Information
All of our ensembles are now full. If slots open up, we will be pulling from the waitlist. Therefore, if you are interested in singing with Sisters’ Voices for the 2022-2023 year, please fill out the waitlist. We will open registration for the 2023-2024 year in the Spring. If you fill out the waitlist now, we will contact you when that registration opens. In addition, click here if you would like to subscribe to our newsletter.
If you have any questions regarding ensembles, please contact Leandra Strope at leandra@sistersvoices.org. If you have any questions regarding tuition or how to register, please contact Jenny Walters at jenny@sistersvoices.org.
Our SV-One ensembles are full. Should space open up, we will be contacting people off of the waitlist. You may sign up for the waitlist by clicking the button below.
Kindergarteners and First Graders
SV-One is a quarterly commitment. A singer will sign up for a six-week session; there will be two sessions each semester. Priority for registration will go to singers who are already singing — for example, a singer who participates in the first session may continue all year. This will allow singers to easily stop mid-year if that’s the best decision for them. We will then contact singers off of the waitlist to fill the remaining slots. SV-One singers will meet Tuesdays from 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm. A second time, Mondays from 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm, will be reserved for SV-One in case there is a need to split the ensemble. In the event of a split, your singer will be assigned one of those two days based on numbers.
Session A:
- Mondays: September 12, September 19, September 26, October 3, October 10 and October 17
- Tuesdays: September 13, September 20, October 4, October 11, October 18, and October 25
Session B:
- Mondays: October 24, November 7, November 14, November 28, December 5, and December 12
- Please note there is NO REHEARSAL on October 31 and November 21
- Tuesdays: November 1, November 8, November 15, November 29, December 6, and December 13
- Please note there is no CHCCS school on November 8 (Election Day) but Sisters’ Voices will still hold rehearsal
- There is NO REHEARSAL on November 22
Session C:
- Mondays: January 30, February 6, February 13, February 20, February 27, and March 6
- Tuesdays: January 31, February 7, February 14, February 21, February 28, and March 7
Session D:
- Mondays: March 13, March 20, March 27, April 10, April 17, and April 24
- Tuesdays: March 14, March 21, March 28, April 11, April 18, and April 25
Our SV-Two ensemble is full. Should space open up, we will be contacting people off of the waitlist. You may sign up for the waitlist by clicking the button below.
Second and Third Graders
SV-Two can be either a full year commitment or a semester-long commitment. For the fall semester, singers rehearse once a week from September through mid-January. The spring semester will take place from mid-January through May. Each semester will culminate in a concert. Registration for the spring semester will open in November. Priority will be given to those who sang during the fall semester. We will then reach out to singers on the waitlist to fill any remaining slots.
Rehearsals will occur from 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm on Thursdays. A second time, Wednesdays from 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm, will be reserved for SV-Two in case there is a need to split the ensemble. In the event of a split, your singer will be assigned one of those two days based on numbers.
While no experience or audition is required, here are skills and qualities of some Sisters’ Voices – Two singers. Singers who don’t yet have these skills will learn them. This ensemble will practice the first steps of music reading, learn many songs and games, and participate in at least three performances through the year (as covid clears).
- love of singing
- desire to sing with a group
- willingness to take direction
- ability to match pitch
- ability to sing along accurately with another person singing a known melody
- ability to consistently sing a melody recognizably without accompaniment, though pitch and intonation may be inconsistent
- ability to use head voice
- openness to new kinds of music, new forms of expression, and new experiences
Our SV-Three ensembles is full. Should space open up, we will be contacting people off of the waitlist. You may sign up for the waitlist by clicking the button below.
Fourth and Fifth Graders
SV-Three is a full year commitment with rehearsals occurring from September through May. SV-Three singers may choose to participate in one or two rehearsals per week. All SV-Three singers will attend full ensemble rehearsals on Saturday afternoons from 2:00 pm until 3:30 pm. If your singer would also like to participate in a small group ensemble, they will be assigned to either Mondays or Tuesdays from 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm based on skill level and experience. We encourage all singers to sign up for the twice a week experience in order to be exposed to more skill building and individualized attention in small groups.
While no experience or audition is required, below are skills and qualities of many Sisters’ Voices – Three singers. Singers who don’t yet have these skills will learn them. This ensemble will practice reading music, learn many pieces of music in both English and other languages, and participate in at least three performances through the year (as covid clears). A full-year commitment is expected. Please contact the director, Leandra Strope, if you are wondering whether SV-Three is a good fit for you. leandra@sistersvoices.org
- demonstrated consistent rehearsal presence and participation
- openness to new kinds of music, new forms of expression, and new experiences
- ability to consistently sing a simple melody with accurate intonation and strength/sturdiness (not necessarily loudness)
- ability to hold one’s own part in a canon: e.g. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”; “We Merry Minstrels”; “Rise Up O Flame”, etc.
- demonstrated independence around rehearsal behaviors, including sitting/standing with proper physical alignment, and mental and physical focus, when rehearsing
- consistent use of healthy and flexible vocal production throughout the singer’s range
- demonstrated earnestness, enthusiasm, and positive outlook about our work together, participation always, consistently supportive attitude toward other singers in words, singing, and actions.
Our SV-Four ensembles are full. Should space open up, we will be contacting people off of the waitlist. You may sign up for the waitlist by clicking the button below.
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Graders
SV-Four is a full year commitment and singers participate in two rehearsals a week from September through May. All SV-Four singers will attend rehearsals on Saturday afternoons from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm. Your singer will then be assigned to either Wednesdays or Thursdays from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm based on skill level and experience.
While no experience or audition is required, here are skills and qualities of most Sisters’ Voices – Four singers. Singers who don’t yet have these skills will learn them. This ensemble will practice reading music, learn many pieces of music in both English and other languages, and participate in at least four performances through the year (as covid clears). A full-year commitment is expected. Please contact the director, Leandra Strope, if you are wondering whether SV-Four is a good fit for you. leandra@sistersvoices.org
- consistent rehearsal presence and participation
- openness to new kinds of music, new forms of expression, and new experiences
- ability to consistently sing a simple melody with accurate intonation and strength/sturdiness (not necessarily loudness)
- ability to hold one’s own part in a canon: e.g. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”; “We Merry Minstrels”; “Rise Up O Flame”, etc.
- demonstrated independence around rehearsal behaviors, including sitting/standing with proper physical alignment, and mental and physical focus, when rehearsing
- consistent use of healthy and flexible vocal production throughout the singer’s range
- demonstrated earnestness, enthusiasm, and positive outlook about our work together, participation always, consistently supportive attitude toward other singers in words, singing, and actions.
Tuition
Below you will find a chart based on ensemble and income level. The “Who Qualifies” section is to serve as a guideline only. We realize that there are different factors that each family faces. We ask that you approach this thoughtfully and be as generous as you can.
All families in SV-Two, SV-Three, and SV-Four will pay a non-refundable deposit equal to the first and last month’s tuition upon signing up. Families (excluding those signing up for the SV-Two fall semester only) may then choose to pay the remaining balance in full or to schedule monthly payments. If you choose pay in full, the remaining balance will be automatically drafted from your card on October 1st. If you choose to schedule monthly payments, your card will automatically be drafted on the first of the month from October through March. SV-Two families who are signing up for the fall semester only will have the remaining balance automatically drafted from their card on October 1st.
Families in SV-One will pay for each session in full. For the first session, full refunds will be issued until July 13, 2022. A refund of 50% will be issued from July 14, 2022 until August 13, 2022. Starting August 14, 2022, no refunds will be issued.
A full scholarship option is also available. Please contact Jenny Walters at jenny@sistersvoices.org to request a full scholarship.
- Sisters’ Voices is growing up. We are taking on more staff and needing to pay our staff sufficiently. We have learned that Sisters’ Voices will not survive the long haul without paying staff members appropriately for the services they provide. We hope you will join us in our commitment to paying our staff well.
- We are committed to being an accessible program for all children and families who want to join us. We recognize that the full cost of our program is out of reach for many families, and we are providing a sliding scale so that more families can easily join us. At the same time, because Sisters’ Voices will invest the full cost in each child, we ask families to take on as much of that amount as is feasible. The “Full Cost” is our best estimate of what it actually will cost, per singer, to run our programs this year, and the amounts listed in the full cost column are based on $15 per hour per singer. This is in line with our understanding of what our services cost, and it is in line with other organizations we have researched who teach skills to children.
- SV-Three (4th and 5th graders) and SV-Four (6th graders and up) will meet twice each week. We recognize that as singers get older and gain skills, they need more time both to hone those skills and to build community.
