from the Far Western District of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
February 6, 2008
In This Issue
- Barbershopper of the Year Reminder
- New contest entry requirements
- Singing Valentines Stories
- NorCal Novice Contest - February 23
- Classes at Bakersfield - March 14
- High School Quartet Contest - March 15
- Spring Prelims And SoCal West Convention March 13-16
- Chorus Directors and Wannabee Chorus Directors
- Singing For Life - May 10
- Division Conventions - March thru May
- Harmony College West - July 18-20
- Claim Your BOH jacket patch
- Register now for Pan Pacific - Oct 30--Nov 2
- The online FWD Directory has it! (mostly)
- Update your profile on ebiz
- Attention Chapter Secretaries
- Calendar and Links
Barbershopper Of The Year Reminder
Many chapters have now announced their 2007 Barbershopper Of The Year (BOTY) and the stories of their
contributions to barbershop are shown on the FWD website in the
BOTY Report. While there you can check out
many years of who our chapter heroes are.
If you are a chapter officer and don't see your BOTY listed, please take a minute to visit Submit BOTY and fill out the simple form so your BOTY can be seen by all. What a great way to let him know how much you really appreciate what he has done for you and the chapter in 2007.
New Contest Entry Requirements
As of 2008, competing quartets and choruses must register for FWD contests no later than 28 days before the event. The main reason for this is so we can secure the correct size judging panels within a reasonable time frame as not to burden the district with excessive travel expenses. Contest entries can be completed via the Society's old Members Only website for all Spring Division and Prelim Contests.
For more information:
Russ Young
russ.young@cox.net
Singing Valentines Stories
Valentines Day is one of the best days singing barbershop every year. The wonderful stories that our quartet
men bring home are amazing.
You can read stories from prior years right now at Singing Valentines Stories and if you have a wonderful story to tell from this year's deliveries, be sure to email it to the FWD Webmaster. |
NorCal Novice Contest - Feb 23
The Central California chapter is hosting the NorCal Novice contest this year in Ripon, CA, on Saturday, February 23.
Details are available by clicking www.gvc.org/novice.
There is plenty of time to form your quartet and hone your two songs. Invite your friends to join in as audience and be your private cheer leaders. And don't forget the fun afterglow too.
Classes at Bakersfield - March 14
At each Spring and Fall District Convention we hold classes on Friday afternoon for the folks arriving early. It all starts off with a Harmony For Lunch Bunch and at Bakersfield we have a Pizza restaurant with a large hall that fits well over 100 people. It's a great way to get warmed up and reconnected with friends from all over.
Then at 1pm we typically hold three tracks of classes with one track for learning craft, the second track is singing for fun, and the third track has had a variety of other topics.
This year we'll have a dynamite class for Chapter PR officers and anyone else interested in learning how to produce Press Releases that work. The class is called the Productive PR Workshop and it will be led by Kevin Smith, the FWD Marketing and PR Chairman. Not only will the class explain how to write successful PR copy, it will include examples of ones that made it and the class will also work as teams to write copy to be used immediately after the Spring Convention. If you are your chapter's PR man (or woman), this is a don't miss opportunity.
The next eNews will have the detailed class descriptions, but plan now for a fun time of singing and learning on Friday afternoon in Bakersfield.
High School Quartet Contest - March 15
Each year at the Spring Prelims convention we also have the High School Quartet Contest and what
an enjoyable time it is. Surprising at times too—you just can't predict what the youth
will think up.
If you have a quartet at a local high school, it's time to tell them about this contest. There's prize money to be had and a trophy too. You will find all the details and a promotional flyer at HSQC Information.
At the left are the Chromatones, 2007 winners of the FWD High School Quartet Contest.
Spring Prelims And SoCal West Convention March 13-16
Be sure to put March 13-16, 2008, on your calendar so that you won't miss the Spring Prelims and the SoCal West Divison Contests. You can register for the convention now by printing the form at 2008 Spring Registration and mailing it in. Remember, early birds get the best seats.
This year we'll be back at Bakersfield and the contests will be at the Harvey Auditorium on the Bakersfield High School campus. For Hotel arrangements see Prelims housing form.
And plan now on attending some fun classes on Friday afternoon. We'll start it off with a Harmony For Lunch Bunch at a local restaurant, followed immediately by the classes.
As details arrive on the other division conventions, the links will be posted at 2008 FWD Conventions.
Chorus Directors and Wannabee Chorus Directors
The FWD Chorus Director Development Chairman, Jim Crowley, announces a number of key events planned for 2008.
Mr. Mike O'Neill, Chorus Director Development Specialist from BHS Headquarters, will be teaching a "Director of the Future" class on Saturday, March 29th at a SoCal location for assistant directors, section leaders and those with a strong interest in becoming a front line director.
The Society is giving away a limited amount of scholarships to the 2008 Directors College in St. Joseph Missouri in August. This is a TIME SENSITIVE offer. Applications that meet all criteria and are received first will be given priority. Go to the BHS Website for more information.
Two Chorus Director Workshops Intensive are coming up in September for five front line directors each. The CDWI is an intensive, hands-on learning experience, and the benefit to your Chapter is immense. The student director tuition charge of $100 is WAIVED for the host Chapter Director. If your Chapter would like to host the NorCal or SoCal CDWI in September, have your Chapter VP Music and Performance contact me ASAP.
Jim Crowley
Chorus Director Development Chair
15 Shady Tree Lane
Carson City NV 89706
jimcrowley1@sbcglobal.net
Singing For Life - May 10
The Singing For Life blood drive is your chapter's opportunity to meet and entertain members of your community. It is not an effort to get the men in your chapter to give blood, although they certainly may. This is a program to help your chapter develop new contacts in your area and to grow your customer base for your shows.
Go to Letter to Presidents and Frequently Asked Questions to get the background you need. Then check out the Getting Started document and get your chapter signed up.
The FWD chairman for the Singing For Life program is Kevin Smith, FWD Marketing and PR Chairman, at kpsmith2007-fwdmktgpr@yahoo.com.
Division Conventions - March thru May
The 2008 contest cycle begins in our divisions and those contests will be held starting in March where the SoCal West division contest is being held concurrently with the International Quartet Prelim contest. The rest of the contests are in April and May. Go to the FWD Conventions webpage to find registration forms.
Harmony College West - July 18-20
Harmony College West 2008 will be held in Redlands mid-July this year. Once again we'll repeat the POD coaching method that has received rave reviews by our quartets. Many of our coaches are gold medallists and you won't find a finer coaching staff anywhere. In order to provide this level of quality we do have to raise the fee for quartet coaching this year to $200 per member.
We have a great lineup of classes for individuals once again this year. The schedule for the following classes will be announced in the next eNews along with instructions for registering.
- Beginning Sight Singing
- Intermediate Sight Singing
- Special Coaching for Plateau A Choruses
- Vocal Production
- Barbershop Arranging
- Contest Emcee
- Quartet/Chorus Emcee
- Tag Singing
- Barbershop Acoustics
- Show Production
- Director of the Future
- Comedy
- Marketing Your Chapter
- Public Relations Workshop
- Membership Workship
The registration fee for individuals will continue to be $150.
The next issue of eNews will have full registration details.
Claim your BOH Jacket Patch
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If you have held a number of chapter positions, attended Harmony College or Harmony College West, learned a bunch of Polecat songs, or any number of other things to support your chapter, district, or society, then log into the FWD Members Only Area and take the Bachelor of Harmony assessment. If you qualify, your chapter officers will be automatically asked to approve your application and then our Awards Chairman, Deane Scoville, will mail out your jacket patch and award certificate. All the current awardees are shown on the district website at BOH Awards. If you earned this award many years ago and your name does not appear, the easiest way to get listed is to take the assessment again. Then let us know if you don't need a new patch or award certificate. There have been some email hiccups on the FWD website recently (we're getting a new high speed email server soon), so if you applied and never received your materials, please contact the FWD Webmaster. |
Have you seen some men wearing the jacket patch like the image shown here?
It tells you that they are being recognized as leaders in the Far Western District.
Register now for Pan Pacific - Oct 30--Nov 2
The Pan Pacific Convention in in Honolulu at the end of October this year. Just think, Hawaii AND barbershop all at the same time. If your chorus has been invited to compete, now is the time to make the commitment.
Registration is online at Pan Pacific Registration.
The online FWD Directory has it! (mostly)
Do you remember the terrific Far Western District Directory that was published years ago and mailed to all chapter officers? You don't see it any more because the directory is now on the district website at FWD Directory. The online directory has ten times the information you used to get—you'll be surprised at all the things you will find there. If you need a paper copy of the chapter officers and their contact information, please log into the FWD Members Only area where you will find a way to print the current information.
While browsing the online directory you'll discover some holes in the historical data. If you are one of those amazing people that have back copies of score sheets, convention programs, BOTY award text, and any number of other things of historical interest, take a good browse through the directory and send any missing data to our webmaster. His full contact information is at the front of Westunes.
Update your profile on ebiz
Over the last nine months the society has been converting to a new online membership management system and it has been hard at times to access and use their website. The new site called "ebiz" is now working quite well and you are encouraged to log in and check your personal profile. If you make any changes, be sure to click the SAVE button at the bottom of the page. Take a look at BHS ebiz.
Attention Chapter Secretaries
Members of your chapter without E-mail will not receive this information and we ask you to print this and share it with them.
Calendar and Links
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Important LinksBHS ebiz websiteBHS Original Members Only - CJ-20 registration BHS Main website FWD Website FWD Directory FWD Members Only FWD Calendar FWD Youth In Harmony |