Well, actually it’s something I’d always wanted to have a go at. (I sing in a trio - one too few for Barbershop. Any arrangements I’ve attempted have not been successful and consequently abandoned.)

You’ve probably guessed the next question - would I like to, and be willing to, lead the group? Of course I said yes.

So, in February, having got the OK from the area organiser, we went about finding a room in a local Methodist Church for our Friday afternoon session- what would we do without places such as these?
I was able to buy some scores with a generous grant from the U3A as I did not want to use illegal copies. The first few weeks were a big learning curve for us all but we persevered. We have from six to ten singers (now up to 20)– however many turn up we always have a great time.
Some of our members had had mixed-voice or male voice choir experience- others none at all. Now we have “tuned in” to what “Barbershopping” is all about the hard work is paying off after just a couple of months. I am very new to U3A and have thoroughly enjoyed the last 9 weeks for the friendship, fun and team work . We have even been asked to do a “turn” at the AGM in May- our first gig!

July 2003

Now is a good time to come and see whether you’d like to join a different kind of singing group. Cheadle U3A’s singing group, “Not Strictly Barbershop," has had another busy twelve months. Our sessions are full of fun, at the same time the 30 strong group work hard as a team to get to the standard that we have achieved after 7 years. We are a mixed voice group who love to sing in the Barbershop Style as well as close harmony arrangements, and even a bit of Bach!

We are booked up for 3 gigs in the autumn this year and the diary is nearly full for 2011. We sing at after dinner events, concerts and for groups such as Probus and local WI. Last year’s highlight was singing “live” on BBC Radio Stoke. To add variety to our programme we also include short sketches.

Interested then don’t you come along to our 2 special taster sessions at Blythe Bridge Methodist Church on Fridays August 6th and 20th between 1 and 3pm.

We have had six more members this year, making 30 altogether. However, we are still open to include more members especially basses.

We meet weekly throughout most of the year scaling down to once a fortnight between May and September. This is a good time to introduce new members and to learn new music. We have about 6-8 gigs a year singing at after dinner events and for groups such as Probus and local WI. We also add variety and include a couple of short sketches to our longer programmes.

In October 2009 we sang at Wolstanton United Reform Church with another local group the Alton Handbell Ringers. This included a joint item, “As Long as I have Music” which was specially arranged by the two musical directors, Sarah and Wendy.

In the autumn we were followed around by BBC’s Radio Stoke Rob Adcock and appeared regularly on Mary Fox’s early evening “Drive-time Show”. We finished the year in a very exciting, and nerve wracking, way when we sang four Christmas songs live “on air” on December 23rd! We have a live performance recording on “You Tube”. (just type in our name in the website’s search box)

Not Strictly Barbershop has, once again, had another busy twelve months. We are proud to wear our new uniform thanks to the generosity of Cheadle U3A. We have grown in size to 27 members, however, we are still on the lookout for more basses and altos.

We had a couple of summer sessions where we worked on some new sketches and music to include in our concerts as well as 2 open sessions to encourage new members to take part.

'Not Strictly Barbershop' has had a busy twelve months once again. After the AGM last year we had a short break and then resumed on a fornightly programme into the summer months singing at Freehay Summer Fete at the end of July. We gained 6 new members after a recruitment drive in August where we had two “open sessions” to encourage people to “come and see what we do and try it out.

In the Autumn we sang at Ellastone’s harvest supper, and for Denstone’s WI. In December we organised a concert with The Alton Handbell Ringers and raised over £800 for The North Staffs Special Adventure Playground. Our last gig of the year was for the North Staffordshire Conservative Ladies Luncheon Club at Stone.

In December some of our members went to the Victoria Hall to hear the fantastic, inspiring award winning barber shop choir “The Cambridge Chord Company”.

By the time of the AGM in May 2007 we shall be halfway through our 5th year. Time goes so fast when you’re enjoying yourselves!

It’s been another busy year with 3 gigs and the U3A Experience before Christmas. 2007 started with planning and preparation for a Music Hall engagement at Checkley, the Cheadle Arts Festival, both at the end of March and the AGM in May.

We have also started learning some new arrangements of much more modern music that of the 1950’s and 60’s!

In April we anticipate a great evening out at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre when we go to see a concert featuring three talented barbershop groups– the Telfordaires, The Sound of the Spire and the UK Barbershop Gold Medallists, Pitch Invasion.

There was certainly a wide variety of acts from Hip Hop to ballet, instrumental and singing solos, to a group sketch and Geoff Spooner’s “Sounds of Music”, a Rule Britannia sing a long with flags and, lastly our own Cheadle U3A group “Not Strictly Barbershop”. All of whom were received with great appreciation from a capacity audience.

In a week-long festival Cheadle became the centre of art exhibitions, workshops, parades and performances all from local artistes including Cheadle U3A members. The visual artists exhibited in a Gallery in the High Street shops and The Guildhall. "Not Strictly Barbershop” took part by travelling around Cheadle on the last Saturday morning singing to the shoppers in Somerfield, Netto, in and out of the Market and the library finishing in a grand finale at The Guildhall along with dancers and Churnet Valley Male Voice Choir. What a thoroughly enjoyable day for all involved!

“Not Strictly Barbershop” went to see “real” Barbershop singing at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on Sat April 21st! Organised by the Inner Wheel Club of Stafford, this performance included a master class on the playing of the Jews Harp (If you would like to know more about that see Stan from our Barbershop Group. If you ask him nicely he might even give you a short demo!!) the all male group “The Telfordaires”, an all female group from Coventry “Belles of Three Spires”, the ladies quartet “Fizz”, in their first public performance and the absolutely brilliant male quartet “Pitch Invasion”.

Visitors were then invited to wander around and view the displays and demos of Art, various craft work, calligraphy as well as speak to leaders of the walking groups and language classes, etc. The Barbershop went on to run a half hour workshop in which our new members joined us. We also had one lady try it out there and then!

We sang a couple of "nearly ready to perform" numbers and rehearsed 2 new Christmas Songs.

Well, here we are after three and a half years with eighteen members and growing from strength to strength. As the saying goes, “Success breeds success!” The consequences of this is that we have been inundated with requests for us to perform, some of which we have had to decline, as a happy balance must be found between showing off what we can do, learning new pieces and still ENJOY it at the same time!! I know I can say that everyone in the group really look forward to Friday afternoons with great gusto and enthusiasm!

After the rousing reception and success of the Cheadle U3A Bring and Share evening we have two new members husband and wife tenor and soprano! We would like to welcome them and hope they will enjoy their stay with us. I also have an inkling that in September we will have a new soprano and a new alto.

By the time of this year’s AGM in May 2005 “Not Strictly Barbershop” will have completed two and a half years of close harmony under the direction of Sarah Williams. At the time of writing we have 15 members on the register.

The last twelve months has been our most busiest as regards to performances — two in October for Cheadle WI and The Sixth Form Centre; two Christmassy after dinner events in December at The Manor, Cheadle and The Masonic Hall in Stoke for which we had to learn new music with a seasonal flavour in six sessions.

2005 started off with a bang learning more new pieces as well as brushing up on programmes for the February meeting of the Blythe Bridge Senior Citizen’s Group Christmassy after dinner events , the annual dinner for The Etruscan Choral Society at The George VI Club in Hanley and Alton Church’s fund raising cheese and wine evening in April.

Our final event for the 2004/5 season is our contribution to the proceedings at the AGM today.

There have been several reports about the lack of VE Day celebrations locally and nationally. Indeed the Sentinel only listed four events in our area. One smaller event listed, which might have been dismissed by some, was a Concert at Northwood Parish Hall, Hanley, with performances by The Northwood Singers and guests.

Well, as you have probably guessed one group invited back to perform, after a rousing reception last year, was our very own “Not Strictly Barbershop” with two 15 minute slots which included some party pieces!

Wow what a night! The hall, suitably decked out with flags and bunting, was full to bursting, extra chairs were brought in at the last minute as ticket sales soared. The audience picked up on the opportunity to dress up for the occasion and there was a prize for the best fancy dress. The second half of the evening picked up pace with an American Medley of War-time songs featuring a local ladies trio, “Bel Canto”, including The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.

In the grand finale, flags appeared amongst the audience (where had they hidden them, the rest of the evening I’d like to know!) and everyone joined in with songs such as We’ll meet again, A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square and Run Rabbit Run. It all ended like a mini last night of the Proms singing Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory with the audience wanting more!

Wow! what an evening we had! The food and wine flowed freely but the entertainment was something else!

The main act of the evening was The Gill Harvey Dancers (much admired by the male section of the barbershop group!!). Their six very different dances included tap, latin American, modern stage and the most exciting finale ever was their version of Riverdance. Interspersed were two cultural Bach ‘cello solos from village lass, Sarah Madsen, who studies at the Northern College of Music, a spot from the local junior hand bell ringers – The A minors and two fifteen minute spots (including two short sketches) from our U3A’s very own “Not Strictly Barbershop” group. Who, incidentally, seemed to have acquired quite a few “groupies” and must have won quite a few more with their excellent contribution to the night!

The first few weeks were a big learning curve as we “tuned in” to what “Barbershopping” was all about. The hard work started to pay off and after just a couple of months we were making a reasonable sound. We did our first gig at the 2003 AGM!

In November we took part in the “Cheadle U3A Experience Day” in the form of two workshop sessions and as a result we attracted some new members.

To gain a wider experience of Barbershop genre we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening when we went to see “Close Harmony Bonanza” at Whitchurch in January. (see the magazine “In Touch” for a full report)

We (the Barbershop Group) thoroughly enjoyed the whole “experience”. It was so nice to show off what we have been doing through the workshop, and not be under too much pressure to “perform”. It was also the first time we’d put some movement to the music - in public! I’ve had quite a few enquiries from interested parties. So hopefully, we shall have some new recruits. Which is what the day was all about.

“Barbershop singers adjust pitches to achieve perfectly tuned chords.” (do they?!)

“Properly tuned barbershop chords are congruent with the physics of sound.” (?)

“It has rhythmic interest as an important and vital part of an uptune.” (a what?)

“It is difficult to perform because it requires great vocal skill and is usually sung by amateur singers.” (just what are they trying to say?!)

“The presentation of barbershop music uses appropriate musical and visual methods to convey the theme of the song and provide the audience with an emotionally satisfying and entertaining experience.”

“You can’t do it alone” (you certainly can’t!)

To gain a wider experience of “Barbershopping” a party of 16 singers and supporters from our very own Cheadle U3A Barbershop Group went to see a concert at the Civic Centre in Whitchurch on Saturday 24th January.

The show was organised as a fund-raising activity to support “Soundcrew”, the current UK Men’s Champion Quartet, on their trip to Louisville, Kentucky later on this year. They will represent The British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) in the International Barbershop Competition hosted by the American Barbershop Association known as SPEBSQSA.

We were entertained by no less than 6 singing groups –varying in ages and choir size from all male and all female quartets, including two from Holland, the 25 members of ”The Telfordaires”, to the 80+ members of the current Euro’ and UK Champion Ladies Choir, the dazzling Cheshire Chord Company.

At the top of the bill were “Soundcrew” who take the whole performance/experience thing one step further on by adding comedy. It was plain to see why they are the best in the UK. They brought the house down with routines such as the “nervous quartet” and the “drunk” and “ego” packages.

Overall, their sense of commitment and enjoyment were apparent in their totally professional performances. Many of our party hadn’t seen this type of performance before and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Barbershop Singing has certainly developed a lot since its conception. There wasn’t a straw hat or a striped apron in sight!

Entertainment at the Cheadle U3A AGM on May 5th was provided by the thriving singing group "Not Strictly Barbershop". This very accomplished ensemble led by Sarah Williams has already begun to spread their wings with their first public appearance, after only one year of singing together, at Northwood Parish Hall in March 2004.

Their new session starts on September 10th 2004. New members are welcome.

“Barbershop music, with its close, unaccompanied, four part harmonies, is a unique American folk art. It was taking form between 1860 and 1920. In the early years, singers would improvise the harmonies but when the printing press was adapted to produce musical notation, there was further advancement of the barbershop idiom. At the turn of the century, amateur singers, mainly men, were often heard singing improvised barbershop harmonies at parties and picnics. Minstrel shows often featured barbershop quartets. The influence of barbershop music on other popular forms of singing is profound. "Old Blue Eyes" himself, the great Frank Sinatra, sang in a barbershop quartet before he became famous as a singer with the Tommy Dorsey band. The vocal quartets of bands such as Dorsey's and Glenn Miller's were also greatly influenced by the barbershop style. In the latter half of the 20th century, the close harmony style has been the hallmark of "pop" and jazz groups such as the Beach Boys, The Four Seasons and the Four Freshmen. True barbershop lives on however, kept alive by dedicated barbershop choruses, groups and organisations that include Sweet Adelines International and its individual members”.

Group leaders give up their time to teach a variety of activities. Current Annual fee is £7 with £1 for each activity you attend.

Over 50 group activities for 2010/11 include languages, walking, crafts, Country Dancing, Keep Fit, painting, guitars, sugar craft, calligraphy, cinema holidays, trips and much, MUCH more!

It was as I investigated joining the UK national association of Barbershop Singers (BBSA) when it was pointed out to me that we weren't really strictly Barbershop as we were a mixed group of men and women, the name "Not Strictly Barbershop" came to me and was adopted by the group.

October 2003