THE HISTORY OF BARBERSHOP

An in-depth look at the barbershop art form, its history, how it formed, and how it continues to evolve even today. His class combines many years of extensive research with his own experience with singing barbershop to craft a presentation that’s both entertaining and enlightening.

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ARRANGING

David Wright teaches arranging in vocal harmony at any level - from beginning to advanced.

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CHALLENGES FACED BY AN ARRANGER

Using his arrangements and those of other arrangers as examples, this class deals with obstacles and challenges in creating a successful and singable piece of music.

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THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ROOTS OF BARBERSHOP AND WHY IT MATTERS

A groundbreaking presentation by Dr. David Wright tracing the indisputable roots of the barbershop style to African-American singers. Building on the original research of Lynn Abbott, Tulane University.

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE BARBERSHOP STYLE

From the early quartets to the current day, the sound has changed.  Participate and enjoy the selections of old and new quartets that changed our ears and eyes to become the barbershop music that we do today.

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MATHEMATICS AND MUSIC

Based on his experience as a mathematician and a musician,  David Wright shows many interactions and synergies between these two subjects. 

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LOUIS ARMSTRONG, NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND BARBERSHOP HARMONY

It is a well-known fact that the early greats of New Orleans jazz, including Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, and Jelly Roll Morton, sang in quartets prior to picking up the horn. Recent research by British jazz historian Vic Hobson shows convincingly that their barbershop harmonizing influenced their playing. We will discuss these links and the likely role of barbershop harmony in igniting the birth of jazz in the early 20th century.

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