New to the Region 31 Sweet Adelines Convention? Need some pointers as to what goes on?

Look no further! The RMT has put together answers to some of the most common questions asked about Convention.

Once you've been to Convention, if you feel there was something else you needed to know that can be added to this section, please get in touch with any member of the RMT. We are always looking to help make everyone's Convention experience the best it can be. We hope you find this useful!

What is a chorus banner? A lot of the choruses in the region have designed and made banners which are brought to Convention and displayed the main arena. Instructions about when and where to bring banners is given out to choruses by the Competition Coordinator prior to Convention.

Which dues need to be paid prior to competing at Convention? Both International and Regional dues must be paid and up to date, otherwise you may be disqualified.

Can I wear my medals at Convention? It’s a chance to celebrate past successes by wearing medals you have won at previous Conventions! However, medals won in previous years should be worn on a pin, brooch, necklace or similar. This way we can honour those who win medals at the current Convention – they’ll be the ones wearing them on a ribbon!

Can we change into our own clothes after we've competed? It's not compulsory to stay in your contest costume, however it's traditional that you do. You never know, you might have to sing again!

Can we watch the other contestants? After you have competed, we actively encourage you to come back into the arena and support the other contestants. After all, they've worked very hard all year too! This is also a great learning opportunity and a chance to perhaps hear a potential new song for your chorus or quartet. Prior to the contest, you may want to watch other contestants too, but you will have to see how that will fit in with your own schedule. Remember, if you are late to go on stage, you will get missed out, so it's best to check your timings carefully.

Can we sing in between contestants? Hmmm, that depends. Singing is not permitted, as the judges do need to concentrate on finishing off their score sheets for the contestant that's just been on stage. You wouldn't want them to be distracted whilst writing out comments for you, would you? Most judging panels do not mind a bit of chanting in support of the next contestant. However be prepared to be asked to stop if it becomes too distracting! There is an opportunity for everyone to sing in the Mass Sing right after the results have been announced and this is a great opportunity to sing with everyone in the Region. A list of Regional songs, from which songs are chosen for the Mass Sing, is available in the “Regional Songs” section of this website.

How do we know when to go on stage? You will be assisted the whole way through the traffic pattern by people who have been briefed on what to do, where to go and when to go there. Remember, if you go on stage before you are instructed to by whoever is in the wings, or if you delay in getting on stage, you may incur penalty points.

Are we marked as we go on and off stage? Only the Showmanship judge is marking this part of your performance – it’s called “Entrance/Break/Exit”. For quartets, the evaluation begins as the first member of the quartet appears on stage. For choruses, the evaluation begins at the end of the announcement introducing the chorus. The Showmanship judge will continue her evaluation until the quartet leaves the stage or until the house lights go down on the chorus. The other judges may not be officially marking you during this time but people can't help forming impressions! As you walk on in the chorus competition, the judges may still be writing comments from the previous contestant so they may not even look up until just before you sing. Don’t be disconcerted if they look down again immediately you start singing, they are simply writing down the title of the song!

What if we have questions about contest? If these occur before long before contest, please contact anyone on the RMT and we will be able to point you in the right direction for an answer. Closer to Convention, detailed instructions will be sent out to all competing choruses and quartets by the Competition Coordinator. At Convention itself, there is always a chorus and quartet briefing by the Competition Coordinator, usually held on Friday afternoon, at which you will receive valuable information about the competition and can ask any other questions you might have.

Is the Saturday night show open to everyone? This is our opportunity to showcase the very best of this Region's barbershop and it is open to members and public alike, numbers permitting. The RMT would like to actively encourage all members to attend this, to celebrate the winners' success and show support for your fellow Sweet Adelines.

What is the Afterglow? This is the informal party after the Saturday night show, usually held in the bar area of the Convention venue. It's an opportunity to sing (again!) with people from choruses and quartets all over the Region. People usually gather in informal groups to sing Regional songs, tags (the ends of songs) and anything else they can think of!

 

Song Selection for Competition Has your chorus or quartet agonised over which songs to choose for competition? A question frequently asked of judges is: “Can you tell me the name of a good, easy arrangement that we can sing at competition?” If you are a C or C+ level chorus or quartet you should take a look at this list, which was provided to us by Marge Bailey, a Certified Arranger and Judge Specialist in the Music Category. Marge has identified strong arrangements for both ballads and up tunes that are suitable for competition, as well as some fun songs for shows. Click here for more details