Harmony College Northwest 2026

Relax, breathe, stretch, and calm performance anxiety! This yoga class compliments the ideas and practices touched on in my other class, "What's Behind a Powerful Performance?"  We will focus on poses to help you get in touch with your breath, create space and ease in your body and increase alignment both physically and energetically to prepare your instrument for the best performance possible! Dress comfortably and feel to bring a mat or small blanket if you wish. All levels of experience and abilities are welcome! Chairs and modifications will be available so you can relax comfortably!

Move over choreography, organic movement is the new kid in town! Give your ensemble a break from fear-inducing moves that create stress and negatively affect singing; introduce movement invitations that honour individuality, encourage creativity, and lean on improv rather than memorization.

Learning Outcomes:
-identify three organizing principles of organic movement
-design improv invitations instead of choreography
-see and do organic movement in groups

On your voyage of marvelous barbershop harmonies, every singer needs to physically present yourself on stage to tell the story of your songs. In this class, we will learn many ways of moving your ‘ship’ in a quartet or a chorus to enhance your physical expression for terrific storytelling!

The class gives you insight on how to conduct yourself while being the spokesperson for the quartet, or keeping the audience interested and engaged while talking between groups during a contest or show!

This session will allow us to rid ourselves of the fears of singing in any situation and only leaving just enough excitement to make it fun!  It is so freeing to discover that our fears are based on flawed logic and inaccurate assumptions about what audiences are actually thinking.  Join this interactive class and free yourself to sing and perform at higher levels like never before!

We talk about trying to "connect with the audience" from the stage but what does that really mean? You know it when you feel it yet it's hard to describe what's actually happening in that magical moment. Explore the history of music and performance from the earliest human cultures through the lens of how it has shaped the way we connect as humans over the ages. Western science and thousands of years of religious traditions from all over the world have all demonstrated the benefits of singing together and for one another. Here, we will learn to amplify this power with breathwork, movement, meditation and playful dramatic exercises. Feel the difference for yourself as we build skills together to create powerful performances and even help us cultivate compassion as individuals and communities alike. Dress comfortably and be ready to let loose and have some fun a we learn and work together!

Singing changes lives and it does so on an emotional level. Therefore, our emotional literacy is directly tied to our ability to deliver impactful, meaningful performances. In this session, we will practice cultivating our emotional literacy and discernment skills to create authentic connections that touch audiences. This is an interactive, introductory course, open to anyone who has feelings. :)

Move over choreography, organic movement is the new kid in town! Give your ensemble a break from fear-inducing moves that create stress and negatively affect singing; introduce movement invitations that honour individuality, encourage creativity, and lean on improv rather than memorization.

Learning Outcomes:
-identify three organizing principles of organic movement
-design improv invitations instead of choreography
-see and do organic movement in groups

So, you're thinking about performing a comedy routine, eh? Are you clever and witty? Do you like dressing up? Can you speak clearly into a microphone? Can you sing well, move, AND deliver funny lines all at the same time? Come along then, and let's do this! Up to Something quartet members can help you get started. Beware, developing a 10-minute skit is a long more work than perfecting 2 songs. All you need is an idea, and undying dedicationg to process, a lot of extra time to learn dialogue, thematic costumes and potential costume changes, a few good songs, non-lethal props, and off you go!

This class is interactive with any and all suggestions being considered. UTS members will explain the process they've used for 10 years and give specific examples. Then, in small groups, y'all come up with something on your own. Bring a hat or prop, just for fun. Come prepared to to stretch your imagination and dive into the world of puns, sight gags, and the unexpected with Amy, Deb, Denise, and B Gail leading the way.

An interactive workshop where you explore practical performance techniques, and discover how to bring them to life through barbershop