[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 60-03, July - September, 2006 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

[ED: John sent some questions with answers about Youth in Harmony. Due to the length, I have broken it into sections. This is the conclusion.]

Youth in Harmony (YIH)

By John Kirby, vice president Youth In Harmony  

“The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it” – William James

• Q. Our chapter is very busy with convention and show demands. How can we possibly develop a YIH program?

A. There are many ways you can incorporate YIH activities into your busy schedule. Try some of the following ideas.

• 1. Use pre-existing programs in your region like music festivals.
• 2. Involve students in your sing-outs, annual shows.
• 3. Use music educators as coaches, and choreographic advisors.
• 4. Take student to your convention.
• 5. Use students  as non-singing people involved in technical work.
• 6. Offer scholarships to help students attend recognized schools of music such as Harmony College North, Interprovincial Music Camp or Stratford Summer Student Music Program.
• 7. Take your repertoire out to the schools.
• 8. Volunteer to be guests at school assemblies or evening of entertainment.
• 9. Sell tickets, programs, usher and work behind the scenes.
• 10 Become an audience member and attend school functions.

Your busy schedule must never overshadow the reason why we exist as a musical society. Get creative! You can think of a million ways to promote youth programming within the context of convention and show demands.

• Q. Is their assistance available to help our chapter, and our division get started?

Absolutely! Western Division would like to get started looking at YIH within their Division. I have offered to assist by presenting a day workshop to assist them to create manageable goals and specific programs for their division and their individual chapters. I would gladly assist other divisions. If there is sufficient interest have your division manager give me a call with a date and I will try to work it into my schedule. All we need is a meeting place. I will bring everything needed to present a hands-on workshop for your chapter YIH co-ordinators. A TV and DVD/VHS would be helpful. Once a replacement has been found for Rick Spencer. I feel confident he will want to visit Ontario and make presentations to your area schools. Don’t let the opportunity slip by.

• Q.  I have heard a lot about Harmony Explosion Camps, why doesn’t our district offer such a camp in conjunction with our HCN?

A. Money and the lack of chapters making contact with local school educators. As a district we are going to have to find alternative means of raising funds for such activities. The average HEC for approximately 90 students runs about $15,000. This includes three nights and four days of accommodations, food, music, learning CDs, a front line director from international, a front line director from a school of music and a top international quartet to act as section leaders. The students prepare to perform three barbershop style selections, and three TTBB selections chosen by the front line directors. A final night performance highlighting the students, district and international quartets, district chorus champions is offered to the public, friends, and to the parents of the students. The International office is prepared to give us $50 per student and a $700 donation to offset the cost of bringing in the coaches. The chaperones for the students do not pay, and any educators attending are offered a special course as well as time to observe the coaching sessions. Unless  all our chapters are willing to make positive inroads with their educators and unless our district is willing to find alternative financial sources, HECs will not happen. I personally would like to see Ontario offer its first camp in the spring of 2007. This would give us sufficient time to find the necessary cash and give our chapters sufficient time to make their school contacts. Students involved are of high school age or will be attending high school in the fall of the following year.

• Q Why is YIH important and why is it being promoted through International and the district?

A.  As you are aware, unless we find new members and unless we sow the seeds of positive relationships with our educators and students, our hobby will cease to be. We enjoy singing, and the fellowship of our chapter members. This will all cease to be unless we promote membership and youth activities. Membership is the present, youth is the future. Like the quote “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will out last it,” we must begin to realize that our legacy is the continuance of our art form. It must outlast our current membership and develop into the future.     k