As barbershoppers, the question of ‘do you want to sing a tag?’ is rarely met with any answer other than a resounding “yes!” followed shortly by a belly full of butterflies and heart palpitations. It's one of the most awaited parts of any concert, convention, or show: the socialization afterwards of making magical music and ringing chords with friends and strangers alike.

 

Outside of the barbershop microcosm however, the same question is often met with a confused look and possibly a raised eyebrow or two. For those who have witnessed a newcomer hear, or better yet sing, a tag for the very first time, it is a thing of beauty to bear witness to: the advent of someone's barbershop journey. 

 

Over the years since its inception, Vox Infinitus, under the Des Moines Metro Chapter, has sought to build a community around this very experience. Both the existing and developing music communities in Des Moines seemed to be void of an opportunity where people who love music could casually come together and simply experience music either as a listener, or a participant. It was this void that Taps & Tags was created to fill. 

 

Hosted by Vox Infinitus once a month, friends and strangers of all abilities alike are invited to gather, socialize, and join together in the experience of unadulterated music making. “The long-term vision of this event,” says co-founder Weston Hennings, “is to foster both an environment for music lovers to meet, and a desire within the community to enjoy and create music together that exists outside of Vox Infinitus. We want people from all the area choirs and musical ensembles, both barbershop and non, to be a part of this community. And more than anything, we want to reach people who have never heard a tag before in their lives, and provide them that experience. Through this we can expand the influence of barbershop, and ultimately a cappella, within the Des Moines Metro, as well as the local music scene at large.”

 

This vision is well underway in the Des Moines area and continues to grow. So much so that the event occasionally yields a quartet of complete strangers that come together during the event to sing tags all by themselves.  At the end of the day, that is what Taps & Tags is ultimately about. Now, who wants to sing a tag?