They don’t call her “the Queen Maker” for nothing! Jean Barford is one of Sweet Adelines’ most sought after coaches. She’s a Queen of Harmony herself, having won the SAI Quartet Chamopionship as tenor of “Sounds of Music” quartet in 1974. She was long time Master Director of Gem City chorus, leading them to five Gold Medal wins. She is a respected judge, and a busy coach for quartets and choruses. She has coached countless quartets into the SAI Top 10, and is the driving force behind many of the SAI Quartet Queens of Harmony.
So we were thrilled to have an opportunity to be coached by Jean while she was in town recently. We had a two hour session with her, and worked on our music for the upcoming quartet contest in Houston. Jean helped us with some vocal production improvement, synchronization, and with some new ways to find energy and excitement in the songs.
Now the task at hand is to listen to the recordings of the sessions, rehearse the techniques and changes that we worked on, and keep onward and upward in the improvement of our craft. One of the things Jean does best is to give the singers tools that can be used themselves, without having a coach around. So we can continue the process of discovery and improvement on our own.
Thank you, Jean, for the great coaching session. We hope we’ll be able to see you again soon!
Sounds wonderful. i love you guys, but i only hear good stuff. I’ve not heard syncronization errors. Maybe it’s because I’m grinning so wide I can’t hear ’em!
Wow – that sounds awesome! And so fitting for you awesome ladies. Thanks for being an inspiration, I love your commitment to being the best that you can be.