Structure and Choir Levels

Seattle Girls Choir (SGC) is made up of 7 auditioned choirs and a non-auditioned prep choir for K-1st graders. We are an independent non-profit arts education organization and are independent from any church or school affiliations.  We are governed by a Board of Directors.

Sarra Sharif Doyle is our Artistic Director and manages the music faculty which is made up of music education professionals passionate about providing quality music education. Current bios and photos can be found on our website and a faculty list in the Faculty and Staff section of this manual.

The office is staffed primarily Monday-Thursday 10-3.  Meaghan Leferink is our Executive Director, Stacia Cammarano our Office Manager, and Jamie Sanidad is our Concert and Program Coordinator.  You can contact us by calling 206-526-1900 or emailing questions to [email protected].

Choir Levels

SGC has six progressive levels of instruction for choristers in Kindergarten through 12th grade.  Each choir season’s rehearsals run congruent to the school year, September through June.

For Allegra, Cantamus, and Prime Voci our resident choir camp is an integral part of the curriculum and is held the first week of August each summer and the choristers are expected to attend.

Piccolini – For choristers in Kindergarten and 1st grade, with rehearsals on Tuesdays from 4:30-6:00 or Wednesday from 4:00-5:30.  This non-auditioned choir provides a foundation for choral singing including vocal tone, breathing, pitch, rhythm, and movement.

Dolcine – Primarily for choristers in 1st and 2nd grade, with rehearsals on Mondays or Tuesdays from 4:15-6:00. Here choristers are introduced to solfège, note reading, reading simple rhythms, score reading, musical terms and more.

Vivissimi – Primarily for choristers in the 3rd and 4th grades who have merited promotion recommendation from Dolcine, with rehearsals on Thursday from 4:30-6:30.  This choir continues the work on solfège, notes, and terms while introducing intervals, key signatures, sight singing and more. At this level 30 minutes of the rehearsal is dedicated to music theory instruction.

Entrata – Primarily for newly auditioned choristers in 4th-6th grades, with rehearsals on Thursday from 4:15-6:15.  With a strong emphasis on accelerated learning of core musicianship and literacy skills, the goal is to bring choristers to the musical skill level of their peers who started younger with SGC.

Allegra – Primarily for choristers in 5th and 6th grades, with rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:45-6:45.  Allegra continues work on breathing, posture, and vowels and introduces minor scales, chromatic solfège, and goes into more depth with key signatures.  Sight-singing includes reading diatonic melodies including leaps. This level also has a 30 minute music theory instruction each week. Repertoire is primarily 2-part with occasional 3-part pieces.

Cantamus – Primarily 6-8th graders, with rehearsals on Monday 4:30-7:30 and Wednesday 4:30-6:30.  Building on skills these choristers have relative keys and how to identify minor key signatures are added, they continue work on reading simple and compound time signatures with increasingly complex rhythms and sight-singing complexity includes chromatics, more challenging rhythms and leaps. Repertoire: Primarily 3-part and occasional 4-part songs of increasing complexity. More emphasis placed on expressivity and musicality.

Prime Voci – Choristers are primarily in 9-12th grades, with rehearsals on Monday 4:30-7:30 and Wednesday 4:30-6:30.  Here choristers are introduced to triads and harmony, and basic principles of counterpoint as they relate to repertoire. Aural Skills: Continue work with chromatics, intervals, multiple notes, and dictation. Sight-Singing: Practical application to real pieces. Repertoire: Moderate to difficult pieces, primarily in 3-4 parts but up to 8+. Great emphasis placed on expressivity, musicality.

Sorella – This advanced ensemble focuses on contemporary music styles, how to perform effectively on stage, how to work with other musicians, along with creative development, and further training in all the areas that make a musician most successful – music theory, ear training, and sight-reading. They rehearse on Wednesday evenings.