Buffalo Shenanigans One-Day Choir
$100 — Event Day (Saturday, ~3 hours at Merriweather Library + Top's Parking Lot)
$100 — One (1) optional neighborhood drop-in rehearsal (1 hour, week before event)
REPORTS TO: Conductor/Artistic Director
LOCATION: Buffalo, NY (neighborhood-based)
Become a SECTION LEADER
I don’t Sing How Can I Help?
What’s a Section Leader.
We are organizing section leaders BY LOCATION, not by voice part. You will be
assigned a neighborhood or area of Buffalo. Your job is to know the people
who signed up near you, make them feel welcome, and help them walk into
Merriweather Library on Saturday morning believing they can do this.
You are not a traditional section leader. You are not standing in a corner
conducting sopranos. You are a neighborhood anchor. A confidence-builder.
The person who makes a nervous singer feel like they belong before they ever
open their mouth.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
BEFORE THE EVENT (Week Of):
- Lead ONE optional, drop-in neighborhood rehearsal. Will find a host if you cannot (1 hour).
- This is not mandatory for singers. It is a confidence booster.
- Run through the three songs in a casual, low-pressure setting.
- Help nervous singers hear their part. Answer questions. Calm anxiety.
- Location is flexible: a living room, a community room, a park bench.
- Wherever your neighborhood group can gather.
- You will be given all materials: lyric sheets, audio links
(choirgenius.com/buffaloshenanigans), and guidance from the conductor.
Day of the Event
- Arrive 30 minutes early (1:30 PM) for check-in and briefing with conductor.
- During the event, you FLOAT. You do not stand in SATB formation.
- You are with your neighborhood people. Friends together. Anxiety down.
- Walk the room. Check in. “You doing okay? Need anything?”
- Help late arrivals or day-of joiners catch up on Songs 1 and 2
(designed to be learned on the spot). - Support anyone struggling with Song 3 during the first take.
- Between takes: answer questions, offer encouragement, direct people to childcare, bathrooms, or the accessibility coordinator.
- During the move to Top’s Parking Lot: help your group transition, make sure no one gets lost, keep energy up.
- During the public finale: stand with your people. Sing with them. This is not a performance for you. This is a participation.
WHAT YOU WILL NOT DO
- You will NOT audition singers. Everyone who shows up is in.
- You will NOT correct pitch in a shaming way. Nerves are normal.
Imperfection is the point. - You will NOT run logistics, check-in, or childcare.
The Project Coordinator handles people-flow. You handle hearts. - You will NOT be expected to read sheet music at a professional level.
You need to know the songs and be able to communicate them warmly.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Someone who loves singing and loves people more.
- Someone who can hold a tune and hold space for someone who can’t.
- Someone who knows their neighborhood or is willing to learn it.
- Someone who believes that “good enough” is often better than “perfect.”
- Musical experience helpful but not required. Community experience (teaching, organizing, mentoring, facilitating) counts just as much.
- Fluency in ASL, Spanish, or other languages spoken in Buffalo
is a plus but not required.
WHAT YOU GET
- $200 total compensation ($100 event day + $100 neighborhood rehearsal)
- All song materials and training from the conductor in advance.
- The experience of helping 50 strangers become a choir in three hours.
- Credit in program materials and video documentation.
- Connection to a growing network of Buffalo community artists and organizers.
COMMITMENT
- One 1-hour neighborhood rehearsal (scheduled by you, week before event).
- One 3-hour event day (Saturday, 1:30 PM – 5 PM, plus travel).
- One 30-minute pre-event briefing with conductor (virtual or in-person).
TO APPLY
Email [your email] with:
- Your name and neighborhood/area of Buffalo you know well.
- Sing a voicemail to 716-253-1735.
Tell us about a time you helped someone feel welcome. - Any scheduling conflicts for Saturdays in October.
Buffalo Shenanigans One-Day Choir
One day. Two takes. Three songs.
