CONTEST

High School a capella (Barbershop) Quartet Tag Contest

Contest Rules

The Quartet

1. All members of the quartet must be actively attending High School in grades 9 – 12.
2. There can be only one Teacher/Director and school listed per quartet.
3. The School District must serve one of the 9 Counties making up the Houston TX area – Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller Counties.
4. The maximum of tags submitted by one quartet is one.
5. An individual singer may be a member of only one quartet per category.
6. A school may submit entries from more than one quartet.

The Submission

1. Submit by March 22, 2024.
2. The tag must be 100% a cappella and in the barbershop style.
3. Barbershop Tag sources may include, but are not limited to:
   1. Download tags from the Barbershop Harmony Society.
   2. Download tags from Barbershop Tags.
   3. SmartPhone Apps
      1. Tag Master (iPhone/iPad, Android, and Windows Phone.
      2. Tagly (Android and iOS.
      3. Tag You’re It (Android).
      4. Goodtags (Android).
      5. OnlyTags (iOS).
4. Record the video and post the tag as an Unlisted YouTube.
5. A tag may be entered into one of three categories – Mixed, Tenor-Bass, or Treble Quartets.
6. Mastering or alteration shall not be made to the recordings, including the addition of reverb.
7. The preferred method is that the tag be recorded “live” with all four singers in the same room. 
8. Musical alterations to a tag are acceptable, so long as they conform to the barbershop style.
9. The maximum length of the tag is 45 seconds.
10. The Tidelanders will acknowledge receipt of all submissions.

The Judging

1. The tags will be judged by a panel of Tidelanders led by our Musical Director.
2. Entries will be scored on Tag Difficulty, Healthy Singing, Music Execution, Quartet Balance and Blend, and Visual Performance.
3. The judging will be “blind”. Be sure that your submission does not include any school-identifying information in their videos.
4. The decision of the judges is final.

The Winners

1. Winners will be announced on April 11, 2024.
2. Winners will be notified by email to the Director/Teacher on the Submission Form.
3. Cash will be distributed: 
   a. For Best in Category: $50 to each singer in the Quartet and $200 to the school’s music program. 
   b. For Second in Category: $25 to each singer and $100 to the school’s music program.
   c. For Best in Contest: an additional $25 to each singer and $100 to the school’s music Program.
4. The Best in Category Quartets will be invited to perform at a Tidelanders Show in the Spring of 2024.