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Essentials in
Lead the Chapter
The making of Camelot
The Vocal Majority is a gold-medal dynasty. Learn the keys to their success.
Updated: 11/25/2003 5:27:00 PM
The making of Camelot
They draw tens of thousands of concert-goers every year. Barbershoppers from around the country and beyond have moved to Dallas just to be part of them. Their long list of recordings keeps getting bigger and better. They’ve won practically every contest they’ve been in, and recently garnered an unprecedented ninth gold medal in international competition.
The Vocal Majority is many things to many people—a dynasty, a music machine, a benchmark. Perhaps you’re one of many Barbershoppers who aspires to be in one of the Society’s "superchoruses" like the VM. Or perhaps you admire them, but don’t feel you have it in you to devote so much time or energy to your hobby.
No matter your outlook, if you’ve seen and heard the VM—especially in live performance—there’s one point you couldn’t possibly disagree with: These guys are good. Really good!
Sometimes, the folks in Dallas like to call their chapter "Camelot." Like the fictional medieval kingdom, the VM started with a common vision of how its members felt things ought to be. But the VM’s diverse achievements are anything but fictional. This organization is accomplishing virtually every lofty goal it sets—they seem to do everything well, and have maintained those high standards for decades.
As with Camelot’s King Richard, the Vocal Majority is heavily indebted to a larger-than-life (or, at least, rather tall) leader who engenders fierce love and loyalty from his "subjects." The VM wouldn’t be what it is today without its famed director, Jim Clancy. His musical skills, dynamic personality, and deep love for the men he directs have been the foundation of the chapter’s success from the beginning.
However, having a great director doesn’t tell the whole story. As important as Clancy has been, the VM’s success has been a team effort—the combined result of effective leadership in many areas, united with the unselfish efforts of every member of the chapter.
In the following, you’ll learn more of the inner workings of the Vocal Majority. See if there are lessons here for your chapter, no matter what its size or composition.
There are many reasons The Vocal Majority Chorus has been able to sustain its record of nine International Chorus Championships during the past 25 years. It’s the combination of at least eight building blocks that have helped create the organization that the VM is today. In this article, several members of the VM’s Board of Directors comment on their areas of responsibility and what it takes to administratively run the chorus.
1. An administration of leaders
"The VM is fortunate to have available for its administrative leadership men who are leaders in their professional lives," states Jerry Andrews, president of the VM’s board of directors for 2000-01. "Board members bring a diversity of professional talent to the table. For example, we have a professional marketing consultant, computer programmer, two lawyers, information system VP, sales director, retired psychologist, engineer, banker, health care professional, entrepreneurs, and the list goes on."
Andrews, an attorney, goes on to say that it’s the diversity of experience that allows the chorus to rely on time-tested business methods and models that work in the business world. "Running the administrative side of the VM is like a business, and we constantly strive to utilize the tools successfully proven by ‘for profit’ businesses."
Immediate past president of the board Steve Zogg took a hands-off position in letting other people do their jobs. "The problem some people have in the job as president of the board is micro-management. Let board members do their job, oversee them, and guide them to their projected outcome. Let them grow, and let them develop into valued board members."
2. Dynamic leadership at the music level
While most of the credit for dynamic musical leadership belongs to director Jim Clancy, he is the first to acknowledge that there is a large team of people who have worked to continue the legacy.
"I am a member of a performance team made up of some of the most talented individuals I have ever known," says Clancy. "Each individual offers his own area of expertise to the continuing improvement of the chorus."
To keep the business of making music administratively smooth, one of the members of the music team, Wes Dean, also serves as VP of music on the board of directors.
"Over the years, the chorus and its sound have matured," says Dean. "As the chorus matured, the sound evolved, and, as the sound evolved, the music took on new dimensions. This ‘circle of life’ is what has kept the VM excelling."
VM board member Steve Haas adds, 'Jim Clancy is an outstanding arranger whose work is always interesting, inspiring, and totally singable. Because of Jim, the music staff, and our long history we are fortunate to have access to other outstanding arrangements from both inside and outside the Society. This keeps things exciting for the members."
3. Marketing and public relations focus
The Vocal Majority constantly seeks ways to expand its audience, while maintaining its audience base. In August, the VM appeared live on "Good Morning Texas" televised throughout North Texas. Articles have featured the chorus in "The Dallas Morning News." And, in a significant move with a top-rated radio station, the Vocal Majority will produce a new Christmas recording for release in November 2000 that will be promoted heavily during the Christmas season.
The radio station manager of ABC-owned Memories 96.7, Tyler Cox, has said "the VM will own our station in December." The station will play VM Christmas songs every weekend starting Thanksgiving weekend, culminating with broadcasts every day during the twelve days leading up to Christmas Day, hence the recording’s name, "Twelve Days Of Christmas." CDs will be available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Borders Books and Music, and other music retailers throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex starting in November.
"The benefit of such extensive and planned marketing is the exposure it brings to an art form that only a very small percentage of the population has ever heard," says Andrews. "I can’t stress enough the importance of marketing a chorus, and the VM is truly blessed to have the talent we do on our board that can tackle the marketing challenges we face in our local market of nearly four million people."
One of the chorus members, Gary Hennerberg, a professional marketing consultant, serves as VP of marketing. The chorus also has hired an outside marketing consultant, Tom Stoker of Stoker Resources Group, to meet the growing needs of marketing the chorus.
4. New member needs never overlooked
Membership cannot be (and is not) taken for granted in the VM. In fact, about one quarter of the men competing in Kansas City had never before competed on the international contest stage. Like any other chapter, members move into and out of the area. They also drop out for other reasons, so a constant flow of new members is necessary to sustain the organization.
Every week, there are guests who visit VM rehearsals. While many are visiting from out of town, there are typically anywhere from 10 to 20 or more guests singing on the risers at a weekly rehearsal, and, from time-to-time, there may be as many as 40 to 50 visitors at a rehearsal. With that large flow of guests (some of whom are prospective members) it requires exceptional follow-through by the membership VP to make sure no guest is lost in the flow.
"I work with each guest one-on-one to gather information about him," says Russell Shaner, VP of membership. "When you’re dealing with so many guests, I see it as my goal to get to know the most I can about a guy, so I can direct information to him."
Every guest has a different reason for being at a rehearsal. As Shaner points out, some men have never sung with a group before, and some have sung in choirs or other barbershop choruses. Some have been fans for a long time, and some are hearing us for the very first time.
"I can never assume anything when it comes to a guest," Shaner adds. "They are all unique and have come to the VM for a particular reason. It might be to fulfill a life dream, or to start one."
5. Fiscally solvent organization
"In the Vocal Majority, we see money as a means to achieving an end, and that end is excellence in the singing, excellence in the music, and excellence in the performance," says Brooks Harkey, Treasurer. "We use money as a tool in any way we can to make that happen and to ease distractions."
Harkey points out a few ways that a balanced budget has enabled the chapter to focus on the music product. For example, the chorus buys all the tuxedos, not requiring the members to put up any kind of deposit. Tuxedos are stored and delivered to every performance on a truck, and the chorus pays to clean the tuxes and shirts. To ask a member to clean his shirt after every performance would be a distraction.
"When we were preparing for Kansas City, our performance team deemed that a drum line was in order for the Mardi Gras March," says Harkey. "What did we know about drum lines and drumming? Not a thing—that’s why we called the Drum Corps International and hired a professional instructor from Houston to work with our front row for weeks. We brought Cindy Hansen up from San Antonio multiple times to develop the choreography. You may have noticed our young guys doing stylized dance steps during Mardi Gras. They did them well because we hired a professional local dance instructor, who is also a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, to work with them."
About 40 percent of the income for the chorus comes from show ticket sales. About another 40 percent comes from recording sales, with the balance coming from dues, contributions and other miscellaneous revenue sources. The books are audited annually, and the money generated is put to good use.
Moreover, every year the Vocal Majority contributes thousands of dollars to local charities such as Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, as well as national funds, such as Harmony Foundation.
6. A Season of performances
Over the years, the number of chapter-produced shows has increased to three Spring performances, two Fall performances, and five Christmas performances. One of the successful hallmarks of the Vocal Majority is a consistent flow of performances, which enables the booking of a scheduled season and the sale of season tickets.
But, of course, to bring back patrons over and over again requires fresh music, new ideas, and an army of volunteers who produce each show.
"The production staff makes it all look so easy," says VP of Shows, John Rasco. "The effort to put on a VM produced show is beyond description. Let me just say that we have the best and most committed people imaginable."
The production staff includes five producers, lighting technicians, a cue master and set construction by many volunteers. The VM’s office is staffed to accept ticket and recording orders by phone, mail and from the chorus’ web page (www.vocalmajority.com).
"The show committee does the leg work on everything from ticket sales to the number of shows we will do on a particular weekend," Rasco continues. "Their job is unsung but very integral to the success of the shows. If we don’t sell tickets, it doesn’t matter how good the show is."
7. Fan support from around the world
The VM is fortunate to count barbershoppers from around the world among its fans. Three of the chapter’s current members are from the UK, another is originally from New Zealand, the wife of a member is from Australia (they met at the SPEBSQSA Convention in Anaheim and were married last New Year’s Eve), and there are many members who have moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to become members of the VM.
Board member Mike Charles, who also conducts the vocal auditions for the chorus, was a member of BABS living in Bristol, England serving as a chorus director when his chorus invited Jim Clancy to coach them in 1982.
International relationships continued with a performance in Canada in 1985, and in 1995, the chorus traveled to England to perform at the BABS convention in Harrogate. Next May, the Vocal Majority will perform in Glasgow, Scotland, at the first-ever all-European barbershop convention as the international brotherhood continues. Naturally, the trip will require the fund-raising of a large amount of money. One of the fund-raisers involves selling tickets for a raffle with the grand prize of an all-expenses paid trip for two to Scotland and England with the VM (tickets are available from members or the VM office).
8. Support from wives and families
Finally, none of the success of the VM could be possible without the phenomenal support of wives and family. One of our newlyweds, VP, Chorus Manager Bob Lange says that many wives are active in the business of the chorus as well, including the production of the chorus’ shows.
"We have wives that staff our recording sales booth at every function, and we always have a number of wives listening through rehearsal. In addition, the wives gladly attend our social gatherings such as the Annual VM Banquet, Afterglows, Christmas parties, etc.," says Lange. "Many of the wives have come to enjoy their night off while we are rehearsing. If you want to really get a flavor of what our wives do for us, just stick with us at International competition and observe how they are there in force, entertaining us, putting our makeup on, encouraging us and in general, being wonderful."
As many members have said over the years, the VM becomes your extended family. Lange sums it up:
"There are a number of genuine types of pleasure to be achieved when you are a part of the VM. There is the camaraderie and friendship like a close fraternity, a brotherhood. There is the indefinable feeling that comes when the chorus is ‘in the zone’ with Jim, and he paints wonderful sound pictures with us. There is the excitement and joy of a responsive audience at our many shows. And Christmas will never be Christmas without VM Christmas concerts."
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