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Society Purchases
Building for New Headquarters
The Society’s search for a new home in
Nashville ended this week with the purchase of an existing
building at a prime downtown Nashville address. The
Society will breathe new life into the 36,000-square-foot
building, located at 110 7th Avenue North, as
extensive renovations begin in the next few months. Just off
Broadway in the center of Nashville—with easy access off
Interstate 65—the Society headquarters will enjoy a prime
location, good neighbors, and great potential for return on
investment. Prime location Centering the Society in Music City
will help increase awareness of the organization and the
barbershop harmony art form.
Located in the immediate area of the new
Society headquarters are the Nashville Convention Center, the
Gaylord Entertainment Center, an arts magnet high school, a
Masonic temple and a planned residential building. Only
minutes away are the brand new Schermerhorn Symphony Center,
Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Ryman Auditorium and
Tennessee State, Belmont and Vanderbilt universities.
Nashville, itself, is a prime tourism location.Nashville
awaits with open arms
The news of the Society’s purchase brought
positive reaction from Tom Turner, executive director of the
Nashville Downtown Partnership. "It’s a good thing for
downtown. When you take an existing structure and reactivate
it, you're going to see a lot of good things happen." Turner
ought to know, he’s been a driving force behind the
redevelopment of downtown Portland, downtown St. Louis, and
now, Nashville. He also pointed out that the
Society will add to the diverse musical mix that already
exists in downtown. "When you have a new component, like the
Barbershop Harmony Society that has a rich tradition and
education programming, it only enriches the fabric of what is
here."
Dr. Robert Fisher, president of Belmont
University, also sees a warm welcome for the Society in his
city. "There is a resurgence of music in the public schools,
and I would think kids would have a great interest in this
musical form." Purchase and renovation of the building
will be funded by money from the 2003 sale of Society’s
properties in Kenosha and financing arranged through Sun Trust
Bank. Purchase price was $1,450,000. The anticipated move date
is late summer 2007.
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The Mentality and Mantra of Championship
Consistency
by Jim Clancy
The Vocal Majority
are once again BHS Chorus Champions. Find out how they prepare for
their run at the title. The goal for any chorus aspiring to
become better should be to earn the right to compete at the
Barbershop Harmony Society’s highest level, the International Chorus
Contest. For The Vocal Majority, the months leading up to this event
are the most exciting of all, as our competitive nature motivates us
to become the best we can be. Our preparation begins with the selection of good music.
While having a compatible package is preferred, we think the most
important thing is to have the two strongest vehicles possible,
usually a ballad and an uptune. If we have already performed the
package at our preliminary contest and it has been deemed worthy of
International competition, so much the better. However, in most
cases we find ourselves choosing new songs for the big event.
After the songs have been chosen and
arranged, we record a learning CD. We try to produce one of such
quality that the men really enjoy listening to it, just as they
would a top caliber quartet. They will hear and emulate not only the
words and notes, but the interpretation, complete with all the
dynamics, word sounds, etc. that we would like to hear from the
chorus. The mixing is done so that each voice-part can be isolated
from the other parts with any balance the listener prefers.
Each man is issued a copy of the CD and the
music. A set is also sent to our choreographer so that she can begin
to create the visual plan, and to our coach, who is also a very
important member of the performance team. Some of the men are off
the music within a week, while others may require two to three weeks
to learn it. As a side note, I should mention that we seldom begin
both songs at the same time. In a perfect world the men would have
received their CDs and music during the Christmas holidays so that
they are ready to sing them at the first rehearsal of the New Year.
There have been times when we began our ballad as late as the middle
of April, but I certainly don’t recommend it!
After 6 to 8 weeks of work on the music,
we are ready to begin the choreography. By this time our
choreographer has taught the plan to our two ‘presentation men’ in
the chorus, and the three of them present it to the chorus.
The last few months before competition are
crucial, with most of the rehearsal time spent on the two contest
songs. These are the months that our mantra, "hard work is fun when
improvement is evident," is best understood. These are the times we
work the hardest, and yet nothing could be more fun than feeling
continual improvement and experiencing the awesome rush brought on
by moments of absolute perfection. During this time, section
rehearsals become increasingly important, and each section leader is
given the opportunity to add his expertise to the product, working
to perfect each of the unit sounds. For the last 6 weeks, the men
are asked to come an hour early each week to work exclusively on the
choreography. A short extra rehearsal is added to the schedule, as
well as at least one all-day Saturday session with the entire
performance team, including our choreographer and our coach. There
are many talented coaches available within the Society who are
willing and able to help your chorus become better.
Directly Involved continued on
page
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