thanks carl :) it was such a great weekend, and one of the most memorable for a while. the thing I will remember most was the audience reaction we get when we do it right. on the show and in the afterglow on the saturday, we put together what we had been taught and we did it well, and for me this is the best motivation you can get for doing what we know we can do, all of the time.

i will also take away the fact that i sing in the most superior section of the chorus :P

al x

I really like what you're saying Carl, and I hope that most, if not all the people on the risers this weekend feel exactly the same way.

I love the standard of barbershop that our chorus can produce when we put our minds to it - if you haven't taken the chance to step off the risers to listen to the chorus out front yet, then I would really recommend it to hear just how good we actually are. It can sometimes feel a bit strenuous if you work so hard but have no way to sample the fruits of your labour...

That's why I'd like to second what Al said about the reaction we get from an audience every time we sing - we do it well, and they love it (especially the basses...) and so we must keep it up and only aim to better our standard of singing over the next year.

I want to extend a personal thank you to Rob, Timm, Dunc (and latterly, Andy :D ) for working so hard, and with such passion and dedication. We truely wouldn't be where we are today without them.

Similarly, I have enormous praise for Mike Lofthouse, Bill Harvey, Alan Goldsmith and Phil Mobsby and all the other people who work so hard (and I mean really bloody hard) to get everything we do running so smoothly - I really do think some kind of cake is in order :D

Personally, this has been my first (of many) harmony college(s) and it has been one of the best barbershop weekends I've ever had. I'm going to take away so many happy memories and new skills, and I only hope I can retain them as long as possible - my memory's pants.

Special congratulations are in order for Ian and Dave, our two newest members, it looked like they enjoyed every bit of the weekend just as much as everybody else, always getting involved and having fun.

So let's get ready for our next rehearsal on September 30th, in Birmingham.

Can't wait to show those girls at the Ivy League just how far we've raised the bar :D

Thanks for a great weekend to everyone who made my first harmony college so great!

Death to Tenors! Pitch-pipes at dawn!

I will try to keep this short, but this may be impossible.

My life has changed... i now feel the chords running through the blood and my poor children have now been blessed with growing up in a barbershop family (can't wait to embarrass them in front of their friends when they come round for tea!) the lucky wee blighters!

I, like the rest of you i'm sure, am still totally buzzing from the experience, and am still hearing chords come out of nowhere, like the distant hum from the cars passing outside, or the telly in the next room.

Thank you so much everyone for making me feel so welcome, like a brother right from the start. i feel so lucky to have found you all, an amazing group of young men with such passion. Rob, (this is a picture of you) it was a joy to watch you work, you are obviously such an inspiration to us all. Timm and Dunc, you taught me so much about my voice i feel like a completely new singer. I've learnt so much, it's going to be hard to put my finger on one thing that stood out for me.

the performance is certainly up there. strait after i had to phone my wife but she could barely understand a word i was saying cos (don't tell anyone, they might think i'm not manly, but) i was blubbing so much with the emotion. But i think that the best thing was just really feeling part of the fold and getting to know so many lovely blokes. to those of you who i didn't quite manage to chat with much, i look forward to doing so in the future. you have been warned.

thank you all so much, it's been emotional. much love and respect, dave x

Hey guys... hope everyone's survived the landing back down to Earth after an absolutely cracking weekend! The memory bank is well and truely full of some great memories... i'm even questioning if some are true or just down to sleep deprivation (e.g. army chanting around campus - a belting memory).

A favourite memory from the weekend has to be that of such a warm welcome into a great bunch of guys. After the weekend, i'm amazed at how people I could swear I've known for years. My learning curve over the weekend has been huge... one aspect being the importance of team spirit in a chorus, an element that the Youth Chorus does second to none. Our team spirit off stage was also commented on as being more than present on stage, in our sound, presentation and generally our shared ambition to be the best! This atmosphere has been built through our appreciation of the best educating and leadership team around.

Thanks guys for allowing me to be a proud member of a proud team.

High five and good times

Dale.