Woman finds thrill in competitive singing

PONTIAC -- When Sybil Perkins moved from Beaumont, Texas, and began attending Joliet West High School in the 1970s, it was a culture shock.

There were no twirlers.

In Texas, where football rules, twirlers were part of the festivities, but not in Joliet. Also, there wasn't a strict dress codes. Girls could wear short skirts and guys could wear their hair long _ that wasn't allowed at her Texas school.

But Perkins, who still speaks with a Texan accent, adjusted quickly. She was voted in as a student council member within a couple of months, and continued her merry way in choir and Madrigals.

Perkins loves to sing. It is her passion.

"I have had the leading role in 11 musicals in college, community theater and summer stock," said Perkins, a 1974 graduate from Joliet West. She graduated from Lewis University with a degree in speech communications. The mother of three and grandmother of one is administrative assistant at Wilco Area Career Center in Romeoville.

After she married, she moved to Pontiac where she lived for 20 years. At first, she thought her musical life would flatten out.

"There was no community choir. The church choir was less than wonderful. I was really missing that outlet," she said.

But then, Sweet Adelines International Singers entered her life after a woman at church heard Perkins sing a solo and asked her to join. Perkins fell in love with it.

"I had not done that much a cappella singing," she said. "It really made me have new listening skills as a singer."

Impressed with Perkins' choreography, coaches have requested her help for other singers. Perkins has coached in St. Louis and all over Illinois.

Perkins sings to explain the importance of facial expressions and showmanship. She sings without a smile and then with one, raising her eyebrows and grinning. "You need to have a secret sparkle in your eye _ the kind of look as if trying to engage a person across the room," Perkins said.

Now, Perkins, who has been a member of Sweet Adelines for 24 years, is hoping to compete with the Melodeers internationally in Honolulu in November 2008. The 150-woman group is based in Northbrook.

"I would love that experience to sing with that big of a chorus," she said, adding she already knows some of the singers and the director.

The Melodeers, part of Sweet Adelines, has won the Internationals four times and is known for trying to marry off their director, Jim Arns, during performances.

"I like a lot of the sappy touching ballads they do," she said.

Perkins admits Sweet Adelines is a world unto itself. Her friends compare it to a girls' sleepover because they stay in hotels, dress up and put on makeup. However, it is very educational because of the high-level coaching, teaching members to sing properly and improve their skills.

At the international competition, the chorus will sing a ballad and an uptune. Then, if the group makes it into the top 10, they will perform a show package that is about 15 minutes long. The last one the Melodeers did was called "My Big Fat Barbershop Wedding," where they married off their director. While singing so well, they also entertain. The group earned 741 points out of 800 _ the highest in Sweet Adeline history.

"It is just a lot of fun," Perkins said. "I think it makes you feel so good to sing. It gets rid of all your stress. All the breathing makes you feel really good. Some people yell _ well, you might as well sing."