1. Seeing everyone else in quartets and realizing you want that too!

2. You think you want to sing with someone but don’t know if they’re singing around with someone else.

3. You’re singing with a couple combinations to see which one is a good match, but neither group knows about the other.

4. Getting so excited about the prospect of being in a quartet that you go ahead and buy matching stuff before you’ve made it official.

5. You have to tell one group you’ve decided to go with the other group.

6. You didn’t realize it would be this hard to choose a name.

7. You make it Facebook official

8. You discover just how much time and space everyone needs in the bathroom before contest.

9. You now have built-in confidantes, therapists, party buddies, travel roommates, babysitters, workout accountability partners….and on and on.

So if you’re not in a quartet, see if your chapter, region, or district has quartet matching events or resources for finding other singers interested in being in a quartet. Get out there and have fun!

Hi there! Kim, here. One of the things we’ve talked a bit about on the podcast is etiquette in the world of Sweet Adelines. I’m a HUGE fan of Emily Post, and own a copy of her Guide to Etiquette. It’s just fascinating to me that there are (mostly) unwritten rules about how we act in our fascinating world of barbershop singing. So I’d like to take a few blog posts to write some of these social norms down as best I understand them. <br><br>

You may have different experiences in other regions or other countries, and we’d love to hear how it compares! Feel free to let us know.

Medals

It’s a wonderful experience to earn a medal at a regional and/or international contest. I was fortunate enough to receive a regional 4th place quartet medal in 2015, and was introduced to a whole set of dos and don’ts. Hopefully passing on the knowledge I’ve gained will help at least one person.<br><br>

Remember, these observations are just that; not rules you must comply with, or a standard of SAI. These are simply what I have personally discovered over the last few years.

How Barbershop Quartetting is Like Dating/Relationships