The Harmonizer

Do you want to recapture the thrill of discovery you had when you first discovered the hobby? You may be stuck in the rut of thinking you can only sing one voice part. - O'Neill, Mike

Link to file "reduct0603 Harmony How-to.pdf"

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Hot Seat with Marty Mendro

An interview with a 2006 Hall of Fame inductee - Selano, Jeff

Link to file "reduct0603 Hot Seat with Marty Mendro.pdf"

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Life Lessons from Barbershop

Where els can you find internationally competitive teams mad up of friends who may be 25 or 50 years apart in age? - May, Lorin

Link to file "reduct0603 Life Lessons from Barbershop.pdf"

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More Service Equals More Fun

Society president Drayton Justus believes more grassroots service will spur big accomplishments

Link to file "reduct0603 More Service Equals More Fun.pdf"

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President's Page - Working toward meaningful change: If barbershop ain't broke, don't fix it!

To what extent do we allow other kinds of music to influence ours? Most of us feel strongly that the rate of change should be as slow as possible. - Justus, Drayton

Link to file "reduct0603 Presidents Page.pdf"

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Stay Tuned - May 2006

The Heart of America has great lungs, too; Sit down to read this, but not in a folding chair - Bagby, Jim; Gray, Don

Link to file "reduct0603 Stay Tuned.pdf"

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Straight Talk - The Little things promote barbershop best

"Barbershop Harmony-it's closer than you think!" - Watson, Ed

Link to file "reduct0603 Straight Talk.pdf"

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This Table Set for Two

The winning tag from a field of beauties - Liles, Joe

Link to file "reduct0603 Tag.pdf"

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Tempo - May 2006

A big year gets bigger for Hi-Fidelity; Ad executives love barbershop harmony

Link to file "reduct0603 Tempo.pdf"

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Harmonizer Cover 200603

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Grandfather-Father-Son Chorus has reached capacity

Sign-ups have been closed for this beloved family-singing event at the 2006 international convention.

The chorus will be limited to 200 singers – but the deadline for sign-up has been extended to May 25th.

Share the big stage with your family! The Grandfather/Father/Son Chorus will perform on the main stage of the Conseco Field House on Saturday evening just before the Quartet Finals.

Tom Metzger, bass of Realtime and his father Charlie, bari of seniors champs Antique Gold will share directing duties. Those Metzgers know about family singing; with brother Mark (Realtime bari), they sang with Charlie in international semi-finalist Counterpoint.

The rehearsal will be from 5:00 – 6:00 pm on Friday, July 7, on the main stage of the Conseco Fieldhouse.

The music

The two songs selected are both Tom Gentry arrangements and were sung by Power Play. The songs are "Side by Side" and "When There’s Love at Home."

To sign up: Email jdebusman@barbershop.org for a registration form.

Your fee of $15.00 per singer will cover sheet music for the two songs, a part-predominant CD, and a shirt you’ll pick up in the Convention Office in Indianapolis.

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Society welcomes two new staff members

Two music educators join the headquarters staff at Harmony Hall.

Experienced music educators James Estes and Mike O’Neill have accepted positions with the Music and Education staff of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

Both new staff members are “graduates” of the Society’s collegiate quartet program. James, of Fond du Lac, Wis., will be responsible for student activities development beginning June 15. Mike, of Fort Worth, Texas, will specialize in chorus director development beginning May 30.

James Estes currently is choral director at Fond du Lac High School and conducts the Fond du Lac Children’s Choir. An eight-year member of the Society, he directs the Pride of the Valley Chorus in Appleton, Wis., and is assistant director for the Midwest Vocal Express in Greendale, Wis.

In addition, he serves on the Society’s Student Activities Committee and is a candidate Singing judge. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Lawrence University, and is a member of MENC: The National Association for Music Education and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA.)

Mike O'Neill, an 11-year Society member, served as director of choral activities at Central High School in Keller, Texas, and as music director at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Fort Worth. He recently sang baritone on the international stage with Vantage Point, and earned a gold medal in the 1999 MBNA America Collegiate Quartet Contest as bass of Station 59.

Mike served on the Society’s Young Men In Harmony Committee and on the COTS faculty. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of North Texas, and is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the ACDA.

The appointments come after a months-long search for a music educator to replace Rick after he accepted the position of director of music education and services in January. “We had a field of many very strong candidates,” Rick said. “We are fortunate to have James and Mike on our team.”

An additional vacancy was created by the departure of Bill Rashleigh, who resigned this week. “We thank Bill for his long service and many contributions and wish him well in future endeavors,” said Ed Watson, Society executive director. “We also look forward to working with James and Mike. We expect they will contribute greatly to our organization and its growth.”

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A Chapter Makeover Made all the difference

Grand Junction went from struggling to fun in just a few months-here's how - Didier, Paul; Pinkerton, Ken

Link to file "reduct0602 A Chapter Makeover.pdf"

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Dream the Impossible Dream

their tenor was between chemo sessions and their lead lay unconscious the morning of the competition. That afternnon, Antique Gold reached their dream - Metzger, Charlie

Link to file "reduct0602 Dream the Impossible dream.pdf"

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Harmony How-to - How to be a great baritone

How to start at home and transition into productive, enjoyable rehearsals. - Lewellen, Richard

Link to file "reduct0602 Harmony How-to.pdf"

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Letters - March 2006

Even social chapters need improvement; show makeovers; keep arguments behind closed doors

Link to file "reduct0602 Letters.pdf"

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President's Page - There's room for you under the umbrella

Barbershopping is for everybody, and the real fun lies in the journey of consistent improvement, at whatever level. - Justus, Drayton

Link to file "reduct0602 Presidents Page.pdf"

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2006 Senior Quartet Medalists

Picture gallery of the top five finishers

Link to file "reduct0602 Senior Quartet Medalists.pdf"

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Stay Tuned - March 2006

Soloing with Andrea Bocelli; The Gas House Gang's last hurrah; bioluminescent singing fish - Buckner, Kipp

Link to file "reduct0602 Stay Tuned.pdf"

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Straight Talk - Homage to our staff, plus unworldly tags

Staff introductions and a string theory? - Watson, Ed

Link to file "reduct0602 Straight Talk.pdf"

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Tie me to Your Apron Strings Again Tag & Down Here Tag

Here are two great tags for our mothers - Liles, Joe

Link to file "reduct0602 Tag.pdf"

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Tap This Musical Gold Mine

Music Premiere takes the hard work out of selecting a great, legal repertoire - Liles, Joe

Link to file "reduct0602 Tap This Musical Gold Mine.pdf"

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Tempo - March 2006

A Devine a cappella triple threat; staff music reviews; Get ready for the year of "The Music Man"

Link to file "reduct0602 Tempo.pdf"

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The Hot Seat with Don Gooding

Barbershopper and a cappella music marketer

Link to file "reduct0602 The Hot Seat with Don Gooding.pdf"

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Beatrice: 34 new members in 45 days

A concerted, organized membership drive helped men and boys want to come - Wiedel, Dan

Link to file "reduct0602 They Know how to grow-Membership-Beatrice NE.pdf"

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Why we do Affinity marketing

How strategic partnerships lower our dues and boost the Society's image - Wilson, Todd

Link to file "reduct0602 Why we do Affinity marketing.pdf"

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Lorin May returns to The Harmonizer staff

Lorin May has agreed to serve as editor of The Harmonizer commencing with the March 2006 issue.

Lorin had previously helmed the magazine from January 2000 through July 2004, when he was laid off in a large reduction in staff. In his previous tenure as editor, Lorin imbued the magazine with a stronger feature orientation, high quality color layouts, and top-flight personal reporting and feature writing.

Brian Lynch will move to a new assignment overseeing the implementation of a business management platform for the Society, encompassing membership records, merchandising, events purchasing, education tracking, and more.

Contact address for the magazine remains at Society offices in Kenosha, and phone 800.876.7464; email address for the magazine continues to be harmonizer@barbershop.org .

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Harmonizer Cover 200602

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