Young Women in Harmony

Young Women In Harmony

Our Goal...

To teach emerging voices the skills, joy and rewards of performing and singing four-part harmony, barbershop style. We will provide tools, guides and support for activities and programs that every chapter in Region Three can use to promote four-part harmony, barbershop style in their local high schools and colleges.

Young Women in Harmony Regional Challenge Update!
River Bend Chorus: The chorus visited the girl’s choir at Elkhart Central High School in November. They sang a couple Christmas songs, talked about barbershop and demonstrated the 4 parts. They also taught a Christmas round and Christmas Chopsticks. This introduction to the barbershop style resulted in a request to coach a quartet who was planning to compete at the ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association) vocal music contest. Sherry Berkley, River Bend’s director, has been working with the Associate Choir Director there, who is very enthusiastic about barbershop. The chorus has plans to sing for both her middle school class and the high school choir again in the fall and hopefully there will be another quartet, too!

IMPACT!! Participated in the Festival of Voices, hosted by the Fox River Grove Middle School. Sybil Perkins, lead of the 2009 Region 5 Quartet Champs, LIMELIGHT graciously filled in for Sherry Oddo. The quartet explained about the history of barbershop, the barbershop style and some of its unique features, taught some tags and then performed.

Choral-Aires Chorus: Enharmonic Fusion, a coed a cappella group from DeKalb High School, performed at the Choral-Aires Chorus. Then the Choral-Aires showed them what barbershop music is all about. Following the performance, donations were collected to help the group cover the costs of their recent trip to New York City, where they participated in the International Competition of High School A Cappella and captured Fourth-Place medals.

Grand Rapids Chorus: And of course, there’s the Grand Rapids Chorus and their fabulous Singing Angels, the quartet who performed after the quartet contest at this past regional http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA40wiouGrk and wowed everyone with their skills, charm and poise. They have also performed on two of the Grand Rapids Chorus shows. These young singers, ranging in age from 8-11, all come from musical backgrounds. Two of them are members of the Grand Rapids Chorus!

What are you doing to promote the barbershop experience with young people? It can be as easy as inviting a high school choral group to perform at a chorus rehearsal, and then singing for them. That’s all! That experience may plant a seed that could bloom later in life, when they’re finished with school and seeking an outlet for their love of singing.

Upcoming Youth Barbershop Events

Read all about “Super Sing Sunday,” the recent High School Ensemble & Quartet Contest at Huntley High School.
Article QT Winner Ensemble Winner

2010 Rising Star Quartet Contest in Seattle
The 12th annual Rising Star Quartet Contest will be held during the Sweet Adelines International Convention week and take place October 23, 2010. This adjudicated barbershop quartet contest is just for young women 25 years of age and under.
Registration is Now Open! Don’t Delay!
The Rising Star Quartet Contest is limited to the first 20 entries received.

Click Here to access the interactive brochure for contest information and registration

February 13, 2011 - Youth In Harmony High School contest at Huntley HS in Huntley, IL. This festival includes boys and girls from the NW suburbs of Chicago. But all schools are welcome. Contact Diane Landry for more information.

What's Going On In Your Area?

Please share any information you might have about Youth Barbershop events happening in the schools near you. Is your chapter involved in any YWIH programs or events? Contact Diane Landry to share this information.

For more information about Young Women in Harmony, contact Diane Landry, Region 3 YWIH Coordinator.