My foremost thought in reviewing the director's course I attended in January is that it is a shame we have to wait another twelve months for the next one! Not only did I learn a tremendous amount about choral directing, I spent a very enjoyable weekend with an exceptionally friendly and enthusiastic group of people, which, for a newcomer, was an excellent introduction to the world of Barbershop singing. I loved hearing the impromptu songs and tags from the odd table in the bar, cafeteria or corridors, which broke out whenever there was a short break from class.

Initially, my purpose in enrolling on the course was to find out about a mysterious thing called an 'ictus', read about in books on choral conducting, and to get to grips with the basic beat patterns. Thanks to the practical nature of the directing technique classes I hope I now have a decent understanding of these- the 28 or so delegates placed at the Initial level were divided into three groups to give an opportunity for some individual attention. We practised the preparatory gestures (with breath) needed for songs starting on different beats of the bar and happily practised beating 4/4 and 3/4 measures to the strains of Dr Hook!

One half hour slot was set aside to attend to our posture and non verbal communication, especially the use of eye contact; the value of this became very apparent once we stood in front of the quartet who were kindly acting as our guinea pigs! And it has always struck me how something as apparently simple as standing with good posture during rehearsals can dramatically affect the quality of the sound produced.

The third mini-session was spent sampling some vocal warm -up techniques which were effective and fun. I was very grateful for the help we received in preparing for our videoed directing session. As I am new to barbershop singing, I felt apprehensive about directing a song that the singers knew a lot better than myself but both the tutors and fellow student- directors were extremely supportive and this soon helped calm my nerves. The use of the video as a self-assessment and tutor- feedback tool is very valuable even though the product will certainly not be coming out at Christmas time! And I admire the patience, musicality and sheer stamina of the quartet and chorus volunteers who spent a whole day stopping, starting and vocally responding to every hand and facial gesture, which in the case of my directing at least, certainly produced some interesting results.

One of the key messages I received during the weekend was the importance of leaving the comfort zone. This theme was introduced by Colin Touchin during his keynote speech on Friday evening when he quoted- 'Nothing of greatness is ever achieved inside a comfort zone'. It echoed the next day during Chris Davidson's session on Leadership and Management.

Colin gave us a great many pointers to assist thorough preparation of rehearsal through the close study of music and text: looking for changes in key and dynamics especially at the end of a song, harmonic progression; checking the range of pitches in each voice part, analyse of the meaning of the text in order to marry musical effects to the words etc. Such preparation, accompanied by flexibility, allows the director to bring a fresh approach to well-loved songs, keeping the music alive and the singers animated.

I also found Chris Davidson's funny and forceful presentation of his Leadership and Management session extremely stimulating and thought- provoking. His aim was evidently to eject both directors and their choruses from their respective comfort zones, to challenge those negative aspects of the status quo and allow positive changes to evolve. We were introduced to Kotter's Eight Stage Change Process, a model which stresses the need to develop and, above all, communicate a clear vision and to get others on board (creating a guiding coalition) in order to effect and consolidate positive change.

Perhaps my fondest memory of the weekend was of Saturday evening when, as a group of 60 + directors, we all rehearsed and sang the college song, 'Old St Louis'. I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience of singing a barbershop song as a Tenor, and, especially after the innovative vocal warm- ups, we made a rich, warm sound. The whole evening was a lot of fun. It took me 2 or 3 days before the tune of 'Old St Louie' went out of my head!

To conclude this report, I would like to thank BABS for enabling me to start 2005 amongst such a positive community of people, possessing a great love of singing and commitment to creating and evoking harmony, both in sound and human relationships. On a personal note, I believe choral singing to be an anecdote to certain isolating and dehumanising aspects of life in the 21st century. As Greg Lyne says in his video, 'Building a better chorus', we are lucky to have this opportunity to work with choruses- if people sing in a chorus it is possible their whole life may change.

I work for an educational personnel agency as a supply teacher in the primary sector. I took a music education foundation course in 1990, while working in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham. I often have the opportunity to teach music, especially singing at the schools I am sent to.

Suzanne Johnson
Brighton