Brush up on your barbershop skills
We are proud to offer education classes at all of our conventions, including Midwinter. Your registration includes attendance at any class that peaks your interest - simply show up and attend!

Class Schedule
Men's All Chapter Chorus rehearsal schedule
All rehearsals will take place on the risers in Grand Ballroom #1
Thursday, January 9 | 6:00 p.m. | |
Friday, January 10 | 10:00 p.m. | |
Saturday, January 11 | 6:00 p.m. |
Wednesday, January 8
All Wednesday classes are located in City Terrace #12
Time | Class | Instructor |
---|---|---|
1:00 p.m. | Voice Lessons Under Glass | Steve Scott |
2:00 p.m. | What Makes it Barbershop? | Steve Tramack |
3:00 p.m. | The Ins and Outs and In-Betweens of a Great Performance | Shawn Mondragon |
4:00 p.m. | Struggle No More - Basic Bel Canto | Debra Lynn |
5:00 p.m. | Advanced Bel Canto | Debra Lynn |
6:00 p.m. | Learn Music FAST! | Raymond Schwarzkopf |
7:00 p.m. | Beyond the Scoresheets | Raymond Schwarzkopf |
Wednesday Class Descriptions
Wednesday, January 8th
1 pm | Steve Scott
Voice Lessons Under Glass
City Terrace #12
Let BHS staffer and sought-after voice coach and judge Steve Scott work with volunteer voice students, in front of the class. Each student will receive free (and gentle) voice coaching while the class will learn techniques to take back to their home quartet or chorus.
2 pm | Steve Tramack
What Makes it Barbershop?
City Terrace #12
Is barbershop a time in musical history from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s? Is it a particular chord progression with 33% of dominant seventh chords? Or is it a style of arranging with the melody in the second voice? Let master arranger and long time HU faculty member Steve explain!
3 pm | Shawn Mondragon
The Ins, Outs, and In-Betweens of a Great Performance
City Terrace #12
We will explore the details that can make or break a barbershop performance, and will learn specific strategies for your next performance. Learn how a greater understanding of all those small details add up to a great performance on stage!
4 pm | Debra Lynn
Struggle No More: Basic Bel Canto for Barbershop
City Terrace, Room #12
Come discover how this 1800’s vocal technique can transform your singing experience. Become an optimal, acoustic, fully resonating instrument designed to amplify sound accurately without force!
5 pm | Debra Lynn
Advanced Bel Canto for Barbershop
City Terrace #12
Have you learned the basics of Bel Canto, but want to advance your performance capability? Discover how you can shift from left-brain technique to right-brain artistry through articulation of the word, and still maintain accurate, effortless control of your free singing.
6 pm | Raymond Schwarzkopf
Learn Music FAST!!!!
we explore how to learn music quickly and effectively.
City Terrace, Room #12
So, you've been singing the same songs for "the past hundred years" and you still don't know them? Maybe you need to apply some whole-brain, power-learning methods??? Whether your goal is to learn 3 or 30 songs this year, come join us as we explore how to learn music quickly and effectively.
7 pm | Raymond Schwarzkopf
Beyond The Scoresheets
City Terrace, Room #11
Singers who care about getting better, and who have worked at it, but who are frustrated – frustrated that the effort-to-reward ratio has been so meager, and who are still looking for the "magic fix." Most of us come at improvement in a "fix it" mindset. We use our drive to fix things in so many parts of our lives -- fix the car, fix the work process, fix my golf swing. Let's think beyond the scoresheet and try a new path.
Thursday, January 9
Time | City Terrace #11 | City Terrace #12 |
---|---|---|
11:00 a.m. | Arrangers Gathering w/ Scott Harris | New Ways to Connect with BHS w/ Katie McDonald, Devin Bradford, & Danny Becker |
12:00 p.m. | How to Success in the Barbershop Style w/ Raymond Schwarzkopf | Get Young Kids Singing Harmony w/ Peggy Viermann Leon |
1:00 p.m. | Beyond the Scoresheets w/ Raymond Schwarzkopf | Warm Ups with a Visual Twist w/ Peggy Viermann Leon |
3:00 p.m. | Struggle No More - Basic Bel Canto w/ Debra Lynn | The Evolution of the Barbershop Quartet w/ David Wright |
4:00 p.m. | Advanced Bel Canto w/ Debra Lynn | Barbershop 1010 - What is This and Why am I Here? w/ Sandi Wright |
5:00 p.m. | Voice Lessons Under Glass w/ Steve Scott | The Ins and Outs and In-Betweens of a Great Performance w/ Shawn Mondragon |
Thursday Class Descriptions
Thursday, January 9th
11 am | Scott Harris
Arrangers Gathering
City Terrace #11
Spend part of your morning checking in with A&R manager for the BHS, Scott Harris. We welcome both published and aspiring barbershop arrangers who want to chat, ask questions about the brave new world of print music, and learning tracks!
11 am | Katie Macdonald, Devin Anna Bradford, Danny Becker
New Ways to Connect with BHS
City Terrace #12
BHS is expanding and connecting with people in new and creative ways! So- what does that mean for your chorus or quartet? How can you take BHS’s momentum, and utilize it in your local community? Come to this Q&A session and learn from the Participation and Engagement Team. We will answer your questions about ways to engage and retain new people!
12 pm | Raymond Schwarzkopf
How To Succeed in the Barbershop Style
City Terrace, Room #11
There are a thousand things you can do with a song; come learn five critical things you can do in order for you to succeed in singing barbershop. This class will help you understand what barbershop is, and how to use your new understanding of the barbershop style to move from being a "notes and words" singer to a singer who gives the barbershop song its due. This class is for everyone from novices to experts.
12 pm | Peggy Viermann Leon
Get Young Kids Singing Harmony
City Terrace #12
Want to share the joy of singing in harmony with others? It's never too early to start! Come learn some techniques on how to teach harmony to kids! Be ready to sing through many examples of echo & partner songs, canons, and other forms that have proven successful for kids learning to harmonize.
1 pm | Raymond Schwarzkopf
Beyond The Scoresheets
City Terrace, Room #11
Singers who care about getting better, and who have worked at it, but who are frustrated – frustrated that the effort-to-reward ratio has been so meager, and who are still looking for the "magic fix." Most of us come at improvement in a "fix it" mindset. We use our drive to fix things in so many parts of our lives -- fix the car, fix the work process, fix my golf swing. Let's think beyond the scoresheet and try a new path.
1 pm | Peggy Viermann Leon
Warm-Ups With a Visual Twist
City Terrace, Room #12
Looking for a few new ways to focus your chorus as part of your warm-ups? Learn how to incorporate VISUAL exercises to get your singers focused and ready to sing.
3 pm | Debra Lynn
Struggle No More: Basic Bel Canto for Barbershop
City Terrace, Room #11
Come discover how this 1800’s vocal technique can transform your singing experience. Become an optimal, acoustic, fully resonating instrument designed to amplify sound accurately without force!
3 pm | David Wright
The Evolution of the Barbershop Quartet
City Terrace, Room #12
How has the quartet sound and style morphed over the decades? We will listen to examples going from pre-Society days up to the present, making observations about the vocal style, the timbre of the voices, the flow and phrasing of the music, the arrangements, and the song choices.
4 pm | Debra Lynn
Struggle No More: Basic Bel Canto for Barbershop
City Terrace, Room #11
Have you learned the basics of Bel Canto, but want to advance your performance capability? Discover how you can shift from left-brain technique to right-brain artistry through articulation of the word, and still maintain accurate, effortless control of your free singing.
4 pm | Sandi Wright
Barbershop 101 - What Is It and Why Am I Here?
City Terrace, Room #12
This class was designed for the friends, families, spouses, first-timers or random strangers...anyone who is attending their first barbershop contest/convention. What is the reason we've all gone a little crazy, and what does it mean to the person doing it? We will introduce the parts, the categories, the passion and the whats and whys of this hobby we call barbershop. We will even learn a tag. Each question will be answered, so come and unlock the secrets to the madness!
5 pm | Steve Scott
Voice Lessons Under Glass
City Terrace #11
Let BHS staffer and sought-after voice coach and judge Steve Scott work with volunteer voice students, in front of the class. Each student will receive free (and gentle) voice coaching while the class will learn techniques to take back to their home quartet or chorus.
5 pm | Shawn Mondragon
The Ins, Outs, and In-Betweens of a Great Performance
City Terrace #12
We will explore the details that can make or break a barbershop performance, and will learn specific strategies for your next performance. Learn how a greater understanding of all those small details add up to a great performance on stage!
6 pm | Donny Rose
Men’s All Chapter Chorus Rehearsal #1
Grand Ballroom #1
This one time chorus will meet three times, for 90 minutes each, and perform on the Saturday night show. This year, we will be sharing music from The Suntones! Pre-registration is required to be on the risers, but everyone is welcome to watch Donny and our guest coaches work with our singers!
Saturday, January 11
Time | City Terrace #11 | City Terrace #12 | Grand Ballroom |
---|---|---|---|
9:00 a.m. | BHS Town Hall w/ Marty Monson | ||
10:00 a.m. | Gold Medal Hour w/ Signature Quartet | ||
11:00 a.m. | Sing the Polecats w/ Donny Rose | The Evolution of the Barbershop Quartet w/ David Wright | |
12:00 p.m. | Sing the Classic Tags w/ Donny Rose | Bring Your Song to Life w/ Brian O'Dell | |
1:00 p.m. | Voice Lessons Under Glass w/ Steve Scott | Inside the Dapper Dans w/ Chad Bennett | |
2:00 p.m. | Singing Rounds - Exploring Harmony Through Melody w/ Manoj Padki | CONTINUED: Inside the Dapper Dans | |
3:00 p.m. | Authentic Performances - Singing Your Truth w/ Blair Brown | The Ins and Outs and In-Betweens of a Great Performance w/ Shawn Mondragon | |
4:00 p.m. | How to be a Great Lead w/ Blair Brown | Everyone in Harmony Workshop w/ Erin Harris and Devin Anna Bradford | |
5:00 p.m. | Yoga Warm Ups 101 w/ Blair Brown | CONTINUED: Everyone in Harmony Workshop |
Saturday Class Descriptions
Saturday, January 11th
9 am | Marty Monson
BHS Open Town Hall
City Terrace #11
What is the state of the Barbershop Harmony Society, two and ½ years into Everyone In Harmony? Come to our town hall to listen, but mostly to comment and share! We know that change can be hard, but let’s talk to each other and be inspired… together, in harmony!
10 am | Signature Quartet
G0ld Medal Hour
City Terrace #11
Spend 50 minutes with our 2019 champs as they share the journey that made them. It didn’t always go the way they intended, but after years of work, some part changes, and the challenges of distance, Signature proves that nice guys CAN finish first!
11 am | Donny Rose
Sing The Polecats
City Terrace #11
In 1970, the BHS wisely decided to standardize a set of 12 songs that all barbershoppers should learn when they joined. The unintentional and wonderful impact of this is now barbershop singers all over the world can instantly harmonize with strangers. Spend 50 minutes singing though our classics with BHS staffer Donny. Stop sitting and start SINGING! Yes, music is provided.
11 am | David Wright
The Evolution of the Barbershop Quartet
City Terrace, Room #12
How has the quartet sound and style morphed over the decades? We will listen to examples going from pre-Society days up to the present, making observations about the vocal style, the timbre of the voices, the flow and phrasing of the music, the arrangements, and the song choices.
12 pm | Donny Rose
Sing the Classic Tags
City Terrace, Room #11
A “tag” is a short passage consisting of an arrangement’s ending, or coda, which is taught and sung in sessions of informal chord-ringing. The tag allows four singers to quickly blend their voices in a few seconds of blissful
harmony without the burden of learning an entire song. These particular tags are part of a larger collection, assembled by Dr. David Wright and a team of veteran barbershoppers in the early 2000’s. While all of these tags are available online and in print, your tag teacher Donny requests you try it “old school” without the help of sheet music.
12 pm | Brian O’Dell
Bring Your Song To Life
City Terrace, Room #12
You've learned the words and notes, but how do you make your song soar off the page? Learn how to make the message of the song your own and deliver it with emotion and storytelling. Utilize the lyrics in tandem with what the arranger has done for you throughout the song. Show your audience how you feel with the expression on your face and your body language. Soon you'll be entertaining everyone with a believable and authentic presentation of your music.
1 pm | Steve Scott
Voice Lessons Under Glass
City Terrace #11
Let BHS staffer and sought-after voice coach and judge Steve Scott work with volunteer voice students, in front of the class. Each student will receive free (and gentle) voice coaching while the class will learn techniques to take back to their home quartet or chorus.
1 pm | Chad Bennett
Inside The Dapper Dans
90 minutes
City Terrace, Room #12
What does it take to perform 2000 shows a year? Here's your chance to learn about the challenges and advantages of a full-time career singing in a barbershop quartet at "The Most Magical Place on Earth." Get the real answers from a former Dapper Dan of nearly twenty years.
2 pm | Manoj Padki
Singing Rounds: Exploring Harmony Through Melody
City Terrace, Room #11
Get everyone in harmony by just singing the lead! Rounds are the original polyphony-- a gateway to homophony and an art unto itself. See just how fun the "simple gifts" of round singing can be for you and your chorus.
3 pm | Blair Brown
Authentic Performances: Singing Your Truth
City Terrace, Room #11
Explore what it means to deliver an authentic performance and ways you can make the strongest emotional impact on your audience. Come to this class prepared to share and perform for one another.
3 pm | Shawn Mondragon
The Ins, Outs, and In-Betweens of a Great Performance
City Terrace #12
We will explore the details that can make or break a barbershop performance, and will learn specific strategies for your next performance. Learn how a greater understanding of all those small details add up to a great performance on stage!
4 pm | Blair Brown
How To Be a Great Lead
City Terrace, Room #11
This class if for singers of ANY part that want to learn some of the most important elements of singing the melody. NO… it’s not about being the loudest or being able to post. Singing lead is perhaps the easiest part to learn, but the toughest part to master. Blair can help.
4 pm | Erin Harris, Devin Anna Bradford
Everyone In Harmony Workshop
90 minutes
City Terrace #12
Take a deep dive into the Everyone in Harmony strategic vision, operational and administrative updates for chapters, and how we're offering more ways to barbershop, including new options for your chapter, latest data on barbershop growth, and how you can get started on your Everyone in Harmony journey. Workbook and follow-up online video series included with your attendance!
5 pm | Blair Brown
Yoga Warm Ups 101
City Terrace, Room #11
Discover warmups for singers of any ability level based on the physical and mental principles of yoga. In this course we’ll explore easy physical warm ups along with mindfulness techniques to help your singing group ‘arrive’ in the rehearsal or performance space. You’ll feel amazing after this session!
6 pm | Donny Rose
Men’s All Chapter Chorus DRESS Rehearsal #3
Grand Ballroom #1
Our final DRESS rehearsal before walking over to the venue and opening the Saturday night show at 7:30! Guests, family and friends are very welcome to attend the final dress rehearsal, but everyone on the risers must register.