Classes with Patty Cobb Baker:  

From Note to Chord: The Secret Life of Vertical Harmony When singing barbershop, do you know how your note relates to the other three? Barbershop harmony is built entirely on how notes relate inside a chord. This class explores the importance of pure tuning, specific interval roles, precise balance, and more. (And it’s not just for baritones!)

One Song, One Story: Mastering Unity in Barbershop Vocal and Visual Performance Learn how to unite your ensemble so every voice, expression, and movement supports the same story. Gain practical techniques while learning to build true unity in all aspects of barbershop performance — shared intention, matched vocal production, aligned musical choices, and coordinated visual delivery. 

Mastering Vocal Energy: The Key to Better EVERYTHING! Unleash incredible vocal performances by learning to harness emotion-driven vocal energy as the fuel for dynamic singing! This class blends physiology, artistry, and practical skill-building to help you unlock your most expressive, energetic, and empowered voice. Show up ready to breathe deeply, explore boldly, and sing like never before!

Healthy Habits for Healthy Singing This class will explore best practices for a healthy voice and beautiful singing. We will touch on the care and feeding of the aging voice, and also discuss unconscious things we might be doing that can sabotage our vocal health and sound production.

“Surrounded by Idiots: How to Understand Those Who Cannot Be Understood.” This class, based on the book of the same name by Thomas Erikson, is for anyone who has ever felt frustrated or confused by other people’s behavior. It explores four types of human behavior and gives you a framework to decode it. Even more importantly, this class will help you learn to approach those relationships with empathy and strategy instead of frustration…and ensure the idiot out there isn’t you!

Growing to Serve: The Path to Leadership What skills do you need to lead others as a director, a team leader, an RMT member, or an international board member? Past International President Patty Cobb Baker will explore the skills needed to be successful in your leadership endeavors and give you guidance on how to develop them even further. Get ready to step on the leadership ladder and climb as high as you like! 

Classes with Peggy Gram: 

Unity Unity is central to all four judging categories and essential to strong musical and visual performance. This session explores what unity really means — and how to build it administratively and musically to create a more cohesive, successful group.

Characterization Characterization is the process authors use to create and reveal a character’s personality, traits, and motivations. As performers, we have just a few minutes to convey characterization to our audiences. Come explore paths to creating that magical connection!

Tempo, Pulse, and Rhythms Tempo, pulse, and rhythm are the map of our music, telling us how fast we’ll go, when we’ll slow down, how long we’ll stay, when we’ll stop to rest, and when we’ll just stop. So why do some of our bodies immediately stiffen up when we start counting the rhythm? Let’s make it fun — and easier to learn!

“What to Say When You Talk To Yourself” Using the book by the same name, we will discuss the things that we say to ourselves and how they affect our lives and relationships. Then, we’ll explore ways to improve what we say to ourselves. Consider it spring cleaning for your mind! 

Why Is This Song So Difficult? (& What Can I Do to Make It Doable for Me?) Some songs just feel impossible. This session breaks down tricky part lines and shows you how to navigate them, sing in tempo, and make them sound easy — building confidence, stronger skills, and happier quartet mates and directors along the way.

Authenticity We strive to be our authentic selves, understanding and embracing our personal core values in all aspects of our lives. As ensemble performers, sometimes we find ourselves in vulnerable situations that make it difficult to identify with or convey the meaning of a song’s lyrics. This class will explore ways to navigate these scenarios while maintaining authenticity.

Our 2026 Queens’ College Faculty is International Quartet Champion Mary Rhea, baritone of Zing! (2010) and Sweet Adelines International President. 

Let the Music Lead You Discover how the arrangement of a song reveals phrasing, emotion, and intention. Find the musical gems that shape interpretation and make your quartet’s performance shine! Quartets are welcome to bring arrangements

There’s a Story in Those Words Every word the lyricist chooses shapes the emotional message of a song. Explore how lyric choices, rhyme patterns, and word sounds create meaning and emotion. Learn to let the text guide your storytelling to create an authentic, compelling performance. 

Effective Quartet Rehearsals (with 2026 International Champion Quartet, Dynasty) Our current champion quartet will share ideas to make your rehearsals efficient, effective, and joyful. Topics include rehearsal planning, warmups, duetting/trios, and quartet communication.

Harmony On Stage and Off Learn how to build a quartet culture that supports trust, joy, healthy communication, and longevity. Explore agreements, habits, and interpersonal skills that keep your ensemble thriving! 

Let Me Entertain You Open the door to a new level of creativity by learning how to design an effective Open Division or Entertainment Package from the ground up. Gain practical strategies for storytelling, staging, character work, transitions, and audience engagement.

Reach Your Audience Learn how to engage the audience as an active part of your performance, inviting them into the story and emotion. Discover ways that character and intention turn listeners into participants.