The Art of Barbershop - Step by Step

If you have never had the opportunity, or taken the time, to attend a contest weekend in a region/district outside of your own, you are missing out.  Being able to take in the sights and sounds without the pressure of competing and having the opportunity to meet people that have a passion for music the way that you do is a fun and energizing experience.

This past weekend, my quartet had the opportunity to be the mic tester quartet at the Region 23 Sweet Adelines International Regional Competition.  What a treat!

As mic testers (also an experience I would recommend), we were able to experience the contest stage environment for the first time in this quartet without the pressure of actually competing.

As audience members, we were able to enjoy our hobby being on fine display by people that we are not familiar with.  It is fun to see how universal that experience was even though we were half way across the country from home. I enjoyed it very much and I highly recommend to you for when/if you get the chance.

A quick “shout out” to my new friends in the Tune Town Show Chorus in Nashville, TN.  They took the stage as a mid-size chorus with 59 members and outscored the large chorus in their region that has a history of wining.  And, they did it with a total of 623 points! (They also received the Most Improved Chorus award by raising their score 44 points from last year)

Way to go ladies, you truly were a “Dixieland Delight”.

You can always learn by watching and listening to others.  Each chorus and quartet in our organizations brings something different to the table.  You can take concepts or ideas from those that do well and use them in your own performances.  Or, you can see the things that got in the way of success for those that struggled and work to keep those things out of your repertoire.

With Region 23 and the Dixie District of the Barbershop Harmony Society having their contests the same weekend and in adjoining venues, we were able to see some wonderful performances with a large variety of performers.  It was a great barbershop weekend indeed.