Sometime in the cold depths of last winter, our quartet made the decision to enroll at Harmony University for summer 2018. We read the literature, researched the process, applied for and were fortunate to be awarded with scholarships through Sing Canada Harmony. So we chose our courses, made travel arrangements, and updated our passports. We spoke to past attendees and in each case they offered the same comment: ” You will be blown away by the experience!” Well, they certainly weren’t wrong.
There were a few reasons why we felt that it would be beneficial to attend Harmony U at this time in our quartet life. We had been together for two years, sung countless local events, concerts, competed twice at the Ontario District Conventions, and even got our name on the Novice Quartet trophy. We have enjoyed a great many coaches who have offered wonderful feedback and we felt that the quartet continued to improve. Our rehearsals however, saw us falling into familiar patterns and getting stuck in the same traps. The obvious problem was lack of experience as we are all relatively new singers in quartets. We were quite limited with solutions since none of us had formal musical training. We also felt frustrated in that we had not been able to bring our best singing to contest. The plan was to go to Harmony U to sort out a few of our quartet issues, to gather the necessary tools for success, and to renew our goals. What we had not anticipated was that Harmony U would be such a transformative experience for Shenanigans!
We arrived a day early to take in Nashville. The host campus at Belmont University was stunning, with manicured gardens, sculptures and stately buildings providing exceptional sightlines at every turn. We toured downtown and it was incredible. There is simply music at every turn. Back at Belmont, by Sunday evening, almost 700 students and 100 instructors and coaches had gathered in the auditorium to kick off the week in song. For Shenanigans, the work began in earnest at 8 a.m. sharp as we had signed up for Paul Ellinger’s hour-long early bird class. “Wave Box Singing”, the “Proud Regal” and a host of new terms and ideas have become part of our quartet’s vernacular thanks to Paul. A brusque walk across campus and everyone would gather at the auditorium at 9:15 each morning, where different guest coaches would guide us, always with fresh and innovative ideas, through an incredible series of vocal, physical, and mental warm-ups. We would also be coached on one of the three songs we learned for these General Sessions. The keynote address from arranger extraordinaire Deke Sharon challenged the Society to acknowledge and embrace its rich historical beginnings as an African American art form, mused about what we would sound like had we continued on that path, and encouraged us to move our sound toward something that is pleasing and inviting to all audiences. There were round table discussions about judging and video presentations, and highly competitive games of Kahoot were happening on the screen. A lively wake up it was.
Aside from our elective classes (3 in all), we also received 20 hours of one-on-one coaching from some top notch talent in BHS. Gold medalist baritone and gifted arranger Clay Hine of FRED was our first coach. He took on the whole performance package. He challenged us to emote, to draw upon who we are to tell OUR story. With his incredibly attentive and kind approach, he was able to amplify what we were already doing well and instill in us the confidence in our talent that we would need to take it to the next level.
Next was Marty Lovick, a fellow Canadian from Vancouver who brings a lifetime of experience to his role as performance coach. Marty had a simple question for Shenanigans…”Who are you guys?” He then taught us the importance of knowing our “brand”, and that the audience would know us better once it was clear that we knew ourselves. The next step would be to trust in that vision, and each other, and then tell the story with heart and honesty.
To dovetail perfectly with Marty’s challenge, Cy Wood came in next with his “how to” performance system. Cy is a third generation barbershopper, sang with Voices of Gotham and is a trained professional actor who has performed on Broadway. It is one thing to remind a singer to emote and be genuine, but quite another thing to show you a process to get there. Cy had an instant connection with Shenanigans and we now follow his method with all new songs.
The final of our four coaches was Peter Cunningham. The 2014 Collegiate competition was won by The Academy with Peter singing lead. He is a young but gifted communicator and educator. He approached the task of improving our vocal production with great focus and intensity. He showed us a great number of ways to improve and check posture, placement, and pitch, and balanced our sound.
Another elective class that we all attended was Debra Lynn’s Bel Canto. This was an introduction to a very different approach to breath control and sound with the goal of creating a much improved resonance. Aside from the coaching and classes, the best part of Harmony U is definitely the human connection. Both the staff at Belmont and BHS were warm, hospitable and incredibly helpful at every turn. The evening tour of BHS Headquarters was so much fun. A personal favourite of Shenanigans was to see Steve Scott’s desk, second only to the wall displaying photos of all past champion quartets! The dining hall, the gazebos, the hallways, and apparently even Ubers became impromptu performance space. Shenanigans found themselves singing on the stage at B.B.King’s. The camaraderie and the new friendships alone are worth the trip.
To close out the week, both Friday and Saturday nights offered showcase performances from all the choruses and a few of the quartets. It was wonderful to witness singing in such a supportive community. “Oh Boy!” from Belgium and the Baltimore girls from “Halo” were definitely the two hyped quartets of the week, both being incredibly successful in their respective performances. Ontario’s own ‘Shoptimus Prime stole the show however, and confirmed what we all suspected…that Michael Black is, in fact, a beaver! By the time everyone had finished singing and Main Street took the stage for the finale, you knew something wonderful was about to come to an end.
Within an hour, we said our quick goodbyes to friends we had met, packed our luggage in the “Shenanimobile” and began the overnight drive home. The word that best describes this incredible week is “transformative”. We aren’t sure we will improve our contest score, but we aren’t sure that it even matters anymore. What is certain is that our toolbox for improving our quartet is full, that we now know our brand better than ever, and that our audience is already responding by being completely engaged in our performances. If you get the chance to attend Harmony U, don’t hesitate, you will be blown away!
Shenanigans are all members of Newmarket’s Upper Canada Chordsmen.
Ross Graham, lead
Jason Dent, bass
Ron Geno, tenor
René Frappier, baritone
Written by René Frappier
Edited by Chris Tanaka-Mann
To learn more about Shenanigans, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ShenanigansSings4U/