Do you sing in a church choir? Or are you one the many music majors that are forced, I mean required to do two semesters of choral music? Whatever your case is, I’m sure you can relate to some of these habits that everyone experiences at least once in an ensemble.

1. What kind of song is this?

Seriously, did the director think we could learn this in an hour? I’ve never heard so many subdivisions and harmonies in a chorus in my life! Also, why are there ten verses?

2. The favorite song.

This is the song that everyone gets excited about. I don’t care how many times it’s performed; everyone is jamming along. Well, unless it’s a three hour Bach piece. Then no one is excited.

3. Seriously? We have to wear this?

This is geared more toward college gospel choirs who don’t wear the robes. There’s a specific color scheme that everyone has to adhere to, and usually this means endless trips to stores hoping to find the exact shade of plum that the president has in mind. Sigh.

4. Our director is going to kill us.

Did you study the song? Me neither. Oh crap.

5. No one wants to hear the sopranos over a high G.

Another gospel choir thing. As a mezzo who likes to torture herself, I hate to hear our section sing above the staff. Unfortunately, gospel songs love to modulate three or four times. My ears.

6. Alto is the most popular (yet) hardest section to sing in.

While the sopranos and tenors tend to have the melody that’s easy to follow, the altos are stuck with the weird harmonies that sound amazing yet are hard to execute on the first try. Or the second. Or the third. But no one wants to be a soprano. (See item five for explanation.)

7. The euphoria of perfect harmonization.

There is nothing like it. It sounds like heaven.

8. Forming friendships.

There is nothing like bonding over chorus music! And what’s that? You have a paper that you’ve been putting off as well but forgot you had rehearsal? Let’s hang out—and get this assignment in. Oh dear God.

9. Singing and/or listening to a new song on repeat.

Then you sing it as you go grocery shopping. All three voice parts.

10. You’re at a performance. The song has started and you forgot the words.

Crap. At least I’m not singing the solo. This week at least.

11. A choir’s heartbeat syncs together when doing a performance.

How awesome is that? Truly connected (or forced to be) over the love of music!