? A chapter and its culture is always growing and changing. It’s important to check in and make sure you’re moving in the right direction — toward positive growth and change!
Our Values
Shared values define how members want to interact with each other in the chorus, with potential members, and with the community. Common values translate into the guidelines or expectations that prescribe behavior by members and influence the behavior of members toward one another.
Our Vision
Review “Aligning Your Chorus Identity” from the January 2020 issue of The Pitch Pipe. Create vision and mission statements that are grounded in your identified shared values. Commit to these statements. Communicate them to the chorus on a consistent basis. The more you talk about the statements, the easier they are to implement. Model personal behaviors, decision-making, contribution, and interpersonal interaction that reflect these statements.
Our Personality
The personality of the chorus is an extension of the chorus culture, core values, and vision. Defining the personality is important because it unifies members and helps them connect with their intended audience. You can define your chorus personality by listing positive adjectives that describe your chorus: classy, sassy, confident, elegant, high-achieving, funny, vibrant, caring, cutting-edge, conservative, trendy, etc. Ask each member to rate each adjective on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), and then identify the personality traits that were rated the highest. Once clearly defined, the chorus personality should be consistently expressed and portrayed in everything: costumes, repertoire, performance styles, etc. Sweet Adelines International is made up of hundreds of choruses, quartets, and individual singers, each of whom contributes a unique sound and presence. Your chorus culture is an ever-evolving reflection of your collective beliefs, values, goals, and habits. It’s important to evaluate your culture so that you feel confident in who you are and recognize the importance of the particular gifts only you can bring to your audiences and to the Sweet Adelines community.
