Benefit Summary: This 501(c)3 non-profit organization was founded in 1938 and is the hub that links 16 districts, over 800 chapters, thousands of quartets and 30,000 individuals throughout North America. Membership in the world’s largest all-male singing society provides many benefits: A dynamic website, bi-monthly magazine, weekly and monthly electronic newsletters, member pricing on a variety of music and barbershop related merchandise, how-to publications, and electronic messaging keep members abreast of news and current developments. Society and district conventions, district schools, chapter officer training programs, and the highly successful Harmony College and Directors College provide opportunities for leadership, musical, membership and performance development and a forum for the exchange of new ideas. Encouraging vocal music in our schools in communities is a fundamental ideal of the Society and keeps music and the arts more relevant in these times of diminished focus and funding. Musical directors, administrators, arrangers, composers, music educators, singers, and fans of barbershop harmony can stay current with the latest news and information in this field through the benefits of membership. 

Core Values

Membership in the Barbershop Harmony Society and the following core values are intertwined:

•         Singing -We love to sing.  Through singing in four-part harmony, we provide opportunities for personal expression, spread joy in performance, and enrich our lives and the lives of others.

•         Fellowship - We foster rich relationships. We are committed to inclusive and respectful relationships based on integrity, trust and reputation.  Our companionship cultivates lasting friendships and a sense of belonging.  Collaboration on common interests bonds people of diverse interests and backgrounds.

•         Fun - We have fun. We sing barbershop harmony for the sheer enjoyment of it.  Singing is accompanied by laughter, playful camaraderie, and the happiness of sharing through a performance.

•         Enrichment - We seek personal growth and enrichment through singing. Education permeates all that we do. At every level of the Society, in every Society chapter, and through Society outreach, we teach and learn about four-part harmony.  We also promote skills in composition, performance, interpersonal relationships, leadership, evaluation, collaboration and administration. A culture of lifelong learning encourages members to continually seek personal growth and enrichment as well as contribute to the evolution of the Society.

•         Creativity -We embrace and celebrate creativity. We create sound from silence.  In that act of creativity, we may bring forth beauty, hope, joy and other artistic expressions.  As performers we experience the exhilaration of creation in soul and voice.  We deliver these results to our audiences who, in turn, undergo their own emotional uplifting.  A powerful core of creation inspires us to honor the art of song in everything we do.  We are a vastly creative Society.

Publications

•         The Harmonizer Bi-Monthly Magazine - The Barbershop Harmony Society’s bi-monthly magazine, The Harmonizer, features interviews and profiles, chapter, chorus, quartet and affiliate organizational news and activities, opinion and commentary, coverage of the International and Midwinter Conventions, leadership strategies, marketing, membership, performance development and meeting programming techniques, advice on artistic issues and free music in the form of a new “tag” in each issue.

•        The Livewire, A Weekly Electronic Newsletter- The Barbershop Harmony Society’s weekly electronic newsletter, with timely news, links to important sources of information, training program updates, and tools you can put to immediate use. A variety of other electronic newsletters are also published periodically.

•         Harmony Marketplace Catalog – Where members can receive preferred pricing on a variety of barbershop and generic music related items, for men, for ladies, gifts, CDs, tapes, videos, books, manuals, songbooks, music and accessories, computer software as well as chapter and district supplies.

Online Resources

Members-Only Website

•         Member Information - The members only site makes it easy for you to manage your records, renew your membership, register a quartet, subscribe and unsubscribe to mailing lists, access FAQs and more. 

•         Chapter Information - Access chapter rosters and supplemental information, ASCAP reports, register your show, list chapter officers, view chapter member dues information, view suspended members, report chapter officers, view dues for chapters and view chapters with milestone anniversaries.

•         District Information – Access membership summaries, list all chapter officers / district directory data, district quartet list, chapter officer email finder, district-wide suspended member list, member lookup by occupation code.

•         Society Information and Services - Find another member, find a quartet, find a chapter, Society & District officer roster (PDF), Leadership Forum registration, the audiofile database, vintage sheet music from the Old Songs Library is now online in the music library, Jack Baird’s old barbershop era music library online, linking to Bacon's Mediasource website of media contacts by market, recruiting-orientation program, Webcast archive, COTS faculty list, headquarters email distribution lists and a master faculty/coaches roster. 

•         Contest and Judging Information – Access contest entry and judging availability forms, judge’s roster, quartet details, contest registration logs, contest scores and the Contest Administrators handbook.

•         Harmony Marketplace website – Access to the www.harmonymarketplace.com website where members can receive preferred pricing on a variety of barbershop and generic music related items, for men, for ladies, gifts, CDs, tapes, videos, books, manuals, songbooks, music and accessories, computer software as well as chapter and district supplies.

 Conferences

•         Annual International Summer Convention and Contest - A week-long International Convention held in attractive locations throughout North America, designed to bring barbershop harmony enthusiasts from around the world together in one place and to witness 2000 competitors in the top choruses and quartets compete for International and Collegiate Gold Medals, participate in educational workshops, seminars, attend concerts, group meetings, a meeting of the Society Board of Directors and enjoy countless networking opportunities with 10,000 barbershoppers from around the world. 

•         Annual International Midwinter Convention and Contest - A week-long convention held in attractive locations throughout North America, designed to bring barbershop harmony enthusiasts from around the world together in one place and to attend concerts featuring the current top five medalist quartets, contests featuring the top seniors quartet competitors seeking the Seniors Gold Medal, participate in educational workshops, seminars, group meetings, a meeting of the Society Board of Directors and enjoy countless networking opportunities with 1200 barbershoppers.

•        District Conventions – Each of our 16 Districts host a weekend convention each spring and fall. Competitions are held to determine Quartet and Chorus Champions as well as International Contest representatives. These weekends also offer the opportunity for group meetings and meetings of the district leadership teams.

Professional Development and Educational Offerings

Society-Level

•         Harmony College - With a faculty of 60, Harmony College is an intensive week-long educational offering with the aim of helping members enjoy their hobby more, share that joy with others, and continually experience growth. General Studies – classic educational offerings, including vocal production, arranging and songwriting, performance, history, tag singing and more.

•        Quartet College – A week of intensive coaching for quartets. Curriculum includes: The Quartet Experience, Sight Singing For Beginners, Intermediate Sight Singing, Woodshedding At Its Best, Fundamentals Of Music, Emcee/Spokesman For Quartets, Creative Interpretation. How To Be A Great Tenor, Lead Baritone and Bass, Vocal Techniques, Seniors Quartet Experience, Insights into Comedy, Effective Quartet Warm-ups, Rehearsal Techniques For Quartets, Choosing Music For Quartets, Marketing For Quartets and Chapters. 

•         Next Generation – Young Singers from 11-23 have a special place to have fun, and learn skills to make them better singers and performers. Music Educators Track – Special topics for the professional musician wishing to bring barbershop harmony to the classroom.

•         Directors College – Develop as a musician, leader, and passionate advocate for barbershop harmony. Participate in the acclaimed “On To The Rehearsal” course. Curriculum includes: Directing Techniques, Sound Management, Theory, How To Teach What You Know, Performance/Leadership, On To The Rehearsal, Effective Choral Warm-ups, Teaching Pedagogy, Habits Of Successful Chorus Directors, Music Team Development, Class Voice For Directors, Care & Feeding of the Small Chorus

•        Dynamic Leaders Forum - The Dynamic Leaders Forum is a four-day intensive educational offering for more than 200 district officers, committees and the Society’s Board of Directors which includes outstanding speakers and facilitators offering intensive leadership and management training sessions. (handled on a “by invitation” only basis)

District-Level

•         Chapter Leadership Conferences – Known as COTS schools, these weekend intensive workshops offer training and education for chapter leaders

•         District Music Schools – Known as Mini-Harmony Education Programs, these weekend schools are held to provide education and coaching for quartets and choruses.

•         Top Gun Schools – These schools are geared towards the top quartets in each district (handled on a “by invitation” only basis)

•         Pop Gun Schools – These schools are geared towards the top senior quartets in each district.

Assistance from Headquarters Staff

•         Advice on shows and scripts

•    Help with copyright clearances

•    General information and records research

•    Interpretation of rules and regulations

•    Interpretation of bylaws and statements of policy

•         Reserve your quartet’s name in the Quartet Registry

•    Staff visitations to chapters and districts

•    Access The Old Songs Library

Member Pricing

•         Harmony College/Directors College

•    Harmony Marketplace items

•    For exhibitors at the International Convention

•    Advertising in The Harmonizer

Competition

•   Enter the Barbershop Harmony Society-sanctioned contests for quartets and choruses

Use of the Name and Logo

•   Use the Barbershop Harmony Society name and emblem to identify affiliation with the world’s largest all-male singing organization.

Other Benefits

•         Chapter insurance and bonding at a fraction of normal cost

•    Performance license clearance

•    Non-profit classification under section 501[c][3] of US tax code

•    Membership development assistance

•    Chapter Access to patron lists and former singers