Why We Compete

Vocal Majority recently won the 2016 Southwestern District of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Our average score was 95.0, the highest that VM has ever earned at a District contest. We’re now eligible to compete in the BHS International contest next July.

Among many messages of congratulations, we were intrigued with a message sent by one of our fans posing an interesting question. He wrote:

Not too long ago, a LONG time barbershopper of some 60-ish years asked me 'to what advantage is a contest for barbershop? What does it gain you? What does it benefit you or the chorus?'. 

I didn't have an answer to that, but since Dallas has some 12 world titles to its name, I thought you might have the answer(s).

What does it mean to Dallas to have all these world titles? How does it benefit any individual or the chorus? 

So we posed that question to our Musical Director, Greg Clancy, and we wanted to share his thoughts:

For the VM, we have three primary reasons we compete.  

• It makes us better. Competition requires attention to singing and performance detail, which we might otherwise ignore. The skills we refine when working on contest music typically transfer to the rest of our repertoire, making us a better chorus.
• Being best in the world allows us to feel good about ourselves and our endeavor. Competition is a “carrot” for our guys, allowing them to measure their work and feel particularly satisfied when being judged “best in the world.”
• Being “best” gives us a platform to deliver our musical messages of inspiration and hope. When a group has a title such as International Champion, people take notice. The group has more perceived “heft” and may likely be considered for certain performances…or may be invited to particular events. This puts us in front of more people, and we perform to inspire and motivate people.

We don’t say often enough how Vocal Majority has the best fans in the world! We appreciate you, and thank you for your continued support.