2024 Rocky Mountain Harmony College and Spring Preliminary

Featuring past International Champions, Main Street!!

Dates: Friday, April 26 through Saturday, April 27, 2024

Location: Little America, Cheyenne, WY

*** Event Registration, as well as tickets for only Friday night or Saturday night, is live: click here to register! ***

Youth (25 years and younger) is ONLY $59!

Fun! Learning! Awesomeness!

The main attraction of the Spring Convention is Rocky Mountain Harmony College! But, also come to cheer on all of the quartets during the International Preliminary Contest on Friday night! And watch the big show on Saturday, featuring Main Street!

All registrations include all Harmony College classes, the Friday night quartet contest, the Saturday evening show and afterglow, and any quartet or chorus coaching you’d like!

We can’t wait to see you again!

Rooms!

The room block is now open! Rooms start at only $114 ($128.82 including tax and fees) per night!

Please either call 800-235-6396 or visit this link to book online.

• Group Block Name: BHS – Rocky Mountain College 2024
• Dates: April 26th – 27th, 2024 (pre and post-dates available)
• Last Day to Book at Discounted Rate: April 5th, 2024
• Check-in: 4:00pm // Check-out: 11:00am

Convention Activities

Click here to view the schedule as a PDF.

Course Descriptions

Look Inside the Music (Tramack)

A piece of sheet music is really a treasure map: one filled with clues to creating a living, breathing work of art. Presented with the gift of lyrics which convey emotional subtext; a melody that conveys a range of emotions through its sweeping grandeur, it’s pacing and shape, the impact of intervals; harmony that creates a fabric, creates drama through tension and resolution, and provides the landscape for the journey. Rhythm provides the heartbeat; embellishments propel the music, serve as bridges which tie the song together, and help to highlight the most important thoughts. When all of these elements work together, in the hands of a sensitive performer, magic ensues. This course looks deeper into an arrangement with which almost every barbershopper is familiar, and looks at how we can find more musici inside this music.

What makes it “Barbershop”? (Tramack)

Barbershop is not a genre of music; it is a style of arranging and delivering music which can be applied to multiple genres. There are a handful of core elements which identify an arrangement as “barbershop”. We’ll discuss those elements, and look at how they can be applied to other genres of music to make great barbershop. No knowledge of music theory is necessary.

Arranging Barbershop – from concept to performance (Tramack)

The success of an arrangement often is determined long before a single chord is written. From tapping into the backstory of the song, to finding sparks of inspiration, to fleshing out the blueprint, to determining how to create the perfect synergy between chart and performer, time spent up front developing a vision and planning the arrangement can save hours of time and frustration later. Whether you’re an experienced arranger, just getting started, or are looking to dip your toes into the arranging waters, this session will provide tools, ideas and approaches based on lessons learned “the hard way”. Theory of barbershop harmony knowledge is strongly recommended.

Getting Out of the Rut (Burns)

Getting out of a rut is different than simply improving. Breaking free of our usual patterns is often the first step in improvement. Have you ever worked hard to get better, but feel like you’re not breaking through to the next level? Have you focused on excelling in contest to find that you are getting approximately the same scores? Do you rehearse the same way each week? This class will examine ruts and how we can free ourselves from them so we can create new paths.

Director’s Tools (For current directors, coaches, and those with an interest) (Burns)

In this interactive class we will learn concrete techniques to improve your ensemble, adding to your toolbox. We’ll discuss some of the common issues that groups face and learn ways to get better results. We will also discuss how to identify root causes for issues and learn to create exercises that address them.

How Chords Work (Burns)

There is nothing better than singing the perfect chord that is perfectly placed in a song or tag. In this class we will “geek out” on chords. Why do arrangers put certain chords in certain places? What chords are in the barbershop contest chord vocabulary? What do the different chords sound like? How are chords used to enhance a story? This class is designed for both those with music theory knowledge and those without.

Performance for Engineers and Other Technical People (Louque)

This class covers techniques for performing on stage from the perspective of a cybersecurity engineer. If hearing the word “theme” in High School English instinctively caused your eyes to roll, then this class if for you. If while reading “cybersecurity engineer” you thought “not a real engineer” this class is definitely for you. Explore a logical and methodical approach to creative and engaging performances that won’t have you reaching for that technical brief you brought for light reading.

Central Standard and Fog City Singers – How’d They Do It? (Louque)

Choruses like Central Standard and Fog City Singers didn’t happen by accident. They were launched using a methodical approach that has been used to successfully launch other new choruses from coast to coast. Spend time with a co-founder of both groups digging into the details, the successes, and lessons learned along the way. If starting a new chorus, or rebooting an existing one, is in your future this class is for you!

How to get the most out of song preparation: (Schmidt)

The complete course material is divided into two 1-hour sessions which build upon one another and will explore a range of techniques to use during song preparation to start rehearsal rock-solid and at a higher level of musicality and performance. The techniques in this class are useful for both quartet and chorus singers.

The first session explores the best and fastest way to learn songs. It covers fundamental aspects of

effective learning and how to apply those when memorizing songs, specifically

– strategies for getting to know the song

– why we should learn our songs back to front

– how to practice and prepare for singing with humans

The second session builds on the foundation of the first one and explores strategies that will help us rehearse at a higher level of performance and musicality.

(Although, if time is an issue, I could prune this down to one 1-hour class with a focus on fast learning of songs and just a few pointers on where we can easily prepare for more musicality and more expressive performances on the way)

How to human – vocal edition: Leverage the natural expressiveness of your voice (Schmidt)

We are all experts at vocal expressiveness. Every day we use our voice to communicate expressively and with captivating vividness. But why do we often sound more expressive when we speak than when we sing? Where does expressiveness actually come from? In this course, we will explore the natural tools for vocal expressiveness – – these are vocal tactics that we all already use unconsciously while speaking. We will explore the range of vocal tools for expression. We will employ those tools to generate more expressiveness when singing. And we will come up with a rehearsal strategy for more expressive singing.

If you’ve ever received the advice to “just act normal” on stage, and then wondered somewhat embarrassed how acting normal worked – – this class is for you!

Give Yourself a Voice Lesson (Butterfield)

Paying too much? Charge what you want, and reap the benefits! In this mini class we will quickly explore lots of options for self analysis and self help with your singing and performing. Tracking and evaluating your progress will bring it home.

Care and Nurturing of the Senior Voice (Butterfield)

This mini class gives you essential tools and strategies to not only maintain, but improve your voice- even if you are old like me!

Director Seminar (Butterfield)

This session challenges the assistant director and director (or aspiring arm waver) to consider the MOST effective approaches for expressive performance- both through planning/preparation, and through appropriate and economical gestures. HINT: Less is more, friends, less is MORE.

“The Ins and Outs and In Betweens of a Great Performance” (Mondragon)

This class explores the seldom discussed yet important details that can make or break performance. Learn how a greater understanding of all the little things add up to huge impact on your next quartet or chorus performance.

“So, You Want To Be an MC” class (Mondragon)

“The class gives you insight on how to conduct yourself while being the spokesperson for the quartet, or keeping the audience interested and engaged while talking between groups during a contest or show!

“Quartet Fundamentals from Backstage to On-Stage” (Mondragon)

“What should the quartet be doing off-stage to prepare for their performance, and how to maximize their performance while on-stage”

Finale Tips and Tricks (Beck)

Vocal Production Masterclass (Beck)

Arranging Seminar (Beck)

“Behind the Scenes of a Barbershop Contest” (Bell)

How a contest comes to be from judging assignement to contest to posting scores.

Technology and Barbershop. (Bodtke)

Different apps to use during rehearsals, at home, etc. to get more out of our hobby.

Chorus Manager 101. (Bodtke)

How to enable your chorus members to be prepared for contest and other chorus events.

Twang: The Secret Sauce of Awesome Barbershop Singing (Steve Scott)

There are some singers who just seem to have no end to their high notes and they are able to shift through their registers with ease. How do they do it? Steve will show you how and it will have you singing higher and easier than ever before.

Characteristics of A-level Singing (Steve Scott)

While singing at the A-level can seem like a lofty goal, there are shared characteristics. This talk will also show several high-level performances and point out what could be done to take an ensemble to an even higher level. Includes a brief discussion of the SNG category.

Functional, Expressive Singing: Building Your Ideal Sound (Steve Scott)

Mastery of expressive singing means control over basic tools of phonation and resonance. This class will equip you with the basic building blocks to give you more than 3000 different voice colors!

Functional, Expressive Singing: Advanced Considerations (Steve Scott)

The human voice has such a variety of colors to use! This class will incluide discussion, demonstration, and practicing of three (!) types of twang, tilting cricoids and thyroids, belting/posting techniques, applications of creaky voice and growls in barbershop, and more.

Quartet and Chorus Coaching

All coaching quartets and choruses should have their schedules at this time. Any questions, please contact Adam at amreimnitz18@gmail.com. 

Contest

This contest is one of two official qualifiers for RMD to the 2024 International Quartet Contest (the other was the 2023 District Quartet Contest). Entrance to this contest is based on results from the 2023 RMD Fall Contest as well as through video submission. All quartets who would like to compete should contact Bob Lawson, District Contest & Judging at azmisman@gmail.com.

Please note: All competing quartets must also enter the contest through the BHS Member Center, under “Manage my Singing Communities”.

We hope you’ll come join us in Cheyenne in April. We can’t wait to see you again!