Handouts for Harmony College Northwest 2015 are posted below as they come in. NOTE: some classes may not have any materials to hand out, and many instructors won't send their handouts until right before HCNW starts (so keep checking).
(And speaking of handouts, check our Maps & Contacts pages for handouts with campus maps, accessibility maps, and driving directions!)
Audacity for Barbershoppers: Ted Chamberlain
Barbershop Parts for Beginners: Pepper Quartet
Barbershop Parts for Beginners: warm-up exercise: Pepper Quartet
Delegating and Empowering Volunteers Well: Rob Macdonald
Don't Engineer It: Raymond Schwarzkopf
Entertaining is Providing Nourishment to your Guest: Raymond Schwarzkopf
Essence of Barbershop for Newbies: Ted Chamberlain
How to Give PVIs/ Building a Vocal Skill Program: Paula Davis
Moments of Truth: Rob Macdonald
Preparing for Memorable Performances: Sue Middleton
Presenting Solutions and Ideas to your Chapter: Rob Macdonald
Quartet Managment: Syd Libsack
Rehearsal Techniques-- Making Tues. the Best Night of the Week: Sharon Babb
Sing A Stack of Songs - Women: Nancy Kurth
Sing Your Part Smart: Sharon Babb
Standing Ovation Program: Bobby Huber
Start Your Engines! Vocal Production and Warmup Techniques: Paula Davis
The Storytellers Mind: Schwarzkopf and Van Hoff
Strategies for Effective Music Learning: Sharon Babb
Successes and Issues for Small Choruses: Candy Johnson
Synchronization 101: Candy Johnson
Tag Singing: Darwin Scheel and Brandon Hall
Talent is Only a Starting Point: Candy Johnson
Techno-Tuning: Ted Chamberlain
Tempos and Rhythms Made Easy: Paula Davis
Understanding SAI Judging; Instant Leveling: Beth Smith
Vocal Production: Teresa McCafferty
What Tags Can Teach: Sharon Babb
Youth Outreach-Ideas and Strategies: Panel Discussion
(And speaking of handouts, check our Maps & Contacts pages for handouts with campus maps, accessibility maps, and driving directions!)
Audacity for Barbershoppers: Ted Chamberlain
Barbershop Parts for Beginners: Pepper Quartet
Barbershop Parts for Beginners: warm-up exercise: Pepper Quartet
Delegating and Empowering Volunteers Well: Rob Macdonald
Don't Engineer It: Raymond Schwarzkopf
Entertaining is Providing Nourishment to your Guest: Raymond Schwarzkopf
Essence of Barbershop for Newbies: Ted Chamberlain
How to Give PVIs/ Building a Vocal Skill Program: Paula Davis
Moments of Truth: Rob Macdonald
Preparing for Memorable Performances: Sue Middleton
Presenting Solutions and Ideas to your Chapter: Rob Macdonald
Quartet Managment: Syd Libsack
Rehearsal Techniques-- Making Tues. the Best Night of the Week: Sharon Babb
Sing A Stack of Songs - Women: Nancy Kurth
Sing Your Part Smart: Sharon Babb
Standing Ovation Program: Bobby Huber
Start Your Engines! Vocal Production and Warmup Techniques: Paula Davis
The Storytellers Mind: Schwarzkopf and Van Hoff
Strategies for Effective Music Learning: Sharon Babb
Successes and Issues for Small Choruses: Candy Johnson
Synchronization 101: Candy Johnson
Tag Singing: Darwin Scheel and Brandon Hall
Talent is Only a Starting Point: Candy Johnson
Techno-Tuning: Ted Chamberlain
Tempos and Rhythms Made Easy: Paula Davis
Understanding SAI Judging; Instant Leveling: Beth Smith
Vocal Production: Teresa McCafferty
What Tags Can Teach: Sharon Babb
Youth Outreach-Ideas and Strategies: Panel Discussion
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"My quartet is always thrilled and grateful for the quality of coaching we receive. I must give special thanks that we had a session with Tim Waurick – he is such a superstar in our organization (and our chorus, which recently used his learning tracks). Awesome to have him work with us live – wow!"
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From our students...
"This was our second time attending as a quartet and this time we did it the smart way: we had three coaching sessions, each took three different classes...and had two sessions to sit and process all the fantastic information we'd received! We'll be back next year for more!!" "All five of the coaching sessions were of high quality and included various instructional elements to improve our quartet singing." |
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"The members of Sound Harmony Chorus wanted to send a special thank you to you and the rest of the team at Harmony College NW for the coaching you provided us during the latest session. We were only missing 4 of our members for the coaching session and over half of us were able to attend the entire weekend. Our magic 15th member has passed her audition and we are moving along in the chartering process. Our session with Nancy was so helpful and very encouraging. It's nice to have someone with some know-how confirm that we are on the right track musically. We are eternally grateful to you for the part you played in getting us to the coaching session, even on our shoestring budget. Please extend our gratitude to the rest of your team. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! We can't say this enough!"
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From our students...
"It's hard to believe that a week ago, we were just coming off the stage after singing a couple of songs to the best barbershop audience ever. Last Wednesday at rehearsal, the benefits of Harmony College were still glowing in the faces of those who attended. Those who were there sang Ghost Riders to those who could not attend -- the message was loud and clear that something special happened over the weekend and those listening wanted to be a part of it and take on what we had learned. We are planning segments in our future rehearsals to reinforce the nuggets we mined from the coaches comments -- the Music Team also met last Wednesday and there was solid commitment to do this and encourage a greater commitment from every member of the chorus." "All the coaches were great and we really appreciate the time they devoted to us. Working with Joe Liles was special to us as we are singing one of his arrangements. Now - if we can only incorporate those items dispensed to us. So much in such a short time. WOW!" |
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"I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much I enjoyed--and learned--at HCNW. I've been singing barbershop now for 22 years or so; and, I'm embarrassed to say, this is the first time at HCNW. I now regret all those years I missed."
"The knowledge base of the presenters was incredible. From Mel Knight I learned more in three hours than I did in one year of music fundamentals 40+ years ago. I can't think of any class that did not exceed my expectations. You gathered a lot of talented people to present."
"Afterglow was wonderful. Thanks! I hope you keep it just like that."
"The knowledge base of the presenters was incredible. From Mel Knight I learned more in three hours than I did in one year of music fundamentals 40+ years ago. I can't think of any class that did not exceed my expectations. You gathered a lot of talented people to present."
"Afterglow was wonderful. Thanks! I hope you keep it just like that."
From our students...
"Wish the class had been recorded. I'd have happily paid for a copy of the DVD. Class was very meaty. It's was mind-blowing and profound and I'd happily take it again next year."
"Great to have a Leadership class with Rob! He was able to give a perspective I hadn't thought of. Great to have a business class other than singing!"
"This may have been the most amazing class of the weekend. Having the guys in Momentum give us sectional coaching was amazing - it was great getting advice (along with 20 of my closest friends LOL!) from international caliber coaches that was specific to my part. When all 4 parts were brought together in McIntyre 309 to put the piece together, it was simply magical. The final run through of Kentucky Babe was sublime. I wish I could hear a recording of it."
"Wish the class had been recorded. I'd have happily paid for a copy of the DVD. Class was very meaty. It's was mind-blowing and profound and I'd happily take it again next year."
"Great to have a Leadership class with Rob! He was able to give a perspective I hadn't thought of. Great to have a business class other than singing!"
"This may have been the most amazing class of the weekend. Having the guys in Momentum give us sectional coaching was amazing - it was great getting advice (along with 20 of my closest friends LOL!) from international caliber coaches that was specific to my part. When all 4 parts were brought together in McIntyre 309 to put the piece together, it was simply magical. The final run through of Kentucky Babe was sublime. I wish I could hear a recording of it."
From our students...
"Doesn't matter whose tagline you use. This exemplifies 'Harmonize the world', 'Keep the whole world singing' or 'Singing for life'."
"Jim is an engaging presenter and I simply loved the talk. It was fascinating listening to someone at the absolute top of their game talk about the mechanics of doing comedy in barbershop."
"Singing everywhere! In the gardens, the classrooms, the bathroom (!), the rotunda, the dining room, the car..."
"The class was chock full of great kinesthetic techniques to help improve singing, some of which were amazing (it was extra-ordinary watching him take a pick-up quartet of good singers and in about five minutes tweak their performance so it would have felt at home on a contest stage). "
"Doesn't matter whose tagline you use. This exemplifies 'Harmonize the world', 'Keep the whole world singing' or 'Singing for life'."
"Jim is an engaging presenter and I simply loved the talk. It was fascinating listening to someone at the absolute top of their game talk about the mechanics of doing comedy in barbershop."
"Singing everywhere! In the gardens, the classrooms, the bathroom (!), the rotunda, the dining room, the car..."
"The class was chock full of great kinesthetic techniques to help improve singing, some of which were amazing (it was extra-ordinary watching him take a pick-up quartet of good singers and in about five minutes tweak their performance so it would have felt at home on a contest stage). "
Differing goals; specific areas of focus
Q: Did the chorus have a specific goal with the coaching?
Bridge Town Sound: "We wanted to focus primarily in the area of performance. We have recently re-committed to providing our audiences the absolute best we can deliver, and we needed the most help in our performance skills. We wanted all of our members, no matter how well they were currently performing, to improve."
Kitsap Chordsmen: "We wanted to be ready to sing several songs at the highest level we could, so that coaches could take us from there. We wanted to avoid singing with errors that we knew about and could fix ourselves. We prepared our two contest songs, plus three others that represented the range of our repertoire. This strategy paid off."
IdaWa Pride: "We wanted to get more singers to experience the fun of HCNW, and to learn some skills that they could take back to their home choruses."
Prospective Sound Harmony Chorus: "Our chorus wanted to experience the jump start that comes with good coaching, to acquire skills, and to enjoy the learning environment of HCNW."
Kitsap Chordsmen: "Why go to Harmony College? Our chorus had been bumping into a ceiling in its drive to reach the next level. We had improved our singing as a chorus to the point where individual voices were now hindering further improvement. Extra effort was needed to master the level of singing that the leadership committed to achieve, but not enough of chorus was giving that effort. We needed a significant boost in the program, and Harmony College looked like just the right thing for us. Mike, Rob, Tom, and Bruce were strong supporters; in fact, Tom Condon had wanted the chorus to go for years. We knew that it had made a big difference for Nanaimo.
"Having the chorus go to Harmony College was made a high priority objective of the Music & Performance area during 2013 Planning Meeting (and Performance Team follow-on) in January 2013. The Board agreed to budget for scholarship support of members in February, so we proposed Harmony College to the chorus, and encouraged them to stay on campus to experience all of Harmony College. The reaction was generally positive, but the level of commitment was mixed; over half of the chorus had never been to Harmony College (but those of us who had been knew they would get a lot from it). By end of March, we had over 22 members committed (8 with scholarship support) with adequate balance across parts, so we pulled the trigger and committed.
"Going to Harmony College was laid over a growth in energy and membership in the chorus. In February we hosted the West Sound A Cappella Festival that included high school participants. The excitement of young men in barbershop increased excitement in the chorus, especially when three young men joined the chorus. We took them to Division contest."
>> more on page 2
Q: Did the chorus have a specific goal with the coaching?
Bridge Town Sound: "We wanted to focus primarily in the area of performance. We have recently re-committed to providing our audiences the absolute best we can deliver, and we needed the most help in our performance skills. We wanted all of our members, no matter how well they were currently performing, to improve."
Kitsap Chordsmen: "We wanted to be ready to sing several songs at the highest level we could, so that coaches could take us from there. We wanted to avoid singing with errors that we knew about and could fix ourselves. We prepared our two contest songs, plus three others that represented the range of our repertoire. This strategy paid off."
IdaWa Pride: "We wanted to get more singers to experience the fun of HCNW, and to learn some skills that they could take back to their home choruses."
Prospective Sound Harmony Chorus: "Our chorus wanted to experience the jump start that comes with good coaching, to acquire skills, and to enjoy the learning environment of HCNW."
Kitsap Chordsmen: "Why go to Harmony College? Our chorus had been bumping into a ceiling in its drive to reach the next level. We had improved our singing as a chorus to the point where individual voices were now hindering further improvement. Extra effort was needed to master the level of singing that the leadership committed to achieve, but not enough of chorus was giving that effort. We needed a significant boost in the program, and Harmony College looked like just the right thing for us. Mike, Rob, Tom, and Bruce were strong supporters; in fact, Tom Condon had wanted the chorus to go for years. We knew that it had made a big difference for Nanaimo.
"Having the chorus go to Harmony College was made a high priority objective of the Music & Performance area during 2013 Planning Meeting (and Performance Team follow-on) in January 2013. The Board agreed to budget for scholarship support of members in February, so we proposed Harmony College to the chorus, and encouraged them to stay on campus to experience all of Harmony College. The reaction was generally positive, but the level of commitment was mixed; over half of the chorus had never been to Harmony College (but those of us who had been knew they would get a lot from it). By end of March, we had over 22 members committed (8 with scholarship support) with adequate balance across parts, so we pulled the trigger and committed.
"Going to Harmony College was laid over a growth in energy and membership in the chorus. In February we hosted the West Sound A Cappella Festival that included high school participants. The excitement of young men in barbershop increased excitement in the chorus, especially when three young men joined the chorus. We took them to Division contest."
>> more on page 2
Three choruses--Bridge Town Sound (BHS), Kitsap Chordsmen (BHS), and Prospective Sound Harmony Chorus (SAI)--took notice of Nanaimo’s experience, and decided to come to HCNW in 2013. Additionally, IdaWa Pride Chorus--a “pick-up” chorus primarily from Sweet Adelines choruses in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, but also including singers from Montana and Vancouver, Washington--chose to attend HCNW. How did it come about for these four groups? How can it happen for your chorus? Read the comments and real life experience of these four choruses, below. Then contact Carl Van Hoff to map out a plan for your chorus. As an extra incentive: Each chorus that comes for coaching gets one free regular registration!
Deciding to have the whole chorus go to HCNW
Q: When and how did you decide to go to HCNW? How was the sell to the chorus?
A: Bridge Town Sound (BTS): We began thinking about the chorus coaching opportunity at HCNW after a few members saw the Nanaimo experience in 2012. Hints were dangled during the fall and winter, and signup commitments started in March. Starting this early allowed members to budget the cost of attending. The reaction to the opportunity was better than we anticipated: nearly all of our active “come-to-meetings” members attended, with only a couple having other obligations for the weekend.
Everyone in BTS who attended recognized how special the chance to receive four sessions of high level coaching could be, and demonstrated this enthusiasm by not only absorbing the additional cost of a “spirit” tee shirt, but also by being present and ON TIME for the Friday afternoon first session!
Deciding to have the whole chorus go to HCNW
Q: When and how did you decide to go to HCNW? How was the sell to the chorus?
A: Bridge Town Sound (BTS): We began thinking about the chorus coaching opportunity at HCNW after a few members saw the Nanaimo experience in 2012. Hints were dangled during the fall and winter, and signup commitments started in March. Starting this early allowed members to budget the cost of attending. The reaction to the opportunity was better than we anticipated: nearly all of our active “come-to-meetings” members attended, with only a couple having other obligations for the weekend.
Everyone in BTS who attended recognized how special the chance to receive four sessions of high level coaching could be, and demonstrated this enthusiasm by not only absorbing the additional cost of a “spirit” tee shirt, but also by being present and ON TIME for the Friday afternoon first session!
"I apologize for taking so long to write this letter. I especially regret my tardiness considering how incredible the weekend experience was for me! HCNW was way more than I expected: top-notch classes, friendlier people than I could ever had imagined, and, overall, the most interesting, enjoyable and instructive weekend I've probably ever had!"
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From our students...
"On behalf of the Kitsap Chordsmen, I wanted to say THANK YOU for the wonderful coaching you set up for our chorus. Jim, Gary, Jonny, and Raymond were just super, and they nailed the things we need to do to get to the next level. Their positive comments (and the improvements we were hearing) really encouraged us to stretch. " "Very qualified coaches / teachers; enjoyed mix or presentation and musicality oriented coaches; positive motivation." |
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"Great to have a Sweet Adeline coach. Perfect! Keep it up! I love having both men and women."
"If we could do it all again with the same plan, it would be fabulous!! This event needs little to no tweaking. The facility is beautiful, meets requirements for sessions, and the food is great. (My friends will attest I am thrilled there is always cake.) The schedule packs in a lot of content but gives time to get to each place. And, I hear over and over (and agree) that the Saturday night show alone is worth the price of admission."
"If we could do it all again with the same plan, it would be fabulous!! This event needs little to no tweaking. The facility is beautiful, meets requirements for sessions, and the food is great. (My friends will attest I am thrilled there is always cake.) The schedule packs in a lot of content but gives time to get to each place. And, I hear over and over (and agree) that the Saturday night show alone is worth the price of admission."
From our students...
"Great, great coaching; they all had a common thread."
"A quick shout out to the deans of HCNW, Carl and Judy, for another super weekend of harmony. Our leaders continue to make little changes to wring out more time for classes and coaching, and even built in a surprise group for three choruses activity. All the folks who taught, who planned, who played some role in this baby, thank you!
"If you have not been to this weekend, it can be quite transformational to our music experience, but heck...it's also really fun. Ask the two choruses who attended. This weekend is a no brainier... please attend next year!"
"Great, great coaching; they all had a common thread."
"A quick shout out to the deans of HCNW, Carl and Judy, for another super weekend of harmony. Our leaders continue to make little changes to wring out more time for classes and coaching, and even built in a surprise group for three choruses activity. All the folks who taught, who planned, who played some role in this baby, thank you!
"If you have not been to this weekend, it can be quite transformational to our music experience, but heck...it's also really fun. Ask the two choruses who attended. This weekend is a no brainier... please attend next year!"
Janice Wheeler
Janice Wheeler has served as the Arrangers Coordinator for Regions 24 and 13 since 2006. She sings bass with the 4th Place International Pride of Portland Chorus. Her professional degrees include BS, MS, and MBA. She holds a Specialist Certificate in Music Theory and Harmony from Berklee College of Music and is skilled in Finale Music Notation. Janice is retired after 28 years with Bristol-Myers Squibb. She and her husband, Patrick, own a small ranch in Central Oregon near Prineville.
Meet the faculty
IT'S BACK! HCNW and North by Northwest Region 13 are
co-sponsoring The Arrangers WorkShop again in 2016!
As we’ve done the last two years, The Arrangers WorkShop will be a joint venture with Region 13 and Harmony College Northwest, and will be held at HCNW starting Thursday afternoon and evening, June 16, 2016, through Friday, June 17, 2016 until noon.
Faculty for 2016 will include Susan Kegley, CMA; Mike Menefee, and Janice Wheeler. The WorkShop--helpful for both BHS and SAI members--is not to be missed!
More information >>
co-sponsoring The Arrangers WorkShop again in 2016!
As we’ve done the last two years, The Arrangers WorkShop will be a joint venture with Region 13 and Harmony College Northwest, and will be held at HCNW starting Thursday afternoon and evening, June 16, 2016, through Friday, June 17, 2016 until noon.
Faculty for 2016 will include Susan Kegley, CMA; Mike Menefee, and Janice Wheeler. The WorkShop--helpful for both BHS and SAI members--is not to be missed!
More information >>
Future HCNW Dates
Get these on your calendar now so you don't miss a single, fantastic weekend !
Get these on your calendar now so you don't miss a single, fantastic weekend !
- June 16-18, 2017
- June 15-17, 2018
NOTE: Please read the instructions below as they apply to your particular registration situation.
IF YOU ARE REGISTERING FOR HCNW ONLY: Fill in your contact information, select your classes, click on the appropriate HCNW tuition, and follow steps to Submit and pay for your registration. Click here to register for HCNW.
IF YOU ARE REGISTERING FOR THE ARRANGERS WORKSHOP ONLY: If you are attending only the Arrangers WorkShop, please fill in the required contact information fields, skip to the section on tuitions, click on the appropriate Arrangers WorkShop tuition (resident or commuter), and follow steps to Submit and pay for your registration. Click here to register for The Arrangers Workshop.
IF YOU ARE REGISTERING FOR BOTH THE ARRANGERS WORKSHOP & HCNW: Fill in the contact information, select your HCNW classes, click on the appropriate HCNW and AW tuitions (resident or commuter), and follow steps to Submit and pay for your registration. Click here to register for BOTH The Arrangers Workshop and HCNW.