The Duke City Chorus (DCC) hosted the First Annual New Mexico Youth Harmony Camp July 19-21 on the campus of New Mexico Tech in Socorro, New Mexico. Thirty-one students (young men and young women), ages 14-19 from 10 different high schools, participated in 2 1/2 days of ringing chords, singing tags, learning about our artform, and preparing for a performance. For most, this was their first experience singing barbershop harmony, but they fell in love with it. The students worked hard (one student noted that he sang more hours than he slept at camp), but they all enjoyed it. In fact, every camper said they plan to return next year and will recommend it to others.

One of the students expressed, "This year's Harmony Camp has been really fun. We came and got to know each other the first day and by the second day we were like a big family. It was really amazing all the things that we've learned and how much we've done in just a couple of days. . .And the teachers are really great here. It's just been a really great experience for me and I can't wait to come back next year."

We were fortunate to enlist two excellent clinicians for the camp. Farris Collins, director of the DCC, coached the young men. He was assisted by section leaders Daron Praetzel (director of New MexiChords and tenor of Distinction), Toby Balsley (lead of Bank Street), and Matt Vaive (baritone of Distinction). Denise King, assistant director of the DCC and director of the Enchanted Mesa Show Chorus of SAI, taught the young women. Members of Denise's quartet, Southwest Edition, were the section leaders -- Marilyn Dickerson, Sue Bowdoin, and Andrea Iversen.

The highlight of the camp was a performance for family and friends on Saturday afternoon. The young men and young women each performed three numbers separately, then joined together for a finale. The audience of over 200 was amazed what the students had accomplished in just two days -- learning four new songs (with some choreography, too!) to performance quality.

To give the students and their parents more exposure to the barbershop style, we invited the Duke City Chorus and four guest quartets to perform. The students were captivated by Southwest Edition, Distinction (RMD Champions), Quatro, and Bank Street (International Medalists).

We are dedicated to make this harmony camp a tradition in New Mexico, so that our artform is passed on to the younger generation. Our desire is to make the camp affordable so that money is not a deterrent to youth who express an interest in attending. About 80% of the costs of this year's camp came from generous donations from corporations, trust funds, and individuals who want to support the musical education of our youth.

Plans are already underway for next year's camp, with a goal to have 100 youth participate. We know that all who come next year will have as much fun as the students did this year, and will have comments similar to this from one of this year's campers, "This has been soooo much fun. Just getting a whole lot of people together that love to sing is so exhilarating. You can feel the music and you can feel the power; it's just so wonderful. I know that this camp is going to grow. I just hope that we can spread the (art) of barbershop throughout the country among my age group, because it really is a great experience."
 

Contacts

Harmony Camp Administrator: Larry Schoof (work 844-5156; home 828-2510)