Shrine of Democracy Chorus
Rapid City, SD
News from the House of Delegates meeting in Denver during the Chapter Operations Training School.
The Rocky Mountain District, like some other districts in our Barbershop Harmony Society is fighting inadequate finances and is forced to raise our dues by $13 beginning January 1, 2007. This is on top of a $5.00 increase in the Society dues also effective January 1st. It should come as no surprise to anyone that expenses keep going up and if income doesn’t increase to cover the expenses, then dues must go up to make up the difference.
The most serious problem on the district level is a lack of support from members at the district conventions. These spring and fall conventions are the main sources of income for the district and when large numbers of members decide not to go, whether their choruses are participating or not, then district income suffers and services must be cut or dues must be raised, or both. One idea was to raise member dues by $80 and give each member free registration and tickets to the district conventions. Cutting COTS altogether was considered, but after discussion it was decided instead to offer COTS for only four officer positions (Pres, Music VP, Chapter Dev. VP, Marketing & PR). Secretaries and Treasurers would get training from outgoing personnel or Area Counselors.
In addition, funding for the Standing Ovation program, which we never took advantage of, was dropped. Other cuts are being considered. I suspect we’ll be hearing more about these things before we know what the final picture will be. However, as far as the dues increase is concerned, I would have you consider how really inexpensive our musical hobby is when you think about the many positive experiences you will have if you apply yourself to it. AND, if you divide your annual dues by months or weeks you’ll find it is a VERY SMALL amount to pay for the enjoyment you can receive. Any questions, please ask me. If I don’t have the answer, I know who to call to get it.
Comment taken from actual police car video:
“Relax, the handcuffs seem tight because they’re new. They’ll stretch out after you’ve worn them for a while.”
At the November Board meeting, following acceptance of Larry Putnam’s Treasurer’s Report, Del Beck made the happy announcement that Oktoberfest will finish “in the black” for the first time in several years. The capacity crowd of over 250 polka lovers all reported a great time.
Discussion of the new shirts continued, and the decision was made to order both a royal blue short sleeved shirt and a denim or gray long sleeved, with the Chorus offering some incentive to acquire both shirts.
John and Kathy Sundby are hosting a chorus Christmas party on December 3rd, and the Chorus will contribute some of the refreshments. We will hold an Officer Installation Banquet in mid-January at Meadowbrook Grill at the Clubhouse.
President Pete expressed the Rocky Mountain District’s desire that the large majority of Chorus participants be dues paying members of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Lynn and Jim Gogolin propose the creation of a special quilt to be raffled as a fund raiser; the Chorus will be polled to determine support both for the creation (sewers) and members selling the raffle tickets.
John Elving and Del Beck will create both a new brochure and an advertising booklet suitable for year-around use. John will also explore getting a sign for display at Central High School; the sign will only “hang” on rehearsal nights, and will be large enough to be read from the street.
Pete reported the Chorus may receive as much as $1,000 - $2,500 from an arts grant from the City of Rapid City.
Finally, before adjournment, the Board certified the election of the new Officers for the 2007 year.
Not much has changed in the way of keeping accounts so that we may remain a non-profit organization since I was last in the office of chapter treasurer. However, I still enjoy going to COTS for the tidbits of new information, fellowship, and the singing! For tidbits I was able to pick up some newly available Quicken files to make the tasks of treasurer much easier, provided I get upgraded software. Most of the class time was taken with discussion relating to using the new files. There were newbies in the class too, and they were quickly brought up to speed on requirements of BHS accounting.
The fellowship is always terrific. You see, it is not just Mt. Rushmore chapter that recycles its officers. It seems most chapters do. Therefore I was able to chat with lots of old friends that weekend.
Learning the new music that was included in the registration packet was fun – but not as much fun as the VLQ outing on Friday night (covered elsewhere in this newsletter.)
Bottom line – this was the most rewarding COTS that I have attended! Thanks for the (almost) free weekend!
This session was presented by Larry Gilhousen.
Q. Who is the most important person in your chorus?
A. The most important person is the barbershopper addressed by the question. So, if you are asked that question the answer is “me”. From a public relations attitude, every man unto himself is the most important member in the chorus. If you have good, positive feelings about yourself as a chorus member you will come across in a positive manner to the people you touch – the man next to you, your family and friends, your audience, the community and next, the public in general, including the media. You are a public relations man for your organization whether you want to be or not. You have an effect in the marketing your chorus – positive, negative or neutral.
What is public relations? It is how you appear to the public, how you project the image of what you represent.
What is marketing? It is the packaging of your product for sale or use.
What is the PR & Marketing Team? It is a group of guys making this idea work. (If you would like to be on this team contact Del.)
What is a performance? We used to call it a “singout”. We have been advised rather strongly to eliminate the word “singout” from our collective vocabularies. A performance is what a chorus or quartet does every time it “does its thing” before an audience.
What is an audience? It may be one person, a family, a thousand people in front of a stage or people in any public place including bars, restaurants, banquet halls, retirement homes, etc.
• Shows – People will attend shows if they believe that they will hear a chorus, quartets and small groups which sing well and entertain them.
• Performances – Positive PR happens when quality singing and effective showmanship are demonstrated. This quality must occur every time out.
• The individual member – The things we say about our hobby, the efforts we put into selling tickets to the annual show and the way we approach potential members all demonstrate our public relations efforts.
One more term to consider:
We have all heard the expression, “I’ll believe it when I see it”. We are all challenged to alter those words slightly to come up with a much altered attitude which says, “I’ll see it when I believe it.”
The Secretarial classes were quite mundane and a repetition of previous sessions, with six of the seven students new to the job.
The responsibilities of the Secretary continue to grow, with the copyright certification and expanded record keeping the newest additions.
The instructor, Ray Briggs of the Cardinal District, is a SD School of Mines and Technology graduate, and is one of the men responsible for the formation of the Singing Engineers Chorus at the school.
Friday night’s adventure, Singing for our Supper, made the entire weekend forever memorable!!
I have a new job. The boss is in a field I know quite a bit about. He does not know much of that field. But he does know how to sell a product. When there is an item that has a physical problem that can be fixed properly, he would rather fix it haphazardly. His comment is, “That’s good enough”. The question is, good enough for whom?
If you are the customer, what does “Good Enough” mean to you? Does it mean that just because it is something that you may not notice, a sloppy, or non repair is good enough? Or does it mean that since you are purchasing a product, you expect it to be in top condition? As a consumer, what are your expectations?
Now, you may ask, what does this have to do with my being a member of the Shrine of Democracy Chorus? I sing for enjoyment, not to sell anything. Ah, but we do sell something. We sell our barbershop style performance every time we sing in public.
So, what is “Good Enough” when it comes to our singing? Are we singing as if we wanted to really impress the audience with how good men’s singing is? Or are we just singing “Good Enough”? Do our audiences (consumers) expect and deserve our very best or a patched together product that is “Good Enough”.
Will we ever be the best in the world? No. However, by each of us giving our absolute best, and making sure the audience member gets the best product available, we will be the best that they can get here. Want to experience the thrill of a happy consumer after you make the big sale? That can happen every time we bring an audience to their feet after a particularly great product is sold to them in our performance.
The Bluegrass Student Union . 1978 Champs, give it’s final performance on Saturday evening, December 9th, 2006 at Louisville Memorial Auditorium at 4th & Kentucky Streets in downtown Louisville, KY. The host chapters for this event was the 4- time Harmony, Inc. International Champion Derby City Chorus and the New Horizon Chorus (BHS). Both choruses are directed by BSU tenor, Allen Hatton.
Info taken from the Nov. AIC Medallion, Grady Kerr, editor
1. Never be satisfied with the starting pitch. If the musical director uses a pitch pipe, insist on your preference for the piano - and vice versa.
2. Complain about the temperature of the rehearsal room, the lighting, the lack of space, or a draught. It is best to do this when the musical director is under pressure.
3. Bury your head in the music just before an important cue.
4. Ask for a re-audition or riser position change. Ask often. Give the impression you’re about to quit. Let the musical director know you’re there as a personal favour.
5. Loudly clear your throat during pauses (tenors are trained to do this from birth). Quiet instrumental interludes are a good opportunity for blowing your nose.
6. Long after a passage has gone by, ask the musical director if your low C was in tune. This is especially effective if you didn’t have a low C or were not singing at the time.
7. Wait until well into a rehearsal before letting the musical director know that you don’t have any music.
8. At dramatic moments in the music (while the musical director is emoting wildly) be busy marking your music so that the climax will sound empty and disappointing.
9. Look at your watch frequently. Shake it in disbelief occasionally.
10. Whenever possible, sing your part either an octave above or below what is written. This is excellent ear training for the musical director. If he hears the pitch, deny it vehemently and claim that he must be hearing the harmonics or overtones.
11. Tell the musical director, “I’m not sure of the beat.” Musical directors are always sensitive about their “directing technique”, so challenge it frequently.
12. If you are singing in a language with which the musical director is the least bit unfamiliar (i.e. British English ;-) ), ask him as many questions as possible about the meaning of individual words. Occasionally, say the word twice and ask his preference for pronunciation, making certain to say it exactly the same both times. If he remarks on their similarity, give a look of utter disdain and mutter under your breath about “subtleties of inflection”.
13. Ask the musical director if he has listened to the Vocal Majority recording of the piece you are rehearsing. Imply that he could learn a thing or two from it. Also good: ask “Is this the first time you’ve conducted this piece?”
14. If your phrasing differs from that of others singing the same phrase, stick to your guns. Do not ask the musical director which is correct until backstage just before the concert.
15. Remember - softer means slower.
Well, you ARE! You may have seen the film crew in Salt Lake City and Indy shooting the on-stage and behind the scene activities of the International Convention. The end product will soon be a film, with the current working title: “American Harmony - a documentary film about a true American art form”.
This project investigates Barbershop quartet harmony singing, through interviews with historians, musicians, celebrities, and contemporary barbershop quartets. In the vein of Hoop Dreams and Spellbound, American Harmony is a mixture of music, comedy, lifestyle, and nail-biting competition. This film follows several quartets as they journey from their “regular” lives to the international stage for a chance to win gold.
Groups who may appear in the film are OC Times, Reveille, Max Q, Metropolis, Hot Air Buffoons, Vocal Spectrum, Realtime, Saturday Evening Post, and even The Singing Senators. They also interviewed several Barbershoppers including Joe Connelly, Harlan and Todd Wilson.
The film is in post-production with the final cut still a few months away. The producers report they are working “‘round the clock” and have recently submitted it to the folks at Sundance in hopes of being included in next year’s world famous film festival. The plan is to show it at several film festivals and sell it to distributors there.
YOU can see the impressive film trailer right NOW at: American Harmony
Besides testing my knowledge of the baritone part to more songs than I’d care to count, what was it that I discovered at COTS that will help our chapter grow and flourish?
First, let me say that we do many things well. As always, however, there are things we can do even better so that men will want to be members of our chorus. Here are a few things we want to try this year to make things more enjoyable for you, and also make us a better chorus.
The Music & Performance area doesn’t work alone. Admittedly, as a singing organization, we were told we are the most important of all the areas of chapter life. We must work with other areas to make a well-oiled machine. That is what we want to do.
Working with Chapter Development (including membership) chaired by Steve Ferley, we want to make each evening special for our guests. This includes making them feel welcome, wanted, and important - so important that we put them with an established “buddy,” or mentor. Then when a man joins the chapter, we want to have an orientation time to help bring him up to speed, with the help of his buddy.
We will be producing the very best performance skills we can so that Del Beck, VP of Public Relations & Publicity, can proudly put us out there as the best entertainment and singing group in the Rapid City area. We should be the group that is in most demand among any who are seeking top-notch entertainment. We will be making our meetings more than just rehearsals. There will be many activities during our meeting time, although in short segments, that will keep us all interested and having fun all through our meeting time.
And, finally, we will be trying some new things to help us increase our skills. Some of the music team have already discussed this and have some ideas that can make us all better musicians. Just be patient with us and be willing to try new things. Remember that all we try is to make us all better singers, entertainers, and a more close knit group.
Please feel free to talk with me at any time with good constructive ways of doing things that will help us all.
Charlie Davenport is the new Director of Membership for the Society. The following is a small portion of an interview in the latest Harmonizer, in which Charlie give his thoughts about membership matters and what each member can do for his chapter and the Society. Ed.
What can an individual member do to make his chapter a better place for his fellow members and a more attractive place for potential members?
I am asking just one thing from every single member: Please do just one “more” thing in your barbershop world than you are accustomed to doing now. This doesn’t have to be a huge step in order to be significant. Find one thing that is positive for the overall membership, something you don’t typically do. For instance, actually look over some music at home, call a fellow Barbershopper who has not been at rehearsal lately, don’t talk during chorus rehearsal for one hour. Sure, volunteering to chair something or run for office counts also, but do at least one more thing. That will give our Society 30,000 extra things done the first year. (And it would mean that forty extra things would be done for our chapter. Ed.) How can that be anything but good?
Remember, when you are pointing your fingers at those who have the greatest impact on your barbershop experience, take note of where the majority of your fingers are pointing and have that person make the first move.
contents copyright of the author and © 2006 Barbershop Harmony Society, 7930 Sheridan Road, Kenosha, WI 53143, 800-876-SING | 262-653-8440 | fax 262-653-4048
Ticket prices will be the same as all previous years ($35 and $25... limited VIP seats at $75). The show will be held in the Pepsi Center (contest venue for Denver). Ticket information will follow as soon as we can work out the logistics with the Pepsi Center of whether we have to use Ticketmaster or ETix. As always, a significant portion of the ticket price will be tax deductible.
Needless to say, we’re pretty excited about the amazing talent on this show! We wanted to get the information out as soon as possible in case it affects travel plans for when people plan to arrive in Denver. Thanks to all who have attended our previous shows to help support Harmony Foundation, and thanks in advance to those of you whom we’ll see on Tuesday, July 3, 2007!
What effort do we put into a performance? What is a performance? Who should participate in a performance?
These are questions that I ask myself as a chorus member each time I hear of a performance opportunity. Over the last year serving as Chapter President has brought about a different outlook on the answers that I came up with. I’d like to share a little bit with you about things I think about for a performance.
When I became president, I made the comment to the rest of the board that I wished to refer to all singing opportunities as a “performance” and not a “sing out”. This, to me, means that we are the stars of the show. We are the main draw of the event, and are there to provide the entertainment for the audience. This word also makes me think of performing at the top of my game to provide the best experience for the audience.
Another issue we addressed as the board was that every performance opportunity should be considered a chorus performance and not initially considered a VLQ or small group performance. As the chorus grows in our ability to perform, if we perform with 100% participation we all improve at a common level. We felt that with full chorus participation each time we performed the chorus would improve.
Over the last two years I have seen a general change in the chorus outlook on performances. Now when we announce a performance we’re not asking who can be there, but we’re expecting you to be there, and you’re not letting us down with some of the best participation we have seen in years. As we move forward into 2007 and our next goal, we need to ramp up to the next level by performing at rehearsal. Each week we should improve. We should begin by thinking, shaping, and then singing. The little things that we learn each week is what makes us better over time. Not allowing ourselves to revert to what we are used to and comfortable with, but moving forward in an uncomfortable, aggressive, improving growth path will allow us to reach our goals.
Our goal for individual growth will help the big picture of the chorus goal for better performances, better entertainment, and better enjoyment of the hobby we each love.
See you on the risers!
RMD Harmony College 2007 is scheduled for Feb. 2-4 featuring GOTCHA! and Antique Gold among many other staff members. Make your plans now to attend.
RMD Harmony College 2008 is also scheduled. Please note the change of date, FEB. 8-10, 2008. It was necessary to change the dates because we now have both *Real Time and Vocal Spectrum* attending to serve on the Staff. We realize that this is a week closer to Valentines Day but there is also a great opportunity to have all your Singing Valentine Quartets coached by two International Champion Quartets. We’ve planned RMHC 2008 VERY, VERY early. This allows all RMD Chapters sufficient time to make any needed adjustments in planning Singing Valentine Programs so the maximum number of barbershoppers can attend RMHC 2008.
Keep an eye on the RMD webpage for updated calendar entries. This will keep you informed and ready to attend.
See you in Estes Park.
Directors often become frustrated by the famous “I taught that last week” syndrome that seems to plague every chorus. If all chorus members will internalize the following lessons, they can reduce the “syndrome’s” symptoms—if not cure the disease—and help make a better chorus in the process. Here are some things to think about:
contents copyright of the author and copyright ©7/13/2006
Barbershop Harmony Society
7930 Sheridan Road
Kenosha, WI 53143
800-876-SING | 262-653-8440 | fax 262-653-4048
(This is part four of a five part series written by Bill Biffle, BHS director, music category judge, Society board member and newly elected Executive Vice President of the BHS.)
In the first three episodes of this exciting chronicle, we heard about the wonderful adventures of “CAPTAIN VOCAL”!!! You’ll remember dear readers, Episode I and the importance of always being polite to your elders and STANDING UP STRAIGHT! Remember how CAPTAIN VOCAL said “Rangers, having the right posture is VITAL to your physical and VOCAL health and it will help you breath better, too!”
Then in Episode II, the CAPTAIN told us all about BREATHlNG IN! WOW! What fun! With our little chests expanded and an All-American posture, we took in our breath low and slow and E-X-P-A-N-D-E-D all around our belts as we did so!
Next, in the thrilling Episode III, we found out all about how we can fight the enemies of our American Way of Life AND combat tooth decay by INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE VOCAL TRACT as we breathe in! Remember, we open the throat, drop the jaw, let the tongue relax forward in the mouth (where else?), gently raise the soft palate, and extend the lips off the teeth in a nice oval shape ALL AT THE SAME TIME!
Now in this episode, gentle readers, we are ready to SING! What, after only three short months of preparation, we can now EXHALE and MAKE SOUND WHILE WE DO IT? Read on!
There are several ways you can think of this action, so experiment until you find one that’s right for you. They all have a couple of elements in common, though. Throughout the exhalation process:
Now, you may feel firmness - NOT tension - in the stomach and back muscles while they slowly lift under the breath, OR you may think of maintaining the expansion of the lower rib cage and back muscles while the diaphragm (muscle in the lower middle) rises under the breath. No matter which method you use, always monitor the larynx to make sure that no tension from the breathing process is being communicated to the singing apparatus. Your neck, throat, larynx, jaw, etc. should ALWAYS be free and relaxed.
Most people prefer to bring the stomach muscles slowly up under the outgoing air, but some folks get good results by trying not to let the ribs and chest collapse as they sing. Both methods work. Experiment to find the one you can do best. In fact, some great singers feel that they’re pushing the diaphragm AWAY and DOWN as they support the breath and tone. The point is, SOME management of the breathing apparatus is essential to control of tone. Through’ it all, you should be completely RELAXED from the chest up and feel the work being done ONLY below there.
Throughout the process of managing the outflow of breath, you should be able to move your stomach wall with a fairly gentle push in. If your “abs” are too tight to be moved, you’re setting up tension in the larynx. Try this: tense your stomach muscles REALLY tight. Notice what you feel in the larynx. TENSION, right? Well, tension is ALWAYS wrong. So don’t over achieve.
One last check as you sing a tone. You should be able to gently cradle your chin in the hand and feel the space between your teeth with the thumb and first finger (one on each side, Silly). RELAX your jaw and tongue. Remember, UNWANTED TENSION is the singer’s worst enemy.
Get help from someone on the Music Team and watch for the FINAL CHAPTER in our thrilling saga (in the next bulletin issue]. Good luck and good singing.