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Benefit Summary
This 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was founded in 1938 and is the hub that links 16 districts, over 800 chapters,
thousands of quartets and nearly 30,000 individuals throughout North America. Membership in the world’s largest allmale singing society provides many benefits: A dynamic website, bi-monthly magazine, weekly and monthly electronic newsletters, how-to publications, and electronic messaging keep members abreast of news and current developments.
Society and district conventions, district schools, chapter officer training programs, and the highly successful Harmony College and Directors College provide opportunities for leadership, musical, membership and performance development and a forum for the exchange of new ideas. Encouraging vocal music in our schools and committees is a fundamental ideal of the Society and keeps music and the arts more relevant in these times of diminished focus and funding. Musical directors, administrators, arrangers, composers, music educators, singers, and fans of barbershop harmony can stay current with the latest news and information in this field through the benefits of membership.
Purpose
Perpetuates and celebrates harmony in the barbershop style
• Promotes fellowship and friendship among men of good will
• Provides the opportunity to experience the joy of four-part a cappella singing
• Introduces and sustains music in the lives of people everywhere
Values
• The joy of singing and ringing chords in four-part barbershop harmony
• Fellowship and friendship
• Service to others through our music
Publications
Subscription to The Harmonizer Magazine – The Barbershop Harmony Society’s bi-monthly magazine, The
Harmonizer, features interviews and profiles; chapter, chorus, quartet and affiliate organizational news and activities; opinion and commentary; coverage of the International and Midwinter Conventions; leadership strategies; marketing, membership, performance development and meeting programming techniques; advice on artistic issues; and free music in the form of a new “tag” in each issue.
Subscription to Livewire – The Barbershop Harmony Society’s weekly electronic newsletter, with timely news; links to important sources of information; training program updates; and tools you can put to immediate use.
Subscription to Directly Involved – The Barbershop Harmony Society’s electronic newsletter, published quarterly, with timely news; links to important sources of information; training program updates; and tools to help chorus directors improve their skills and the enjoyment of their singers.
Benefits of Membership
Subscription to On the QT – The Barbershop Harmony Society’s electronic newsletter, published quarterly, brings
quartet singers great ideas on performance, singing skills and programs of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Online Resources
Members-Only Website
Member Information – The new members only Ebiz site makes it easy for you to manage your records, renew your membership, register a quartet, subscribe and unsubscribe to mailing lists, access FAQs and more.
Chapter Information – Access chapter rosters and supplemental information, ASCAP reports, register your show, list chapter officers, view chapter member dues information, view suspended members, report chapter officers, view dues for chapters and view chapters with milestone anniversaries.
District Information – Access membership summaries, list all chapter officers / district directory data, district quartet list, chapter officer email finder, district-wide suspended member list, member lookup by occupation code.
Society Information and Services – Find another member, find a quartet, find a chapter, Society & District
officer rosters, and access to media lists to help promote chapter events and programs are some of the more popular resources available.
Contest and Judging Information – Access contest entry and judging availability forms, judge’s roster, quartet details, contest registration logs, contest scores and the Contest Administrators handbook.
Conferences
Annual International Summer Convention and Contest – A week-long International Convention held in attractive
locations throughout North America, designed to bring barbershop harmony enthusiasts from around the world together in one place and to witness 2,000 competitors in the top choruses and quartets compete, participate in educational workshops, seminars, attend concerts, group meetings, a meeting of the Society Board of Directors and enjoy countless networking opportunities with 10,000 Barbershoppers from around the world.
Annual International Midwinter Convention and Contest – A week-long convention held in attractive locations
throughout North America, designed to bring barbershop harmony enthusiasts from around the world together in one place to attend concerts featuring the current top five medalist quartets, contests featuring the top seniors quartet competitors and the new International Youth Chorus Festival and Contest. Attendees can also participate in educational workshops, seminars, group meetings, a meeting of the Society Board of Directors and enjoy countless networking opportunities with 1,200 Barbershoppers.
District Conventions – Each of our 16 Districts host a weekend convention each spring and fall. Competitions are held to determine Quartet and Chorus Champions as well as International Contest representatives. These weekends also offer the opportunity for group meetings and meetings of the district leadership teams.
Professional Development and Educational Offerings
Society-Level
Harmony University – With a faculty of 60, Harmony University is an intensive week-long educational offering with the aim of helping members enjoy their hobby more, share that joy with others, and continually experience growth. This program includes Harmony College, Quartet College and Directors College. General Studies – classic educational offerings, including vocal production, arranging and songwriting, performance, history, tag singing and more. Quartet College – A week of intensive coaching for quartets. Curriculum varies from year to year but often includes classes like: The Quartet Experience; Sight Singing For Beginners; Intermediate Sight Singing; Woodshedding At Its Best; Fundamentals Of Music; Emcee/Spokesman For Quartets; Creative Interpretation; How To Be A Great Tenor; Lead Baritone and Bass; Vocal Techniques; Seniors Quartet Experience; Insights into Comedy; Effective Quartet Warm-ups;
Rehearsal Techniques For Quartets; Choosing Music For Quartets; and Marketing For Quartets and Chapters.
Next Generation – Young Singers from 11-23 have a special place to have fun and learn skills to make them better singers and performers.
Music Educators Track – Special topics for the professional musician wishing to bring barbershop harmony to
the classroom.
Benefits of Membership, Continued
Directors College – Develop as a musician, leader, and passionate advocate for barbershop harmony. Participate
in the acclaimed “On To The Rehearsal” course. Curriculum varies from year to year but often includes classes like: Directing Techniques; Sound Management; Theory, How To Teach What You Know; Performance / Leadership, On To The Rehearsal; Effective Choral Warm-ups; Teaching Pedagogy; Habits Of Successful Chorus Directors; Music Team Development; Class Voice For Directors; and Care & Feeding of the Small Chorus.
District-Level
Chapter Leadership Conferences – Now known as Leadership Academy, these regional weekend schools and
workshops offer leadership development training and education for members and chapter leaders
District Music Schools – Known as Mini-Harmony Education Programs, these weekend schools are held to provide education and coaching for quartets and choruses.
Top Gun Schools – Schools are geared towards the top quartets in each district (handled on a “by invitation” only basis).
Pop Gun Schools – Schools are geared towards the top senior quartets in each district.
Programs
Standing Ovation Program – designed to utilize Standing Ovation Reviewers in each district trained to find the
elements of a performance that leads to standing ovations and provides constructive and confidential feedback to the chapter to help make their next show better, making that product more attractive to prospective members.
Music Mentor Program – designed as an “internal vehicle” to provide Chapter Choruses with strong, skilled guidance to dramatically improve their performance level, thereby enhancing individual members’ experiences and prompting increased member retention.
Quartet Development & Services Program – designed to provide better tools and increased skill to quartet singers thereby encouraging both member satisfaction and attraction of new members through high-quality public performance levels.
Chorus Director Workshop Intensive Programs – CDWI-1 – a day long program designed for two full sessions with five invited directors and the two CDWI trainers meeting privately to discuss the challenges and successes of their chorus programs. These discussions include identifying the motivations and challenges of the director and the members and reviewing options available to overcome those challenges, including methods to create more successful rehearsals and performances. Directors then have the opportunity to direct a live chorus implementing the solutions chosen by the director during the morning session. Video and live feedback is provided to help directors gain command of their skills. CDWI-2 is also a day long program, but gets even more in-depth and allows directors to develop newer skills and solutions. CDWI-Next Level program is an even more focused, in-depth look at the director and his/her chorus, and takes
place during a regular chorus rehearsal.
Outstanding in Front Program – a one day workshop designed for section leaders, warm-up leaders, chorus vocal coaches, assistant directors interested in the prospect of directing some day, or any group of directors wishing useful basic information about the challenging job of directing a chorus, leading singers and the development of a music team.
Music Publication Program – designed to provide members (and, therefore, prospective members who hear the
product) with the highest-quality songs, arrangements and learning media possible for execution by members of quartets and choruses, thus enhancing member retention.
Chapter Counselor/CSR Program – uses volunteer leaders to help chapters deal with director issues; to help chapter leaders develop ideas to keep them on task; to help chapters grow and retain members; enhance enjoyment and fun at chapter meetings; develop strategies to create more community awareness.
Merchandising
Members can receive member pricing at The Harmony Marketplace, which stocks over 1,700 different music-related items, including a wide variety of audio and video recordings, apparel, gift items, and music education materials. The Harmony Marketplace also distributes over 5,000 vocal arrangements for men and over 400 vocal arrangements for women. Partpredominant learning media is available for over 500 of these vocal arrangements. Members can shop via the catalog, online at www.harmonymarketplace.com, at the Society’s Midwinter and International Conventions, at Harmony University, and at the new retail store at the Society’s headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
Benefits of Membership, Continued
Assistance from Headquarters Staff
• Advice on shows and scripts
• Assistance with securing copyright clearances on sheet music, including securing permission to arrange a song
• Distribution of published and unpublished arrangements from over 800 vocal arrangers
• Assistance with securing mechanical and synchronization licenses for audio and video recordings
• General information and records research
• Interpretation of rules and regulations
• Interpretation of bylaws and statements of policy
• Reservation of a quartet’s name in the Quartet Registry
• Staff visitations to chapters and districts
• Access The Old Songs Library
• Processing of chapter and district dues
Member Pricing
• Harmony University – Harmony College/Directors College/Quartet College
• For exhibitors at the International Convention
• Advertising in The Harmonizer
Competition
Enter Barbershop Harmony Society-sanctioned district and international contests for quartets and choruses geared to a
variety of performers, including:
• International Chorus Championship
• International Quartet Championship
• International Seniors Quartet Championship
International Youth Festival & Contest
• Bank of America Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Contest
Protection and Use of the Name and Logo
The Society allocates resources to the protection of our name and logo not only in North America, but around the world.Members may use the Barbershop Harmony Society name and “signature” logo to identify affiliation with the world’s largest all-male singing organization.
Other Benefits
• Chapter insurance and bonding at a fraction of normal cost
• Performance license clearance
• Non-profit classification under section 501(c)(3) of US tax code
• Membership development assistance
• Access to patron lists and former singers
• Special member pricing from Hertz