North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International
Transcription
North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International
Tags Swipes It's Contest Time! VOL. 61 • ISSUE 3 • SPRING 2014 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 News from... Wendy Davies Leslie MacDonald Carolé Mensing Ruth Widerski Regional Management Team Email Addresses TABLE OF CONTENTS: Section Page 8 - 17 Chorus Lines 24 Chorus/Director Listing 24 Copy Deadline for Next Edition 20 Directors 23 From the Editor 7 Member Recognition------------40+ Years 18 - 19 Quarter Notes 21 - 22 Regional Faculty Notes 2-6 RMT News Wendy Davies Ruth Widerski Leslie MacDonald Carolé Mensing Julie Jeffery Patti Lavernoich Jessie Oslán Deb Richard Team Coordinator Finance Coordinator Communications Coordinator Education Coordinator Directors’ Coordinator Events Coordinator Marketing Coordinator Membership Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU 2 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Your Regional Management Team (RMT) Julie Jeffery Jessie Oslán Patti Lavernoich Deb Richard Team Coordinator Wendy Davies As I sit in my office and look at the snow, I do wonder if we will see blossoms on the trees in Springfield. We have all certainly been challenged with weather this year; it’s been a long, long winter!!!! this event. Our current International Champions - Love Notes began as Rising Star competitors. But contest is almost here, so spring must be around the corner. And what a contest we have lined up, 27 quartets and 20 choruses. Fantastic participation, 20 out of 23 choruses competing this year! Two choruses and one quartet competing in the Open Division; this year’s contest will be one of the best ever!!! I am so excited to see all the talent cross the stage. Not only for young people, but for everyone, this is going to be a spectacular educational opportunity! It is a time to celebrate our success on the competition stage, to recognize hard work, and to acknowledge individual and leadership efforts. Our Directors are our inspiration; their devotion, creativity and guidance challenge us weekly to do our very best. Our coaches influence and encourage us to attain greater levels. And it all comes together as we gather and celebrate at Symphony Hall in Springfield The Region One RQA Day is incorporated into this event, with Tori Postma coming to coach our own regional quartets. Plus, educational workshops will be held for all participants with faculty including Jim Arns, Marci Pinvidic, Joan Boutilier, Gail Jencik and Karen Sweeters. To register, go to: www.sai-region1.org and click on Rising Star registration. April 25 and 26. Region One is so proud to be hosting the Rising Star contest in Lowell, MA from July 31 to August 3, 2014. It will be a fantastic opportunity for Region One to observe the future of Sweet Adelines International as young talent from all across the organization will come here to compete. Having seen the Rising Star talent in past years, I cannot encourage you enough to make time for Don’t miss this fabulous opportunity. Remember IES, remember RES, remember CMK, this is all of that and more!!!!! This is a one-time opportunity to host Rising Star right here in Region One, don’t miss it! I’ll see you soon in Springfield, safe travels everyone and enjoy every moment on stage! North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 3 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Finance Coordinator Ruth Widerski Another year and another contest season is here. We've all spent much time preparing music, showmanship, costumes and makeup to be ready to shine on stage at Symphony Hall. The chorus you sing with in 2014 will never be the same again. Members join, members leave, some members can't make it to contest for various reasons so let's enjoy our time on stage and with each other. Your finance coordinators/ treasurers have worked hard too, to ensure that your dues are paid so you are in good standing to compete. They have made sure your Directors have been paid as well as your coaches. They pay for the music you sing as well as more mundane expenses such as rent and administrative supplies. They have also made sure to keep your choruses in good standing with the IRS and your various states (and countries). As we all start a new fiscal year, remember all the hard work everyone in your chorus has done from the management and administrative end to get you all to this point and know that they all can use your help in the coming year. Have a great contest weekend and I hope to see most of you later in the summer at Rising Star! Sign up now on the Region 1 website. Experience the joy of barbershop harmony, exhilarating activities and one of the world’s most beautiful beaches at the first ever Sun & Sing event to be held January 14-18, 2015 at the luxurious Grand Lucayan Hotel on Grand Bahama Island. For more details, go to: http://sweetadelineintl.org/index. cfm?id=485 4 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Communications Coordinator Leslie MacDonald Contest time again! It comes so quickly and then is over in a flash. It is the culmination of our musical year and comes at the same time that we start our new year of administrative leaders. It is important to have strong adminstrative leaders as well as musical leaders. In order for both to function effectively, there has to be clear and easy communications between all involved. Don’t forget to send all your changes to Sweet Adelines International. As well, I need to know of all changes. I will be sending out a form to all choruses May 1st (after everyone has recovered from competiton and has had time to hold their chorus elections!). Hope to hear from you soon. Education Coordinator Carolé Mensing With that said, Hi to all Region 1 members! I am so looking forward to this year's activities. April offers a fantastic competition and the new option of a performance package - for evaluation! (We are such a lucky region to have so many quartets, choruses ready to share their craft on stage!) We are also making history this year by being selected to host the Rising Star Contest in our Region and offering, in collaboration, our famous RQA Day and an additional Summer Regional Weekend, August 1-2 (Lowell, MA). And by the way, I learned that our regionals have become quite famous for our educational events!!! September Regional brings Vickie Dennis to our Region (Previous Director - Houston Horizon); and for January, Winter Regional 2015 we celebrate quartets, with THE FOUR BETTY's (Queens- 2007 - Calgary) As a reminder, the Region offers funded educational coaching faculty visits to all of our choruses. (Directors, please contact me to co-ordinate this with your preferred Region One faculty member. Request forms are available online and will be in your pendas this contest weekend.) As always, any questions, I am available by phone and email. I am delighted to have been re-appointed your Education Coordinator for another term! (I wondered what I might do IN MY RETIREMENT! ) Thank you for your confidence, encouragement and your support! North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 5 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Membership Coordinator Deb Richard Currently at 906!!! Spring is here! FINALLY!! It’s been a long… cold… winter this year, but that is all behind us… Birds are singing and so are we! Competition time. It’s time to share, support and cheer. I wanted to take a couple minutes to say “Thank you!” and to say a “special” thank you to 46 women in Region One. (See Page 7) They have dedicated 40 or more years of their lives to share our harmonies … they have been directors / administrators / section leaders / assistant directors / giving of themselves and ringing those chords. It is not easy to remain a member of an organization for as long as they have…. Congratulations to them! We all need to recognize that levels of commitment may change. Simply said: life happens… family; careers; retirement; health. My guess is that each of these women have had times when they had to step back from their chorus or quartet for one reason or another. At those times, it is the support of their sister members (YOU!) that has provided them understanding and support, embraced the needs of them as individuals; allowing them to step back… GUILT FREE… and to be welcomed back when they are ready to return. We also encourage everyone to be more involved. As we take ownership in our organization we tend to hang in thru the stormy times and bask in the sunshine of our accomplishments. I will be recognizing these 46 women of Region One at this year’s competition… Take note of them: They will be seated in the VIP section! (Please understand that this is why so many rows are off limits to the rest of us.) What a nice dilemma… so many to recognize… so many rows to rope off!) Now… It’s on to Competition! Good luck to all competitors. We are proud of your accomplishments and of your dedication to this 4-part harmony craft. Go strut your stuff on stage. Have fun and bask in the spotlight. You all deserve the applause. Thank you again for being part of Region One! In Peace…..Hugs and Harmony, Deb Chapter 4/1/13 4/11/14 Berkshire Hills 26 27 30 Champlain Valley 58 61 59 Chapter-at-Large 22 22 26 Coastline Show 76 71 75 Cranberry Shores 30 28 29 Farmington Valley 46 49 54 Greater Montreal 22 24 30 Harborlight Show 24 13 17 Heart of the Valley 96 92 18 Harmony on the Sound 24 21 94 Island Grove 27 25 25 Liberty Belle 77 66 64 Merrimack Valley 56 59 60 MetroWest Harmony 27 26 27 Millennium Magic 25 21 19 Mollyockett 16 17 18 Post Road 17 18 19 Profile 27 29 35 Rhythm of New Hampshire 27 32 27 Royal River 45 44 41 Sound of New England 70 50 49 Valley Chords 20 17 17 Valley Shore Acappella 27 26 27 West Island 42 46 46 Heart of Maine (Defunct) 15 884 906 Total Region 1 Members 6 5/1/12 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 942 L o n g e v i t y Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Region 1 Takes Pride in Its Long-Time Members: Enroll Date 09/01/1951 09/01/1951 02/01/1958 05/01/1958 05/01/1959 05/01/1961 05/01/1963 05/01/1963 05/01/1963 05/01/1964 05/01/1964 01/01/1965 03/01/1966 05/01/1966 05/01/1966 01/01/1967 05/01/1967 05/01/1967 06/01/1967 05/01/1968 05/01/1968 05/01/1968 05/01/1968 06/01/1968 07/01/1968 05/01/1969 07/01/1969 12/01/1970 05/01/1971 05/01/1971 05/01/1971 05/01/1971 05/01/1972 05/01/1973 05/01/1973 05/01/1973 03/01/1974 05/01/1974 05/01/1974 05/01/1974 05/01/1974 05/01/1974 05/01/1974 09/01/1974 10/01/1974 12/01/1974 Years 63 63 56 56 55 53 51 51 51 50 50 49 48 48 48 47 47 47 47 46 46 46 46 46 46 45 45 44 43 43 43 43 42 41 41 41 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Name Nancy Gould Phyllis Tremblay Susan Gunas Edith Whitney Ronnie Marcyes Jean Gianopoulos Ethel Austin Barbara Gerstner Kathleen Nici Priscilla Schoelzel Judith Wilmot Ruth Gove Evelyn Doyle Christine Hoinacki Ruth Worsley Karen Kraus Patricia Coffey Pansy Hansen Susan Lilley Philomena Bernard Barbara Ebner Sherry Ebner Barbara West Joyce Eichenseer Claudia Scarber Mary Anne Ferazzi Patricia O'Brien Clare Holland Mary Avery Jacqueline Bates Martha Jacovoni Alice McLain Carol Rhine Karen Olsen Karen Rourke Joan Treadwell Joanna Foley Sally Beck Barbara Braxten Maureen Gagnon Carolyn Marsano Sue Schneider Deborah Warwick Christine Ferguson Elizabeth Gardner Ginny Saucier Chapter Name Chapter-at-Large Region 1 MetroWest Harmony Chapter Millennium Magic Chapter Liberty Belle Chapter Cranberry Shores Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Farmington Valley Chapter Farmington Valley Chapter Liberty Belle Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Island Grove Chapter Liberty Belle Chapter Coastline Show Chapter Harmony on the Sound Chapter Greater Montreal Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Farmington Valley Chapter Cranberry Shores Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Champlain Valley Chapter Farmington Valley Chapter Farmington Valley Chapter Coastline Show Chapter Harmony on the Sound Chapter Merrimack Valley Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Liberty Belle Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Liberty Belle Chapter Coastline Show Chapter Liberty Belle Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Valley Shore Acappella Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Harmony on the Sound Chapter Harmony on the Sound Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Liberty Belle Chapter Coastline Show Chapter Sound of New England Chapter Harmony on the Sound Chapter Millennium Magic Chapter Royal River Chapter Chapter-at-Large Region 1 Sound of New England Chapter North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 7 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Chorus Lines Champlain Valley Chorus Since the beginning of 2014 we have been busy working on our competition package but also squeezed in a very profitable Singing Valentine fund-raiser. When a Nor’easter hit overnight on February 13th we were concerned that we might have to cancel our 24 Valentine Serenades, but Our Hardworking Leads at Retreat Our little chorus is so very proud of our director, Cherie LaDuke. Cherie directed the YWIH chorus at Winter Regional and is scheduled to do the same at the Rising Star Conference this summer in Lowell, Ma. Go Cherie!!! And now, on to the big event in Springfield. We wish all of Region One choruses and quartets the very best at competition. being intrepid and extremely devoted Sweet Adelines, we made it to all of our appointments in two teams of singers. We sang at private homes, restaurants, businesses, nursing homes but not at schools as they were closed for a snow day! We brought March in like a lioness, with a wonderful weekend retreat to work our contest package under the skillful coaching of Eileen Gioe. We have three newbees who will be joining us on the contest stage for the first time and we had a great time working together and getting to know each other over a most productive weekend. 8 Carole Harsh Cranberry Shores Chorus Cranberry Shores Chorus is happy to report sightings of multicolored crocuses on Cape Cod! More snow than normal caused the cancellation of a few Tuesday night rehearsals. We enjoyed singing two February concerts in Brewster: one for Valentine’s Day for a Men’s Club and another at the Brewster Library. In preparation for contest, we spent a Kick Off Saturday in January rehearsing under the awesome guidance from our directors. We were thrilled to have Ann North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Gooch come in Feb and March, in between snowstorms! Mid March, we had a great retreat weekend under the expertise of Ann Gooch and Dee Pelletier. Our theme this year was an Olympic one: aim higher, practice better, and work our hardest as a team to reach our goals! We diligently spent time on improving our vocal skills, and overall visual performance. It was a very productive few days, topped off with a fun dinner and a show by chorus members on Saturday night. We will host out annual Friends and Family Night on April 22. This will be our dress rehearsal and pep rally before competition. Our fans come and root for us to get us pumped up! We also look forward to our annual June concert with the SurfTones, the Cape men’s a cappela group. Best of luck to all singers in Springfield! See you there! Patti Corbett Farmington Valley Chorus In March we sang, and ate, and stomped our way through our annual retreat at Coco Key Resort in Waterbury with great, inspiring, energetic, mind blowing, goosebumpy coaching with Joe Connelly. He received a new nickname on this outing... from someone other than a Sweet Adeline. Ask any of us. We’d love to tell you the story. Fun games and funny stories from the most unlikely of members wonderfully rounded off our days of intense work. Next up is a weekend with Diane Porsche in our own house polishing our show to perfection. We’ll be so ready for Springfield. We officially sang in 3 new members Mary, Joan and Colleen who cannot wait to see what an all-in-one is, or figure out how they will ever use hooker red lipstick in any other situation. A huge shout out to Susan Carnein for the incredible amount of time and love she has put into our new costumes. You’re going to love them - we do. Our Singing Valentines were once again a success this year and well received... kind of. Our quartet, On Tap, was “tapped” for another year to spend the day driving around Hartford County making unsuspecting people happy. They sang at a restaurant, they sang at a retirement home, they sang at the DEEP, they sang at a bank and just when they had the Hartford Courant reporter with them to take a picture of the next unsuspecting recipient, something unsuspected happened... the recipient refused the Valentine. She used words such as “The audacity of that man...” and ”Doesn’t he get it?” Ouch! really awkward situation, but the Courant reporter made the best of it and took photos anyway that ended up on the front page of a special section of the Sunday newspaper. Free publicity is always a bonus. Not bad for a days work of fun. Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 replaced. Where do we go? Up to the sanctuary of course, where we sang on the steps of the altar for 2 weeks. Or the next week to the smaller children’s chapel where we sang in pews with Cheryl on the altar. The acoustics were awesome, but choreography was a challenge. Either way, I’d say this show can’t help but be blessed. 2 year old Addie Eckhund listening to OK perform for the crowd. Her mom Linda sings Lead in the chorus. Our Christmas Concert was canceled because of snow, so other than Valentines, what do we do for fundraising? We’ve done the candles, the baskets, the food, the jewelry... hmmmhow about we drink on it? and the management team exclaimed “Exactly!!” On March 14th, strategically placed right before St Patrick’s Day, we hosted a family friendly fund raiser at the local brewery. It was a huge success. Even the husbands were happy to attend this event. There was food and beer, and lots of singing. It was educational as well, with tours of the brewery included. Everyone was having so much fun no one took pictures, except this one of a future judge for the quartet competition. Finally, our hearts, our sympathies, our love go out to our longtime member, Betty Ciriello, on the sudden death of her husband of over 50 years, Joe Ciriello. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We’re so looking forward to competing in Springfield and seeing all of you again, and wish OK ( Cheryl, Amy, Cathy and Sarah) and #Harmony(Lorraine, Gail, Maureen and Pat) good times galore as they vie for a spot in Baltimore! Nancy Propfe Well if nothing else- we Sweet Adelines are flexible, and will sing anywhere. The water main broke at The First Church where we rehearse, and flooded out our rehearsal area. Floor tiles and sheetrock needed to be North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 9 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Harmony on the Sound Instead of our usual “first weekend of December” holiday show, we broke out of the December mold and planned a November 16th Show , "The Gig is Up". We showcased young women, who had participated in our first YWIH weekend as well our non-holiday repertoire. Our inaugural HOTS YWIH workshop was a great success! Very exciting to think of these talented young women as the future of Sweet Adelines!! They not only sang two songs (one with choreo) but also were a part of the fabric of our script. This show was also a great venue to introduce a number of our new quartets ( now up to 7) and octets (now 2) to Fairfield County and to its loyal HOTS followers! We have also welcomed 6 new members in the last several months - and this was a great way to get them on stage and gear up for contest preparation!! We did have some very busy smaller groups performing holiday favorites in concert and strolling formats, both as money makers for their groups, and volunteering in the community - something that our members love doing.. Our holiday party which also doubles as HOTS Market, a bazaar where our entrepreneurs can sell their wares. After giving a nominal percentage to the chorus, they get to make a little cash. What’s better than a holiday party where you can sing, eat AND shop!!! Once we get back from the New Year break - it becomes full steam ahead to prepare for Springfield! We kick off the year with our Saturday Chorus D Danielle Blumner Attention Women Barbershoppers, and Music Educators… North Atlantic Region 1, Sweet Adelines International, is hosting a Fabulous Summer Music Conference, and you’re invited! Held in conjunction with the 2014 Rising Star Quartet Competition, we will be offering an exciting array of classes led by some of our top educators. Thursday, July 31- Sunday, August 3, 2014 “Sun, Sand and Singing: A Summer Regional Event in New England” Come for the conference on the University of Massachusetts Lowell Campus (All facilities are fully ADA compliant), and stay for a vacation on the New England shore! Early Bird Deadline: May 30th To register go to www.sai-region1.org, and click on the Rising Star Registration. Faculty: - Marcia Pinvidic - Joan Boutilier - Gail Jencik - Karen Sweeters - Tori Postma - Jim Arns President-Elect, Sweet Adelines International International Faculty Expression Judge International Faculty Sound Judge Tenor, Four Betty’s Quartet Past Director International Faculty Director, Coastline Show Chorus (RI) Expression Judge Regional Faculty Director, Harmony on the Sound Chorus (CT) Showmanship Judge International Faculty Director, A Cappella Jubilee Express (UT) Music Educator Director, Melodeers Chorus (IL) Plus, the Region 1 Faculty 10 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Heart of the Valley Chorus Reporting for singing were eighteen members of The Heart of the Valley Chorus with our devoted Director Maggie Hawlicheck and coach extraordinaire Marion Devokaitis . It was an early spring weekend in the valley nestled campus of UMass Amherst. All were excited to prepare as contestants for this year’s first ever “Open Division “category ….and to have a little fun as well! Greeted and catered to by a UMASS hotel and hospitality student named DAX, we were most happy with our new retreat location venue. (Did we mention he was adorable?) E veryone was eager to put winter behind us and look forward to our exciting new venture. We had chosen three songs to sing and would integrate them with a theme, and add some crafted dialogue to illustrate it. The Pre Friday night and Saturday AM re- hearsal found our sisters in song greeting one another and checking in about their current ups and downs of life, such as caretaking for a parent, nursing homes, emotional upsets, sciatica, recovery from knee surgery, preemie grandbabies -now home, retirement-just weeks away. Support and encouragement permeated the risers on many levels. with a little more tweaking. It is OUR TIME TO SHINE among our Region One sisters in Springfield. Repeat after me, directed Marian… .”NYAH, NYAH, NYAH”. Reminding us to sing with a forward sound, Marian went right to work. “That is where your sound should be.” And “SNORT, SNORE, SNORT SNORE, that is where your breath should be. Are we ready ladies?” Each hour saw improvement in preparing our unique package as we sang about the stories of our lives…wonderful new opportunities, broken hearts, then renewal and moving on… A t night we shared smiles, laughter, and of course more singing at our annual retreat show. We were entertained by a puppet named Sunny, some dancing and singing foxes, some adorable Minions, also dancing, and an imaginary camel walk illusion. Chris Nolan Ta Dah!! After Sunday AM rehearsal we felt transformed. We were ready for contest – North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 11 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Island Grove Chorus Island Grove Chorus (IGC) had an extremely fun, productive Retreat to prepare for the 2014 Contest. Heidi Zacchera, a Region 1 “Inner Circle” member, coached IGC with creativity and energy. On several occasions, Heidi spontaneously performed a “happy dance” when IGC attained a new level of proficiency. Heidi didn’t give up on us---she relentlessly urged ever-higher standards--including that our Massachusetts-bred members pronounce their “r’s”! IGC Retreats, after many hours of intense practice, always make time for fun and fellowship. At the pizza party held in our Director’s hotel suite, a surprise-50th cake was brought out, representing: a 50-year-anniversary as a Sweet Adeline to our member Judy Wilmot, and simultaneously, a 50-year-birthday to our member LeeAnn Frigulietti. Lee Ann Frigulietti, Pat Hoitt - Director, Judy Wilmot IGC has much to anticipate: we have the excitement of the Contest “Open Division”, which consists of a short skit that encompasses selected songs. Our theme is Boston’s Red Sox. Also, IGC, a community performance chorus, will sing at three local performances this Spring season. IGC looks forward to much happy singing! Other games played during the pizza party include: 1) The Baby Picture Contest---who was who as a baby? Adelene Ellenberg 2) What were you doing 50 years ago? ---guess who said it? and 3) Who am I? ---based upon the “clue” members wore on their headbands. Lots of laughs erupted as people guessed wrongly and confused people/statements. Joanne Rawson wearing her headband-and-clue tag 12 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Liberty Belle Chorus Winters can be cold in Region 1 and this winter has been colder than most. It’s been a good time for LBC to gather in the rehearsal hall and do more than just dream about spring and Contest. We need to use this time to hone our skills and bring our best performance to the stage. To help us in our efforts we have gifted coaches who have spent some evenings working with us. Ann Gooch has been one of our coaches for a number of years. A certified SAI music judge and director of the Jacksonville Harmony Chorus, she has brought her chorus to a blue ribbon at their regional competition a number of times. Her attention to the details of creating beautiful sound has improved our singing and inspired us. After an evening with her we are very aware of how much work is ahead of us – and how satisfying good singing will be for each of us if we practice our craft attentively. We have known Lynne Smith, a showmanship coach for a shorter time but always look forward to seeing her and being reminded that we need to get moving – and keep moving. We regard our thigh muscles very differently now (thighdraulics) to demonstrate how essential they are to the choreography that supports the singing. It’s also a lot of fun to just let yourself go and move with the music. Lynne’s eye for choreography and her ability to show us how to make it work for our songs has made for lively evenings. When she’s with us singing is a whole-body workout! On a sunny and extremely cold Saturday morning in February, Liberty Belles gathered at the rehearsal hall for fun and learning at “Showmanship Saturday”. We discussed and acted out some characterization skills. We mimed scenarios to test and improve our expression of various emotions. This fun day helped loosen up our expressive skills. Because performing for fellow chorus members can often be more nerve-wracking than being in front of a huge audience, this informal workshop helped many members be more relaxed on stage. Jim Arns reminds us that the first time he came to Boston to work with the Liberty Belles was in 2001. He has transformed us in many ways. As usual he presided over our retreat in March. He comes from Chicago and he understands our weather. Without much temptation to be outside, we concentrated on improving our singing for an extended time. By the end of the weekend our skills, energy level and our joy in singing had reached higher levels. LBC has welcomed ten new members and is working hard on our contest package. Barbara Braxten is preparing for her final performance on the contest stage in April after 36 wonderful years as Director. Wendy Pachter, our new director, is singing tenor with the chorus while she prepares to take the reins on May 1. We will have much more to say about Wendy in future articles. We are delighted to have her on board. Happy Spring and best wishes to all choruses and quartets at the Region 1 Contest in Springfield! North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 13 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Merrimack Valley Chorus spoken. MVC does believe! When most Sweet Adelines think of a "coach" we envision a paid expert in our barbershop craft. If we are fortunate, that individual may be an international faculty member highly skilled at all levels of a barbershop singer's development. Further educational treasures may be found more local to an individual chorus and/or more specifically within our own chorus roster. Our musical staff, starting with our Director Eileen Gioe, along with her Director's Staff (Carol Smolenski, Sally Jeffery and Becky King) and music staff and QE's (qualification evaluators) all serve as coaches to the chorus membership. Time and energy is committed to improving musical excellence via auditory and visual skills. Since MVC's last visit to the contest stage Over the past year Merrimack Valley Chorus (MVC) has been thankful for guidance, encouragement, nurturing and championing from Dale Syverson, Steve Tramack, Laura Abraham, Diane Porsche, and Betty Clipman. Each of these talented masters brought our singing to another skill level. Greetings all! It’s been an exciting year In many ways we are all coaches to each other in our Sweet Adelines' world. We are a tightknit group supportive of our collective successes and sacrifices. Sweet Adelines share many of their secrets, which in the business world would be considered intellectual property. As one of our favorite choaches would say, "There is no vacation from greatness!" We hope we can all bring those magical, goose bump moments to the contest stage ... because in the end we want to do ourselves and all our coaches proud. We spent our retreat time in March with Dale Syverson. Dale's sage advice reminded us of the words spoken by Yoda: "Do or do not. There is no try" --a reminder to commit oneself to something completely, win or lose. We received throw down challenges and allowed her to put voices in our heads. Affirmations were written and Millennium Magic Chorus we have had the pleasure of coaching our newest chorus members: Michelle Dominijanni, Kathy Marith, Kate Bonci, returning member Denise McGee, Terri Sherman (dual member with Harborlight Show Chorus), Carmi Boutin and Gabriele Chase. The last 3 members have all joined MVC within the past month. Linda Green trally located to our membership and offers easy access directly off the I84/Mass Pike/ Rt. 20 & 131 junction. We are thrilled with the robust community that has welcomed repertoire and had a welcoming concert beautifully hosted by the Bethlehem Lutheran Church community! It was a huge success and fun was had by all. Despite the persistent Tuesday snow storms, and the unrelenting grip of old man winter, we also managed to get in three coaching sessions with the mighty Joe Connelly, and a session with Lynne Smith. We have also been quite fortunate to have Debra Lynn in our own ranks doing routine PVI’s with our individual members, as well as ongoing group vocal production. for Millennium Magic. Most significant was our move to Massachusetts last May. We now rehearse at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church located at 345 Main St., in Sturbridge, MA. Our new location is more cen- 14 Millennium with open arms. We enjoyed many performance opportunities, and for the first time in many years, we shook the cobwebs off our Christmas North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International My own personal highlight of the year was attending the International Convention with my sister in Honolulu! Boston Accent brought rounds of laughter to the convention hall and Farmington Valley’s energy filled the stage with pure entertainment. I was proud to call myself a member of North Atlantic Region 1! Congrats ladies! Job well done! The 18 days in paradise wasn’t bad either…I didn’t want to come home! Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 While visiting the Harmony Bazaar in Honolulu, my sister Kappy and I entered the silent auction for an opportunity to win a show booking with MAXX Factor…and WE WON. So, save the date and get ready for a show you’ll never forget! Millennium to the MAXX will be coming to the Daniels Theater, at Clark University, in Worcester MA on October 11th, 2014. Follow us on Facebook for details and ticket info: Facebook.com/MillenniumMagicChorus You know that excitement and hunger a chorus gets when the lure of new music is just simmering on the burner? Well, we have some fun new arrangements just waiting for us to put on the table, one of which our own Sandy Kerr arranged! We can’t wait for contest prep to be done so we can really sink our teeth in! As we expand our repertoire, and in preparation for our show, we are actually looking to increase our membership, strengthen our infrastructure, and improve our overall balance and sound. We welcome passionate, dedicated singers to become part of the Magic! If you are interested in auditioning, would like to learn more, or just want to come for a visit, email us at: [email protected]. Anne Wilson Mollyockett Chorus It has been an exciting and busy year for the Mollyockett Chorus of Oxford, Maine. Our annual roadshow in July 2013 brought Barbershop music and laughter to over 300 people as the chorus performed The Ockett Family Plans a Vacation The premise of the show had chorus members as a family of 17 sisters all with the first name Molly who were together planning their first ever family vacation but being unable to decide what kind of vacation to take. Under the direction of Wanda Foss, the comedy skit of the sisters’ ideas for the perfect vacation spot took our audiences on a Sentimental Journey to Old Cape Cod, as Stars Fell on Alabama and we reminisced about our San Francisco Bay Blues and enjoyed the Mississippi Mud. The story line introduced other chorus favorites all echoing back to times a family would likely want to connect around on a first-ever family vacation. Our own quartet, Meant to Be, performed their renditions of Hernando’s Hideaway, Country Roads and other flashback songs. What a fun-filled program! Our fall Singout schedule included visits to area nursing homes for Veterans’ Day, an appearance in the Christmas for Teens Benefit Concert, a community event that provides Christmas gifts for more than 200 teens each year, and a Christmas program brought to area nursing homes. As the New Year began so did our rehearsals for the 2014 Region 1 Competition. We were fortunate to have three coaching sessions with Chris Ferguson who gave us so many tips and techniques to help us improve our competition songs. Along the way to competition, we’ve had a change in our chorus Director. Wanda Foss, who has faithfully led us for many years resigned to spend more time caring for her husband, and Bonnie Fox stepped in to fill that gap. Following her life motto to “make a joyful noise”, Bonnie began singing with the Mollyockett Chorus in 1999 "after raising five sons, experiencing the wonder of grandparenting, establishing a family business, and attaining her career goals” she recounted recently in an interview for local newspapers about her quest for an outlet for her musical talent. During her 15 year involvement with Barbershop music, Bonnie has been Bass Section Leader, Board Member, Assistant Director, and taken on other jobs as needed. In 2000, Bonnie and three other chorus members formed the Quartet, Meant to Be. She loves the challenge of Barbershop as a singer and now as a Director she hopes to inspire the chorus to reach new heights and have fun along the way. About her experience with Barbershop and her new role as chorus Director, Bonnie says, “I feel blessed to have discovered this organization, where I can continuously learn from masters in the Barbershop craft and where I have the opportunity to share my love of singing with talented, wonderful women of all ages and all walks of life. Being able to let my heart sing with my ‘sisters in song’ has brought much happiness to my life.” As we make our final preparations for the Region 1 Competition, our dress rehearsal on Friends and Family Night (April 8) will include our competition numbers and a selection of our favorites. And although it feels like the Regional Competition wraps up the year, as soon as we return from Springfield we will be rehearsing for our summer roadshow, Big Hair, which we will perform in July for audiences in Poland Spring, Lovell, and Denmark and in a Fall Cabaret we will host in Oxford. Marylin Newell, PhD North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 15 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Profile Chorus What? Another article deadline? This can only mean one thing -- it's Region One contest time again! Normally when I begin writing for the spring edition of Tags & Swipes, the final vestiges of winter are being ushered out by the first harbingers of the warm weather to come. By this time of year, tiny crocuses have begun pushing their way through the snow pack. However, this year's precipitation has left such a thick layer of ice on my front lawn that I wonder if anything could ever get through it. Mother Nature has commandeered a fierce and unrelenting cold season that has left many of us weary and worn -- all the more reason for us to look forward to the cherry trees in bloom Sound of New England Chorus What a winter it has been (and is still being)! When we weren’t canceling rehearsals for snow (six times, I think!!), we’ve worked hard on our contest package and had coaching sessions with Vickie Maybury and Sharon Babb. We sent six quartets out around Greater Hartford on Valentine’s Day to deliver singing valentines. One quartet sang for one of our emeritus members, Marge Daly, and an- 16 (or at least budding) in Springfield! Profile has been incredibly lucky to welcome some very enthusiastic new members over the past several months. Since their arrival, these newbies have continued to amaze and inspire us! They have infused Profile with wonderful energy, they have been very gung-ho to fit in with our group, and they've done all that we have asked of them -- and then some! They are, of course, very excited to be attending their first regional competition. This can-do attitude is a testimonial to the friendships we have forged during our frequent time together and the continued fun we have every week, working together toward a common goal and enjoying the harmonies we create. Upcoming on Profile's agenda is the "Spring Sing with the 'Bubs" (also known as the Tufts Beelzebubs) on April 4th at the Derryfield School in Manchester, where several a cappella groups will showcase their talents to raise funds for the Symphony New Hampshire Chorus. We are looking forward to being a part of this event! We are equally anticipating our turn as hosting chorus this coming fall at regional weekend in Nashua, New Hampshire, and are hard at work on our "theme" even as I write this. International faculty will be Vicki Dennis, Master Director for Houston Horizon Chorus. I am certain she and the other excellent staff members will provide many learning opportunities for us, as well as a great reason for all our sisters in song to get together and laugh, eat, and sing (not necessarily in that order!). Best of luck to all the regional competitors, particularly to those who have never set foot on a stage before. You will love it as much as the rest of us do. Break a lip! Deanna Dean other quartet was accompanied by a crooning dog! All the area schools were closed, so we missed some of the most fun valentines to deliver, but we all had plenty of fun in offices, hospitals and homes. We had a really fun performance in February at the West Hartford Senior Center. They were having a party with an Academy Awards theme; people were encouraged to come all dressed up, and we had a wonderful script that tied our songs together in the spirit of the party, and we joined in the fun with our most sparkly costumes. North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Contest weekend is almost upon us, and we are looking forward to our spring retreat where we will put the sparkle into our package. We can’t wait to sing for the region! We are also very proud to have THREE quartets competing this year for the first time in FOREVER!! Rendezvous 126 is half SONE, half HOTS; Limited Edition and Slightly Askew are all SONE. We will be there to cheer them on, and wish all the competing quartets and choruses the very best. Susan Jones Valley Shore Acappella The snowy winter may have had us down for a while, but Sweet Adeline singers are an optimistic bunch. We made it through the bad weather with a few rehearsal cancellations. Why did it always snow on Tuesdays? But we ladies are resourceful and persistent, we ended up with make-up Thursday rehearsals! Bring it on, Mother Nature! We can take it. And to prove it, an intrepid group of VSA members went to a fabulous Regional week-end in Burlington, Ma. We were all excited to learn from the fabulous Karen Breidert! Karen is the baritone from The Buzz. Among her many accomplishments, besides being a Queen, she was Director of Spirit of the Gulf. These weekends are incredible educational experiences, full of fun, music and, oh yeah, partying! Seriously, we are fortunate to have such a great Regional team who organize these week-ends. Kudos, Region One! Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 ny, Inc. She and Steve tag teamed each other with suggestions for lighter and more supported singing. Morgan is full of positive energy and manages to get her message across effor tlessly. By Sunday morning, we felt we had Four A Song improved the quality of our compe__________ tition set! We may have been totally exhausted, but we definitely knew we had spent worthwhile time improving our vocal output. From that nerve-wracking beginning, our chorus has formed two quartets! One of them has now officially registered as Four A Song! The group is comprised of Cathy Villwock- Lead, Carolyn Mariconi-Tenor, Joan Hurworth-Baritone, and Jane ZanardiBass. At the Winter Regional, Four A Song sang publically for the first time at the Friday night Quartet Club. They did a great job and managed to overcome their nervousness. Thank You Morgan! Their VSA sisters cheered them on. Later, during our retreat week-end, we were serenaded by both groups. We’re proud of our new quartets, but Carolyn Douglas, Mary Blewitt, Marion Ivey and Karen Olsen, you need a name! VSA is looking forward to an amazing competition in Springfield in April. See you all there! Onward to Competition, we worked diligently on our package through February. We couldn’t wait until our retreat week-end to laser focus on our musical performance. We gathered to our favorite cabin in the woods of Ivoryton, CT in March. For the 2nd year in a row, our Director, Steve Wolf, was able to book Morgan La Croix, our favorite Canadian! Morgan hails from Montreal and is the tenor in the award winning quartet, Foreign Exchange. She also directs Montreal City Voices, a member of Harmo- Marylou Zinser Since Steve Wolf took over as VSA Director, he’s been pushing us to get involved in quarteting. During our very first retreat with Steve, he challenged everyone of us to form a quartet and perform a song for each other. North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 17 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Quarter Notes MAXX Factor: Lessons From My Queens When I was greeted with hugs at my first audition with MAXX Factor, I never in a million years thought that I would be sitting here a year and a half later, reflecting on my experiences and what I have learned. I went into that audition with two goals. I wanted to see if I really had what it took to hang with the big girls, and I wanted to meet members of Region 19 so if I went to any activities I would know someone. Something special happened that afternoon. I opened my mouth to sing and for the next two hours I did not have to think once. Not once did I have to change my placement, change a vowel, or sing more softly. I just fit. I was singing with Leslie, Val, and Molly, and actually ringing chords!!! Obviously I got the job, but seriously, they picked me??!! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that that would happen. I began rehearsing with them in MidAugust of 2012 and our first show was in the beginning of October. I had to learn 10 songs, interpretation, choreography, and the banter in between in 7 weeks. It was a daunting task, but I knew it could be done. Well, it had to be done. Every 18 waking hour in my car was spent singing along to the learning tracks. We rehearsed every week on Thursdays and had coaching sessions on weekends a few times as well. The first thing that I learned from being around these three ladies is that they work VERY hard. They are prepared for every rehearsal, have a schedule planned out for each rehearsal, and get through it all, while having a bit of fun. We rehearsed in front of mirrors to make sure the visual plan was working. This I am sure was more for my benefit than theirs, but they never once acted bored or disengaged. My first show with them went well. It was not my best performance on record but I got through it, and their encouragement helped. It was also nice to have Boston Accent on the show as well, so I had some familiar faces to make me feel comfortable. The last year and a half has been filled with experiences that I only could dream about a short while ago. I have sung on the Coronet Club Show, been an international webcast anchor, taught regional weekends, sung the national anthem for the Baltimore Orioles (who were playing the Red Sox that day), gone to Australia, and did a few shows with the Sing Off Tour. These are all once in a lifetime opportunities, to say the least. It is quite surreal at times because it is just little old me doing these things, but MAXX has been ever supportive and understanding of my many star struck moments. Having my own personal voice lesson with three queens when I rehearse has also been priceless for me. I listen to recordings of myself and I know that I have grown as a singer. I have had to up my game considerably to sing with these ladies. I would like to try to share all that I have learned with you. Surprisingly, most of it we have all heard before a million times. The difference for me was to actually experience and feel what it is that our coaches are talking about each time we see them. It all makes so much more sense when you feel it all the way down to your toes. North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 1. Vowels Do Matter: • Barbershop is built on vowel match • Do vowels every rehearsal- in the beginning we did it for 30-40 minutes • This is the grunt work, but it has to be done in order to improve scores 2. Resonance: • All members must have resonance for true vocal blend (I did not know what it truly was until I started with MAXX) • This is the Ah spot singing, preh singing, bending upside down for placement singing, molar space singing… It has many explanations. Do whatever you understand and works for your quartet 3. Be Relentless: • Practice, practice, practice – The work ethic of this group is staggering. When learning new music, EVERYONE knows their part by the next rehearsal. There is a competition between us to see who can be off paper first. • Keep up your quest for knowledge. Attend regional events, IES, international competitions. You will always learn something. Watch top 10 international quartet videos. What do they do differently than your quartet? How can you learn it?... • As a quartet, become proficient at one thing at a time. Don’t try to do it all at once. Vowels first, then add breaths, diphthongs, interp, choreo… Layer it on one at a time. 4. Song Choice Is Key: • Do not sing songs out of your capability, not even for a show. Everyone has to sound great to score well. • Choose songs that have personal meaning to you – especially the lead. If the story of the song can be personalized, and then emoted, you will always score better. • Choose songs that match the quartet’s personal style. Don’t try to swing on down to Dixie if you don’t like that style of music. You won’t be able to sell it. Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 5. Don’t Live By the Score: • This is the hardest one for many. Go by the level, not the score. • Try to maintain or improve upon your LEVEL. If you earned C scores, try to improve to C+ scores the following year. • Work on improving one category per year. Too much will overload your system. Focus on one thing at time. • Did you reach your goals personally and as a quartet 6. Undergarments, Lashes, and Makeup: • Everyone should always wear a flexie, all in one, unbelievabra, or whatever smoothing undergarment you prefer. It does make a huge difference in how the costume looks and fits! • Everyone should always wear lashes for a performance. I did not do so for many years, but they do make a huge difference in expression from the stage. More points from the showmanship judge for emoting the song. • We do not all wear the same pan makeup! What looks good on Val looks orange on me, and what looks good on me looks terrible on Molly, etc... It makes it easier for choruses to all use the same makeup so that it is a bit more consistent, but with a quartet you don't have to look like a very tanned pumkin! Wear your skin tone just a shade or two darker. You should just look sun kissed, not orange or like George Hamilton. • For eyes we have two choices. We do either brown shadows or purple shadows. Val usually will tell us which color palette to use. We do not all use the same colors or brands. We just go by the color palette and wear our personal favorites. One of the most interesting things that I learned from this bunch is that they do not rest on their laurels. As a quartet they, I guess it is we, want to put our best out on that stage. Mediocre performances are not what people are paying to see, and we want to maintain the same level of performance that was achieved on the contest stage. We rehearse, we still get coached, we still set goals for ourselves personally and as a quartet, and we still are competitive. We work very hard and we also have a lot of fun while doing it. Boy do we have fun! I feel as though I am living in a dream most days. I still have to pinch myself when I get texts from Leslie. My mind still thinks what in the world am I doing texting with a queen!!!! I am excited to come and share my good fortune with you all next fall. MAXX will be singing on October 11, 2014 in Massachusetts! I hope that I have the opportunity to see most of you there! Xoxo Dawn Editor's Note: Many of us in Region 1 remember Dawn Adams Clifford when she sang with Liberty Belle Chorus and her award -winning Quartet - Full Throttle. It is so gratifying to know that she has been able to fulfill her dream of singing live with such a well known Quartet and was willing to share her experiences with us . Most of us will only get to sing with their CD's now , although I did have the pleasure of singing Lazy Day with Maxx Factor (even though I didn't realize it at the time) in the Virtual Barbershop Chorus that Peter Nugent put together and uploaded to YouTube a couple of years ago. Can't wait to see them live in October! I have been very fortunate. I hope that you were able to take something away from this rambling of thoughts. I do miss my Region 1 sisters all the time. Regional weekends are not the same without your smiling faces and many hugs. • For performances, we always have our toes painted and nails done. Toes are any color of our choice, hands are French or nude shade. North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 19 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Directors Region 1 Welcomes Two New Directors: Bonnie Fox Ray Johnson Bonnie Fox Mollyockett A Brief Bio of Post Road's New Director: Raymond B. Johnson is a 22 year member of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Ray’s first directorial position was as assistant director of his home chorus the Berkshire Hillsmen under Mike Joyce. He then served with the Vocal Revolution (then Sounds of Concord) as interim director, before they found Dan Costello. He further honed his skills after moving to Missouri while serving as musical director to the Voices of America. Now back in New England, Ray is excited Ray Johnson Post Road to be a part of the Post Road Chorus and is ready for the journey ahead. PRC will be growing into and becoming the fulfillment of their mission. As a singer, Raymond has been classically trained as a boy soprano, and then learned the Broadway style of singing in college at the Hartt School of Music. It was at the Hartt School where Men In Black formed with Ray singing baritone. In 2005 they won the International Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Contest of the BHS. They have competed in the Semi-finals of the ICCA for the Northeast, and have performed at the Finals of the Harmony Sweepstakes. In their 12 years together they have performed in more than half of the states in the US, throughout Canada and as far as Finland. Sharing this lifelong passion for excellence in a cappella ensembles is something Ray loves to do. Whether singing in a show, performing in an ensemble, or directing a chorus, his love for music and joy of singing always come first. Editor's Note: We congratulate Ray whose Men In Black Quartet took 1st Place in the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Quartet Preliminaries held on March 22, 2014 in Nashua, NH Scheduled Teaching Faculty: A Cappella Harmony Academy July 23 - 26, 2014 Starting in October 2013, syllabus and registration materials for A Cappella Harmony Academy was available for download from the News and Events menu of the SAI website: http://www.sweetadelineintl.org 20 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Karen Breidert, Master Faculty Peggy Gram Cammi MacKinlay* Marcia Pinvidic Renée Porzel Judy Pozsgay* Mary Rhea Dale Syverson Melanie Wroe With Special Guest Faculty: Lisa Forkish Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Regional Faculty Barbershop Style Random Thoughts From a Randome Mind This time I am going to take the liberty and ignore the Editor's well thought out questions again and just have a chat about contest from the judge’s standpoint, AND from the contestant’s standpoint. “Civilians” (i.e. non-Sweet Adelines for our newbies) have a very, very difficult time understanding how we can show up week after week after week, from January to April or May, and sometimes throw in a couple of Friday night/all day Saturday sessions, as well as a “retreat” where we are on the risers from Friday night to Sunday morning almost constantly. . . .and all we sing are the same two songs. Nay – sometimes it’s the same four bars – over and over and over and over. How the HECK can we possibly be getting any enjoyment out of THAT!? And then we cheer for ourselves, and applaud the leads or baris when they do well, and hug and kiss each other when the day or weekend is done. Well, ladies, we all know that THIS is the enjoyment of perfecting our craft – our BARBERSHOP. The sound that mesmerized us into joining this “cult” (as our husbands refer to it) in the first place! That is one reason I am absolutely deeeee-lighted that our new Open Division has been added to contest to allow contestants to show off their talents in some of the non-barbershop music. And the traditionalist in me (yes, I know you wudda not thunk it) hopes that the rest of us will then stick with REAL barbershop choices for contest. In my book, it’s a BARBERSHOP contest, so sing BARBERSHOP! If you want to sing other types of four part close harmony, then enter another contest. OK – now I will probably get emails [email protected]. Lorraine Rochefort Anyway – from the pit’s perspective – our buddies there are kind of split in mind. But the word is out that TRA-DI-TION (sung to If I Were A Rich Man tune) is the by word this year. Hope you all complied. And speaking of that Pit Crew (i.e. da judges) we should all look forward to seeing them there, just waiting to hear our performance! They WANT us to do well; they are WAITING for a great performance; they hurt with us when someone makes a boo boo; they get caught up in the emotion, if WE get caught up in the emotion. So many times, we focus on the outcome of a contest. I look at it as a mini-performance where there is no MC-ing. And I luvluvluv to perform! If you go into contest to outscore another contestant – you may be disappointed. That other contestant may peak that day and you may not. Doesn’t mean they are better than you. Just THAT 10 MINUTES, they were. If you go into contest to beat your last year’s score – you may be disappointed. This is a whole new panel of judges with their own opinions and absolutely no knowledge of what your numbers, or placements were last year. And moreover, they don’t care. They are there just to give an evaluation of just THAT 10 MINUTES. If you go into contest to achieve a certain position (it used to be “make the first page”, or now it’s “come in top ten” or “earn a medal”) – you may be disappointed. Now this is beginning to sound like Jeff Foxworthy’s “You May Be a Redneck” routine! However, I digress. Focusing on achieving a certain position may be a good goal for some, but not everyone. I like to approach contest as a stage where I can just show everyone what I have been working on, how I’m doin’ now, the fun I have been having, and how cute I look in my new costume. LOL As one who has come in everything from first to last and most places in between (and most of you were there to see it) I’ve learned that it ain’t worth getting upset over. Even if you walk away with a blue ribbon for both chorus and quartet, on Monday morning when you start to do the laundry, then walk into Shop Rite, nobody cares! Even if you DO wear your medals to the grocery store and explain what they mean to anyone who stares at your chest! So just enjoy that road that all Sweet Adelines travel each spring. It’s one that we all look forward to (I hope!) And this spring, I truly wish that each and every one of you – whether competing in a chorus or quartet – has enjoyed the trip! Bring ‘em on. North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 21 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Regional Faculty Ask "Sweet Addie" The Name of the Game: Preparation Dear Sweet Addie, I am nervous about forgetting everything we have rehearsed when I step onto the contest stage. I am afraid that when I see the lights, judges and people in the audience, I will be unable to find my best voice – I will have no breath, no concentration and I won't be able to perform. Help!? Stressed on the Risers Dear Sweet Addie, What do I do in contest if the wrong pitch is blown? Or if I can't hear the pitch? Frantic in the first row and quaking in the quartet! Dear Frantic and Quaking, Preparation, preparation, preparation. Rehearse every possible mishap you can before contest. Should your worst fears come to pass, you will be ready. In general, ballad or up tune, if you stay in the moment and don't throw up, the pitch will blow again and no one will be the wiser. Or if they are, they will admire your aplomb. Dear Stressed, We rehearse in a friendly space, (our second home, let's face it) with normal every day lighting. We have no opportunity to rehearse on the competition stage in costume, under stressful conditions - nochance to test ourselves. No wonder we're all nervous. The good news is that it's your nerves that fuel your energy and excitement. The trick is to control them and not let them get you by the throat. Guess what works? Preparation, preparation, preparation. It gives you confidence with nerves and confidence is the name of the game. Love, S.A. 22 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International Jane Tamarkin Preparation Tips leading up to contest: FOCUS: It takes quiet to think clearly and give quality attention to the complicated work of singing Barbershop. Digging in to the music, lyrics, breath, resonance, dynamics, connection with your director, actively listening (to name but a few) – these take enormous effort, physical and mental. We don't need silence – but we do need to have a healthy respect for what it takes to sing great Barbershop. VISUALIZATION: Visualize every moment of your ideal performance, every move, every note – every night. TEST YOURSELF: Practice staying in the moment at rehearsal. Do not be distracted. DRESS REHEARSAL: Use your dress rehearsal night to discover (Write it down!) where you get tired or lose concentration so you can feel prepared. Have I mentioned that Preparation is the Key? “Preparation equals confidence.” BREAK A LEG! Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Name URL Description Sweet Adelines International http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/ The public side of our International Site there is also a Members Only side that you must register on the site to access. Region 1 http://www.sai-region1.org/ The public side of our Regional website there is also a Members Only side that you must register on the site to access. SweetAdelinesInt (also known as "Sing") http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ SweetAdelinesInt/ A Yahoo Discussion group for Sweet Adelines and fans - currently 3599 members - you must "Join This Group" before you can read the discussion messages (also you must first sign up for a Yahoo account before you can join any of their Discussion groups - go to http://www.yahoo.com/ SAIregion1 http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ SAIregion1/ A Yahoo Discussion group for our Region 1 members and fans - currently 169 members. Region 1 Sweet Adelines http://www.facebook.com/pages/Region1-Sweet-Adelines/173084668423 A Facebook site for Region 1 - currently 491 members - you must sign up for Facebook to make comments. Meetup.com http://www.meetup.com/Rhythm-of-NewHampshire-Show-Chorus/ Example of a meetup.com site used by Rhythm of New Hampshire for marketing purposes that you can use for your chorus - also see Merrimack Valley Chorus and Post Road Chorus for good examples too. We are fortunate to have so many wonderful people in our Region who are willing to share their expertise with us and it was fun to learn that one of our own members was able to fulfill her dream of singing with Maxx Factor. Thank you Dawn for sharing. I can't wait to see Maxx Factor perform when they come to Clark University in Worcester, MA on Oct 11, 2014. It is interesting to have the opportunity to see other Regions' contests on webcasts and we can feel a connection with them when we hear them sing our favorite Barbershop song, but it is even more fun to go to Springfield with our friends (as we will soon) and listen to our own Region on contest stage. Core Values: Camaraderie, Musical Excellence, Personal Growth, Professionalism, Open Communication Strategic Goals: • Provide quality education to enhance musical excellence and leadership • Promote regional leadership excellence and develop new regional leaders • Assure financial security • Maintain membership (retention) and promote membership growth • Assist Sweet Adelines International in creating a vision for the far future (15 years) tate to contact me so that you don't miss out on the detail we provide on the Members Only side of the website: [email protected] or just use my personal email, if you prefer: [email protected] For those of you who might like to try free video conferencing with me as a test to see if you might derive benefit for your chorus by using it to have 12 people communicate all at once from their home laptops or computers with webcam - find me on oovoo.com shown as patmarais . After reading Deb Richard's article, we currently have 906 members and as Webmaster, I can see that not all of you have yet taken the opportunity to register on our Regional website for the Members Only section. If you have tried to register, but think you didn't get an email from me with a simple security question, don't hesiPat Marais - Editor North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International 23 Tags & Swipes, Spring 2014 Mark Your Calendar Region 1 Choruses Chorus Director City, State/Prov. The Greater Montreal Chorus Heather Solomon Westmont, QC West Island Chorus Tracey Larder Pointe Claire, QC Farmington Valley Chorus Cheryl Wilcox Simsbury, CT Harmony on the Sound Chorus Karen Sweeters Trumbull, CT Millennium Magic Chorus “under our own direction” Sturbridge, MA Sound of New England Chorus Marion Devokaitis Bloomfield, CT Valley Shore Chorus Steven Wolf Middletown, CT Berkshire Hills Chorus Julie Bertelli Piitsfield, MA Coastline Show Chorus Gail Jencik South Attleboro, MA Cranberry Shores Chorus Dee Pelletier Hyannis, MA Harborlight Show Chorus Tori Lynn Cook Peabody, MA Heart of the Valley Chorus Maggie Hawlicheck Florence, MA Island Grove Chorus Pat Hoitt Abington, MA Liberty Belle Chorus Barbara Braxten Arlington, MA Merrimack Valley Chorus Eileen Gioe Wilmington, MA MetroWest Harmony Chorus Julie Jeffery Marlborough, MA Post Road Chorus Ray Johnson Worcester, MA Mollockett Chorus Bonnie Fox Oxford, ME Royal River Chorus Wendi McPike Westbrook, ME Profile Chorus Terry Neill Manchester, NH Rhythm of New Hampshire Show Chorus Jessie Oslán Derry, NH Champlain Valley Chorus Cherie LaDuke Plattsburgh, NY Valley Chords Chorus Alexa Beal Hartford, VT April 24 - 27, 2014 Contest 2014 Springfield, MA July 31 - August 3, 2014 Rising Star 2014 RQA Day Summer Regional Weekend Lowell, MA September 26 - 28, 2014 Fall Regional Weekend Nashua, NH Check the Region 1 website for Updates and Additions http://sai-region1.org Advertise in Tags & Swipes Published 3 times/year. Prices: Full page $125 3/4 page $100 1/2 page $75 1/4 page or smaller $45 Checks payable to: N.A. Region One Mail to: Ruth Widerski 28 Watertown St. Lexington, MA 02421 E-mail ad to Editor Pat Marais: [email protected] Copy Deadline The Fall 2014 Edition of Tags & Swipes will be issued at Fall Regional Weekend. Please email copy to Editor: [email protected] no later than August 17, 2014 . Please attach photos to email rather than inserting into copy. Photos will be used as space allows. Check Region 1 website for Instructions, if needed. 24 North Atlantic Region 1 - Sweet Adelines International
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