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Shana Oshiro had music all around her growing up; her parents met in a band and Shana was always singing and immersed in music. She has degrees in voice and music therapy. She was classically trained but began singing Barbershop, which involves intricate four-part harmony singing, which was based on many African American singing styles, such as work and spiritual songs. The singing creates amazing overtone and undertone vibrations that are really profound.\\xa0

She says, \\u201cThe vibrations create this indescribable moment of joy when you are doing it and also can contribute to lasting relationships and friendships.\\u201d Barbershop singing is a social and musical experience and can teach us how to approach conversations and conflict with an understanding of our interconnectedness and help us work together in tense moments. Such singing relies on collaboration and cooperation and can result in the blurring of self-other distinctions.

She is a trained music therapist, which is a research-based professional practice that can provide a variety of benefits to individuals with many needs. Shana has a desire to connect with others and music therapy allows connections with others for the purposes of healing.

She is now with the only African American female Barbershop quartet \\u2013 the Halo quartet - competing on the international stage, and has realized that the special aspects of Barbershop singing also can help address the residues of racial and social ills that still resonate today. She says Barbershop music can help us have conversations about race and embrace the tension of racial conversations as a beautiful thing. In other words, we can allow the philosophy of Barbershop singing to guide conversations about race today. The Halo quartet is doing just that in a series of programs with singing called Race and #RealTalk. You can find out more at http://www.haloquartet.com/.\\xa0