What a fantastic weekend! My first Harmony College and can't wait for next year!
As a new recruit to Barbershop singing, only having joined Anvil Chorus in November 2006, I was extremely privileged to receive a grant to attend Harmony College this year for the first time, and what a brilliant experience it turned out to be!

The two mini streams I choose were Basic Singing and Discover your voice, and over the two days I found Roger Chantrelle's Basic Singing sessions fascinating, and now have a clear picture of how, in theory(!), the singing voice is produced. The excellent combination between theory and practice enabled the group of 12 to fully participate, with time to recap some points, expand others and give time for questions along the way.

The other mini-stream Discover Your Voice was outstanding. For the members of my group of eight the first session was nervous since none of us had sung solo in front of others before, but with the gentle encouragement and support of the coaches and group members we grew in confidence and at the end of the final session we were able to see and hear the huge improvements we had all made. The vocal coaches, Stuart Lines, Mark Grindall, Roger Chantrelle, Frank Salter and Simon Hilton were outstanding, and we found the tips on posture, breathing support and singing techniques immensely helpful to improving our singing.

Each day began with a vocal warm up led by Mike O'Neill, our Guest Director from America, who, true to his word, made each warm up session interesting and different, and then it was on the sessions. A particular favourite was the PicknMix session for Chorus singing for non Chorus Stream singers. To sing in a large chorus was exciting, and coaching in the three College songs led by Stuart Lines were thoroughly enjoyed by all, and the sound we produced was commendable. But nothing in comparison with the full Chorus Stream performance on Saturday night which brilliantly rounded off a superb concert of small choruses, quartets, a wonderful rendition of Fame by our Ladies Chorus. Highlight for me though was the performance by the National Youth Barbershop Chorus - what a fantastic performance and truly deserved the standing ovation their songs received. I ended wishing that I had discovered Barbershop years ago, so inspirational was the Youth performance.

As a new member of the barbershop fraternity, the evenings in the bar and the impromptu Afterglow were just extraordinary - the chance to sing familiar songs with others, and listen to impromptu quartets practising and enjoying their art. I was encouraged to join in with one for the very first time and with the support of the other three made it to the end, an experience I will never forget.

The organisation of the whole weekend was excellent, so that everyone was able to relax and enjoy the experience. I imagine there is a tremendous amount of hard work that goes on for months behind the scenes to bring such an occasion together and I, along with everyone who was there, would like to pass on my wholehearted thanks for their organisation and commitment to ensure a successful Harmony College.

In less than a year, I have discovered Barbershop, joined a chorus whose members have made me feel very welcome, enjoyed singing, participated in my first Convention at Scarborough, and attended my first Harmony College, and have become hooked. I have made friends with several people from all over the country. I would recommend it to anyone! But perhaps the most special moment for me was in the final general session when we all sang the College songs together, It is difficult to describe to anyone who wasn't there, the sense of enjoyment, harmony and friendship those moments bring. Roll on Harmony College 2008!

Ed Carter
Anvil Chorus
West Midlands
29.08.07