INSIDE: One annual District convention? • Midwinter winners • Preview of Toronto competitors May/June 2013 Dive into the competition… and the Pacific Ocean Honolulu, Hawaii • november 4-9, 2013 REGISTER TODAY! Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)/Tor Johnson Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)/Kirk Lee Aeder Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)/Tor Johnson Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)/Tor Johnson Experience timeless beauty blending with the modern luxuries of today. Swim in the warm waters of world-famous Waikiki one moment, then enjoy the dramatic mountain views of the Nuuanu Pali Lookout another. Come for Convention for the world’s best barbershop performances; stay for vacation with your best friends. Watch for more information about the Honolulu 2013 International Convention and Competition in the coming months through our webpage www.sweetadelineintl.org > News & Events > Honolulu 2013 International Convention. You can also join the party on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetAdelinesIntl/events May/June 2013 VOLUME LXXIII NUMBER 2 HOW WAS MIDWINTER? Some said it was their favorite convention of all time. A heavy percentage of at- tendees were in Orlando for the Youth Chorus Festival, such as The 505 from Albuquerque. Amidst all the tag- ging and sunshine, there were some fantastic contests and unforgettable shows. Get the scoop. 20 Features Getting the music in your head Only one annual district convention? 10 From Visions of Excellence: 25 great chorus directors 18 One size does not fit each district, so each can choose talk about how singers can learn music more quickly either two conventions or one in the spring or fall COMPILED BY JOE CERUTTI KEVIN KELLER, CHAIRMAN OF CONTEST & JUDGING 16 Get ready for Toronto’s Contests! Seniors and Youth Chorus Nobody knows what’s going to happen in Toronto, but 22 See who competed in Orlando, both the over age 55 here are some groups expected to make their mark quartetters and the under age 30 chorus singers On the Cover Departments A Barbershopper’s brain COVER BY EDDIE HOLT (WITH A BIG ASSIST FROM THE INTERNET) 2 8 THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE HARMONY HOW-TO 23K will harness volunteer power Increase choral rehearsal effectiveness by 50% 3 31 STRAIGHT TALK STAY TUNED Outside our “windows,” many need our help Bride’s surprise turns tables on Barbershoppers 5 Wichita has seen enough of Storm Front TEMPO 34 April 11 launches 75th Anniversary festivities MEMBER SERVICE DIRECTORY Check out the new barbershop.org Where to find answers 36 THE TAG “How Can I Keep from Singing” May/June 2013 • The HARMONIZER 1 THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE Shannon Elswick, Society President • [email protected] 23K will harness volunteer power reetings, barbershop friends! I hope you are enjoy- rich mix of skills and talents represented across our ing our 75th anniversary year, celebrating barber- membership, the possibilities are practically end- shop harmony anywhere and anytime you can. I less. can’t wait for Toronto! G As many of you know, my day job for more than Just pick up the phone 35 years has been healthcare. I am a hospital guy. How many volunteers does it take to make 23,000 In our hospitals, we have many volunteers. We phone calls (each one lasting about 20 minutes)? value and appreciate those volunteers and couldn’t A lot more than we have right now! The good do what we do without them. The Barbershop news is that our callers are recruiting more callers. Harmony Society is the same, with one significant Eventually, we hope to have an army of more than exception. In a typical hospital, we are fortunate 200 reaching out and touching our members. to have one volunteer for every 10 paid employees. Some of our callers like calling from the ran- In barbershop, we have thousands of volunteers dom lists in their area codes to get to know more already and about 30 paid staff members. Barbershoppers, and some are more comfortable calling people they know. The entire process is The origins of the 23K Task Force automated on a dedicated website, with reports In his Midwinter keynote address in 2012, “Mon- easily filed by the click of a button. All callers will tana Jack” Fitzpatrick passed out some hand- receive individual training and assistance. There painted placards displaying “23,800”—the will be two drawings for a VIP seat at the 2014 number of members we had that month Las Vegas International convention for callers of January, 2012. He challenged the board completing 120 calls. To get started with your own to recognize the impact those 23,000 po- personal interview, simply contact Montana Jack tential volunteers could have and asked at [email protected]. us to consider creating an army of them If you are called by one of our dedicated volun- to propel our Society to greater levels of teer callers, please be ready to tell them what you success. When I became Society would like to see “added, changed, improved or The team began president, I asked the board and deleted.” If you are not available when they call, the district presidents to join me please help out by returning their call promptly. building a data- in sponsoring and endorsing the We pledge to make reports available to all mem- 23K Task Force and asked Jack bers of the Society and keep you updated on the base to catalog life to take command of recruiting teams that are formed and what they accomplish. skills and talents that army of volunteers he spoke of so passionately. A number riddle you can solve and to also allow The task force originally con- Keith Eckhardt posed this riddle recently: What do members to voice sisted of Jack, Keith Eckhardt, the numbers 23,000 and 779 and 1,238 and 1 have in Bud Laumann and Eric Herr, common? The answer is you because you have the their opinions. The and they are still steering the power to change them. If you bring a new member goal is to eventually ship. Now there are many more in we’ll have 23,001. If you start a new chapter, volunteers who are raising their we’ll have 780. If you register a new quartet, we’ll call everyone—and hands every day. The team began have 1,239. And if you do any of those things, you building a database to catalog will be the 1 helping to grow our society. that is why we need life skills and talents and to also So, won’t you consider being the next “1” who your help. allow members to voice their steps up and sends that email to mtjack@bresnan. opinions … and then they just net to say, “Yes, Commander Fitzpatrick, I want to started calling! The goal is to eventually call every- join the barbershop volunteer army?” one! Isn’t that kind of audacious, you may ask? Yes, ’Shop ‘til you drop! it certainly is—and that is why we need your help. When the project is completed, we will know which members are willing to volunteer and what skills they have. Our leaders will be able to form specific teams to tackle targeted projects. With the [email protected] 2 The HARMONIZER • May/June 2013 STRAIGHT TALK Marty Monson, CEO/ Executive Director • [email protected] Outside our “windows,” many need our help n the months to come, we hope to take you on a ments—what do you recommend?” For many cho- journey about how the Barbershop Harmony So- ral directors, selecting music is one of their biggest ciety (23,000+ members, 762 chapters and 17 dis- constant challenges. How can the Society make it tricts) can make a difference in our global society. easy for more and more directors to find and per- ILike I stated in my Orlando Keynote speech, are form great barbershop arrangements? you looking out your window? As I attended a class called “Female Conductors of Male What’s in Marty’s Daytimer? ACDA meets the Barbershop Harmony Society Choirs,” I began thinking • April 5, SLD lead- I’d already had many conversations with non-Bar- about how the Society can ership meeting, bershoppers who are highly interested in making help a female director. Does Nashville our music part of their musical experience. she need help identifying • April 10, Chorus This increased signifi- repertoire? Or is America meeting, Nash- cantly in March when there a need to ville we attended the Ameri- help provide a male • April 11, Society Birth- can Choral Dir choral role model day celebration, Nash- ectors Association Na- to help demonstrate ville and New York City • tional Convention in the changing voice? April 12, Manhattan Dallas. How can we help? Concert Productions meeting, New York City Let’s look Stopping by Among other ac- • April 14, Society Board our booth were complishments, we out the win- conference call all types of choral walked away with • April 21, District Presi- dow and help directors who sing the contact informa- dents conference call non-Barber- barbershop in their tion of more than 60 • April 25, KraftCPA audit schools, churches music educators or meeting, Nashville shoppers get and commu- future music educa- • April 26, Choral Arts nity choirs. Many Kirby Shaw, Music Educator tors interested or a taste of our Adam Scott and me at ACDA Link, Nashville asked, “What new already engaged in • May 2-8, BABS Na- National Convention music without music can we bring our art form that tional Convention, Bour- back?” A church choir director said, were not previously in our nemouth, UK any strings at- “I have two male quartets that fill in Society database.