If you are going to be a member, that means you had better make the commitment. You have to learn the songs and expect to be on call. That limits the middle-aged person more than it does an elder who has the spare time. There are definitely a lot more older people who belong. That is probably because it is a social group and some prestige goes along with membership.
Today there are more women than men in the groups and the average age is about forty-eight.
Many are of retirement age. There are no qualifications for the first group other than the desire and willingness to make a commitment. There is no formal training expected nor does one have to be able to sing on key. It doesn't matter. The practice sessions for the other groups, the second, third, and fourth groups mentioned earlier, are more serious, particularly for the Preservation Singers.