|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Spring, 2006
Contents Having trouble viewing this issue of InTune? You can also see an online version by clicking here. Also, feel free to make extra copies for your chorus members without email. The Text Only version will probably print best! - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chapter Coordinator
I have really enjoyed being your Chapter Coordinator. Even though my term was short, I had the opportunity to work with a very hard-working group of ladies who really have your best interests at heart. It was a pleasure to be a part of such a conscientious team. Many thanks, also, to two hard working committee chairs. Jody Allen, our historian, always does a superb job getting the choruses to create beautiful scrapbooks to enter in the contest at SET. She also does research and creates the script for the longevity awards given at the breakfast at contest. Jean Hansen is our Regional Librarian who does a great job of organizing the contents of our library, and supplying Region 13 members with these materials. Click here for a list; they are FREE and provide a wealth of information. I'd like to welcome our new Chapter Coordinator, Jan Mathews. I know she will be able to handle any problems you may have and will be a wonderful asset to the new RMT.
Mary
Ann Milette
Have you wondered whatever happened to that Region 13 printed calendar? Last year the Regional Management Team realized that printing the calendars was a money-making project that was actually COSTING the region money. Also, as soon as the calendar was printed, it was out of date due to the ever-changing events in our region. The most current calendar information is on our Region 13 web site, so we decided not to print the calendar this past year. We heard back from several members that they miss the calendar, not necessarily for the “calendar”, but for the list of contacts within the region. Thank you for that feedback. We want you to have that contact information! The most current information is on the Region 13 web site. Here you can find contact information for the RMT and Regional Faculty and the choruses, directors and membership chairs.Over the next couple of months, I’ll be working with creative, talented minds to find easy, low-cost options to provide a directory for the “Who’s Who” in Region 13. If you have suggestions, please send them my way.
Chera Boom net Directors Coordinator Karen Leet 907.745.8371 / ckleet@gci.net Education Coordinator
Here I thought I’d written my last column for the last InTune but Chera tricked me and asked that I write one more introducing my replacement. I’m delighted to do that because I think Patty Martin will be an excellent addition to the RMT and an outstanding Education Coordinator. Education has been a big part of Patty’s life as she is recently retired from the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Patty has shadowed me for this past year and I know she has a good idea of what our needs are. She is skilled in arranging for conferences and schools, so expect great things at SET and with Area Schools. She has been a part of your Education Team for this last year offering good ideas. I anticipate this group of talented women will continue to function as the design team for future educational events. Patty is a member of the Olympia Chorus where she is finishing her second year as president. She was instrumental in helping them move into the team management style of governance this spring. She is organized and very capable. I know you will all enjoy working with Patty.
Dottie Dedrick com
Events Coordinator Finance Coordinator 
I
would like to address a couple of issues from the financial
corner of your regional management team. The decline in
membership at both at the International and Regional levels over
the last ten years is concerning: the overall drop for Sweet Adelines is 14%, the same time period for our region is 24%! You
can see the year-by-year figures below.
To counteract this loss of members,
we are creating a regional award for the greatest net
percentage increase in membership during the periods of 5/1/06
to 3/31/07. The award will be given at regional
convention. COME TO
SET TO FIND OUT MORE.
As I said at the regional membership meeting in Spokane, all your RMT members love to hear from you. Share any thoughts or ideas with any one of us. We meet periodically and communicate continually.
Janice McKenna
Membership & Marketing Coordinator Team Coordinator
Cammi MacKinlay (Lions Gate Chorus and International Board VP) defines DIVA as: a Dynamic Inspiring Vocal Artist. In Region 13, we are blessed with many Dynamic Inspiring
Vocal Artists, as demonstrated by the performers onstage at the Spokane
Convention. Our organization takes women from all walks of life with a
vast array of talents and turns them into high musical performers...all
the while having great fun. Always mindful of costs, the Management Team is critically looking at options which will enhance participation of small choruses while controlling expenses. Your ideas and suggestions are always welcome. Phyllis Sandel425.747.8090 / sandelsing@verizon. net - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Calendar 2006 MAY 2006 18-21: Region 24 Annual Convention; Spokane, WA JULY 2006 7-10: Anchorage Sourdough Chorus Coaching with Jan Gervais; Anchorage, AK July 22: InTune Newsletter deadline for Summer issue; questions and articles should go to Nancy Gott. AUGUST 2006
OCTOBER 2006 21: InTune Newsletter deadline for Fall issue; questions and articles should go to Nancy Gott. 27-28: Blue Mountain Chorus Show; Walla Walla, WA 28: Spirit of Spokane Chorus Show; Spokane, WA
NOVEMBER 2006 11-12: Anchorage Sourdough Chorus coaching w/Sandy Robinson; Anchorage, AK 2007 JANUARY 2007 19-20: Anchorage Sourdough Chorus Coaching w/Kim Hulbert; Anchorage, AK
APRIL 2007
MAY 2007 17-20: Region 24 Annual Convention (SAI)
AUGUST 2007
OCTOBER 2007
2008
MAY 2008
SEPTEMBER 2008 NOVEMBER 2008 11-15: SAI International Convention; Honolulu, Hawaii
2009 23-26: Region 26 Annual Convention; Calgary, AB
May
2009 November 2009 3-7: International Convention; Nashville, TN
2010 29-May 2: Region 24 Annual Convention
May
2010
October 2010
2011
2012
2013 Send Calendar info to: Tracie Cogdill Calendar Coordinator PO Box 80007 Fairbanks, AK 99708 tracie@mosquitonet.com Home: 907-457-5244 Fax: 907-456-5244 Click here for more Calendar details! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 middsue@aol.com or 253.874.2733. The next issue will be distributed in the Summer; deadline is July 22, 2006. Send articles to Nancy Gott , InTune editor.Copyright 2006; all rights reserved. |
Competition 2006 Wrap-up
Where the Pen Meets the Paper...
At the completion of contest, I met with Dottie Dedrick, past Region 13 Education Coordinator; Kathy Domkoski, past Region #13 Events Coordinator; and,
Carole Kirkpatrick, this
year’s Panel Chair, to review the Judges’
comments regarding the region’s Quartet and Chorus Competitions. Carole Kirkpatrick, Panel Chair, represented the
judges on the panel and shared their comments. She indicated that region-wide, scores dropped
dramatically. Choruses had individual voices popping out, indicating a need
to focus on learning appropriate riser placement and vocal production.
Here are some of the individual comments:
Shirley Kout - SOUND
Lack
of resonance and clear interval singing
Synchronization problems
Vertical alignment of chord
Lack
of dynamic flexibility; keep in same voice (vocal space); keep the
quality consistent from the "softest softs" to the "loudest louds".
Focus on developing strong individual singing voices with open throated
full resonant sound
Focus on stronger individual vocal skills. Private Vocal Instruction is
important (PVI)
Sing
into the ring (forward singing/placement)
Practice ensemble singing in sections
Target the vowel and move off the diphthong; clear intervals
Stamina; need breath management plan
Need
for more energized vocal line
Jan Meyer - MUSIC
Some
music selections too difficult for the performers, especially in jumpy
and rangy part lines that are difficult to tune and beyond their comfort
zone. Select music appropriate for the level of quartet/chorus.
Musical presentation lacked unity; synchronization errors. Singers
took different approach to tone production and vocal quality, and the
result was a conglomeration of individual voices instead of an
ensemble.
Betty Clipman - EXPRESSION
Both
quartets and choruses need higher skills in breath support and resonance
to achieve more success in the artistic lyrical interpretation.
Matching vowels and diphthongs needed.
Lyrical unity is a need in both contests. All competitors had unity
issues at different degrees.
Many
languid performances. Go for more energy and commitment to the lyrical
delivery.
More
drama and passion is needed to make the story line come alive. Performers need to sing what the lyrics mean, not just the words.
Lack
of characterization seemed to affect all areas of this category, even
to a certain degree on the higher achieving groups.
Attention to basics was usually obvious, but degrees of success were
inconsistent.
Renee Porzel, SHOWMANSHIP
Poise and command needs more oomph.
In
general, physical expression contained; presentations were careful;
lots of contained performing in general. Obviously concentrating on
vocal skills; need some attention to group animation to get across the
footlights.
Need
much more characterization.
The
energy was contained, especially on softs.
The
costume fit was mostly good, not a lot of creativity.
Makeup needs intensity, but more careful blending; especially blush.
Visual plans very conservative, but planned well. All groups need to
explore consistent use of facial involvement and physical expressions
that match the lyrics.
Need
to work on the framework of entrance/break/exit. Many entrances lacked energy.
Timing of pitch taking needs attention to avoid white space before
performance begins.
Facial variety lacking on most; faces were lifted, but didn’t fully
explore all emotions in lyrics.
Develop stronger unit attachment to sharing emotions of lyrics, and
fully involve audience in emotions. We are lucky to have an opportunity to improve our
craft. Now is the time to put together a strategic plan to address the
judges’ suggestions. You may want to develop an education schedule that
invites coaches and regional faculty to work with your quartet or chorus. Now is
the time for your pen to meet the paper! submitted by Patty Martin, Education Coordinator
Wow! If you watch the coaching following our Diva Breakfast, you saw the beginning of a new era: educational opportunities during the convention weekend! Kudos to Carole Kirkpatrick who coached our two small choruses, Inland Harmony and Kitsap Pines, and thank you to both choruses for being our guinea pigs! Everyone participating or watching learned a lot and we heard positive responses from all concerned. This is certainly something the RMT wants to keep for future conventions! The RMT deliberately targeted small choruses (30 or fewer members) who often feel left out due to their size. A drawing was held at the January Convention Steering Committee Meeting of those who had applied, and Inland Harmony and Kitsap Pines were the lucky pioneers. Check out the Fall InTune to see when applications will be taken for next year.
Many quartets are asking themselves this question. What’s next? Where do we go from here? What do we need to do to move forward? First: review your score sheets, CD and video. See if you can see and hear what the judges referenced on your sheets. Discover what comments were mentioned more than once. Determine what direction you need to take between now and next year to improve your performance and scores. Second: line up your coaching now! Don’t wait until later to get started working, because the coaches you want may have full calendars; many book months in advance. Also, don’t make the mistake of piling up coaching close to contest. NOW is the time to be working fundamentals with your coaches. Sessions closer to contest should be used for last minute brush-ups, not major adjustments and changes. Third: if necessary, explore new music. Were the arrangements you did complementary to your abilities or did they get in your way? If so, find arrangements that will showcase what you can do, rather than what causes you difficulty. Arrangers are usually more than willing to give you guidance as to whether or not their songs suit you. Just ask! Fourth: Celebrate! You just finished a successful contest. We too often focus on the negative aspects or the “could have beens” instead of the positives. You need to take time to reflect on all that you did well and plan for your future. Our region is blessed with many international-level leaders and coaches; take advantage of the opportunities in front of you! submitted by Teresa McCafferty, Quartet Development Coordinator _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I am honored to serve on the Region as your Chapter Coordinator and invite you to email or call me if you have anything to share. Jan Matthews / 907.522.1988 /
jlm@alaska.net
Time advances and new choices are required. Phyllis and husband, Sandy, made some decisions that now lead her to retire from Sweet Adelines. She will continue to sing as long as she is able with Spirit of Sound Singers, led by Zoe Thompson, so share a hug when you can. Pacific Sound, Region 13 and Sweet Adelines International will miss Phyllis terribly! I am honored to step into Phyllis’ shoes for the final year of her commitment as Team Coordinator. I’ve attended RMT meetings as a guest, and it’s clear the management team is strong, skilled and dedicated to empowering Region 13 with its well-respected education programs and support of all regional choruses. Phyllis assured me, “All you have to do is herd these wonderful cats.” Five years ago I walked into a Pacific Sound rehearsal and within weeks joined Sweet Adelines. Within six months, I was working on a show committee, fundraising, writing press releases and cutting quartet costumes. Eventually I was elected Marketing Manager. Today, I am Pacific Sound’s Team Manager, member of PSC’s director search team, as well as general PSC troubleshooter. I also developed the PowerPoint shows you saw at the DIVA Breakfast. I want to meet each of you personally at some point this year, so find me and say hi during the Membership/Marketing or Online Resources classes at SET. Look for me at the Debbie Connolly / PSC coaching session that Sunday.
Susan Soderberg / 425.204.5252 /
susanbass@speakeasy.net
The Regional Management Team and the Competition Steering Committee have tons of talent and enthusiasm for Region 13 and we're all lucky to have such dedicated folks willing to serve the regional membership. Let me share some of our ideas from our first meeting: 1) I will distribute a questionnaire as to what you would like to see offered at the Saturday night "afterglow". 2) We'd like to give the entire region the opportunity to emcee the two contests. A flyer will be out on auditioning by tape for that honor. 3) We'd like to have the continuous slide show of your Sweet Adelines lives superimposed on the Opera House auditorium wall, perhaps half an hour before each contest begins. Start taking your pictures to send in! 4) I'm checking into the possibility of a sit-down dinner for everyone in the hotel ballroom after the chorus contest and also holding the evening show there as well. It's been my experience that the more informal setting allows people to move around and socialize. 5) We definitely want to continue the small chorus coaching at the end of the Friday Diva Breakfast. I look forward to seeing many of you at SET in Yakima. Come up and talk to me and between us, we'll get this show on the road! Sue Hahn / 907.272.4245
/
sourdoughsuesb-b@alaska.com
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Blue Mountain Chorus
In Johnda's own words: “I have been involved with music all of my life. My training was woven into the fabric of home life and I continued that thread in my own family. Education and experience include school, community and church choirs, coaching small groups, music theory, band and piano. I have a B.A. in psychology from Whitman College. “My children, half jokingly, call me the last pioneer since I was born in the territory of Hawaii and graduated from a one room school house in Alaska when I was 16. I married my sweetie when I was 17 and celebrated our 33rd anniversary this month. We have four delightful children and eight adorable grandchildren. We moved to Pendleton 32 years ago and have been moving north ever since. “We love living in Walla Walla. My family and faith come first in my life. I love my country and deeply value those who serve in the military. I love learning and am always looking for a challenge; something intriguing to fill my mind. Since I knew very little about how barbershop music has matured in our culture, participating in Sweet Adelines fills the bill!” Johnda is already working with our chorus' Music & Performance Team to choose music for our annual fall production, October 27 and 28. submitted by Jennifer Northam
The Coeur d’Alene Chorus had spring come a little early this year. We started our rejuvenation process in January with our new director, Bianca Perry. That change in and of itself could be enough for some choruses, but not us! We thrive on challenges! So we launched a four-week Divas Wanted program. While the chorus worked with Bianca to learn our new competition ballad, our former director, Sally Wallace, led the Diva classes. Sally enthusiastically stated, “The promotional material for the Divas Wanted program was very helpful, saving us a lot of prep time. But the real value of the classes was the vocal lessons.” Sally is known for her great teaching ability and brought that quality to each class. Twenty-one new divas, ranging in age from 13 to 50+, attended the classes. We had such a large turn-out that voice placement took much longer than expected, but some trials in life are worth the effort! At the end of the lessons, nine women passed their auditions and joined the chorus. A new bass Diva, Jean Bledsoe, commented, “I found the breathing lessons the most helpful. I suffer from asthma and after doing the breathing exercises I have found that I have more endurance in singing and every other aspect of my life.” Eight new Divas went to their first competition after less than four months of practice. They learned their music, practiced the choreo moves and adapted to riser placement changes like old pros. The rest of us were proud to share the stage with them. After the make-up was washed off and the glittery costume put away, the love of barbershop was still in their hearts. Glenda, a new bari Diva stated, “What I really like about barbershop music is that after you have learned the notes and words, you can put your own interpretation to the song and it makes the music uniquely yours. There is nothing else like it!” Bringing new life to a song and new life to our chorus is what our successful Divas Wanted program did for us in Coeur d’Alene. submitted by May DooleyKitsap Pines Having a wife in Sweet Adelines requires quite an adjustment. Once the weekly practice sessions are accepted, then one must adjust to additional sessions so that the Chorus can be ready to knock them dead at competition. Thus, after a year of practice, I am told that we are going to Spokane. Arriving in Spokane, I realize that I am one of a few men among hundreds of singing women. Since the Kitsap Pines Chorus is scheduled to rehearse several times (as are all the other choruses), it provided a wonderful opportunity to hear quartets and different sized choruses from Region 13. As the day of competition neared, it became more and more hectic - with makeup being applied, costumes tried on and adjusted. I missed most of that, but did get to see the final results. And then the competition was on for twelve worthy Choruses, each one striving to do their best. The Kitsap Pines Chorus was no exception. They did their best, sounded great and I was very proud of them. With the constructive comments they received, I know they will knock them dead next time. I enjoyed the experience so much, I am taking my Sweet Adeline to Las Vegas for International. How’s that for a groupie!
written by Al Butler
/ submitted by Michelle Kirkpatrick Spirit of Spokane “With a Little Help from our Friends” ... It was a wonderful convention weekend for Spirit of Spokane members, and we are thrilled to once again be chosen as your championship chorus. We were excited to bring along some first time competitors to share this experience with us. It’s always fun to introduce new singers to this wonderful hobby, and share the joy of singing barbershop. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in that same vein, we certainly didn’t win this competition alone. We want to thank our wonderful coaches who shared their talents with us over the past two years: Carole Kirkpatrick, Jim Arns, Renee Porzel, Lori Lyford and Melanie Wroe. Their knowledge and encouragement was invaluable, and we appreciate all they did to help us improve our skills. We’d also like to send a big thank you to our director, Mike Elliott, for leading us on this adventure for the past 13 years. He has played a big part in helping us improve our vocal skills. Last, but certainly not least, a warm thank you to all our fellow members of Region 13. It means the world to us to have your love and support. Now, it’s on to Calgary in 2007, where we hope many of you will be there to cheer us on! submitted by Mary Ann Millette
Q4: Right on Q!
So, you may ask, “What does Q4 mean?” Excellent question! Mathematically, it could be “Quartet to the 4th Power.” That works for us!
In a way, the quartet was formed by Q-pid, since it began as a Valentine quartet from Pacific Sound Chorus. Three of them wanted to compete together, but the baritone was singing with another quartet for Regional so out of Q-riosity, they called Anna to see if they could “borrow a bari.” She agreed, late registration fees were paid, and the rest is history. We’re thrilled and amazed at our 4th place finish!
It’s been an exciting journey for all four of us, learning music (including several arrangements by Anita!), and learning to trust our Q-mulative talents, and sharing our diverse quartet histories.
Thanks to master shoppers Karen and Anita, we had our competition costume in hand before we ever sang a note together. Travel outfit, jewelry, and fabulous shoes followed in short order. Laurajean quickly and Q-rageously took on the necessary tailoring to get our costumes fitting properly. (By the way, thanks to all who complimented our costumes…we love them too!)
Our first rehearsal was a coaching session with Darlene Rogers. Talk about starting out with a bang! In our short run-up to competition, we also had the benefit of coaching sessions with Carole Kirkpatrick, Dale Syverson and Sally Denkelberg. Anna has shared her a-Q-mulated quartet experience, and Anita’s voice-teaching talents have been put to the test!
Thank-Q to all our supporters in Pacific Sound, Jet Cities, and the rest of Region 13! We appreciate you!
Q4: Karen Carter, LauraJean Welch, Anna Chamberlain, Anita Barzilla
We loved the mix of fun, friendship and frenzy during competition weekend! And we enjoyed the mix of so many talented women on stage, as well as the mix of activities Saturday night – hallway singing, tag rooms, late night chats in the lobby. Thanks to all of you for making our championship weekend so magical, especially Ovation (for the goodies and the ride back to the hotel in that awesome Packard) and the Regional Convention Committee (for once again producing a smooth-running contest). And many thanks, once again, to our chorus, Pacific Sound, and our coaches – Carole Kirkpatrick, Don Rose, and Beth Smith. We are THRILLED to be headin’ to Vegas, and hope to see all of you at SET where we will, once again, be the last ones in bed. We love Region 13! Seattle Mix: Amy, Sonja, Sydney and Melanie _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SAEEF Awards First Grant
The fund awarded The Skirts $400 to help with the expenses they have and will incur to represent Region 13 at IES. Remember, the application to apply for funds is available on the regional website. Quartets can apply for available funds for help with coaching, workshop attendance or a variety of educational opportunities. You can donate to the SAEEF at any time. This is a long-term funding project for the future education of Region 13. Help it survive and thrive by thinking SAEEF when you need a tax break! Donations to the SAEEF are tax deductible. Submitted by Teresa McCafferty on behalf of the SAEEF Trustees _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Your new Regional Management Team (RMT) is gearing up for an action-packed year to come. We met on May 5th and 6th, where we packed quite an agenda into a day and a half! Some of the highlights of the weekend were discussing ways to utilize the children’s CD, “We Are Family”, as a marketing tool; SET 2006 with the fabulous Debbie Connelly; and, locations for future SETs to ensure members can affordably attend, both in regards to travel costs and time off from work. With the new RMT having four members in Washington and four in Alaska, we are aware of the increased expenses. One step we are taking to reduce costs is to explore the options for video-conferencing and we anticipate testing this option in September. Communication is the key in a region as geographically diverse as ours. We are working on compiling and streamlining regional information to be available on the regional website. In return, members and chapters would also be able to notify us of changes in addresses and membership status. I f you have not checked out the candid shots that E.R. Lilley Photography took, please click the link above! They are fabulous!Assessment for CAL regional membership was discussed and raised to $35.00 a year. We ended the weekend with a discussion regarding Strategic Goals for the next few years, including options for increasing membership, fundraising, and education.submitted by Jan Matthews, Chapter Coordinator _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
Check us out on the web:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jan
Matthews, Chapter Coordinator: After vacationing in Alaska, I
decided it would be a really “cool” (no pun intended) place to live. I
quit my job, packed up the cat and moved on up! I had been singing with a cappella
groups since 1976, but it took moving from
the San Francisco bay area to Anchorage in 1992 to discover
barbershop! I visited my first Sweet Adelines rehearsal in May of
1993, joined the Anchorage Sourdough Chorus that summer, and in 2002
I
transferred to the Top of the World chorus.
Susan Soderberg, Team Coordinator:
Many of you know Phyllis Sandel as a Regional Faculty Member who led goal setting sessions for your chorus, as
a member of Pacific Sound Chorus, or in her recent stint as
Region 13 Team Coordinator. Phyllis’ lifetime of experience
ensured her success as a leader in Sweet Adelines, and we have greatly benefited from Phyllis’ dedicated involvement for over
twenty years.
Sue Hahn, Events Coordinator:
Good Morning, Region 13! As a long-time Sweet Adeline, learning,
teaching, and practicing the craft of barbershop singing "long
distance" has always been a challenge. Stepping into Kathy Domkoski's
shoes as your new Events Coordinator will just be my latest challenge!
I'm a firm believer in being able to teach old dogs new tricks (like
me)! Now I need to round up some other "old dogs" to serve on my
committee! 
The
The
Skirts, a YWIH quartet representing Jet Cities and Pacific Sound
choruses, is the first group to be awarded a grant from the
