2026-2027 Registration

SV-Four – Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Graders

SV4 is taught by Leandra Strope.

SV-Four is a full-year commitment. Singers participate in two rehearsals each week for skill-building and to learn repertoire. This ensemble works for strong vocal skills, increasing reading abilities using solfege and other tools, learns musically and intellectually demanding music, and performs several concerts each year.

SV-Four includes focused Leadership Workshops, which happen over lunch before rehearsal on Saturdays once per month, usually the first Saturday of the month. These workshops are part of the Sisters’ Voices experience — this work binds the ensemble together through discussions of shared experiences and growing intentions, and these workshops are required of all singers. Note: Parents, please know that of all the work your singer will do in SV, this work of building in-person relationships with peers through structured work around values and intentions in her life will be perhaps her most meaningful and valuable SV work as she navigates adolescence and transitions into adulthood. Please protect Leadership Workshop time for your child and for the group. Thank you.

SV-Four’s schedule

Note: being present is the single most important aspect of a singer’s contribution to her ensemble. When she is not present, she is able neither to contribute to the work of the group, nor to reap the rewards of connection with the others. Presence at all rehearsals, performances, and other gatherings of this ensemble is expected of every singer.

• Wednesdays, 5:45-7:15 – Rehearsal
• Saturdays, 2:00-3:45 – Rehearsal
• First Saturday of the month (or other Saturday, if necessary), 12:00-2:00 – Leadership Workshop (these will be set at the start of the year so you can put them on your calendar)
• Rehearsal Weekend (mandatory), Friday, September 11, 5:00-9:00pm, and Saturday, September 12, 10:30am-3:00pm
• Performances (mandatory): Fall Family Performance, Saturday, November 14, 11am (singer call 10am); Winter Concert, Saturday, January 23, 3pm (singer call 1:30); Mid-Spring Concert with SV5, Saturday, March 20, 3pm (singer call 1:30); All SV Spring Concert, Saturday, May 15, 3pm (singer call 1:30).
• Please note that more performances, with extra rehearsals, will be added as the year goes on, and we hope for great attendance at these events (though they are not usually required). The calendar is available on our website and will develop as the year progresses.

Sisters’ Voices rehearsal and performance spaces are phone-free zones for singers. Phones (including smart watches, and other devices that deliver information from the outside world) must be left outside the rehearsal space and may not be accessed during rehearsal or breaks. Parents who need to reach their singer during rehearsal may text the singer’s director.

Audition

An audition is required to join SV4. The audition is a 30-minute meeting with Leandra, the singer, and a parent or legal guardian. 

Singer, please bring something you love to sing and that you are willing to sing for Leandra. Leandra will also teach you a song so she’ll get a feel for how you learn (and you’ll get a feel for how Leandra teaches). And Leandra will answer your questions and talk in some depth about the program and expectations. Leandra knows that auditions can be scary, and she encourages singers to approach the time with a sense of agency (she gets to choose whether or not she sings!), courage, and openness to learning something new. Bring your questions!

What are we looking for in an audition? SV singers love to sing and do so regularly on their own because they can’t help but sing. For singers entering SV4, we expect singers to be able to match pitch and carry a tune with ease. Many singers in SV4 are able to sing a canon part on their own or with one other person. Most singers come having already had some school experience with solfege (do, re, mi) and reading music (most can, for example, name the notes on a treble staff and understand aspects of musical notation like dynamics, tempo, and form), though these are not required before the audition. Leandra is looking for singers who love to sing, who are able to focus and work hard over the course of sometimes long rehearsals, who want to get better at singing, and who want to grow as part of this SV4 ensemble.

Note to parents and guardians: If your child loves to sing and is looking for a singing community but is not yet meeting expectations stated above, please contact Leandra. We believe that middle school students (as everyone) should be able to try things out and be beginners. And we know that singers without the basic skills of matching pitch, singing along accurately with a song the singer knows well, taking direction, and working with a group to achieve a goal, means the singer will have a hard time participating in this ensemble. Readiness for SV4 means both musical and teamwork readiness. Your child’s vocal skills and listening skills may have come about by singing with family or friends, listening to and singing with songs on a phone or youtube, participating in a chorus or choir, or playing an instrument; the skills of focus and teamwork may have come from participation in a dance class or a sports team, playing an instrument in an ensemble, participation in a scout troupe, family camping trips or lego building projects with friends – any group activity where every person is recognized and relied on for her individual contribution, dedication, and determination to see the project through. 

These are skills the singer needs before entering SV4. We would like to help the singer gain these skills before entering SV4, and we are eager to engage with you about how to help this happen. leandra@sistersvoices.org.

All that having been said, we look for your child’s strengths. In SV4 we help her get to know herself and understand her own strengths, and encourage her to build more strength around what already exists. We hope you’ll bring your young singer to meet Leandra. Our audition process is connective, gentle, and honest. Where we can help her gain skills before entering SV4, we will do our best. Please reach out with questions. 

To schedule an audition: Parent or guardian, please click the link below to fill out and submit the Preregistration Form, and Leandra will contact you. Thank you! Feel free to reach out to Leandra with questions. leandra@sistersvoices.org. She’s happy to help!

Cost

$2,340 per year, or $260 per month. A nonrefundable deposit of $520 (equaling tuition of the last two months, April and May) will hold a singer’s place in SV4. Automatic monthly payments for September-March will be set up in August.

Tuition is based on the cost of running our program. Still, we do not want the cost to keep any child from participating. We offer 25% and 50% scholarships based on stated need, and you may choose this at the time of payment. If you need more financial assistance, please complete the Preregistration Form below, set up your singer’s audition, and you’ll be able to work out payments after the audition. For questions about the registration and payment process, please reach out to our Administrator, Donna Crisp, at donna@sistersvoices.org.