MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- A blast of notes wafts through the air and echoes off the walls of the rehearsal room, eventually melding into sweet-sounding melodies.
Such is the start of an average, weekly rehearsal for the Harbormasters, Beaufort's local chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
The society, which has grown to become a worldwide organization, brings together men of all ages and backgrounds who love to sing. It celebrates the ol' time acappella melodies (singing without the assistance of background music) associated with the stereotypical barbershop quartet, said Hal McCann, a retired educator and Harbormasters' secretary.
"I just love acappella singing," said McCann. "It's fun for the ones doing it and fun for the ones it is done for."
Among the group's members are several retired service members and a few active ones as well, including Col. Joseph Wingard, the Depot's installation logistics officer.
Wingard joined the Harbormasters last year after a friend convinced him to attend a rehearsal and has been a regular member for almost nine months.
"I didn't think I was talented or good enough, but I thought I would try," said Wingard. "Boy, I tell you, I love it now."
Wingard sticks with the program not only for the camaraderie within the chorus, but also to keep a quickly-fading aspect of the Marine Corps he once knew.
"I feel like the Marine Corps has gotten away from singing," said Wingard. "It kind of worries me that singing in the military is seen as too feminine [for male service members to do]. Anything we can do to change that is good."
The Harbormasters, a non-profit, self-sustaining organization, began in the fall of 1998. The group's founder and first director, Peter Stevens, placed an ad in a local newspaper for all "willing men who enjoy singing" to meet at the Spirit of Old Beaufort, a shop in downtown Beaufort, said Darryl Poovey, the Harbormasters' current president and a former Marine.
Five men showed up at the initial meeting of the now locally legendary group. Six months later, the Harbormasters had more than doubled their number and qualified to submit a request for a charter from the national organization. The Beaufort chapter of barbershop singers became official in 1999. The crew of "dandies," which is another term for barbershop musicians, now boasts approximately 25 active members, said Poovey.
While the Harbormasters usually sings as a large chorus, a few members of the group break down into the traditional four-man quartets for fundraisers and individual performances, including birthday parties, weddings and anniversary parties.
"Valentine's day is the big fundraiser," said Poovey. "On Valentine's Day, $55 would get you two pounds of chocolate and the singing." On Valentine's Day alone, the group's quartets delivered 52 packages of chocolates and songs, and many more "free-bee" songs to friends, family members and casual onlookers.
Money from all performances is used to sustain the chorus, said Poovey. Any additional funds are given to charities when possible.
While the group's reputation may sound like it has big shoes to fill, entry into the Harbormasters is relatively easy, said McCann.
"There are certain voices that go together and certain voices that don't," said McCann. "You have to be able to carry a tune, but you don't have to be a great singer."
But most of all, the biggest requirement for perspective chorus members is a simple love of the music and of singing, said Poovey.
"What we do, you've really got to love it," said Poovey. "It's a dedication. We all enjoy singing; we all enjoy each other."
For information about joining the Harbormasters, call Hal McCann at 838-9326.