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Thanks for the glimmer
Positive feedback is inspirational
Writing about "glimmers" (those small, beautiful moments that bring a sense of joy and hope) in the last HI Note was an inspiring experience for me. But what made it even more meaningful was receiving your heartfelt responses to that article. Your positive feedback was a reminder of the power of words to resonate with others and create connections. The fact that so many of you took the time to let me know how you’d shared the concept of glimmers with your friends, family, co-workers, and chorus colleagues – that filled my proverbial cup!
As President and a member of the International Board of Directors, I sometimes encounter challenging situations that require balancing different perspectives and priorities. There may be times when, as Harmony volunteers, we’re not perfect; perhaps we could have communicated better, been more patient, or taken more initiative. Sometimes our work may be unpopular - perhaps a decision was made that members might not love but that protected our organization in some way.
In an organization like Harmony that relies so heavily on the work of volunteers, the weight of that responsibility can sometimes feel daunting. Volunteer work is, by definition, uncompensated, but the intrinsic reward of volunteering IS the compensation. That is profound. I know our efforts contribute to growth and sustainability, ensuring our mission continues to serve our members effectively and in perpetuity.
Now back to my initial premise - your responses after the last HI Note reminded me of the power of saying thank you, to explicitly express gratitude for things great and small. I am deeply grateful for your feedback, not just for the affirmation it provided but for the kindness behind it. You’ve encouraged me to keep writing, to keep exploring new ideas, and to keep sharing thoughts that might provide inspiration. Just as we singers appreciate the applause after a performance, I cherish this volunteer opportunity and these moments of connecting with you.
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| Convention Corner: Let the Fun Begin! |
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Is it spring yet? It must be close because it's time for Area Convention and Contests to begin! We are less than one week away from our first area contest. Area 6 is up first in Orlando, FL, from April 10-13. Here's the breakdown of the AC&C season:
- Area 6: April 10-13
- Area 2 April 24-27
- Area 3: May 2-4
- Area 5: May 23-25
- Area 1: June 5-8
- Area 4: June 12-15
- Harmony Fest West: July 10-13
All area contests are open to the public so, if you're in the area, make plans to attend. Interested? Click the appropriate link below to find out more!
Area 1 (Quebec. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia. Newfoundland, Labrador, and Prince Edward Island)
Area 2 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont (and Montreal City Voices chapter))
Area 3 (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia)
Area 4 (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin (and California Note Catchers chapter))
Area 5 (Ontario)
Area 6 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)
Harmony Fest West
Plans for the 2025 International Convention and Contests are well underway. As information becomes available, you'll find it here in the HI Note and on the convention web page (now under construction) of Harmony, Inc.
Until then, check out this video to learn more about visiting the Hershey and Harrisburg area! |
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How to help judges be the best they can be
By Kathy Greason, ICJC
Contest season has begun! For many of us as contestants, our contest performances provide milestone markers for education and improvement. Heading into contest, we practice and rehearse, reviewing the skills that our chorus directors, our section leaders, our quartet mates, and we as individuals have been working on. And after the contest performance, some of us record our evaluations so that we can remember to celebrate the things we did well and consider what we might work on next.
Well, our scoring judges do something similar. Going into a contest weekend, we refresh our scoring skills by watching videos that have reference scores, and we review our category descriptions. Coaching others throughout the year helps to keep our evaluation skills current.
But…nothing beats reviewing real-life situations to assure that we are serving our contestants the best we can during our twenty-minute coaching evaluations with each ensemble. For that reason, you may be asked by some of your judges - whether they have been judging for one year or seven years or thirty-seven (!) years – for permission to record their session with you. Our judges might simply plan to listen to the recording and self-assess, or they might plan to share and discuss the recording with their “assessment buddy” or their Category Specialist. The recording would go no further, and you would have supported the judging program by encouraging our judges to be the best that we can be.
So if a judge asks, “May I record this session?”…please say yes! Thank you.
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| Licensing Fee Reports are Due, NOW! |
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FIRST THING – you must submit the HAR-122 report to Corporate by APRIL 10, 2025, UNLESS your chapter is paying ASCAP/SESAC/BMI directly to those agencies, using your own accounts.
If your chapter had a performance or show that was attended by the public, regardless of whether or not you sold tickets, accepted donations in lieu of tickets, or performed for free, you can fulfill your requirement by submitting Form HAR-122. Harmony, Inc. will report to ASCAP/SESAC/BMI on your behalf under our licenses and invoice you for your share of the royalty fees, which is generally less expensive than having your own accounts that generate minimum annual fees.
Please review this form and familiarize yourself with the information. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you submit the form within 10 days of the event. Also, please be aware that if your submission is late and our Finance Assistant has to resubmit, Harmony, Inc. will be charged a fee, which we will, unfortunately, need to pass on to your chorus.
If you have questions about completing this form, please contact the Finance Assistant at financeoffice@harmonyinc.org.
Clearances pending
SECOND THING – going into ACC season, please do not post your ACC videos publicly. These videos still need clearance. If you’d like assistance with that, please contact recording@harmonyinc.org.
Questions about this information? Contact the Copyright & Licensing Coordinator at recording@harmonyinc.org or the Finance Assistant at financeoffice@harmonyinc.org
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| Youth Quartet: 4-Get Me Nots |
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New Area 2 youth quartet 4-get Me Nots are excited to have made the late entry cutoff for the Area 2 quartet contest. Members are:
Back Row: Emeliene (Lead) and Keara (Bass)
Front Row: Laura (Baritone) and Rachel (Tenor)
4-Get Me Nots to compete at AC&C
By Julie Schwingbeck, Area 2 Director
Area 2 is thrilled to introduce to Harmony, Inc. our new youth quartet, 4-Get Me Nots.
When Area 2 Director Julie Schwingbeck sent out the call for help in establishing some youth quartets in the Area, Janet Billings answered. Janet is a Musicality Judge and a piano and voice teacher at her studio, Musical Miracles.
One of Janet's students, Laura, attended the Women of Note Summer Sing last summer, where she met step-sisters Rachel and Emeliene. With those three willing to jump into the fray, they were three-fourths of the way there! Luckily, Keara, a youth member with New England Voices in Harmony was willing to complete the ensemble as their bass.
They are a very new quartet - forming after the contest deadline for Area 2 - but in time to be a late entry! The leadership of Area 2 have been supporting them along the way. Julie Schwingbeck helped register the quartet. Linda Muise worked her magic with entering the quartet in the scoring system. They have been meeting weekly at Janet's studio to prepare for the contest with Janet's guidance.
We can't wait to cheer them on at AC&C next month!
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| Sue Trenchard Quartet Service Award Nominations |
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Do you know a deserving quartet?
By Debbi Durfey, Quartet Development Co-Coordinator
Please stop and take a minute to nominate the quartet YOU think deserves the Sue Trenchard Award. This award recognizes the unselfish giving of time and energy of the quartet members and their quartet as a group.
We have some nominations but I’m sure you know a quartet that gives their time unselfishly. Let’s honor them with this incredible award.
Use HAR-136 and send it in by June 30, 2025. Let's recognize and honor the selfless service of our Harmony quartets!
If you have any questions, please contact the Quartet Development Coordinator
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| METAL: Member Experience Toolkit and Library |
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By Jennifer Palus, Membership Lead Task Force
WHAT? Member Engagement Self-Assessment
The Harmony, Incorporated member engagement self-assessment tool is a completely private digital quiz that is designed to help you understand your personal level of engagement in your chapter or quartet. The self-assessment tool can help you to understand where you are right now, providing insight and awareness of your current experiences, such as:
- Your connection - Do you feel welcome, supported, encouraged, and valued?
- Your investment – Are you challenged, productive? Is your time rewarding?
- Your involvement – Are you utilizing your skills and talents, offering ideas, and contributing?
SO WHAT? Why it is important for our organization
Your experience is the most important part of membership. Understanding your level of engagement can help you to identify what is going right! It can also help you to understand areas that can use some attention or adjustments. The self-assessment tool can help to spark ideas, entice support, and guide you to opportunities to make your time the most rewarding and fulfilling.
NOW WHAT? How you can take action
The digital quiz is always available. You can take it as often as you’d like to help you to identify where you are right now! You can use the tool to see improvements or identify challenges. Because it is completely private, you can control how much to share and what to keep. You can discuss certain spots with leadership or members of your quartet to help you get the most out of your experience.
Give it a try! You can find the tool at www.harmonyinc.org/METAL-4-self-assessment
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| Strategic Planning is Sexy! |
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Are you passionate about making a meaningful impact and eager to gain valuable experience in strategic planning and organizational development? Join us as a Strategic Plan Facilitator and be at the forefront of shaping our organization's future!
In this dynamic volunteer role, you'll collaborate with Area Councils to brainstorm and develop strategic plans that align with Harmony, Inc.'s mission and goals. You'll attend training sessions, lead brainstorming meetings, and work closely with Area Directors to ensure our plans are comprehensive and effective.
This role offers a unique chance to enhance your skills and contribute to our success, so reach out to Facilitator Program Coordinator Katie Rose at rosek@harmonyinc.org, to learn more about becoming part of a passionate committee driving positive change! |
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| Would You Share Your Anniversary Book? |
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| EDC: Actions For Inclusivity |
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By Emily Parsons, EDC Chair
Harmony Awareness Week in the last week of February was a great reminder of the founding principles of Harmony, Inc. The Harmony, Inc. Statement on Inclusion, released February 26 on the anniversary of the founding of Harmony, reads in part, “...inclusion is not just an aspiration but a reality. This is our pledge, and we will honor it through our actions, every day.”
The Equity & Diversity Committee wanted to highlight just a few of those actions:
Does your Area or group have other examples? Share with us in Harmony Chat! |
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| Corporate Office Words of Wisdom |
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Significant others show support
Do you have a significant other who attends Harmony, Inc. events with you?
Did you know that they can be members, too?
It is not a well-known fact that any male can become an affiliate member of Harmony, Inc. Being an affiliate member allows the men in your life to show their support for our organization. They do not get a vote, but they can experience all the other membership benefits.
At International Convention & Contests in 2024, a number of the BHS judges on the panel became aware of this and joined on the spot! How exciting is that?
As we have just wrapped up renewals for 2025 it is the perfect time for affiliates to join in the fun.
Did you also know that when completing the Associate or Affiliate membership forms you can make a donation to Harmony, Inc.?
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Your donations to the For Love of Harmony program enable you to identify individuals or groups to receive special recognition, while at the same time providing a monetary gift to Harmony, Inc.
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Correction: Marianne Cooke in memory of Dianne Clark
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- to Island A Cappella (Area 1) on the loss of member, Carol Gosse
- to Gladys Urbshott (The Over Tones, Inc., Area 5) on the passing of her sister, June Stewart
- to Cheryl Jackson (The Over Tones, Inc., Area 5) on the passing of her aunt, June Stewart
- to Silk'n Sounds (Area 2) on the loss of member, Mary Scully
- to Valda Simmons, (Newfound Sound, Area 1) on the passing of her brother
- to Heather Vardy(Newfound Sound, Area 1) on the passing of her brother.
Need to post a condolence notice? Please have the information sent to the Administrative Coordinator to be recorded. Thank you. |
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| International Board of Directors Meetings |
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IBOD quarterly meetings are open to the membership.
Members are invited to submit items for consideration on the agenda (note deadline for Mid-Year agenda item submission has passed).
Agendas are posted in advance on the Members Only website. Please contact the Corporate Office for details on how to join the virtual meetings or where to attend the live meetings.
Upcoming 2025 meetings are scheduled:
- Mid-Year: April 19
- Q3: August 20
- Annual: November 2-5
Q1 2025 Meeting Minutes have been posted and can be found here.
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The Contest Information Forms for AC&C are now available.
HAR-061 Official Area Quartet Contest Information Form
HAR-063 Official Area Chorus Contest Information Form
Note there has been a change in the Song Registration Form deadline from 2 weeks prior to contest to 30 days prior to contest. Best to get it in early.
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| International Convention & Contests |
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2025 NOVEMBER 5-8, HERSHEY LODGE, HERSHEY, PA
2026 NOVEMBER 11-14, GALT HOUSE, LOUISVILLE, KY
2027 NOVEMBER 10-13, NIAGARA FALLS CONVENTION CENTER, NIAGARA FALLS, ON
2028 NOVEMBER 1-4, HERSHEY LODGE, HERSHEY, PA
2029 NOVEMBER 7-11, HALIFAX CONVENTION CENTER, HALIFAX, NS
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The next issue of the HI Note comes to your inbox April 20. What would you like to see covered in our pages? Drop a line to editor@harmonyinc.org and we'll tell the world. Next deadline is April 13.
See you again, soon!
Copyright © 2025 Harmony, Inc., All rights reserved.
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