---

Music Educators Page

---

 
Music Educators taking a bow at Sing For Your Life 2007

l to r: Mark Bidelman/Soquel HS director; Jim Davis, GSC director; Kent Kurrus/Scotts Valley HS director

l to r: Dr. David Anthony Dehner/Monte Vista Christian School director; Cheryl Anderson/Cabrillo College director; Jim Davis, GSC director; Vivian Simon/San Lorenzo Valley HS director.

l to r: Jim Davis, GSC director; Josh Rivera/Monterey Bay Academy director; Yanira Urquhart/Santa Cruz HS director; Meri Pezzoni/Aptos HS director; Drew Lewis/Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory director.

 

Music Educators:

What can barbershop do for you and your students?

1. It’s fun.

2. Improves voice:  Awareness of sound production and control required, helps to improve voice, both in speaking and singing.

3. Improves singing:  Improves ear training for accurate tuning, develops a strong sense of tonality and sensitivity to chord balancing and choral blend.

4. Increases poise, on stage and off:  Every performance before small or large audiences increases stage presence, the ability to get up before an audience and feel at ease. 

5. It’s a great fraternity/sorority:  There’s an all-for-one, one-for-all camaraderie that’s inherent in being in a quartet or chorus.  The larger picture is that joining a chorus is like gaining an extended family.  You can walk into a chorus rehearsal anywhere in the world and feel welcome.

6. Opportunities to travel:  District and national competitions give you and your students the opportunity to travel to other cities to compete, and to see what other high school students are doing. 

7. Status: Being in a high-school quartet gives the students an opportunity to "star" in front of their peers. Young men have discovered that it attracts girls just like being on the football team, and young ladies have discovered it's as good as being a cheerleader!
    

Here’s some information on how to get barbershop to help your choir:

1. To order the music educator’s packet.  Call the Barbershop Harmony Society (national/international organization –  men) 1 800 876-SING, www.barbershop.org  Ask for  Music Educator’s Packet #4271 ($10).  It includes demo CD, interactive music CD sampler and voice part pre-dominant  learning  tracks.  Call Sweet Adelines (national/international organization – women) at 1 800 992-7464, www.sweetadelineintl.org . 
   Ask for  Music Educator’s Packet (free to music educators if mailed to school address).

Gold Standard quartet visits Dr. Tony Dehner’s choir at Monte Vista Christian School

2. Request a visit from a Gold Standard Chorus quartet.  In the past years GSC has visited Aptos, Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory, Harbor, Monterey Bay Academy, Monte Vista Christian, Pacific Collegiate, San Lorenzo Valley,  Scotts Valley, Soquel, and Watsonville High Schools, as well as Aptos Junior High.  Call Lawrence, (831) 476-6246, to schedule a visit.
   (The chorus may be able to assist further by providing barbershop arrangements of music, or by sending directors or coaches to work with your students.)

Scotts Valley High School student Luigi Tufo, front right of center, on the risers with 70 other high school students at Youth Harmony Camp

3. Send your young ladies on June 2, 2007, to Milpitas for a one day workshop.  See www.singharmony.org/ywih07.pdf Send your young men to a three day weekend September 21-23, 2007, at Sly Park Educational Center near Pollock Pines (50 miles east of Sacramento).  See www.bhsfwd.org/ymih/camp

Jim Davis rehearses the matinee of SFYL2006

4. Participate in SING FOR YOUR LIFE, to be held November 3/4, 2007.  Last year seven local high schools sent their choirs to sing – Aptos, Georgiana Bruce Kirby, Monterey Bay Academy, Monte Vista Christian, Pacific Collegiate, San Lorenzo Valley and Soquel.  Proceeds of $3,400 were distributed to assist the vocal music classes of the participating schools.

Chorus members surround Brandon Eddy, graduating senior who played title role in Harbor High’s BYE BYE BIRDIE.

5. Let us know what you are doing.  Gold Standard Chorus is pleased to support your school by attending concerts and musicals.  In the past few months, representatives of the chorus attended ONCE UPON A MATTRESS at San Lorenzo Valley High, LES MISERABLES put on by Pacific Collegiate, BYE BYE BIRDIE at Harbor High, GUYS AND DOLLS put on by Monte Vista Christian School, BRIGADOON at Scotts Valley High School, and ANYTHING GOES at Soquel High School..  (Call Lawrence at (831) 476 6246.)

Chorus supported members David Melendy (center) and James Lesu'i in Soquel's production of ANYTHING GOES.
 

With cast members of GUYS AND DOLLS

We’re willing to help in other ways not specified above – just let us know how.