SONG OF THE WEEK
HOT! Platinum-seller "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz now published by the Barbershop Harmony Society
Talking pop music? They don't come any more popular than this one! Six-time platinum seller "I'm Yours" has been the biggest hit yet for Jason Mraz. At 76 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, it held the record for most weeks spent on the chart, breaking the previous record of 69 weeks. As of January 2013, it is the tenth best-selling digital song of all time in the U.S., selling over 6 million downloads and 9.5 million worldwide.
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 VEGAS MEANS SINGING
Live your dream: Sing With the Champs
 | | Nine-year-old Matt Gallagher singing with the Bluegrass Student Union |
Suppose you were a super NASCAR fan, who every year faithfully goes to the Daytona 500. And suppose that after the race, Dale, Jr. and Jeff Gordon came out to the track and invited anyone who ponied up fifty bucks to hop into a car and race them around the track.
Impossible. Except, of course, in barbershopping, where our champions gladly welcome replacements to take their quartets for a spin.
In Las Vegas, you can Sing With The Champs on Saturday July 5 from 8:30-11:30 am. Eight quartets will be participating at some level this year, including the debut performances from 2013 champion Masterpiece!
This year's participants are:
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Masterpiece
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Ringmasters
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Old School
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Storm Front
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Crossroads
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OC Times
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Max Q
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Vocal Spectrum
Registrations and signup for Sing With The Champs open on May 5 at www.singwiththechamps.com
To whet your appetite, check out this playlist of memorable moments in sing with the champs. (Hint: no one out-cutes Matt Gallagher.)
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Harmony University Registration is now online!
 Registration online is now open, but some students may be holding back while waiting ofr the full course offerings to be published. No fear; you can signup now with full confidence that the very best of harmony University will be ready for you.
Every year we do all we can to bring the best of the best to HU 'The Event'. We offer classes that have withstood the test of time, plus new classes in high demand. HU faculty comes from all over the world, giving of their time and talent, and they are the best around.
The 2014 HU Course Catalog will be published by April 15, so please check back then for specific information on this year's classes and faculty. Until then, take a quick look at some of the fantastic courses we know will definitely be a part of this year's curriculum!
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Barbershop 101 - class for new Barbershoppers wanting to learn basics
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Arranging courses taught by our top arrangers
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Young Women in Harmony Chorus - NEW
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Music Theory Courses...ALL LEVELS
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Wave Box Singing - NEW
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New and improved Honors Chorus
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Barberpole Cat class...more singing for all!
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New improved Tag Classes!
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"Barbershop Folklore"...all the stories three seasoned Barbershoppers can muster (Joe Connelly, George Gipp, Gary Steinkamp)
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Leadership courses providing a vision and long term planning for your chapters
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AND MANY MORE! Check back April 15th for the full course listing.
Register now! |
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NASHVILLE HOSPITALITY
Latest drop-ins at Harmony Hall
Lots of people come to visit HQ, and they inevitably end up singing. Here's a round-up of recent visits, which lately has included The Midnight Ramblers from University of Rochester, the Methodist University Chorale, and The Fairfield Four.
| Midnight Ramblers and BHS HQ Pick Up Quartet |
Bet you wish your lunch hours were this entertaining! |
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PRIME SEATS | SHARP PENCILS
What do I get for my bid?
- A great seat in the judging area for your selected contest session.
- A special guest judge name tag.
- A complete set of judging and scoring forms for your selected judging category.
- Following the convention, a chart showing your scores compared to the official panel members in your selected judging category.
- An invitation to join the official panel at all meals and snacks at intermissions associated with your selected contest session.
- The chance to sit in and observe the evaluations sessions after the contest.
- A great opportunity to interface with the official panel members, which could possibly provide you with new references if you plan to apply for the judging program.
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Spring message to Houses of Delegates
Spring and fall, the Society President and the Executive Director and Society send out a few notes to the District Houses of Delegates highlighting current and planned activity. Rather than keep this all bottled up in a meeting, however, we've published it online for all to review.
Here's the short form. If there were only FIVE THINGS you MUST know, they would be these: - More music, more often, more modern. In direct response to the voices of members in the Chapter Visitation Project, an aggressive effort is underway to release more publications more frequently, and to incorporate more contemporary music into the mix. More than 20 new titles are in the licensing and publication pipeline, including recent platinum-selling pop songs.
- More youth activities in more places for more lives changed. Harmony Foundation grants totalling $138,000 will underwrite more than Youth Choral Workshops and Harmony Explosion Camps in 2014, reaching more than tens of thousands of students. Twenty choruses raised the roof at the International Youth Chorus Festival in Long Beach, culminating in an unforgettable joint performance with the Westminster Chorus.
- More visibility for the Barbershop Harmony Society among more influential people. Our headquarters location in the heart of Nashville is bringing us into contact with many new and interesting friends, including the National Museum of African-American Music, the touring cast of "The Sing-Off," the legendary Fairfield Four gospel quartet, and numerous collegiate choruses on tour. They are all discovering what we mean by "No Strings Attached."
- Huge growth in stature and enthusiasm among professional music educators. High-profile appearances at conventions, and throngs of teacher sand singers at our booths, reflect the hunger for great barbershop music and culture.
- Better recognition of the place of the Barbershop Harmony Society in the world - defining, building and expanding our brand. What we have as Barbershoppers is what the world craves: the joy of singing, the powerful culture of friendship, safety and community it creates, and the privilege we have of sharing that with other. Messaging and imaging tools are being featured in the magazine, on the web, and on the stage as we launch a powerful initiative to help the world link arms with us.
Together, We Are Making The Music That's Making A Difference.
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NEXT EVENT: TUESDAY, MARCH 18, NOON
Visions of Excellence - Book Review
March 18, noon CDT
Joe Cerutti
Many think the book is geared towards chorus directors, and it is for directors of all levels, but it is also a great resource for all chorus leadership, chorus singers and barbershop fans of all ages. We'll talk a bit about the origin of the book and its predecessor in the choral music genre, "In Quest of Answers" by Carole Glenn. We will reference the ACDA review recently published in the Choral Journal and dissect the variety of the questions asked and the directors interviewed. We'll also leave time for a short Q&A. It is not necessary to have read the book, and the hour session might actually serve as a great introduction to the book for those who love the culture and history of the barbershop chorus.
Click here for details and registration.
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