Help me wordsmith?

[rhu]

I posted a few weeks ago about possibly forming an informal singing group. I figure I should try posting on craigslist, and before I do so I'd appreciate your help refining my wording. Please follow the lj-cut link and help me target the right people

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Experienced amateur chorister seeks chamber vocal ensemble

I've sung with the Zamir Chorale of Boston, a 50-person community choir specializing in "Jewish" repertoire, for 14 seasons; the last 10 I've been the bass section leader. I'm looking to join or form a smaller group with greater scope to gain a wider variety of experience. My primary goal is to sing for the love of singing and not necessarily to get lots of gigs.

About me: I sing low bass and can sight-read pretty well. I have a bachelor's in music from MIT and, as noted above, I've been the section leader in my current choir for ten years. I observe the Jewish Sabbath, which means that from sunset Friday through darkness on Saturday I cannot rehearse, perform, or drive (or ride) to a venue.

My ideal group: My ideal group would have mixed voices, one or two on a part, rehearsing one evening each week (with singers being expected to learn their parts outside of rehearsal so that rehearsal would focus on the group sound). The repertoire would be high-quality arrangements of great songs in all sorts of genres; some would be accompanied and some a cappella. Not all singers would necessarily sing all songs. The group would meet with a voice teacher/coach regularly but not necessarily at every rehearsal.

My goals are to have fun, broaden my experience, sing with some new people, and become a better singer. A formal performance is not important to me right now; informal performances are fine: I'd be happy strolling down the Esplanade on a summer's evening, singing for the fun of it. On the other hand, if the others in the group really want to seek out paying gigs, I won't object.

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Have I hit the right "notes" here? What sounds too self-aggrandizing or obnoxious? What's too wallflowery? What will scare people away or turn them off?

Thanks!

Comments

[desireearmfeldt]

It sounds OK to me for the mostly-informal-but-talking-to-strangers forum I think you're going for. (I have to admit never having actually read craigslist. :) )

Back on your question of a while back, another thing that it occurs to me you'll want to think about if you haven't already is the copyright issues involved with copying/arranging/performing random songs. (Sparked by copyright discussion over in mabfan's journal last week.)

(My husband and I are still interested in being on your list of people to consider roping in, by the way. :) )

[530nm330hz.livejournal.com]

Copyright issues are the least of my worries. If we're using someone's arrangement, we'll buy it. If we write our own arrangement and don't actually perform it, it's fair use. If we get to the point of performing, Harry Fox is always happy to accept money. :-) [Actually, I've only ever dealt with mechanical royalties.... Does Harry Fox do performance royalties too?]

[lucretia-borgia.livejournal.com]

No, doesn't sound self-aggrandizing at all. You want to make sure it's understood that you're expert enough that you're not looking to sing with a bunch of people whose main experience is singing in the shower or at karaoke bars.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

If you think it sounds too self-centered, you could try taking some of the "I"'s and "my"'s out of the first paragraph:
Sang with the Zamir Chorale of Boston, a 50-person community choir specializing in "Jewish" repertoire, for 14 seasons; the last 10 as bass section leader. Looking to join or form a smaller group with greater scope to gain a wider variety of experience. Primary goal is to sing for the love of singing and not necessarily to get lots of gigs.

Sell the idea, then sell yourself

[vchayden.livejournal.com]

I suggest reversing the order. Reel them in first by describing the kind of group you would like to create. "Would anyone be interesting in forming a group that..." And I agree with the poster above...say something like, "seeking experienced singers who have good pitch, basic sightreading skills, and can learn music on their own." After you get the reader interested, then describe your own experience and contributions. And I would mention arranging music and experience managing copyright issues as part of selling yourself. And follow up your disclaimer about the Sabbath with a description of what you can do... How many days a week can you rehearse? Are nights or weekends better? What side of town do you live on/are you willing to drive to? These are less interesting than the concept of forming a group, but sometimes practicalities do take over.

BTW, I haven't replied before because, while I am potentially very interested, I'm not sure I can manage fitting this in my life right now. I'll explain offline. Best! Vanessa