Frequently Asked Questions
What is SING THE NORTH?
SING THE NORTH is a global family of virtual recording and in-person choirs based in Canada that welcomes singers from around the world.
Established by founding director Kathryn Whitney in September 2020, we have now expanded to a family of four choirs:
- SING THE NORTH (STN) sings classical choral arrangements by Canadian composers or on a Northern theme or choral arrangements of classic Canadian folk or popular music. We rehearse live on Zoom (recorded for catch-up). STN projects usually feature a virtual trip on the STN Virtual Choir Tour bus to a location associated with the music we are singing. Our singers record AUDIO and sometimes VIDEO that is included in our final virtual choir video, which is posted to our YouTube channel. Everyone is just as welcome if they want to come along and sing, but not do any recording!
- STN ICE is our choir for exploratory singers. We rehearse interesting and unusual choral pieces for SATB choir - exactly the music that real choir nerds would love to sing, but might not get programmed by your standard choir. We meet live on Zoom (recorded for catch-up), and hold both rehearsals and vocal workshops. Our singers submit AUDIO recordings that feature on our virtual choir videos that are posted to our YouTube Channel. Sometimes we ask our singers to contribute short clips to the video (like dressing up as snow spirits for example). Like with STN, you are just as welcome in STN Ice if you want to sing but not do any recording!
- STN Fridays is our Kitchen Party choir. Really a drop-in gathering rather than a 'choir', we meet live on Zoom on the last Friday of every month (and sometimes mid-month) for a casual one-off drop-in singalong in the 'kitchen party' folk tradition. Each session features a lead singer who does a set and teaches us all some tunes. We provide a lyrics sheet so everyone can sing and, if they like, play along on their own instruments. There's also lots of time for easy chat - bring your tall tales, or your own version of a tune, and share them in the virtual kitchen!
- We also have the STN Summer Choir which meets in person in Victoria, BC in the last week of July. To join this choir, see our Choir School page to register for our week-long Summer Choral Program. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you and singing with you!
How do I Join the Choir?
You are welcome in SING THE NORTH! To join us, simply register for any project, product, or course, check your email for your downloads, and follow the instructions to join us. We are looking forward to singing with you!
Where do I find my Project Materials?
After you register, check your email for your receipt, which contains your project downloads. If you do not see an email from us in your inbox within an hour of purchase, please check your spam folder. Gmail users should also check their “All Mail” folder, as our mail sometimes appears there but not in Gmail inboxes.
Where is my Zoom link?
Your Zoom link is in your Project Guide, which you received as a download when you registered. You can also find your Zoom link in the Project Guide folder in your My Materials folder.
Where is my timetable?
Your timetable is in your project guide, which was sent to you in an email after purchase. You can also find your timetables for individual projects and courses in your My Materials folder for each project or course. You can view the full set of Season 4 timetables here.
Why are there three different price points for all your choir projects?
We want SING THE NORTH to be affordable for all singers. Our singers also like to support one another. For these reasons, we always have three pricing points for all choir projects: Standard, Share, and Welcome. Anyone can choose to pay on any of these levels at any time, with no limits on the registrations sold in any category.
What do "Standard", "Share" and "Welcome" prices mean, and which one should I choose?
The "Standard" price is set at a level that will cover our expenses in projects with average enrollment. The "Welcome" price and the "Share" price complement each other and are designed to balance each other out.
The "Welcome" price is specially designed for lower-income singers who want to sing but would find it difficult to pay the "Standard" price.
Singers who can afford to pay a little more often choose the "Share" price, thereby subsidising singers paying the "Welcome" price.
It is a point of pride for SING THE NORTH that, without us monitoring registrations, restricting access, or checking anyone's eligibility, the Share and Welcome prices have balanced each other out on every project we have run.
I don’t want to record myself singing. Can I still join the choir?
Yes! All are welcome to join us and sing, whether or not they intend to submit any recordings.
Do you ever meet in person?
Yes! We are a family of both virtual recording choirs and an in-person summer choir. We rehearse online for most of the winter/spring and come together in the summer in person for our Summer Choral Program in Victoria, B.C.
I have a question that is not answered in these FAQs.
No problem! Please write to us at stnadmin (at) singthenorth (dot) ca. We are always happy to help!