Young Men In Harmony is the Society's name for getting the next generation to experience the joy of singing close harmony in the great barbershop tradition. The idea is to encourage a love of singing in youngsters so that when they're old enough, they can take over the preservation of our art form when we can no longer carry that torch.

As the Three Rivers Chorus YMIH chairman it is my job to find ways for ALL OF US to encourage younger singers. I can't do it alone, I'm going to need your help. You will probably be asked to sit through some high school musicals, maybe put up students at your house for a local choral festival, or provide crowd control back stage at an event. Maybe there will be a role for us as a chorus, but there will definitely be a role for us as individuals.

I plan to tell several local music teachers that we (that's ALL OF US) will do whatever they need. We will do it cheerfully, reliably and knowing full well that we will not have any of these youngsters in our chapter for a long time, if ever.

This isn't a membership campaign - it's the right thing to do. This isn't about getting kids to sing barbershop - it's about getting kids to love singing. This isn't about us - it's about them.

Pittsburgh High School Barbershop Festival

In my Quartet Beat Column in the May-June issue I reported on a High School Barbershop Festival being planned by the Metro Chapter and Allegheny Prime Time Singers scheduled for Nov. 15th. I contacted Jarvis Cotton of Metro to get an update. Here is current status as provided by Jarvis.

Pittsburgh Metro and Allegheny Prime Time Singers (Sweet Adelines) are preparmg for the first Annual High School Festival to be held Saturday, Nov. 15th from 1 to 5 PM in the CCAC auditorium, Boyce Campus. Boys, girls, mixed quartets or small ensembles (singing in 4 part) have been invited.

Metro and APT have contacted about 50 high school choral directors and have provided music info (music arrangements, CD's, etc.) at no cost. To date only a handlul have committed so it is not known how large the event will be.

Judges will follow a simple judging criteria as the purpose is not to overemphasize the competitive nature of the festival, but rather to give high school age boys and girls the chance to sing, be heard, and obtain confidential feedback. A winner will be selected and receive a "traveling trophy" and be invited to sing on Metro's and APT's next shows.

Metro and APT are hopeful that this event will be successfiil and serve only as a beginning. Metro anticipates working with other area chapters in the future and would like to see Greater Pittsburgh and other chapter members attend to give these young performers an appreciative audience.

I applaud and support Metro's efforts in this endeavor. If you are free on that afternoon, I urge you to attend the festival and show your support to the young participants. They are our future.