[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 60-01, January - March, 2006 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

How to increase the number of
Barbershoppers in your community

By J.R. "Digger" MacDougall, Ontario District Vice President Chapter Development

It was a great learning experience for me and it happened the day I met six members of the Westminster Chapter while I was taking some “down time” at the midwinter convention in Sacramento.  As usual, I was mulling over that age old question we all face: “How to attract new and preferably young members to our Society, and keep them?”

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, I put the question to these young men and here’s what I learned.

In March, 2002, a group of five young Barbershoppers met to discuss forming a new chorus, a chorus composed of other young singers in order to involve more of their peers in singing barbershop harmony.  One of these five, Terry Ghiselli, then approached the old Westminster Chapter (where membership had dwindled to eight) with an idea to let a group of young guys create their own chorus under the chapter’s charter.  The president and the other current members were ecstatic with the idea and offered their support in any way possible.  That’s how it all began.

The newly formed chorus entered the SoCal West Division contest in April, 2002, with just 15 men and a hand full of rehearsals.  They qualified for the Far Western District competition that fall.  Six of the 15 on stage that day were brand new Barbershoppers.  The youngest was 16, the oldest 27.  Their average age was 20.

For the district chorus contest, October, 2002, the New Westminster Chorus, with 19 men on the risers, stunned the audience by actually outscoring all the other competitors but was disqualified due to a misunderstanding regarding member eligibility.  One year later, however, the chorus won the championship.

The chorus also won the right to represent the FWD at the International convention in Louisville, in 2004.  The Westminster Chorus was honored to place ninth overall in their first appearance on the International contest that summer in Louisville.

This past October the chorus was overjoyed to once again win the Far Western District, earning the right to return to the International contest stage 2006 in Indianapolis!

Membership? I repeated my question to the six young men.  How does this answer my question: “How do we increase membership?”

Their answer to me: “DON’T TRY TO GET YOUNG MEN TO JOIN YOUR CHAPTER.”

Wow, that wasn’t what I was expecting.

But they continued to explain that instead, get a group of 16-30-year-old men to form a semi-structured chorus of their own and let them develop on their own.  Meet when they want, choose the music they want to sing and be supported from a distance.  A unique concept but it worked.

As I pondered their story and compared it against all my recent research on this topic, I came to the following conclusions (or call them recommendations).

It is important to remember that, to many people these days membership in a group does not necessarily mean the type of active involvement we associate with barbershop singing.

Start by finding a group of four to five men aged 16-25, who are interested in singing anything.

Find a group leader or someone (under 35) willing to direct them while they sing.

Ask these four or five young men to involve their friends who would also like to sing.  Hopefully their enthusiasm will rub off on another four to ten young guys.

Plan the singing get togethers (notice that it’s not called rehearsals/practices) on a Saturday or Sunday for an hour when they are not too busy.

Let them know that you and your fellow singers will provide and pay for any a cappella music they would like to sing, their meeting place, pizzas and soft drinks, and any other expenses they incur with no strings attached except that you would like one of the leaders to phone you sometime and let you know what else they need.

Wait and see what develops.

This is a different approach to membership but it worked and continues to work.  Can we try it?

Sure it’s a big step but not that hard.  And what have we got to lose?

Did you know that, as reported by the chair of the Society CSLT Committee in 2003, Ontario District has the highest average age in the Society? Perhaps it’s time to follow a successful example already underway.

During my latest conversation with those new Westminster Chorus young men, they said they’d be very happy to share their ideas with anyone who asks.  I now plan to work with one of the founders of Westminster who, in a report to the Society Board, said “We all recognize most young guys can’t relate to guys twice their age.  They will however stick around if they can find a bunch of guys their own age who share a common interest and further commit to participating if they can unite behind a common goal.  Let’s help these guys start a ‘young’ chorus of their own.”

So what is the solution to effectively recruiting young people? Get our current young members out there singing with guys their own age.  Further, motivate these guys to start a chorus of their own.  Please note the key word, chorus, not quartet.

Three years ago a new group started in Westminster, California.  Now it wasn’t a new chapter, but rather the rebirth of a struggling one.

If you would like to learn more, please contact Digger at <digger.macdougall  @  sympatico.ca>.     k