Community

Our Society's vision is "to be an ever-growing fraternity of barbershop-style singers, leading the cause of encouraging vocal music in our schools and communities." A major program to achieve this vision is called "Youth in Harmony" or YIH. The goals of the YIH program are:

• • To encourage and support vocal music education of all types (not limited to barbershop) in the elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools and colleges in our communities

  • To provide a performance outlet, which could include competition or festivals for these singers, and to develop an awareness of singing as a lifelong recreational activity

  • To raise the awareness among teachers and education administrators that barbershop harmony is a viable musical art form that can help them to expand and improve their vocal music curriculum

  • To serve and be recognized as a valuable resource in support of goals we share with the National Coalition for Music Education

  • To foster the establishment of groups of barbershop harmony singers at local schools as an integral part of the school music curriculum, and to provide the environment in which young singers can develop greater self-confidence, improved performance skills and learn the value of teamwork

The Bridge Town Sound chorus supports this vision and program, by reaching out and educating locally in the Portland/Vancouver metro area:

• • Since 2013, we have sponsored an annual one-day event to train and encourage high school youth (young men and women) in the art of barbershop harmony. For example, in 2015, sixty-five young people representing nine high schools in the greater Portland area gathered at Rex Putnam High School for the third annual Youth Barbershop Jamboree. The Jamboree is the main focus of the Young Men in Harmony outreach of our chapter.. They were treated to education on vocal production and singing technique, ringing chords, and artistic expression, plus a feast of barbershop lore and audio/video of champion performers.

• Utilizing local youth talent on our annual shows

  • Donations to area schools

  • With the help of school music educators, we send quartets into local schools to demonstrate and teach four-part harmony and much more

  • Youth Harmony scholarships for members and non-members to regional harmony camps, such as Harmony Explosion: