Great Lakes Harmony Brigade
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GLHB FAQ
updated 9/23/11
Registration
What do I get for the registration fee?
Is this a good experience for my registered quartet?
What is the Charles Rose Scholarship Program?
What happens if I have to cancel - for any reason - after having paid my fees?
Roommate
What happens if I do not want an assigned roommate?
If I pay for a single room and have someone staying with me, Can my nonparticipating roommate come to the Brigade events?
What if my wife/non-singing roommate wants to eat with the Brigade?
Hotel Info
How do I get to the hotel if I am flying in?
How do I get to the hotel if I am driving?
What is the hotel address and contact information for my wife back at home?
I have some medical issues that require keeping my meds cool. Is this service available at the hotel?
Learning Music
How do I get "practice time" with other singers going to the Brigade?
Do you have "Tips" for learning all this music up to standards?
If I can sing my part with the Learning Tape, will I meet the standards of the other singers in my quartet?
Unable to Learn Music
What if I just don't have time to learn all the songs letter perfect? or What happens if I find the music is too hard for me?
The Weekend
What is the agenda for the weekend?
What time should I arrive on Friday?
What time will we be done on Sunday?
What if I get to the brigade and find I cannot sing the songs up to the standards of my fellow quartetters?
What is the dress code for the weekend?
What is this "Brigade Shirt" requirement all about?
The Brigade
Where can I learn about the other brigades and their rules and practices?
Who are the Current Members of GLHB?
Registration
What do I get for the registration fee?
The first half of registration/deposit fee is required payment at the time your registration application is submitted. This to cover the music package which includes learning CD by the top learning track artists in our society and the charts. If your application is accepted and the music package is mailed to you this fee is not reimbursable in case of cancellation. Naturally, if you are not accepted for participation the money will be immediately refunded.
The balance of payment, required to be paid at least 2 weeks in advance of the brigade weekend, covers five meals at the hotel and your double room. Meals covered by the package are Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast.
Single room surcharges and the cost of a brigade shirt for new brigaders is extra above the registration fee and is refundable only in the case of cancellation in time to prevent the brigade from incurring this cost. Each reimbursement for these costs is individually adjudicated.
Amounts of these fees can be found on the Registration page.
Is this a good experience for my registered quartet?
While the brigade weekend is all about singing with many other guys who you have never sung with before (and this happens literally hundreds of times during the weekend) there is no doubt that your registered quartet participating within this framework will come away with not only a renewed set of skills for singing together but also with a instant new repertoire of 10 or 11 songs that you will be immediately be able to sing at a competition level.
Several chapters who have sent all four parts to a brigade who are not in an established quartet have found a high quality new quartet immediately in their midst and use them on shows singing at a far higher quality level than otherwise might have ever been expected.
What is the Charles Rose Scholarship Program?
The first contribution to Charles Rose Scholarship fund was made by the man whose name sits on the fund title. Many other Great Lakes Harmony Brigade singers have since contributed to this fund, and continue to do so every year. Charles Rose is also the creator of the Extreme Quartetting Brigade Weekend concept in North Carolina back in 1991. The fund is intended to assist qualified singers who otherwise could not afford to come to a Brigade weekend to participate.
Please go to the explanation of the scholarship, what it is intended for and how to apply for financial assistance which is found on the Participants Area of our web site.
What happens if I have to cancel - for any reason - after having paid my fees?
You should withdraw from the brigade in writing to Bill McAndrew (Membership Chairman) Bill.McAndrew24@gmail.com
The half payment of registration/deposit fee is non-refundable and you keep your music If you have received a shirt that is also non refundable. If you do not have your shirt yet that money can be refunded.
The final half of registration fee, if already paid, is refundable up to 3 days (72 hours) in advance of the event start. After that time is it not refundable.
Roommate
What happens if I do not want an assigned roommate?
All rooms are doubles unless you elect to pay for a single (includes bringing your own non-singing partner.)
Please note that a single room (with or without a non-singing partner) is an extra charge. Please see the registration form for this years single room charge.
If I pay for a single room and have someone staying with me, Can my nonparticipating roommate come to the Brigade events?
Friday night contest - no
Meals - no
Saturday night show - yes, if they buy a ticket
Saturday night afterglow - yes, food and drink should be paid for that evening.
What if my wife/non-singing roommate wants to eat with the Brigade?
Meals are for Brigade Participants only.
Hotel Info
How do I get to the hotel if I am flying in?
If you're flying in to Lansing we can usually arrange to have you picked up and returned to the airport but, you must tell us you're coming! If you're flying into Detroit or any other airport let us know and we will help you attempt to contact other Brigaders in those areas to see if you can hook up for a ride. Please arrange to arrive early enough so those who are meeting you can also arrive early enough to take part in the singing before dinner and the evening contest begins. Send your email to George Jackson Jr. (george.jackson@outlook.com).
How do I get to the hotel if I am driving?
a. The address is 2187 University Park Drive, Okemos, MI 48664 plug it into GPS.
b. Okemos, Mi is located just south of E. Lansing, Mi and just east of where US-127 and I-96 meet. The Convention Center is located just north of exit 110 on Okemos Rd. Don't turn into the bank driveway! When you pull in to the hotel, stay to the right and go all the way to the back of the hotel where we will be meeting.
c. According to the Okemos Convention Center driving directions on their web site:
Driving in from the west (Chicago, Iowa, Nebraska etc.) take I-94 to either I-69 just past Battle Creek or US-127 at Jackson, Mi. Go north toward Lansing. When you get to I-96 go E to exit 110.
Coming in from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana...I-65 N to Indy where you'll meet up with I-69. Take I-69 N to I-96; go east toward Detroit and past US-127 to exit 110.
Coming in from New York, Ohio, North Carolina etc. Take M-23 at Maumee, OH north to I-96. Take the left exit toward Lansing and exit at 110 at Okemos.
Driving in from Ontario, Canada or New York. Take the 401 or 402 and cross into Michigan at Detroit or Sarnia. If Detroit take I-96 toward Lansing and exit 110 at Okemos. If Sarnia take I-69 through Flint to Lansing. Take US-127 S to I-96 E toward Detroit. Okemos will be at exit 110.
What is the hotel address and contact information for my wife back at home?
a. The brigade event is held at the Okemos Conference Center, c. 2187 University Park Drive, Okemos, MI 48664; d. Phone: (517) 381-7500.
c. Hotel web site: http://www.okemosconferencecenter.com/
I have some medical issues that require keeping my meds cool. Is this service available at the hotel?
Contact George Jackson Jr. (george.jackson@outlook.com). He coordinates rooms to have refrigerators for the handful of guests that are insulin dependent. There are a limited number of these rooms and it is our intention to maximize the use of these when possible.
Learning Music
How do I get "practice time" with other singers going to the Brigade?
Throughout the brigade practice time, from about the middle of December through May, various participants offer to host practice events at their homes. These offers are communicated through the Brigade news-group to all registered participants so anyone interested is informed and can participate.
Do you have "Tips" for learning all this music up to standards?
Please go to the Participants Area on our web site and click on the "Learning Tips and Tools" link. You will find quite a number of tested resources that will help you learn your music. Of particular value is a document in the "literature" listing (towards the bottom of the list of resources), called "How To Learn Your Music, by Duane Henry".
If I can sing my part with the Learning Tape, will I meet the standards of the other singers in my quartet?
There is no hard and fast rule as to how you can know if you can "meet the standards" other than singing your part on all the songs with three other guys. Having said that, some of us use the following three guide posts to measure our learning process:
First - can you sing the song, off the charts with the balanced rendition of the learning tape?
Second - can you sing your part without the learning tape - just solo - record it and is it letter perfect (words, notes, breaths and interp) when you play it back?
Third - can you sing it with three other parts, keeping your place, not losing your place or stumbling when others make mistakes?
When you get to the third level, you are ready for the brigade weekend - not before.
Unable to Learn Music
What if I just don't have time to learn all the songs letter perfect? or What happens if I find the music is too hard for me?
You should withdraw from the brigade in writing to Bill McAndrew (Membership Chairman) Bill.McAndrew24@gmail.com .
Being unprepared is not an option, but lets be clear. You have no idea which three other guys you'll be matched with for the Friday evening contest, so your job is simply to COME PREPARED. You will also sing in a chorus of over 100 good solid singers which can be the highlight of the weekend for many; however the chorus is not what the Brigade is all about. It's about making new friends, adding joy to those singing with you, and singing in one more quartet. That's why being unprepared is NOT an option.
Every brigade has adopted procedures to insure that singers who do not or cannot hold up their end of the bargain are not admitted or not asked back. The quality of any brigade experience is totally dependant on every singer being able to add value to every one of the many quartets he will sing with during the weekend. This allows us to continue to present the highest value singing experience to all participants.
The Weekend
What is the agenda for the weekend?
Please see the weekend agenda on the Participants Area of our web site. It is also listed in the first few pages of the music package that is sent to you after you have been accepted to participate and paid your registration deposit.
What time should I arrive on Friday?
Plan to arrive between 3 and 5 pm on Friday
What time will we be done on Sunday?
After breakfast - there are no activities scheduled on Sunday
What if I get to the brigade and find I cannot sing the songs up to the standards of my fellow quartetters?
You may be "fired" by your Friday night quartet members if you cannot carry your own part during the contest preparation time, at which time you may voluntarily withdraw with no refund.
You might not be invited back next year.
What is the dress code for the weekend?
Appropriate dress for the weekend is casual except for the Saturday evening show uniform, which is black slacks, black shoes and sox and your Brigade shirt.
What is this "Brigade Shirt" requirement all about?
Everyone who sings on the Saturday evening show must have a Brigade shirt, black slacks and black sox and black shoes; no exceptions. If you are a first time guest and provided your shirt size when you registered, you will receive your shirt at the weekend rally. If you did not pay for your shirt when you registered you will be expected to pay for it when you pay the balance of your registration fee.
The Brigade
Where can I learn about the other brigades and their rules and practices?
Go to
www.harmonybrigade.org
and click on any of the tabs that show the other brigades or check out
Harmony Brigade FAQ
.
Who are the Current Members of GLHB?
Go to
Current Members List
. We appreciate all of these men and their dedication to keeping GLHB going.
Harmony Brigade FAQ
.
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Webmaster
.
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