What one chapter is doing to promote barbershop for youth

On May 31, 2002, I was fortunate enough to teach seminars in Barbershop Harmony at the annual Teen Arts Festival. The festival was held at Bergen Community College. For those of you who are not familiar with Teen Arts, it is sponsored by the Bergen Country Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs, which also gives us a grant every year.

This is an all day festival, with all different workshops taking place. There are workshops in every facet of the arts: dancing, drama, sculpting, vocal music, instrumental music, arts and crafts, etc. The kids get to choose which workshops they would like to attend.

The festival is open to all high school and junior high students in Bergen County. I conducted three workshops in Barbershop Harmony. The first one was for boys only and I had 22 guys there. The second was for girls only and there were about 10 girls who attended. The third workshop was for boys and girls and 40 students attended. They learned a few tags and then we formed quartets. The kids enjoyed themselves and I also had a great time.

I would like to give extra special thanks to Teddy Gustenhoven, Jerry van der Have and Rollie Neal for taking time out of their busy schedules to come too the workshops and sing for the kids. The enthusiasm of the kids was great. Thanks also to Pete Marchetto for bringing some of his friends to the workshop.

(Ed. note: When Mark's bulletin arrived in my mailbox and I read this article, I felt it was one that should be reprinted for the benefit of others in our Society. This is great exposure for our hobby and it is something that could be approached in every community by every chapter. I contacted the Tea-neck Chapter for additional information and the response follows.)

The Teen Arts Festival is a non-profit, joint project of Bergen County's Schools, Bergen County's Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs, Bergen Community College and Project IMPACT. Funding for this program is made possible by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs, with funding made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Bergen County Teen Arts Festival is part of a statewide multidisciplinary program in the fine and performing arts. Serving students and teachers in both public and private schools since 1969, this festival encompasses activities in dance, theater, vocal music, instrumental music, film and video, photography, creative writing and the visual arts. The students choose the workshops they would like to attend. There are many to choose from. Some schools choose to bring their entire performing groups (concert choir, concert band, etc.) to perform and be adjudicated by professional judges.

The Teen Arts Festival is usually held in early June on the campus of Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J. All high schools and junior high schools throughout Bergen County are invited to display their talent, meet with professionals in the field for critique and attend hands-on workshops or master classes.

If you need any further information, their address is: Teen Arts Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs
Bergen County Administration Building
Court Plaza South, Room 203W
21 Main Street
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone: (201) 646-2786; Fax: (201) 646-2689