Area 6 Convention and Contests
Transcription
Area 6 Convention and Contests
April 2014 Quarterly Newsletter Editor/Distributor: Amy Johnson Area 6 Convention and Contests April 4-6, 2014 Jacksonville, FL “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 1 ...All Women Can Belong” Area 6 Council News structure, planning and rules of the Area. DIRECTOR’S DESK Carol Jackson, Area 6 Director I am proud to be your Area Director and I am open to work with any of you at any time. I’m planning to visit each Area 6 Chapter over the next several months. Looking forward to meeting each of you then. We are just days away from attending Area 6 Convention and Contests. The Convention Team has been in full swing for several months, and The Crowne Plaza in Jacksonville is waiting for us to arrive. I’d like to wish GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU! I hope it will be an exciting AC&C for all. Our USO theme will be a nice walk down memory lane for many of us. Have a great time, everyone! A couple of reminders: 1. Because we have a lot of Youth in Area 6 now, please be aware of the rules for our Youth at the Hotel and any other function that you may have. Your chapter is responsible for these young women. I know they will be on their best behavior and enjoy this event. As Uncle Sam said on his posters back in the 1940’s “WE NEED YOU” I am saying, “Area 6 NEEDS you!” 2. The other reminder is to encourage all of your members to attend at least one of the classes that we will be offering on Friday. I’d like to say another Area 6 “welcome” to our newest chapter, Bella Nova. This chapter is located in Virginia, which is an expansion state of Area 6. This means Bella Nova is a Geographically Outlying Chapter (GOC) in Area 6. Unfortunately, Bella Nova will not be attending AC&C this year. Perhaps we’ll see them next year. During our stay in Jacksonville for AC&C, our Area 6 Council will hold its annual meeting. This meeting will take place on Thursday, April 3rd, at 4:00pm. Please know this meeting is open to the membership, and all are invited to attend. I would like to remind all of you that this Council is your governing board, where decisions are discussed and made on your behalf. Serving on the Council is interesting and rewarding. If you’re interested in serving on the Area 6 Council, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Getting involved helps you to learn the Area 6 wishes to extend our sympathy to: Linda Long, from Hernando Hills Hi-Lites, on the passing of her husband. Additional Positions Area Council Members: Area Advisors . . . . . .Nancy Graves/Susan Wood Area C&J Chairman . . . . . . . . . .Trayce Elenteny Bulletin Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amy Johnson Education Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . Susan Wood Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Barbara Fleischman Manual Coordinator . . . . . . . . . Pauline Campbell Membership Coordinator . . . . . . ..Vicki Browning P/R Marketing Coordinator . . . . . LuJo Karkovice Parliamentarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Properties Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quartet Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . Trayce Elenteny Youth Outreach Coordinator . . . Becky Backfisch Area Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carol Jackson Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aura Daye Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Janet Lipscomb Chapter Presidents Atlanta Harmony Celebration! . . . . Denise Bourg Bella Nova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christina Lewellen Georgia Connection . . . . . . . . . . . Ginger Adams Harmony Sound Waves . . . . . . . . . . . Aura Daye Hernando Hills Hi-Lites . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Long Sisters of Sound . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Gunasekera “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 2 ...All Women Can Belong” 1940'S USO SHOW Aura Daye, Convention Team, General Chairman AC&C 2014, April 4-6 WOW! It's that time again! "That time" is Area 6 Convention and Contests 2014 a.k.a. 1940's USO Show! I hope everyone who reads this is anticipating a great time at the Crowne - Plaza in Jacksonville, Florida again this year, and if it's your first time - WELCOME!!!! We begin with the Area 6 Council Meeting on Thursday, April 3 at 4:00 pm. Later Thursday evening, those who came for the meeting, or came early, will have an opportunity to get together to catch up on news and do some singing. Don't hesitate to find three other people for some quartetting...or seven other people for some octetting. Friday brings us Registration, Hospitality, Sales and Baskets. Please be sure basket donations are in the Hospitality Room on Thursday night, or early Friday morning. This is another opportunity you don't want to miss; contributing to the Area 6 Education Fund, and maybe taking home a basket of goodies. Friday also brings CRAFT CLASSES, you won't want to miss! Please remember to say "Thank You" to the judges who give their time and expertise to help us perform better. Friday finishes with the QUARTET CONTEST, evaluations and we're on to Saturday! AAAHH, SATURDAY!!!! There's the CHORUS CONTEST, followed by evaluations. This exciting time is followed by a Social Hour and DINNER. Immediately following dinner, we will hold our annual Installation of Chapter Board Members; a meaningful ceremony conducted by Carol Jackson, Area 6 Director. AND THEN...........FUN TIME! The time when we all sing for each other! How many weekends fly by as this one does? MAKE THE MOST OF IT!!!!! On behalf of the Convention Team.......... Good Luck to all who cross the stage this weekend. “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 3 ...All Women Can Belong” 1940'S USO SHOW Tentative Schedule AC&C 2014, April 4-6 “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 4 ...All Women Can Belong” Area 6 AC&C 1940'S USO SHOW Crowne Plaza Floor Plan NOTE: This year, we will have a ramp to the stage for those who have mobility issues. “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 5 ...All Women Can Belong” 2014 Area 6 Convention and Contests Judging Panel (Please note the Double-Panel...thanks to the new Judges Equalization program.) Chairman of Judges: Susan Wright Presentation Category: Diane Coates Steve Janes Assistant Chairman of Judges: Jim Nolan Singing Category: Jim Emery Liane Iannuzzo Music Category: Rob Campbell Liz LeClair 2014 Area 6 Convention and Contests Official Order of Appearance Chorus Contest order: Quartet Contest order: 1. Harmony Sound Waves 1. Chiclets 2. Sisters of Sound 2. Four in the Morning 3. Georgia Connection 3. In A Chord 4. Atlanta Harmony Celebration! 4. E# 5. Wild Fermatas 6. MAKE’ 7. Sumthin’ Else 8. Alegria “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 6 ...All Women Can Belong” s u r o Ch Q & uar tet Georgia Connection - Ginger Adams 2014 started off with a creative bang for Georgia Connection! We created a brand new contest package, and have thoroughly enjoyed the hard work we’ve put in to get this package ready for the contest stage at AC&C. We’re also looking forward to putting some swing in the 1940's USO Show theme for AC&C, since we had such a blast with it in our own two 2013 shows. News In February, on a break from rehearsing, our Director, Luke Lindsay, and a group of our members spent a great day learning about the art form of barbershop. This group attended "David Wright's History of Barbershop Class", held in metro Atlanta. David Wright is a prolific arranger, Certified Music Judge, and an individual with a great love of barbershop. Our chorus has enjoyed singing many songs with his magic touch over the years. All in attendance came away with some wonderful "nuggets" of wisdom and information. Harmony Sound Waves - Glenna Markle Harmony Sound Waves is pleased to welcome another new member, and we also welcome back a former member who has rejoined us. Our newest member is Kim Peters. Kim is looking forward to her very first AC&C, this coming April. Miriam Palmore has rejoined the chorus and has already joined a quartet, Four In The Morning. The quartet was very happy to have her and appreciate the knowledge she brings. Also in February, Georgia Connection welcomed Certified Presentation Judge, Diane Coates, for a coaching weekend. Diane has an amazing eye for creating presentation packages, and worked some magic on our new contest package. This new presentation package is a wonderful complement to our new songs. We also learned some invaluable tools we can apply in all of our performances. It was truly an inspiring weekend! Our Director, Greg Patterson, has been very diligent in working with our chorus so that we will be ready to perform, and do our best at AC&C. We’re so excited to know our entire chorus will be competing this year. We’d like to say a special “thank you” to Nancy Graves, who has again opened her home to the chorus for extra rehearsals. Extra rehearsals really helps with fine tuning. G e o r g i a Connection is so pleased to have a group of new members taking the contest stage for the first time in April, at AC&C. They are all naturals, and we are so proud of their hard work and the enthusiasm they have shown since joining our family. We are really looking forward to introducing them to all our Area 6 friends in Jacksonville! We held another Sweets 'N Harmony show, and it was a great success! Our members bring finger sweets (ie: brownies, fruit sticks, cream puffs, bar squares, etc.). It's always been a good time for all who attend. We have built up a following, so it's always nice to meet these friends from time to time. Nothing else on our agenda except to arrive in Jacksonville full of good thoughts, stay healthy, know our music, check over classes that will be offered to us, and be ready to meet and greet other members of Area 6. See you there! “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 7 ...All Women Can Belong” silence and, after church, asked, "Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?” Tommy answered soberly, "I asked God to teach me to whistle, and He did!" Chorus/Quartet News cont’d SAY A PRAYER - Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away. "Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer." said his mother. "I don't need to," the boy replied. "Of course, you do." his mother insisted. "We always say a prayer before eating at our house." "That's at our house." Johnny explained. "But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!" Sisters of Sound - LuJo Karkovice Sisters of Sound is bounding into spring, or maybe it’s summer. Either works for us!! Our chorus members (and coffers) are thrilled to have finished our annual show/fundraiser, and are in hopes of having another in December. In early March, “Calendar Girls” gave the audience much mirth and memorable music. Along with the chorus, a cappella groups of three, or four, or more, wowed show-goers with songs related to hallmark (and other not-such-hallmark) holidays. BEING THANKFUL - A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, "So your mother says your prayers for you each night? That's very commendable. What does she say?" The little boy replied, "Thank God he's in bed!" Director, Shannon Elswick, with assistant Directors, Ludmila Hemmings and Tiana Sandh, (watch for her directing debut at AC&C), took turns presenting whimsical dates in song, highlighted by new and returning voices in various small ensembles. Strains of traditional Valentine Day fare like “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”, featuring a skit produced by Angie Sassi, and her young dancing son John, was of special interest to onlookers. UNANSWERED PRAYER - The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why. "Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon." "How come He doesn't answer it?" she asked. Now nearing 30 members, Sisters is proud to have three quartets-that’s a dozen different female voices, slated to compete at AC&C. E#-our most accomplished teenaged contingency- and Sumthin’ Else (who pride themselves on acting like teenagers more often than not), will each be giving their debut performance at AC&C. Joining them, will be the seasoned voices of In A Chord, who will return to give a premium presentation. MOSES AND THE RED SEA - Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved." "Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his Mother asked. “Well no Mom, but, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!" Looking forward to seeing everyone in Jacksonville. Hoping you’ll introduce yourself to unfamiliar faces as we “blend with friendship” on stage, or stand side by side at the Saturday night festivities. DID NOAH FISH? - A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?" "No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms." Faithful Funnies UNTIMELY ANSWERED PRAYER - During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy's mother was horrified. She pinched him into “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… Faith is not about everything turning out OK. Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out. 8 ...All Women Can Belong” GO TO SCHOOL ON SOMEONE ELSE’S DIME used with permission; www.brodymcdonald.com One of the most valuable things I ever learned from RD Mathey at Bowling Green State University, was how to go to school on someone else’s dime. By this I mean I learned how to watch, listen, and think analytically every second of rehearsal. Let’s take a look at how getting into this mindset can help singers. If you are in a traditional choral setting, think director and choir. If you are in a self-run a cappella group, it still applies. Even if you don’t have a formal “director,” someone has to be steering the ship, right? Some common ways “going to school on someone else’s dime” helps: 1) But I’m doing it – Most singers think they are doing what the director wants them to. They mean well, so they think their intention translates into action. Unfortunately, most singers don’t go far enough, fast enough. When they watch the director working with another section, they can clearly see how other singers think they’re doing “it,” but really aren’t doing “it” enough. When the director finally coaxes the magical “enough” out of those singers, others who are paying attention should notice and gain valuable insight into their own technique. 2) What do I hear / how would I fix that? – This is a great game to play in rehearsal. The director works with one section and the rest of the choir’s job is to listen along, constantly thinking “what is the director going to say?” The director could ask the choir “what did you hear? What am I going to say?” In advanced choirs, the director could even ask, “how could we fix that?” In short, spend some of your time in rehearsal pretending you are the assistant director, and will be taking over tomorrow’s rehearsal. By constantly thinking in an such analytical and critical manner, you will sharpen your ears and your musical instincts. 3) Music reading (rhythm and pitch) – During rehearsal, music is flying around constantly. Singers who are temporarily not singing can still learn a lot by following along in the score. Many singers only look at their music when they are singing (sometimes not even then). By tracking music while another section rehearses, you have a chance to reinforce basic reading skills. If the section is doing well, you can watch the “dots” go by and hear the correct matching sounds. If the section makes a mistake, you have a chance to notice and then hear the correction. Much of learning comes from repetition – time spent doing. The toughest skill for any singer is learning how to read. Don’t miss a second you could hone your musical literacy. Furthermore, when you are not singing, you could internally count and try to fit your part in against the section being rehearsed. If it is a homophonic section, you could “mouth” along with those who are singing, practicing rhythms and vowel shapes even while silent. 4) Do vs. assess – Simply put, you cannot do something and assess it at the same time. By going to school on someone else’s dime, you get the opportunity to learn about the music, the director’s tastes, vocal technique, and much more while not doing. This means that when you do, you can focus on trying to the best of your ability without constantly thinking “how am I doing?” You can simply do, and let the director help you improve. It’s time for others to learn watching you. 5) Bottom line – EOE – Everything Overlaps Everything. Singing is a complex skill, one that requires mental acumen and physical coordination. Getting all the components to line up together to produce awesome singing is difficult. Period. Any chance you have to improve any little piece of this giant puzzle just puts you closer to that end-goal of awesome singing. What are the by-products of “going to school on someone else’s dime?” 1) Leadership – You become better equipped to be an internal leader, either by performing better or even running sectionals. You know what the director wants. You know what the end product is supposed to be. You know the tools to make it so. 2) Reinforcement – you will get much more insight into vocal technique and practice at music reading, which ultimately helps you grow faster into the singer you wish to be. 3) Building habits a) Increases your mental stamina / lengthens the period of your mental focus b) Improves internal culture: singers are better able to diagnose their own performance c) Reinforces the value of the coach/director d) Builds analytical mindset in singers e) Helps release people from the do / assess trap that impedes performance So here’s your closing visual metaphor… remember in science when you were asked to soak a celery stalk in red water? You let it sit overnight and the next day the red water had been absorbed into the celery, giving it a red hue. Those who are only active in rehearsal while it’s their turn to sing are like a celery stalk that has been splashed with red water. Those who “go to school on someone else’s dime” are the ones who soak up all that red water until it’s just part of who they are. “A Blend With Friendship Is Our Creed… 9 ...All Women Can Belong” DEADLINE: Upcoming Barbershop Events July 2014 issue of the "Southern Exposure”: June 16th Please send articles/pictures/comments/ questions to : rojoamy@gmail.com Area 6 Convention & Contests April 4-6, 2014 Jacksonville, FL Crowne Plaza Riverfront Upcoming AC&C/IC&C’s (Dates/locations may be subject to change.) 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