September 2014
Let’s harmonise the world! Sharing the joys of singing a cappella four-part harmony in barbershop style
Contents FEATURES 8
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From guests to members
Tips on attracting new members to your chorus
10
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Remembering a beloved sister
Tributes to Sheila Doherty
USUALS 4
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Regional Buzz
6
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Column: Warmed Up
12
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RMT Updates
15
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Coaching Directory & Calendar
Truly, truly inspirational I’ve only been a member of Sweet Adelines International for a short time compared to others but I’ve already witnessed the great camaraderie amongst its members. From the weekly interactions one doesn't only get that temporary escape from the humdrum of life but also the chance to find friends for life, who are there through the good times and bad. It’s a great testament of how music can really be a unifying factor. I hope that this sisterhood is something that those outside of our circle takes away from organisation, apart from making great musical harmony - something that eventually turns them from being a guest to a member.
Charl CHARL ASUIT COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR charlasuit@gmail.com
t charlie74
QUARTET OF NATIONS Sweet Adelines International REGION 31
Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organisation of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education, competition and performance
Harmony Rag is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by the Regional Management Team (RMT) of the Quartet of Nations in digital format. The June issue is also published in print format. Materials sent for publication are at the author’s/contributor’s risk and while every care is taken, neither the Quartet of Nations RMT nor Sweet Adelines International accept any liability for loss or damage.
Send all queries, copy and images to the Harmony Rag Editor, harmonyrag@sweetadelines.org.uk
Deadlines are one (1) month prior to publication
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BARBERSHOP BUG BIT BIG TIME! Submitted by Margaret Vonk, Singing Unlimited
safely in our pockets! We would not have managed this without our very special choir mistress, Anita Zengerink, who brings out the best in each and every one of us! Oh yes – the bug has bitten – big time!
Singing Unlimited is a new chorus. Its origins were very informal – it began in the lounge with a group of experienced barbershop singers with a common dream: to form a new choir. Within a few weeks the meetings had turned into barbershop singing sessions and, once all the administrative and financial aspects had been dealt with, the enthusiasm knew no bounds! A committee was formed and Singing Unlimited was officially formed on 17th January 2013. By the end of 2013 and after two ‘Divas Wanted!’ projects, we had grown into a 32member chorus and our sights were set on taking part in the 2014 Region 31 convention in Nottingham for evaluation. From then on, part of our weekly practice sessions was devoted to this end while we also rehearsed for Christmas performances.
At the moment we are rehearsing earnestly for a choir festival, which is a yearly event in Haarlem – a town just west of Amsterdam, and also for a Christmas Concert. Come the New Year then the forthcoming convention will again dominate our weekly sessions – and this time as full members of Sweet Adelines International. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved in just under two years. Long live barbershop!
HARMONY BEYOND THE MUSIC Contributed by Viv Cooper, Vocal Dimension Editors note: To demonstrate the many wonderful reasons of being part of Sweet Adelines International, we asked some of our chapters to share some inspirational stories about their members.
Vocal Dimension Chorus (VDC)
In May 2014, we were on stage in Nottingham. What an experience – especially for our firsttimers. The camaraderie – the togetherness – the ambience – the total joy! And we returned home with a C+ score (for evaluation only)
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All the members of Vocal Dimension are special but here are two stories that make us love what we do even more. Both show how musical harmony breeds another kind of harmony, which is priceless! During a Baltimore coaching weekend, Lesley Tring became anxious about Gerri Joyce who left the room but hadn’t reappeared. Lesley found Gerri outside collapsed on the floor.
Lesley is a retired nurse so she noted the symptoms – an excruciating headache, uneven pupils and nausea. Suspecting a stroke, Lesley immediately called an ambulance and gave Gerri soluble aspirin. Catherine Duggan and Jules Sweetman alerted Dave, Gerri’s husband, and both waited through the night at the hospital with him. Tests at the hospital showed a cerebral aneurism and Gerri underwent an emergency operation. The doctor said that Lesley’s prompt actions had probably saved Gerri’s life. During the long months of recovery, Dave and their lovely daughter Caitlin wonderfully supported Gerri. VDC was determined to underpin that support with their own special brand of caring. Fran Carter, a makeup artist and hairdresser, trimmed Gerri’s hair with scissors borrowed from a nurse. Catherine frequently “babysat” Caitlin and made a wonderful photograph album so that Gerri’s injured memory could match names to faces. Cakes and casseroles were delivered to Gerri’s hospital room and VDC even sent a special recording of us singing to spur Gerri on.
Gerri’s courageous battle has paid off and following speech therapy she’s now back at home. She still has problems conjuring words sometimes – but when she visited rehearsal, she proved that she does not only recall lyrics and melodies but the old Gerri twinkle is back! Another member of VDC, Dr Morgaine Gaye is a food futurologist. She’s wacky, talented and stylish, and often features on TV and radio. As her career involves international travel, Morgaine can’t make every rehearsal or fundraising event. To balance this, she embarked on an unusual way to raise funds for the chorus. She pledged to do every Bikram yoga class at her Richmond studio nonstop for a week. That’s 40 hours 30 minutes of exercise in 40°C conditions! VDC visited midway through to sing their sweaty support and Morgaine achieved her goal – and made £782 for the Baltimore fund!
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Alyson Chaney, a Certified International Faculty member, presents a regular column about how to devise a great vocal warm-up routine for your chorus. She would love to hear from you too, so if you have any great warm-ups to share please email Alyson at alysonchaney@yahoo.co.uk and she’ll include, with your permission, your favourite warm-up(s) so that we can, as a region, put together a useful resource.
Following requests from several choruses and individuals, I’m going to suggest ways for singers who have issues with unhelpful vibrato to straighten out their tone and contribute more positively to the overall blend. I have recorded the following examples as a sound file and I highly encourage you to share this with others. You can find the sound file by clicking on the link below or copying and pasting it on your browser’s address bar http://goo.gl/3Z626f First things first, correct breathing techniques are essential if the singer is to eliminate unhelpful vibrato. Use some of the techniques mentioned in the March 2014 issue. Now on to the techniques: ! The “pint of air” is an especially good exercise to encourage silent breathing and a freely produced sound. ! “Anchoring” is also a great technique – with your arms outstretched and bent at the
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elbows, imagine you have two oranges underneath your armpits. Bring down your arms as if squeezing the juice out of these oranges while you warm-up. This technique engages the back muscles and allows you to produce sounds you never thought possible. Some vibrato in singers is wobble caused by an unstable larynx. Anchoring helps to stabilise it if it’s done in a way that doesn't induce tension in the jaw. ! Hum, with singer’s intention, the melody line to “My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean”, making sure you focus throughout. Concentrate also on developing and maintaining correct breathing. You can do this on an NG sound as in the word “singing”. ! Using a hum and NG once again, practise a slow slide from 1 to 5 and back down to 1 again. Go up a semitone each time. Lengthen the last note by anchoring and decide that the sound produced will be a straight tone. ! Using sounds like KEE KEH KAH KOH KOO will help to strengthen the soft palate. Use the pattern 54321 at first, then go through each vowel in turn using the pattern 55555/44444/33333/22222/11111 as you sing the different sounds. Next, concentrate on producing the sound in a staccato way. It’s easy to modify your vibrato when singing staccato so this is a good practice tool. ! The word GUG helps to straighten the tone because, as with KEE KEH KAH above, this sound helps to raise the soft palate. Try an arpeggio on 1-3-5-8-5-3-1 going up or down a semitone each time.
! A light staccato sound can really help: on the sound OO try this sequence 5-3-5-3-5-31 going up or down a semitone each time. ! Try a light staccato in the mask on the sound EE using this sequence 11111/33333/55555/33333/11111. Again go up or down a semitone each time. ! Speak the word "one", lengthening the vowel sound and repeating four times. Then put the fifth "one" on a comfortable sustained pitch. Notice that the tone is straighter. Be careful not to push too much air through – It's about stabilising and not about push. (Thanks to Glenn Chaney for this one!) ! Visualisation can also help achieve a straighter tone. Think about the pure treble notes of a choirboy or choirgirl singing the opening verse of “Once In Royal David’s City”. Listen to others too and try and envelop your voice in the overall blend, noting if your voice is doing things others aren’t! ! Finally, try to focus on something with sharp edges, like the corner of a picture frame, and send the sound along that path, like a laser beam. Next time I will focus on ways to extend your range whilst encouraging a freely produced sound. Remember, I’d love to share some of your warm-ups so if you would like to share what you do in your chorus please get in touch.
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FROM GUESTS TO MEMBERS
Plan a programme for the evening and ensure that everyone in the chorus is aware of it.
Compiled by Fiona McGlashan, Region 31 Membership Coordinator – some content taken from the Sweet Adelines International webinar last January 2014 and “The Real Guide to Growth” document from the International website
Ask members to arrive slightly earlier than normal so that your guests come into a lively, buzzing rehearsal hall.
Holding a chorus taster evening, Open House event or Learn to Sing programme? With many chapters embarking on various programmes at this time of year, it seems like a good time to give a few helpful hints to help ensure that your guests remain with you as members.
Provide a welcome pack and possibly a goody bag.
Visitors tend to fall into three categories: 1. Those who know that our art form is definitely for them and are ready to dive in. 2. Those who know after one visit that it’s not what they’re looking for. 3. Those who need a little more persuasion – this is the majority!
Ask all your members to wear their name badges so that guests can easily identify them.
Greet your guests and allocate each of them a buddy to help guide them through the evening and introduce them to other visitors. Ask guests to complete a form giving their contact details as well as information on how they found out about your event. Make it fun! Encourage your guests to join in with physical and vocal warm-ups. Feature a chorus performance of 2 or 3 songs early on in the evening and a quartet performance so that your guests have a really good idea of what they are aspiring to. Wow your guests with your product! Emphasise all the best things about chorus life. Ask different chorus members to give short talks on such topics as: ! I’m a working mum – how do I find time to come to chorus? ! My quartet and me
On average, choruses convert 10% of their visitors to members – with recent trends showing a fall in membership across the region, we need to convert a higher percentage. Here are a few useful tips:
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! What it’s like to sing at Convention (Regional and/or International) ! How I learn songs and choreography Each of these talks will help to convince your guests that they can do it, too!
Prepare all your members to talk to guests. They will inevitably speak with general members and those conversations are an integral part of the overall chorus experience. Set aside time to meet with guests alone to answer queries. Keep guests interested and leave them wanting more! Try to identify any problems that a guest may pose which could prevent them from joining. Everyone has a need that a chorus can satisfy in some way or another. Emphasise that the chorus can provide not only singing and education opportunities but also personal growth, opportunities to develop leadership skills, lifelong friendships as well as being part of a large, influential international organisation.
team, section leaders, learning tracks and sheet music for audition pieces.
Do Make them feel comfortable Make the evening fun, entertaining and intriguing Focus on the individual Be flexible and accommodating Find their strengths, set them up to succeed and feel valued Offer help as needed Make it easy for your guests to see how they will fit in
Time and money are usually the major issues raised by potential members. Try to avoid talking about costs until your guests have seen exactly what they are buying in to!
Don’t
At the appropriate time, show how chorus costs compare with the cost of joining a local golf, tennis or health club. Discuss the schemes to pay fees on a weekly or annual basis – emphasise the flexibility.
Overwhelm them
Don’t pressure them to join – discuss making a time commitment for the next 2 to 3 weeks or set another attainable goal like singing at Convention or joining the chorus for Christmas sings! Don’t let them be overwhelmed.
Put them on the spot Leave them alone or ignore them Put too much pressure on them Remember not every guest will become a member but they may become great advocates of your chorus and help you spread the word about our wonderful hobby.
After your event make sure that you: Contact each of your guests to thank them for their visit. Consider setting up a password-protected webpage just for your visitors to provide contact details for the chorus management
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organisations, she represented Sweet Adelines International at BinH meetings.
REMEMBERING A BELOVED SISTER Sheila Doherty passed away last August at her home in Spain. She was the Quartet of Nations’ immediate past Regional Management Team Coordinator. She sang with Surrey Harmony for many years and later with Spangles when she relocated in Spain. Upon hearing the news of her death, several personal tributes flooded on Facebook and sympathy messages were sent to her family. It was real testament to how Sheila was loved, adored and respected not just by our sisters in Region 31 but also beyond.
From the Region 31 Management Team (RMT) The RMT would like to pay tribute to Sheila Doherty who sadly passed away in August. Our heartfelt condolences go to her family and friends and she will be greatly missed by us all. Although small in stature (with an email address of ‘shortscot’) Sheila was a bundle of energy with a big heart, who worked tirelessly for the region over many years, serving on the RMT twice. She was also well known within Sweet Adelines International and was a committed member of Surrey Harmony for more than 20 years. Sheila was instrumental in bringing together the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS), the British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) and Sweet Adelines International Region 31 under the umbrella of Barbershop in Harmony (BinH). Always keen to promote working together across the three
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Most recently Sheila served on the RMT as Team Coordinator until May 2014. Meetings with her were always guaranteed to contain laughter as well as getting down to the task in hand – she was always ready to ‘hit the ground running’, a favourite phrase. Sheila was also a familiar face at Convention where she acted as emcee and Chair of Convention on many occasions. She was passionate about barbershop and had joined Spangles Chorus following her recent move to Spain. To honour Sheila’s contribution to the region over many years, the RMT has donated a memorial brick at Sweet Adelines International Headquarters in Tulsa.
From Spangles A light has gone out in the barbershop world We are very sad to say goodbye to Sheila Doherty, a beautiful lady who sadly lost her battle with cancer and left this world peacefully on Tuesday, 19 August. Sheila joined Spangles Ladies’ Harmony Chorus in July 2013 when she and husband, Martin, retired to Murcia in Spain. From the moment she walked through our rehearsal door, Sheila fitted right in. She was an asset to the bass section and, since her passing, we have received many messages praising her for the support and encouragement of new chorus members. Sheila was also a great help to the Spanish Association of Barbershop Singers (SABS) and she will be missed by everyone. Sheila quickly passed her chorus audition and was able to join us on the SABS contest stage. It’s hard to believe that that was only in April this year, before going on to Nottingham to emcee the Sweet Adelines International Region 31 contest in May and stepping down as their Team Coordinator. Although with us for just a year, we have fond memories of a selfless, giving person who left footprints on many hearts. A light has gone out in the barbershop world and Sheila will be missed by many. Rest in peace, sweet lady.
From Surrey Harmony A sparkling diamond, a superstar, an inspiration. Those are just some of the words used to describe our dear friend Sheila Doherty who died recently after a short battle with
cancer. A former President of Surrey Harmony, Sheila will be missed far beyond our rehearsal hall. She joined Surrey Harmony in the early nineties, but prior to that she was in a LABBS chorus and barbershop was a huge part of her life. Always wanting to be a teacher, music was Sheila's passion and she fulfilled this at St. Elphege’s School in Wallington, Surrey, even playing at the Albert Hall for her Junior Choir. She gave endlessly to Sweet Adelines International, taking on two terms as Team Coordinator for the Regional Management Team. She was a strong ambassador for our art form and our organisation. Even after retiring to Spain in May 2013 with her husband Martin, Sheila insisted on serving out the remainder of her second term. Most of us last saw her for the final time in May 2014 at our Regional Convention when her eyes sparkled as she talked about her new life and her new chorus, Spangles. We would like to thank them for the love and support they showed Sheila and her family especially towards the end of her life. Sheila leaves her husband Martin, children Jean, Neil and Kieran and grandson Harrison. But she also leaves behind a wealth of memories for many of us, created by her sparkling personality, her fondness for a good giggle and most importantly her love of singing. Tributes have been paid to Sheila from near and far. For some lucky people she was a trusted and lifelong friend. We will always miss her. A memorial service for Sheila is to be held in October.
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SUMMARY OF AUGUST RMT MEETING The Region 31 Management Team met on the last weekend of August at the Marriott Hotel in Peterborough for their quarterly meeting. These are the key topics that were discussed and agreed: ! Reviewed feedback on Convention from members and judging panel ! Drew winners of the feedback survey draw congratulations to Christine Seaman (Champagne Cornwall) and Sue Davidson (Forth Valley) ! Regional website redesign project underway - aiming to re-launch in time for the May 2015 Convention ! Invite potential RMT candidates to an Open House on 15th November, giving an opportunity to see what’s involved ! Current and upcoming vacancies on the RMT are: Finance Coordinator, Directors Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Workshop Coordinator, Marketing Coordinator and Membership Coordinator ! Reviewed responses to the Annual Regional Evaluation 2013-14 ! Agreed to recognise Sheila Doherty’s contribution to the region by publishing tributes in the Harmony Rag and Pitch Pipe as well as buying an engraved brick from International in her memory - also agreed to arrange a regional commemoration at a later date ! Started planning for the Regional Convention in 2015
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! Started planning for Ignite 2015, the satellite workshops, as part of the 3-year education plan for the region
ELECTION OF INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS (IBOD) By now chapters and CAL members will have received messages from International HQ about the upcoming elections of members who will serve three-year terms on the IBOD beginning May 2015. The voting procedure will be sent in October and will close on 3rd December 2014. The slate of candidates for this election consists of Thérèse Antonini (North Metro, Region 16), Joan Boutilier (River City Sound, Region 3), Jeanne d’Arc (JD) Crowe (Canadian Showtime, Region 16) and Marcia Pinvidic (City of Gardens, Region 26). You can find out more about the candidates on http://goo.gl/ucvo8P.
KEEP YOUR DETAILS UP-TODATE The RMT and International HQ rely greatly on the details about yourself and your chorus that you provide to us. It is how we know where to reach you if needed. Please make every effort to keep them up-to-date on the Sweet Adelines International website.
Updating your member information To ensure that your member details are correct, follow these steps:
1. Login to the Members Only section at http://sweetadelineintl.org, click on Member Login on the top right side of the page 2. Enter your username – this is your last name + first name initial, for example: Jane Smith is smithj 3. Enter your member ID number as your password – if you don’t know your member number, please check with your chapter’s Membership Officer 4. Click on ‘Log In’ 5. Find and click on ‘More Member Options’ on the navigation bars under the header image 6. Click on ‘Member Profile’ 7. You will be asked to login again, repeat steps 2 to 4 8. Update your details, clicking on ‘Continue Update’ until you get to the Verification page 9. Click on ‘Finalize Changes’
Updating your chapter officers To ensure that your chapter details are correct, follow these steps: 1. Login to the Members Only section at http://sweetadelineintl.org, click on Member Login on the top right side of the page 2. Enter your username – this is your last name + first name initial, for example: Jane Smith is smithj 3. Enter your member ID number as your password – if you don’t know your member number, please check with your chapter’s Membership Officer (if you are the chapter Membership Officer, contact our region’s Membership Coordinator, Fiona McGlashan, impact@appleshack.com) 4. Click on ‘Log In’
5. Find and click on ‘More Member Options’ on the navigation bars under the header image 6. Click on ‘Chapter Activity/Reports’ 7. Click on ‘Charter Renewal & Officers’ 8. Select your chapter name and click on ‘Select Chapter’ 9. Update information about your chapter, as necessary To resign an officer: a. Find the chapter officer’s name b. Select the position from which they are resigning from, for example, if they are resigning from the Treasurer position, select ‘Xpired Treasurer’ c. Under the ‘To’ column in the corresponding row, enter the date when they have effectively resigned the post d. Do this for each resigning officer and when you’re ready to submit your changes, click on ‘Update All Records’ To add an officer: a. In the ‘Add New Chapter Officer’ section of the page, enter the member’s ID number b. Select the position that the member is taking c. Under the ‘From’ and ‘To’ columns, enter the date when they effectively take on the post and when it is expected to end d. Click on ‘Add New’ to submit the new chapter officer information e. Do this for each new officer and click on ‘Update’
CHORUS DIRECTORY If your chorus’ details are incorrect or missing from the regional website
go to http://goo.gl/3ya2u9 to provide the correct information
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RMT VACANCIES Applications are now being accepted for the following positions on the Quartet of Nations Regional Management Team (RMT) ! Marketing Coordinator – to complete the 2013-15 term and/or for the 2015-17 term ! Events Coordinator – 2015-17 term
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! ! ! !
Workshop Coordinator – 2015-17 term Finance Coordinator – 2015-17 term Directors Coordinator – 2015-17 term Membership Coordinator – to complete the 2nd year of the 2014-16 term
Job descriptions and application form are available for download from http://sweetadelines.org.uk/joinrmt.htm.
ELLIE BLACKEBY, Lace City mills_ellie@hotmail.com
NANCY KELSALL, Heartbeat UK nancykelsall@hotmail.com
ANNE CARGILL, Aberdeen annecargill2012@btinternet.com
SANDRA LEA-RILEY, Heartbeat UK sandraleariley@virginmedia.com
ALYSON CHANEY, RMT Workshop Coordinator, Lace City alysonchaney@yahoo.co.uk
DOROTHY MAIN, Aberdeen themains@talktalk.net NICKY SALT, CAL nicky.salt@hotmail.co.uk
GLENN CHANEY, Lace City glenn.chaney@yahoo.co.uk
DAVID SANGSTER, Forth Valley carsonsangster@aol.com
EMMA DUGUID, Vocal Dimension duguidemma@gmail.com
VALERIE TAYLOR, Vocal Dimension valerie.taylor@privacysolutions.co.uk
NORMA FERRIER, Forth Valley norma.ferrier@whec.edin.sch.uk
GWEN TOPP, Aberdeen gmtopp@yahoo.co.uk
ELAINE HAMILTON, RMT Education Coordinator, CAL elainemrssh@aol.com
MICHELLE WALKER, Lace City shelbywalks@yahoo.co.uk
TANYA JENKINS, CAL tunefultan@virginmedia.com
LYNDA WOOD, Phoenix lynda@pottonwoods.co.uk
2014 04 October
Tune In Directors’ Workshop
Birmingham
30 October – 02 November
LABBS Convention
Harrogate
03-08 November
Sweet Adelines International Convention
Baltimore (USA)
08-10 May
Region 31 Convention 2015
Nottingham
22-25 May
Sing 2015 (BABS)
Llandudno
2015
COPY DEADLINE The next Harmony Rag will be issued in the end of December. Please send all contributions to harmonyrag@sweetadelines.org.uk by
30 NOVEMBER 2014
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