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Essentials in
Quartet Singing
Are you ready to perform?
Learning a few songs is a start. Dan Signor helps assess your performance readiness.
Updated: 9/10/2007 11:12:10 AM
By Dan Signor, Past Vice Chairman for Quartet Support – M&P Committee
I think we would all agree that a positive community image is important to the Barbershop Harmony Society, as we work to address our current membership issues. I also think we could all agree that producing a good product is the number one thing that a company (or organization) can do to insure their future.
Good music is the key to the success of our beloved Society. The better the product we produce, the more men we will be draw to our organization. If we allow a poor musical product to be our calling card, what will make these men want to take time away from their busy lives and families to join us? Who will be left tomorrow to “Keep The Whole World Singing?”
This article is designed to give you some self-check methods to make sure you, and your quartet, are doing all you can to spread the good word (music) of our Society.
Ways to evaluate your musical product
There are numerous ways to improve your musical product. We all know of getting coaching or going to Harmony University, but some of the more subtle ways may not be foremost in everyone’s thinking.
- Have you asked the advice of the musical director or a section leader from your chapter? How about the experienced Barbershopper who stands next to you on the risers? These people are some of the most talented and valuable people we have at our disposal.
- Have you sung for your family and friends and asked their honest opinion of your musical product? These people love you and only want your success.
- Have you recorded your quartet and honestly evaluated your singing? Taking that one step back and listening with fresh ears (from the outside) is an amazing experience. Audio taping and video taping are both outstanding tools. We all know what this thing called barbershop should sound like. Recording ourselves is the best way to see how we are doing with this.
- Have you taken the time to do some unison singing or dueting during your rehearsals? A little of this kind of “building block” rehearsing while peer coaching can go a long way in improving your quartet.
Places and ways to try out that new song
Have you ever wondered if that new song is ready for public consumption? Of course you have; we all have. Here are some places to try out that new repertoire before you send it out to the general public. Remember, we are trying to insure that only our VERY BEST reaches the new barbershop audience.
- How about your local chapter? The beauty of singing for these guys is that you know they will support you in our efforts and they will give you their honest opinions about how you are doing. What better way to cut your teeth!
- How about singing for one of your Barbershop buddies right before or after a chapter meeting?
- How about a member of your family?
- How about the coach that your chapter has hired to coach the chorus? They are there and ready to help.
- How about finding your own coach or coaches to help you on a regular basis.
- How about performing for a local retirement home, because it’s a great place to do your repertoire. They always love to have guest performers
- How about going to a division or district contest.
If we all were to go through these simple steps, our musical product would improve dramatically, helping us to insure the future of our great Society. How about the increased enjoyment we could have if we sang just that much better?
Please don’t forget the normal coaching avenues, such as district schools and the Society’s Harmony University. These are among the most valuable leaning tools and ways to improve your quartet that our Society offers. Just imagine how much better we ALL could be if we added just a few more steps to the process of our musical growth. Go ahead; give it a try. Your next audience will be glad you did!
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