• Lloyd Steinkamp, a humorist, terrific musician/arranger, and a compassionate human being. Lloyd taught me how to use humor in music to engage an audience. He also taught me that everything we do on stage is for our audience; it’s not to draw attention to the performer.
• Lou Laurel, the director of the Phoenicians in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Lou was the first man in the Society’s history to direct two different choruses to an International Championship. I model my directing after his excellent example.
• Paul Graham, the baritone of the 1968 International Quartet Champion, The Western Continentals. To this day, I try to mirror my singing and showmanship on his fine example.
• Finally, there was Phil Winston, the man who taught me the fundamentals of directing.

I knew of Phil from his International caliber quartet, the Doo Dads. However, I only got to know him when he moved to Phoenix and joined the Phoenicians. What struck you immediately about Phil Winston was not only his large presence in both body size and in stature, but his smile and impish twinkle in his eye that could light up a room.
Phil took me, an average young guy with a desire to learn how to direct, under his wing and taught me the art of directing. I remember going to his home on a regular basis in the hot Phoenix summers where Phil would teach me directing patterns – 2/4, 3/4, 4/4. I thought at the time how silly and useless this was. Phil understood my self consciousness, and told me how important it was for people to follow. Arm motions from side-to-side are easier for the chorus singer to see and respond to than arm motions from front to back. He was right, of course.

Music Appreciation 101

People may have known Phil for his many years as a Society judge. I remember him more as a quartet man. My favorite image of him is in a comedy quartet that was called Music Appreciation 101. One of my favorite bits was when tenor, Gary Steinkamp, dressed up as an airline pilot with glasses so thick that he had to squint to see out of them. Baritone Terry Aramian dressed as a barnstormer, complete with scarf, leather helmet, and toilet paper stuck to his shoe. Bass Lloyd Steinkamp was in charge of bringing in the plane on the tarmac. In one competition, he would start waving in the plane with his two flashlights before the quartet was even introduced.
Then there was flight attendant Phil with a uniform two to three sizes too small for his large frame. Here was this larger than life man willing to dress up in a silly outfit to share laughter with his audience.

OPTS, POTS, POST, SPOT, TOPS, and STOP

Another time, Music Appreciation 101 donned letter sweaters. Gary wore an “S” for Steinkamp. Terry wore a “T” for Terry. Phil wore a “P” for Phil, and Lloyd wore an “O” for oaf, ogre, or old guy, depending on his frame of mind at the time.
Throughout their songs, the quartet members would stand in various formations, spelling out different words with their sweaters. They never drew attention to what they were doing, leaving it up to the audience to finally catch up to the joke. When they finished the abrupt tag to their hilarious rendition of “Bye Bye Blues,” they would stand in order of Gary, Terry, Lloyd, and Phil, spelling out the word “STOP.” Too much!
Unfortunately, I lost touch with Phil after I moved to Denver in the mid-1980s, but his influence is always with me. Now that I know of his passing, I am reminded of what he did for me and am eternally grateful. Rest in Peace, my friend, and thank you for your willingness to help this young kid become a better man.

At this point, silence came upon the members. (I recommend this approach if talking within the ranks is a problem!) I told them that there needs to be two other things that they must do when they reach for that next breath.

ISM

There are three things that a singer should do when running out of air before the next passage. I call it the “ISM” approach. Those three things are:

• Inhale (an obvious and vital first step)
• Smile
• Move

Let’s look at all three elements.

Inhale

First, let me be perfectly clear on one point: I am talking about planned breath spots throughout your music, not catch breaths to extend a phrase. At these planned breath spots, the first thing that the singer has to do is get a full tank of air. While this is not a discussion on how to inhale properly, just remember to use an open throat and your diaphragm to fill up for that next phrase.

Smile

I use the phrase “smile through the breath,” meaning that each time a singer inhales, a smile should cross their face. Even in a tender ballad or sad passage, a warm smile can keep the tone bright. This takes a lot of practice and repetition. Remember, each time you inhale, you must smile.

Move

Finally, move your feet. This is also called a reset. This final step is the reason that this approach applies to planned breath spots in the music. You might not want movement occurring during a catch breath on a long phrase, for example. This movement adds a visual element and increased energy to the next phrase. Some guys get lock knees or cement feet. By inviting them to move each time there is a planned breath can get them into the feeling of the song.

So try it and let me and the blog readers know how it works for you. You might be surprised how a simple little “ISM” can make a whole lot of difference.

I thank all my readers for being patient with me during my time away, and hope now to get back into a more regular pattern of writing on this blog. As always, I welcome and look forward to your comments.

Good will

We wanted to recognize and honor the hard work that the directors and assistant directors put in each week to keep us all singing the barbershop style of music. So our Board decided to offer a certificate, good for two free tickets to our annual show, to every director of a barbershop chapter in our state. This included men’s barbershop chapters, as well as Sweet Adelines and Harmony Incorporated chapters. This tradition is more than “losing money” on a few tickets, it is a way of building good will among the barbershop community in our area.

We obtained the e-mail address of every chapter in Colorado and sent a letter outlining the new tradition. All the director had to do was to respond to the e-mail with their mailing address (information that is not as readily available as an e-mail address) and we would mail the certificate to them. On the day of the show, they just presented the certificate, received two free tickets with our compliments, and went in to enjoy the show.

Recognizing our guests

Do you remember the Ed Sullivan show? (I’m dating myself on this one.) During the show, Ed would point out the celebrities and dignitaries that were in the audience, and have them stand and take a bow. That’s what we did. Not only did we offer the two free tickets, but when a person cashed in a certificate, word got to the MC backstage. Just before the second half began, the tradition was mentioned and the honored guest was asked to stand and take a bow. It was a lot of fun.

While the response to this offer was less than we had hoped, it did start a buzz in the local barbershop community. Those who did take advantage of the offer sincerely appreciated the gesture. As word begins to spread, we’re anticipating more response in the years ahead.

If anyone wants to have a copy of the e-mail letter and the certificate that we sent out, write to me with your request and I will send it to you.