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What makes Harmony University memorable?
From an opening session highlighted by a charming children's choir, to a "best ever" general session celebrating the art of woodshedding, to a closing show featuring quartets and choruses of all stripes, Harmony University 2014 was truly a week long to be remembered. The Belmont University setting lived up to its billing as lovely, accessible and complete in its appointments, and the temperate weather surprised and delighted everyone.  | | HU General Session Series: Paul Olguin and Woodshedding |
By any measure, the premier barbershop education event was a winner: - Total enrollment passed 600 students, plus faculty and staff
- More music educators than ever, with more than 25 attending
- More young singers than ever before, with more than 70 students enrolled in Next Generation and Young Women in Harmony choruses
- More choruses attending, with full contingents arriving from Calgary's Western Hospitality Singers, Ottawa's Capital City Chordsmen, San Marcos' Marcsmen, and Asheville's Land of the Sky Chorus, totaling 111 students in Chorus College
 Those who have never attended Harmony U might reasonably ask, "Why do you spend so much time talking about this event? There are many fine district schools, you know." Fair enough. Maybe it's the combination of "biggest and best" all in one place. Maybe it's the distillation of so many different disciplines in one place -- quartet singing, apprentice coaching, chorus directing, arranging, songwriting, performance, etc.
We know one thing: any school that ends Saturday, and by the following Thursday has four choruses signed up for the next year, is doing something very much right.
See what all the fuss is about: watch the end-of-the week wrap-up playlist.
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Directors gotta direct, even in the audience
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Applications sought for Society Board vacancy
There is an opening on the Society Board of Directors! With the election of Skipp Kropp to the office of Society EVP, there is a two year slot on the board, beginning in January 2015, to be filled. The Society is seeking a visionary leader with experience and demonstrable skills in the worlds of barbershop, business, public service, education, or other fields of endeavor.
Deadline for application is August 21, so please act quickly. For more information, go to http://barbershop.org/component/content/article/36-resources/976-society-board-member-candidates-sought.html
If this is not for you right now, please pass this on to other men who you think might be interested and qualified. This is a chance to serve our Society at the highest level!
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DON'T SING THIS IN CHURCH
Puzzling "Hallelujah" haunts, perplexes, hypnotizes
It's not a sacred song, although it's rife with Biblical references. It's not a love song, although it mentions what love is not. It might be the only song that describes its own chord progressions ("the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift.") You've heard it covered by John Cale, k.d. lang, My Chemical Romance, and it has appeared in countless TV shows and films, including Shrek and Watchmen.
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" may have the strangest back story of any title we've published this year, yet it is haunting, singable, and engaging. Adam Scott's arrangement features its hypnotic, pulsing rhythm and lyrical soaring melody. Shoot, you ought to buy it just for the Tony DeRosa learning track.
Want more? See previous Song of the Week features.
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Youth activities ramp up in autumn
Take a long, deep breath. Put your feet up. Pour a lemonade. Relax in your deck chair, watching someone else mow your lawn. It has been a long, busy summer, and you deserve a break. Okay, that's enough. Get to work. There are fall Youth Choral Workshops and Harmony Explosion camps to plan!!
As summer winds down, students are returning to school, where their instructors are ready to bring them new ways of looking at singing. Many of them attended summer Harmony Explosion camps, district schools, and Harmony University, and they now understand how powerful the barbershop style can be. That means the many events scheduled for the fall will need your help. Volunteer to do what's needed. Work with your district outreach team to publicize the events. Get back in touch with local educators and offer to assist with scholarships to these events. See www.barbershop.org/youth for a map with event dates and contacts.
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