I mentioned the possibility of this in my first blog of the semester, and the day has finally come. I am going to tell you all about the barbershop chorus Prism!
It all starts with this past summer and a trip to New Orleans. More than 700 barbershoppers gathered at Loyola University for a program called Harmony University (HU). This is a week-long event held annually where world-class coaches, arrangers, choreographers, and educators come together to engage in barbershop harmony. Additionally, attendees are allowed to engage in choruses and sing with like-minded individuals for an entire week.
At HU, I had the privilege of singing with the Next-Gen Chorus which was composed of 40-50 singers under the age of 30: the experience was life-changing. We formed so many meaningful relationships and performed music at an incredibly high level. One moment in particular truly reflects the impact this chorus had on my life.
I believe it was the fourth day of the camp and I was still hesitant to let my guard down. I come from a background of typical male sports like football and wrestling, where the cultures aren’t exactly accepting. Being in music in high school, teammates would call me some interesting names from time to time. I feel as though this toxic masculinity and judgment is rooted in me and I am always trying to remove it from myself. This is relevant because the Next-Gen Chorus was a place full of much gender and sexual diversity. With this there were many rainbows and new personalities; I had never been in an environment like this before.
But on this fourth day, things changed. We all engaged in a ‘baggage’ activity where people wrote something they were dealing with on a piece of paper, crumpled it up, and placed it into a collective paper bag. These were written anonymously and then read aloud amongst the group. By the end, everyone was crying, and the tissues were being rotated around the room. There were multiple people in the group that were contemplating suicide prior to HU and their experience here had made them realize the good in the world. Some of these people were experiencing these thoughts to due gender identity issues and the societal judgement placed on them. This broke my heart and I felt myself becoming a more compassionate person. I was surrounded by so many good, supportive people that just wanted to share love with the world.
My new friends were so moved by their experience that they decided to create a new barbershop chorus. This idea became Prism, a long-distance chorus. Our mission is “To foster a diverse and inclusive community of young singers that achieves a high-level of artistry in the barbershop style through love and joy.” I am so honored to be a part of this group.
Furthermore, our group is skilled! In our first year together, we have already competed at the district competition and qualified for the international convention! Our singers from all over the world will be sharing the stage in Cleveland this summer and I am so excited. I feel so passionately about barbershop and these people represent why. Barbershop has made me a better musician, but it has certainly made me a better person.
Here’s a link to a performance of Next-Gen at HU: https://youtu.be/zB3aWlhkq_s?si=E6o5OrcGetoXu9cj
John this is an awesome experience to share. It is very important to realize that the mask we are forced to put on in many situations can come off sometimes. There are many times at which your emotions do not come into question, like when playing a sport, and opening up after being trained not to let anyone in can be difficult. It’s great to hear that there are things like this put in place to help those who are uncomfortable opening up to one another and helping them work together to overcome their own trauma and problems.
John, what a cool thing you are a part of. I love things like this where you get out of your comfort zone and grow so much because of it. The things you speak of are so deep and truly a problem we have in the world right now. I hope more men realize what you have learned and leave the toxic masculinity behind. Prism seems like such a cool new thing that you are not only a part of but truly founded. I hope that it continues to go well and Prism becomes everything the group imagined it would become. Such a cool story that you were able to share with us.
I think your involvement in a program like Prism is really admirable. I believe your willingness to step outside your comfort zone is what allowed for such a rewarding experience, and I assume you feel the same way. As you mentioned, societal standards and judgements often prevent us from being who we truly are. It’s great to hear that your involvement in Prism helped you realize and build on this passion of yours. I hope barbershop continues to help you grow as a person in the years to come.