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Spring,
2008
Contents
Calendar
Chapter Officers Form
Chorus Chatter
Communications
Convention Follow-up
The Cost of Competition
Diagnosis: Improvement
Needed
Education Opportunities
Quartet Corner
RMT Meeting Highlights
Webcast
Survey
Please feel free to make extra copies for
your chorus. The
PDF version will probably print
best.
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2008 Competition Photos
Additional "action" photos from the contest weekend are available for viewing /
purchasing on the
Lilley Photography site. These
photos DO NOT replace the staged pose ordered by your chorus or quartet; you
should receive those any day, if not already!
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How Much Does It Cost To Produce A
Convention?
(reprinted from
the April 2008 PitchPipe)
Effective in 2009, the Sweet Adelines International Board approved
registration fee increases for International Convention. The increases will
offset escalating operating costs while keeping attendee registration fees in
line with other similar types of conventions. The following information
illustrates convention expenses in relation to the convention registration
prices
(prices effective for the October 20-24, 2009 convention in Nashville):
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$140 competitor
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$150 member
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$165 nonmember
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$75 convention assistant
After the April 1, 2009 early bird deadline, fees raise to:
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$160 chorus competitor
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$200 member
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$215 nonmember
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$100 convention asst.
Here is how the Registration Fee for Convention is allocated (based on an
average registration fee of $155):
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Competition Site: $85
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Busing: $50
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Other Expenses: $20
When comparing average costs from the past 10 years, busing costs per attendee
increased 33 percent, and range from $250,000 to $390,000, depending on the
city and location of hotels. This high per attendee busing cost is attributed
primarily to the significant rise in fuel costs.
Competition costs have increased 40 percent over the last 10 years, with
expenses ranging from $900,000 to $1,100,000. Convention site costs include,
but are not limited to, facility rental, staging, lighting, sound, video,
video projection, freight, ushers, security, support personnel and all
expenses for the Official Judging Panel. Other costs associated with
convention include production of education classes, staff expenses, operating
expenses (insurance, ASCAP/BMI/SESAC fees, signage, etc.), arranger’s preview,
headquarters and ticket office set up, convention program, tickets, VIP
ribbons, and postage.
With the departure of IES comes the exciting addition of the Harmony Classic
contests to the 2009 international convention agenda. The Board is including
these contests as a part of the registration fee. Registrations also include
all sessions of the International quartet and chorus competitions,
educational classes including a specialized class by the current international
champion chorus, shopping in Harmony Bazaar, busing to and from competitions
and hotels, Mass Sing and more.
To ensure the financial viability of the convention, it is a priority to look
for effective ways to reduce expenses without compromising the quality of the
convention experience that our members have come to expect. Rest assured that
the executive management team and Board will continue to closely monitor
costs, seek competitive bids, and book conventions in cities that offer
competitive rental fees and pricing incentives.
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2009 Competition Dates Changed
The dates for the 2009
International Competition in Nashville, TN have been changed.
The news dates are October
20-24. Mark your calendar now!
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False Alarm!
"The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated!" That's exactly what
Dottee Rambo, co-director of the Olympia Chorus, must be thinking!
Many of you have made inquiries about Dottee following news reports of her
alleged death on May 11.
Dottee is just fine, however, so don't worry. The Dottie Rambo (note the
different spelling of the first name) who passed away was a famous gospel
singer. She was killed in a bus accident while on tour.
Meanwhile, "our" Dottee is alive and kicking and happily directing Olympia!
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Chapter
Officers Form
Management
Teams and Boards of Directors: Have you sent in your 2008-2009 Chapter Officer
List?? A copy should be sent to BOTH
Sweet Adelines International and to
Region
13.
If you
need a form, you can get a new, "fillable" one
here.
Then it's as simple as emailing the form as an attachment.
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Regional Calendar
2008
MAY
May 15-18: Region 24 Annual Convention (SAI)
JUNE
June 20-21: Director/Faculty/Music Leaders Workshop with Bev Miller;
SeaTac Airport area, WA. For details, click
here.
JULY
July 16-19:
IES (International Education Symposium), San Antonio,
TX. Last one ever! For more information, see the
Workshop page.
July 18-20:
Harmony College Northwest
(HCNW), Tacoma, WA. A local option if you can't attend IES! For more
information, see the
Workshop page.
July 31: InTune Newsletter deadline for Summer issue; questions and
articles should go to
Nancy Gott.
SEPTEMBER
September 19-21: SET with Region 26, with guest faculty quartet Rumors;
Richmond, BC (near Vancouver).
Get your passport now!!
September 19-21: Queens
College; Denver, CO. Faculty: Betty Clipman, Joni Bescos, Diane Huber and The
Buzz. Click
here for more information and other
dates/locations.
OCTOBER
October 4:
Harmony Northwest Chorus Show; Melody Hall; Bellingham, WA
October 10-12: Queens College;
Sacramento, CA. Faculty: Sandi Wright, Janet Ashford, Charla Esser and Four
Bettys. Click
here for more information
and other dates/locations.
October 18: InTune Newsletter deadline for Fall issue; questions and
articles should go to
Nancy Gott.
October 30-November 2: Great Pacific Harmony ~ Pan
Pacific Convention;
Honolulu, Hawaii. Something to do before the SAI Convention! Click
here for more info.
NOVEMBER
November 4-8: SAI International Convention
Honolulu, Hawaii
2009
JANUARY
January 10: InTune Newsletter deadline for Winter issue; questions and
articles should go to
Nancy Gott.
APRIL
April 2-5: Region 13 Annual Convention (SAI); Spokane, WA
April 23-26: Region 26
Annual Convention (SAI); Calgary, AB
MAY
May 9: InTune Newsletter deadline for Spring issue; questions and
articles should go to
Nancy Gott.
May 14-17: Region 24 Annual Convention (SAI)
JULY
July 25: InTune Newsletter deadline for Summer issue; questions and
articles should go to
Nancy Gott.
OCTOBER
October 17: InTune Newsletter deadline for Fall issue; questions and
articles should go to
Nancy Gott.
October 20-24: SAI International Convention
Nashville, Tennessee
NEW DATE!
2010
APRIL
April 22-24: Region 13 Annual Convention (SAI); Anchorage, AK
April 29-May 2: Region
24 Annual Convention (SAI)
Send Calendar info to:
Tracie
Cogdill, Calendar Coordinator
PO Box 80007
Fairbanks, AK 99708
Home: 907-457-5244
Fax: 907-456-5244
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IES 2008: Kickin' It Up A Notch!
Registration is now open for IES 2008, the last International Education
Symposium ever! This year's featured faculty includes Peggy Gram, Dale Syverson
and Jim Henry, plus boasts over 200 different classes.
Taking place at Trinity College in San Antonio, TX, IES 2008 will be July 16-19,
and should be on your DO NOT MISS List! For more information on IES, click
here.
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Survey Says...
To webcast or not to webcast; that is the
question! In Spokane, the RMT announced they are looking for
feedback on this year's and future webcasts. If you did not
get a chance to relay your comments then, you can do it
now!
To get a Microsoft Word
document of the survey, click
here.
You can fill this out on your computer and email it
back as an attachment to
Susan Soderberg,
Region 13 Communications Coordinator.
If you need to use a PDF
file, click
here. This is not a "fillable"
form, so you'll need to answer the questions by hand
and send in to the address listed.
Either way, the RMT would love to hear your comments! Deadline to
return the survey is May 30.
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Harmony College Northwest
Male and female barber-shoppers
alike are invited to attend the newly designed
Harmony
College Northwest (HCNW), July 18-20, 2008, on the beautiful
University of Puget Sound campus in Tacoma.
Those of you who are new to the
Evergreen District's
summer music education school will soon find you are in for a wonderful weekend
of barbershop. Returning attendees will experience new classes, new
ideas, and a fresh take on the HCNW experience.
Ed Watson, Barbershop Harmony Society CEO, will be in attendance this year, and headliner quartets include
Late Show, as well as Evergreen's own
JetSet.
Terrific faculty from other districts, as well as a great lineup of local talent
to make sure you get the best
education around.
The Saturday Night Show has moved back to the UPS Campus! The show will feature
the quartets above and is one of the highlights of the weekend. Don't forget to
invite your family and friends!
Registration is now up and running online on the Evergreen website.
You'll find plenty of information and all the pertinent details there as well.
The Evergreen District Board and the HCNW faculty and staff encourage you to
register early...and bring a friend! This is a weekend you simply must attend to
believe!
If you have questions, email "the
dean", Marci
Elfritz.
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Region 13 Management Team
Team
Coordinator
Chera Boom
907-688-3434
cherab@mtaonline.net
_________
Communications Coordinator
Susan Soderberg
425.204.5252
susanbass@speakeasy.net
_________
Director’s
Coordinator
Karen Leet
907-745-8371
ckleet@gci.net
_________
Education
Coordinator
Patty Martin
360-754-9450
pgmartin1@comcast.net
_________
Events
Coordinator
Sue Hahn
907.272.4245
sourdoughsuesb-b@alaska.com
_________
Financial
Coordinator
 Attention:
Chorus Treasurers and Finance
Coordinators!
IMPORTANT: In case you did not get the information
from SAI, there are new tax filing requirements that have come into
play. A bulletin was sent by headquarters notifying us that if “a
chapter or region has less than $25,000 in gross receipts” there is new
electronic filing that must take place.
As we have started our new fiscal year,
and some of the financial positions in choruses may have turned over, please
send me your contact information and I will forward this information on to
you.
I would also like to establish a new
database of finance people within our region so that we can share issues and
concerns. You can email me at the address below.
Janice McKenna
206-368-5499 /
brucejan@drizzle.com
_________
Marketing
Coordinator
 I’d like to thank the ladies
who spoke to me
during convention regarding working on the Marketing Team. I do appreciate
the immediate response. However, I know there are more of you out there;
Region 13 has incredible talent waiting to be tapped! If you have ideas to
share or questions to ask I’d love to hear from you.
This time of year reminds me that anything is
possible; but it is not just about competing. It’s also about getting the
opportunity to know women from different backgrounds and experiences. It’s a
time share our love and passion for this art form.
In essence, we are ALL
members of the Marketing team; every person that you interact with could be
(or know) a potential member, sponsor or client. Give me a call, drop me a
snail-mail note or email me at
jlm@alaska.net.
Jan Matthews
907.522.1988 /
jlm@alaska.net
_________
Membership
Coordinator
 Hello,
Region 13! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my enthusiasm
about barbershop harmony with this region! I’d like to help our members find
ways to enjoy this hobby for a lifetime and help choruses' efforts in
retaining and attracting precious members.
A quick membership tip for this issue: Keeping costs
DOWN will keep membership numbers UP!
Due to our country’s economic situation, it's likely
non-profit and volunteer-based organizations will see a decline in
membership. Now is the time to investigate creative fundraising and cost-cutting
measures in order to retain members! Perhaps your chorus leaders are already
cost-cutting pros and have considered every possible way to reduce expenses.
Of course, we know being a Sweet Adeline costs money. But
we can’t use that fact to assume our financial expenditures are appropriate.
So let’s make sure we're efficiently and frugally serving the needs of our
members.
A little about me:
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46 years old
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Member since 1995
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Married 29 years
with five children
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Two
grandchildren; one on the way
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Former chorus
director
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Regional
faculty member
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Beginning
arranger
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Quartet performer
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Earning two-year
Associates of Arts Degree this June
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Love people, love
music, love family, love God
Keep singing
your song!
Cris Turner
509-627-2310
crissings@charter.net
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InTune is published quarterly for the
membership of North Pacific Region 13, Sweet Adelines International. For
questions or comments about this electronic edition, please contact
Sue
Middleton at 253.874.2733.
_______________
The next issue will be distributed in the
Summer; deadline is July 25, 2008. We'd love to hear about your chorus or
quartet! Send articles (200 word limit) to
Nancy Gott,
InTune editor.
_______________
Copyright 2008; all rights reserved.
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Diagnosis: Improvement
Needed
 Did you ever
notice judges give you lots of feedback and things to work on but don't
tell you HOW to fix them? Believe it not, that’s not their job! They are
evaluators, not coaches. Now what do we do?
Think of your Sweet Adelines experience like the medical field.
Your director is the family doctor; the judges are
"second opinions"; coaches are medical specialists. Your family
doctor probably knows a little bit about a lot
of things, but might not be a specialist in the particular area necessary to
improve your chorus.
Your specialist does not have to be a top name director or judge;
they could be the
director from a neighboring chorus. Every director has
varying strengths and hears things differently, so bringing in someone
different should automatically bring in new
musical strengths. And we know not everyone can afford to see a specialist (if
only there was music "insurance"!). So
here are some home remedies for you to use in the meantime:
Diagnosis:
Synchronization
Problems
Remedy #1:
Everyone sings entire song/phrase on a unison note using the word “do”. This
will identify places where rhythms do not agree. Sing those sections using
“do” until they are together, then start putting the words back in,
still singing on unison note. Then put the words and real notes back in.
Remedy #2:
Everyone speaks the phrase until it’s together. Then sing it. Speak, sing, speak, sing until you are together.
Diagnosis:
Holes in your Sound
Remedy #1:
Bubble the song or phrase. Bubbling requires more air behind your sound. Bubble the phrase a few times, then
immediately sing the phrase with the same feeling of air/support you felt as
you were bubbling. Bubble, sing, bubble, sing.
Diagnosis:
Lack of Unit Sound
Remedy #1:
Contagion. Have a model singer sing a
phrase, then add one voice. The added voice needs to sound like the model; like one voice. When one
voice occurs, add two more voices. When it sounds like one voice,
add four more voices; repeat until all voices
are in the sound = unit sound.
Remedy #2: Singing
into the back of the neck. Model voice sings
directly into the nape of the other singers’ neck. Singer in front
matches the sound coming through their head.
Diagnosis: Stamina
Remedy #1:
Exercise and sing. Walk around the block (or house) and sing. Your breathing
will improve!
Remedy #2: Run
sets. Run sets of songs back to back to back to back, especially lively
uptunes. You’ll find out how much stamina you have and it will help build
more.
Now take two aspirin
and call me in the morning! Good luck in your
quest towards musical excellence.
submitted by Karen
Leet, Directors Coordinator
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Convention Follow-up
 The
2008 competition is over and was
lots
of fun!
It would
be even more fun
to see a larger contest,
and perhaps that can be
our
goal for next year. We will
address this downward trend with the RMT and steering committee meetings this coming
year.
Here
are the
numbers
of participating choruses and quartets for the past six years:
2003: 15 Quartets
/ 14 Choruses
2004: 22 Quartets / 12 Choruses
2005: 19 Quartets
/ 13 Choruses
2006: 24 Quartets / 13 Choruses
2007: 14 Quartets
/ 13 Choruses
2008: 13 Quartets / 11 Choruses
As Events Coordinator,
I secure
facilities for future competitions/ conventions held each year. We are
now
contracted through 2012,
with “holds” on facilities through 2014. We are still working on possible
facilities on the west side of Washington for a couple of these years. A lot of interest
exists in this option, both with members of Region 13 and facility
contacts in Tacoma and Bellevue. Our locations for the next four years are
Spokane (2009, 2011, and 2012), and Anchorage (2010)! InTune
and the Region 13 calendar
are great places to keep informed of all future events.
We were instructed by the judging panel at a briefing following
contest to “have a
lot more fun” at our regional weekends. They felt we were very subdued,
especially during the “down time” of each contest, i.e. between contestants,
during picture taking, etc. Okay! Just be careful what you ask for!
submitted by Sue Hahn,
Events Coordinator
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Communications Matters
 Communication in an increasingly digital world can seem complicated or
scary. Perhaps the biggest challenge revolves around how an individual
obtains pertinent information.
Take
Region 13. The benefits of digital communication are overwhelmingly
positive. With 700+ members to serve, the Communications Team must choose
tools that are timely, inexpensive, reach all members efficiently, and
require the least manual labor. Our Communications "toolkit" includes this
newsletter (InTune), email blasts to the entire membership
on urgent topics, the Region 13
website, and specialized email distribution lists (e.g. all directors).
Postal mail no longer meets the communications criteria.
Individual members must therefore be proactive consumers of information.
Here is what YOU can do to find the information you need:
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Go to the
Region 13 or
Sweet Adelines International websites,
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Read email from
the Region, sent by our "postmistress", Sue Middleton. Official email
from Region 13 will always have Region 13: in the Subject line,
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Read this
InTune and refer to previous
InTunes,
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Look up a
Region 13 faculty member
for help,
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Obtain learning tracks for
STAR Chorus,
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Recommend a
chorus to a
newcomer, |
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Update your
calendar,
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Register for a
workshop,
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Contact a
quartet,
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Set up a
TAG visit,
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Apply for RMT (link coming soon),
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Suggest new online tools.
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Two
simple rules for Region 13 in 2008-2009: Read what comes to you. Go get
the information you need.
And by the way, many
thanks for contact updates coming from chorus leadership. We've added a new, "fillable"
PDF form to the website to make it easier to send in your new Chapter Officers;
click here to view it! Keep those
new addresses and phone numbers coming (and headed to Tulsa)!
Finally, need
help? Contact an RMT member; we're all listed on the Region 13
website. That’s why
we volunteer--to serve you.
submitted by Susan Soderberg,
Communications Coordinator
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RMT Meeting
Highlights
The
Regional Management Team (RMT) met March 15, 2008 via two teleconference locations; Seattle, WA and Anchorage,
AK. Agenda items included:
Convention 2008: Discussion on Spokane convention (now past). Education
classes are scheduled for Friday morning. Mass Sing has been replaced with the
singing during intermission of the Quartet Contest on Friday night. Webcast
future discussed with no sponsorship; there is concern by some members of the
monies required vs. the benefit provided to the membership. Other webcast
options will be looked into including soliciting feedback from the membership
(for more info on THAT, click here!). Discussed program
for the annual business meeting to be held during the Thursday night “kick-off”;
included will be the past year’s highlights and the installation of the 2008 –
2009 management team. Team agreed to try to streamline business portion of
evening.
Communications: Discussion on how to improve communications
between RMT, chapter management teams and individual members. Included were
ideas on how to make the website a better resource tool; possibly write
various articles that could be updated on a monthly basis regarding education,
job openings, want-ads, and headline news.
Chapter Updates: Discussed status on prospective chapters and
chapters in revitalization. Membership reported regional numbers
increased by approximately 25 members. It was noted that six chartered choruses are
not competing.
Quartet Updates: Concern regarding small number of quartets
registered for competition. Discussed preparing survey to quartets after
contest that would include competition as a topic.
SET 2008: Discussion on proposed budget options by Region 26 for
joint education event. Consensus is we need additional clarification on
costs referenced before committing to registration price.
Future Conventions: Discussion regarding cost factors for using
alternate sites from Spokane; costs to build stage in hotel is prohibitive. Other venues researched closer to Seattle (including the Meydenbauer
in Bellevue) also
cost prohibitive in comparison to cost for Spokane. 2012 year is the main
issue as the Doubletree Hotel is not available.
Future Meetings: August 9: Teleconference or Video
Conference. Live meeting Jan uary 16-17 in Seattle is tentative.
Submitted by Jan
Matthews, Marketing Coordinator
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Upcoming Region 13
Education Opportunities
“Education is not the filling of a
pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ~ William Butler Yeats
 We are so lucky to be Sweet Adelines because our organization is dedicated
to “lighting the fire” through education for all members. We have numerous
opportunities to improve our vocal performance showman-ship, leadership,
organizational skills and more.
Here’s what you can look forward to this year in Region 13:
June 20-21, 2008 –
Directors/Music Leaders Workshop
with Bev Miller, at the SeaTac
Marriott Hotel, SeaTac, Washington.
The workshop is for
Directors, Assistant Directors, Choreographers,
Section Leaders, DCP members and Region 13 Faculty members. The focus of
the workshop will be teamwork and “Building Musical Excellence Through Teamwork”. Topics will include: PVIs, Taping, Music Accountability, Teaching
Expression Category Basics, Leading Small Groups, Strategies for Achieving
Chorus Goals, and Building a Musical Team.
Registration cost is $20 for Front-line Chorus Directors and $45 for all other participants.
Your registration includes all classes, materials, and breakfast and lunch
on Saturday, June 21. Specially priced lodging is also available. Visit the
Region 13 website for a
schedule, registration form, and more information.
September19-21, 2008 – SET (Summer Enrichment Time) in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
We will be joining our friends from Region 26 to learn with
Rumors
Quartet; all four members of the quartet are Sweet Adeline International
Faculty members. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the best.
More information can be found
here.
Region #13 TAG Program – Make sure you schedule your TAG visit before
December 31, 2008. You have an opportunity to bring a team of Region 13 faculty
members to your chorus to provide the education you want. You can schedule
a TAG visit on a weekend or on a regular rehearsal night and the Region will
fund all faculty transportation and materials costs. TAG program information
can be found here.
We hope every member of Region 13 will be able to participate in one or
more of these educational events.
“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”
~ Chinese Proverb
submitted by Region #13 Education Resource Team:
Patty Martin, Meech Debol, Dottie Dedrick, Joyce Hughes, Joan Levitin, and
Cris Turner and Sally Wallace
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Chorus Chatter
Alaska Sound
Celebration Chorus
You say you’ve got a
group of talented, strong, Alaskan women making themselves known as the new
presence in Anchorage’s art community and North Pacific Region 13? Then you’ve
got us, the Alaska Sound
Celebration!
After the Top of the
World and Sourdough Choruses merger was a "done deal" and the dust had
settled, we started thinking how we could sing richer, dance better, work
smarter, and score higher. And now that those methods have started paying off,
we’re committed to keepin’ at ’em!
We are so very
excited about preparing for and going to Nashville. We love barbershop and we
love to give it our best. In Spokane, we wowed the judges and the audience
(and even impressed ourselves a bit!), but we know better than to let that get
in the way of our drive for excellence. We want Region 13 to be proud of us in
Nashville. And we want our chorus to be made up of more than just strong,
Alaskan women...we want to be known as strong, Alaskan champions!
We're
very happy to be part of Alaska Sound Celebration! We've come a long way
since our two choruses combined to be the Far North's big chorus. We never
realized how great a musical competition could be!
submitted by
Elaine Albertson
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Grand Olympics
Chorus
On
March 8, Grand Olympics
Chorus (Sequim,
WA), held our “Moments to Remember” reunion. A dozen
lovely ladies who were past members and singers from other chapters joined us
for an afternoon of great food and music as we reminisced through scrapbooks
from the late 70s all the way through 2007.
Our always able and entertaining emcee, Jan Forrest, encouraged the
sharing of stories by telling of her own “stray cat” analogy as it pertained
to the comings and goings of GOC and various
quartets. Everyone joined in giving a summary of the “where, when, how long, and
what parts” we all experienced in our adventures as Sweet Adelines. The historic
renderings of our lives in song revealed the wonderful contributions to
barbershop by all, and the presence of some who had been founding charter
members for GOC as well as other choruses.
Jan then introduced our new director, Judie Sharpe, who invited all to
join us for our typical warm-ups. After Judie directed the chorus in singing a
short program for our reunion guests, she invited everyone to sing to Sweet
Adeline “classics.” Our assistant director, Marcia Homer, and our former
director, Linda Muldowney, also directed us all in more favorites. It was
indeed a Grand (Olympics) reunion!
submitted
by Judy Larson
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Jet Cities
Chorus
We
love PIE! In Jet Cities Chorus--although
we like the kind of pie topped with meringue, ice cream, or whipped cream--we
really like PIE: Personal Individual Excellence!
This has been our motto during the year and our director, Teresa McCafferty,
encouraged all members to live up to this motto and give their very best when
rehearsing and performing.
In February, we hosted our Fourth Annual Sweetie Pie Social. Everyone who
bought a ticket to this event received a piece of pie and a beverage in
addition to a great afternoon of entertainment. During intermission we held a
bake sale and raffle. The grand prize winner of the raffle is receiving one
homemade pie a month for a whole year! We also debuted our very own pie
cookbook, "Sweet as Pie", beautifully designed by member Anna
Chamberlain, which contains recipes submitted by our members (contact
Anna if you want a cookbook for
$15!)
We had several wonderful coaches who helped us prepare for competition this
year, including Darlene Rogers, Judy Pozgay, and Lea Beverley.
Lea, on the morning of competition, gave each member a red, stick-on "Sexy"
tattoo to help us get into the character of our Sweet Georgia Brown
number.
The week before Spokane, Jet Cities entered the Puyallup Spring Fair Chorus
Contest. We were thrilled to win first place in the Variety category, so
imagine how ecstatic we were to be selected “Overall Champions” of the whole
contest! Yahoo! That’s the way a winning PIE is made!
submitted
by Mary Butschky
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Prospective Majestic Mountain Chorus
There's a new kid in town!
Prospective Majestic Mountain Chorus
meets on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 at the Post Falls High School (2478
E. Poleline Avenue) in Post Falls, ID. Guest nights are held the first
Monday of each month and everyone is welcome!
Bianca Perry is our Director and Erin Mueller is our Assistant
Director.
Our
chartering process is moving along nicely and we hope to be "official" by
November, as we're planning our first annual community Christmas show to
coincide with the official opening of the Christmas season in downtown Coeur
d'Alene and at the Coeur d'Alene Resort.
submitted by Jean Bledsoe
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I have been performing for many years, so I was THRILLED to
join Voices Northwest with 16 others new to Sweet Adelines, and a
new-to-directing leader,
Sue Beck. We developed a wonderful, supportive
attitude toward each other. We weren’t perfect, but we had fun, and newbies
felt welcome.
Then came Regional Contest and all that entails. We were so
busy preparing, we didn’t have time to be exhausted. We did find time to be
nervous -- “Do I have my shoes? Did I bring my ‘onesie’? Where do we go? What
if I fall off the risers?” -- but our experienced members calmly led the way.
Suddenly, this was IT! We were going ON STAGE!! NOW!!! Ok,
breathe, don’t lock your knees, relax, and remember this is supposed to be fun. Curtain UP, watch Sue, and smile. Is everyone SMILING?!?!? And BREATHING!??
And as they said, before we knew it, it was over. “Did we
really just do that?” We filed into the audience, searching for signs. We had
been told we’d be lucky to place. People were, of course, graciously telling us
how much they enjoyed it.
When they said, “First Place, Small Chorus, Voices
Northwest!,” we froze, looked at one another and broke into cheers, tears, and
howls.
First Place??? And
Fourth overall? We stared at the medals and carefully put them on. It was all
dazzling. As you might expect, we didn’t want the night to be over.
So NOW I get it: I get what the fun and excitement of Sweet
Adelines is all about. You get to sing, have fun, compete, and still enjoy the
warmth, camaraderie and talent of a group of stellar women. And if you work
hard, focus on your director, remember to smile AND breathe AND sing all at
once, you may get to bring home a medal--or TWO!!!
Submitted by Nona Clifton
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Quartet Corner
LiveWire
LiveWire is still
supercharged over our win at Regional Contest and would like to extend our
thanks to the entire region for your warm reception and your enthusiasm for our
craft as evidenced by the buzzing and ringing halls on Saturday night. It seemed
there were a lot of pick-up quartets and tags being taught to our newly
converted members. Region 13 knows how to spread the joy of barbershop singing!
Our congrats go to all
the quartets who graced the stage and brought their terrific energy to Friday
night. And to Alaska Sound Celebration Chorus...way to go! You are a beautiful
chorus to watch and experience!
We have many plans
coming up this summer which include some more coaching to get buffed up for our
trip to Hawaii, as well as our annual fundraising extravaganza. As a result of
winning our “contemporary” division in a choir contest at the Puyallup Spring
Fair, we will be on the docket for a performance at the Puyallup Fair this Fall!
We can smell the scones and elephant ears from here!
Plan to play and sing
with us and Mojo at the combo SET event this year up in BC and let’s rocket
ourselves to greater excellence for next contest
LiveWire: Teresa,
Anna, Katy and Susan
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Pepper
Pepper
is so proud to have earned medals once again in wonderful Region 13. Kudos to
Marshia Nicholson and the Convention Steering Committee and the
host chorus, Pacific Sound, for running the contest so smoothly. It was
a great weekend for us from the first hello on Thursday to the last goodbye on
Sunday.
This was a special year for Pepper. We have more
opportunities to rehearse and perform locally now that we all live relatively
close to one another. After finding our new baritone in July, we kicked off
our journey by coaching with Peggy Gram in Seattle
and finished that August weekend off by participating in LiveWire's
Quartet Extravaganza. October afforded each of us the privilege of competing
at International with the Spirit of Spokane Chorus in
Calgary. December was great fun with lots of Christmas
gigs, and Singing Valentines kept us busy in February. But the most special
thing about this year is the friendship we share in the process.
Thank you to our coaches, Ryan Heller,
Mike Elliott, Andrea Dawson, and Peggy Gram; our families
for their support and sacrifice; the Spirit of Spokane Chorus; Region
13 and its members for all the love and support. We love you all!
Pepper: LouAnn Hommel, Debbie Drake, Cheryl Allen,
and Carran Kelley
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Vocal Motion
Vocal Motion
was honored to earn 5th place medals this year, an award made much sweeter
because of the tremendous support and encouragement we received from Region
13.
Julie and Connie
belong to Prospective Port of Angels, Robin belongs to Jet Cities,
and I am a member of Olympia. Enthusiastic, encouraging members from
each of these chapters helped us on our journey this year. Some attended our
Friends and Family Event, others sent cards and gifts of love; we were even
provided with meals on competition day! Teresa McCafferty was our
amazing coach…we just love her! Thanks to her, we were also fortunate to
access the coaching talents of Darlene Rogers.
Personally, I’d like to share how connected to Sweet Adelines I felt during
the weekend. It was amazing to realize that not only were all of "our"
choruses cheering for us, but we also had the support of
Voices Northwest (where my sister, Anne Sutherland, sings),
RiversEdge (where Robin’s daughter, Kelly Hobson, sings), and
Harmony Northwest (where I used to sing!). This tremendous encouragement
just goes to show that in Region 13 “Harmonize the World” is more than a
song--it’s a reality!
This reality hit
home again when a young, new member from Harmony Northwest Chorus came
up to our quartet Saturday night and asked to sing a song with us. She jumped
right in and did great. It reminded me how several women gave me a
chance to sing with them when I was new to Sweet Adelines; many of these
ladies were still around at 3:30 am Sunday morning when I wanted to sing “just
one more tag”!
Thanks for your support! We’re excited to get our goals “in motion” and
anticipate a great year ahead. See you in 2009!
submitted by Cora Valadez for Vocal Motion:
Robin Osborn, Julie Brooks-Thompson, Cora Valadez and Connie Alward
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