What did we once do that we should have never stopped?
Posted by Lorin May | Posted in Harmonizer, Just for Fun, Uncategorized | Posted on January 21, 2010, 10:05 AM
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As opposed to “What did we start doing that we never should have started?”
This one’s for the old-timers, or at least the historically enlightened. It’s the promised follow-up to my last post, “System reboot: If we’d started the Society today, what would be different?” (In retrospect, maybe today’s post should have come first.) In either case, I’m hoping for some insightful answers and discussion.
We’ve had a lot of wise men among us during our Society’s 72 years. Still do. At headquarters, we have access to every copy of The Harmonizer ever printed, going back to 1941. (And we’d love to digitize all those issues and provide them to our members online. Biiiiiiiig scanning project. Any volunteers?) These old Harmonizers record many trends that have come and gone, some things that never change (style debate anyone?), and occasionally a cringe-worthy image or sentiment from a bygone era that has thankfully not survived to the present.
But what about the stuff from our past that should have survived but didn’t?There used to be more interchapter activity, for example. We used to have a Society-wide chapter achievement program. (More on that later.) Some men lament the day we dropped the requirement for a chapter Program VP.
What practices, trends or programs from the past served us well and should never have stopped? I’d say more, but I’d rather hear your thoughts.
Your comments and wisdom, please!
I haven’t been to a championship contest in 30 years, Last night when we sang Keep the whole world singing that made my day. That song is like the Almamada for Barber shop. And should be sung after every show(with everyone)& every contest. Don’t stop singing it!!!
One thing I miss is old time chapter visitations. While singing the Chorus Of The Dunes(Gary, Ind.)we visited a chapter in Chicago area. The afterglow was in a pizza parlor and a fairly new quartet sang a couple of songs and afterward a nice elderly lady who was evidently the owner said to “That is “Grandma’s Boys” and I’m Grandma!” Another fond memory is all of the golf outings held by different chapters. My first meeting was followed up by an afterglow and when a quartet sang, everybody sat quietly and paid close attention to the performers. I got into a quartet that nightand
You are seriously missing out on some great musical experiences, then. And not just from the Int’l contest stage, but the lobby singing the rest of the week as well.
In ten days, one comment. We need to ask Dr. Phil what that means! For me, I’d like to bring back the skimmers and striped apparel. I really believe the public expects us to look like barbershoppers, not just a male chorus or quartet. Won’t be long before the only thing barbershoppy about us is the name (and some are dropping that already, have you noticed).
One of the things we lament in our chapter is the passing of spontaneous singing before chapter meeting and after. The problem is that we are all getting older and leave as soon as we can after meeting to get home to bed. Twenty years ago we would have gone out for a hour of tag singing and beer after chapter meetings.
Our chapter solved the “early to bed” problem a few years ago by starting our rehearsals earlier and making them shorter thus allowing time for the fun afterglows. We encourage those that attend to suggest their songs to sing so that everyone sings “their song.”
Chorus contests.
The evolution of chorus competitions has taken the emphasis away from quarteting and put it onto elaborate productions in order to draw big crowds to conventions. As a result, the society has lost sight of its roots on the hotel roof. It is what it is though, so I don’t recommend ending them now. In addition to those grand events, we should do everything we can to encourage smaller events where Joe can go to learn a thing or two and ring some chords without having to strut and dance for the priviledge.
You asked…
Without choruses, the Society’s membership would be less than one third of what it is now.
Most people alive today did not grow up singing. If the only option available to them was to walk in the chapter’s door and sing in a quartet, they would never even walk in. They have neither the skill nor comfort level to sing in a quartet coming in off the street.
The chorus is where a guy can spend the time necessary to get both the skills and the comfort level necessary to hold his part in a quartet. When he’s ready for a quartet, he’ll form one.
Choruses are not the problem.
And, btw, there is no rule that says you can’t just stand there and sing (with emotion, obviously). Even at the International level, most choruses do that on their ballads.
Allan=Thank you for that. I agree and in my recruiting efforts I advise, if needed, “There’s safety in numbers”.
Where have all the woodshedders gone? I fear we have lost the “art” of self-expressiion.
As a younger member (16 years old) I really have no say in this, but I do believe that we should bring back a few things that I have heard of. I long for the day that I have heard of before, a time when the Society was like one big chorus. Nowadays, nothing goes on between the chapters. Zero. Zip. Nada. (Alright, I’ll count in the comments of “Those are enemies in that chapter”). We need more chapter get-together’s for all of us. I have been a member for going on 6 years, and I have only heard of two. When I attended those, I had the time of my life, people getting together and talking as if you’ve known them for years, and singing songs and tags with people you do not know. Those were fantastic days of my life. Also, does anyone still do the Barberpole Cat Program anymore? I do not mean just knowing the songs, but doing the assignments on the last page of the book, getting the certificate for completing all of the songs with a quartet, and feeling on top of the world when you learned all four parts to the songs. Those days we need to bring back, the chapter I am in does not do those things and no nearby chapter does either. Also, it needs to be a requirement that every chapter end their performances with the song “Keep the Whole World Singing,” so that any barbershopper in the audience can maybe sing along with them, making it 100% more fun. Also, woodshedding definitely needs to be brought back. The closest thing I found to a woodshedder in my chapter in a pencil sharpener. Woodshedding is an art that needs to be promoted and taught to all ages of people. Finally, make the barbershop contest, a contest again, not a Broadway performance. (As you can see, I may be young, but I’m one of those people who will take the S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. logo over the BHS logo any day.)
Making the old logos. Give us a vote on the logo, and have it decided by which sells the best on the Harmony Marketplace t-shirts that year. Not only will you make a mint, but you’ll have helped slay the beast that you guys don’t listen to the members
(though this thread is a good start)
Printing arrangements and putting them in the Harmonizer to tear out and sing. If you have to release some of the stuff that you own copyright on but currently don’t print — like the out of print songs from the catalog that are of PUBLIC DOMAIN tunes — then that’s a start.
We should consider bringing back the Saturday afternoon show at the Int’l
convention called the Jamboree. This was for comedy and entertainment.
This is a question that I ask all the time to the “old timers”….Is the Barbershop experience you are having today, the same as the one you had when you joined? And the answer is always – no. I remind them that it is “their” responsibility to pass on the traditions that made the hobby so much fun way back when. New members should be getting the same “fun” experience. Interchapter meetings, interchapter shows, interchapter functions etc. When I plan an event, I try to include as many people as possible. This June my chapter will be sponsoring the 6th Annual Baseball, Barbershop BBQ at the Pawtucket Red Sox baseball game. We invite all barbershoppers, former barbershoppers, potential barbershoppers, family and friends in the Northeast to attend. We have a great BBQ with lots of singing and then the men sing the national anthem in an interchapter chorus. For many it is the only time they will get to sing in a 70 man chorus in front of 8000 people. We need to create more of these singing opportunities for every Barbershopper. This July I am also planning a Barbershop Harmony Jamboree in one of our State parks and we have invited all BHS, SAI and HI Chapters in the area to participate. The more the merrier, as long as it includes singing.
I lost about 12 years because of “Protenion” in the mid eighty’s. My wife had recently died from cancer. I paid my dues BUT instead of sending them to headquarters they returned the check with a note saying the chapter had voted me out. I was one of several. Two were Bronze quartet metalists. The object (from Society) was to have only singing members on the roll. It left a real bad taste in my mouth and I didn’t come back till 1999 with a different chapter. I sing with the Chorus of the Chesapeake Dundalk Chapter now and I’m glad I’m back. Thanks to Snake Fogle for the encouragement. Tho I still resent losing all those years.
I’m not aware of the Society ever having a requirement that chapter members actually be active singers. I have a feeling that it was your local chapter leadership making that decision, not the Society (and if the Society had known about it, the locals would have been in deep doo-doo).
Dear Lorin;; One thing I really miss is the listing of the songs sung by the Qts. and chorus at the International Conventions when you provide the pictures and members names of the various groups in your annual convention issue. I always found it interesting to know what songs were popular and if there were many duplications. Hope you can incorporate them in your convention issue this year. Keep up the good work I read each Harmonizer from cover to cover and keep all the convention issues.regards Larry Love