The Medley. From Jeanne I really think this captures what we do! MARCH Dates to Remember

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1 The Medley MARCH 2014 From our President Dates to Remember Sunday, March 9th, 3:00 pm MYSO Collaboration Concert, UWM Bader Hall Saturday, March 22 6:30 pm Celebrating 80 Gala Fundraiser Knights of Columbus Hall Wednesday, April 9 th Preconcert Time and Place TBA Wednesday, April 23 rd Dress rehearsal, Schwan Hall, Wisconsin Lutheran College Friday/Saturday, April 25/26 Spring Concerts Call time TBA During our rehearsals, as we concentrate, figure out passages, practice good vocal production, demonstrate proper support & posture, etc., etc., I am reminded of a quote that I first read while working on my Masters. The source of the quote is uncertain, but the sentiment rings true. (Substitute person for child as you read.) Whether by voice or by instrument, musical performance requires physical control and precision of a high order. A child working at mathematics or languages can sit back and mentally contemplate for minutes before facing difficulty. The same child singing or playing a musical part must both obey exactly and artistically the present behests of the music and at the same time think ahead to prepare herself or himself to deal equally faithfully with what is coming ahead in the music. In no other subject is a child called upon to make four or five decisions a second and act on them continuously for such stretches of time. This combination of constant vigilance and forethought with ever changing physical responses constitutes an educational experience of unique value. Moreover, by its nature and traditions, the art lends itself more than most activities to the pursuit of excellence to which there is no nobler aim in education. (A quotation of an English music instructor found in a speech by Dr. Frances Rauscher.) From Jeanne I really think this captures what we do!

2 As posted on Buzzfeed.com, here are 14 reasons why you need to start singing every minute of every day 1) Singing releases endorphins, which make you feel instantly happier. 2) And you also release oxytocin, which is a natural stress-reliever and is found to alleviate feelings of depression and loneliness. 3) You ll also sleep better as a result of being less stressed. 4) Tests have shown that singing improves heart rate visibility, which reduces the risk of heart disease. 5) And, when singing with someone else, your heart rates can even sync together! 6) Your posture will get straighter (thank you, James) and you ll gradually look more confident. 7) And your feelings of safety and confidence increase when singing in a group. 8) It s actually a good workout you ll work your lungs, improve your circulation, and tone your abdominal and intercostals muscles. 9) Singing also has been proven to boost your immune system. 10) If you re already sick, just hum a little tune and you ll open up your sinuses and respiratory tubes. (But perhaps you should do this one at home.) 11) It s really good for your brain and will enhance your mental awareness, concentration and memory. (So you can memorize Feller from Fortune.) 12) You ll develop healthier breathing patterns, which can help cope with various lung diseases. 13) It s been used as an all-natural way to help treat dementia, lung cancer, depression and chronic pain. 14) You ll probably live longer, in general. 15) You know you love it. (That one is from me.)

3 Dear Chorister Family, Please accept my heartfelt thanks for all of the cards, prayers and good wishes I ve received from you as I recover from my accident. Knowing that you are here, supporting me, has made it so much easier to keep pushing every day to get better. I have been singing with the Choristers for 35 years now, and consider you all to be the dearest of friends. You truly are like my family, and I love you all! With much love, Sandy Hook, A2 PS I will continue to attend all of our rehearsals now, and have every hope that I will be able to sing in our spring concerts! Dear Choristers Thank you so much for the lovely card and thoughtful Barnes & Noble gift card as I recovered from gall bladder surgery in early January. Your good wishes and kindness mean so much to me! With a grateful heart (and no achy gall bladder) - Toni King, A1

4 Don t miss our own Jim Halverson at Waukesha Civic Theater this month! Boston, Done in first by the critics, then by an actual murderer, famous but talentless Jessica Crenshaw is murdered on stage at the opening of her new musical, Robbin Hood of the Old West. The cast and crew find themselves investigated by theatre-loving detective, Lt. Frank Cioffi, who has theatrical ambitions of his own. This new musical murder-mystery comedy from John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Rupert Holmes features deceit, murder, and plenty of song and dance. I play the lead role of the detective, Lt. Frank Cioffi. I do have to sing and dance in the show as well as act. Here is the website where you can find out more about the theater and purchase tickets. Here are the performance dates: Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday March :00 PM 8:00 PM 2:00 PM March :00 PM 4:00 / 8:00 PM 2:00 / 7:00 PM March :30 PM* 8:00 PM 2:00* / 8:00 PM 2:00 PM *indicates a pay what you can performance. Many of you know my wife, Chris, and I used to do a lot of community theater. In fact, that is how we met, on stage, doing "Fiddler on the Roof". After taking a break to raise our kids, I got the itch to get back on stage. A year ago I made my comeback by playing Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Thanks, Jim Halverson

5 UPAF Ride for the Arts Registration is Now Open Join the Milwaukee Chorister Team! Here are a few things you might want to know about the ride and signing up for the Milwaukee Chorister Team Sunday, June 1 Start time depends on the route you choose Friends and family, including kids, are welcome to sign up for our team Register for the Milwaukee Choristers Team Password is ising2 You can decide whether you want to collect pledges; we do not have a team goal Team registration ends April Ride Registration Prices Adult Youth Family Early Bird (Ends April 6) $40 $30 $110 Wheel & Sprocket Bike Expo Sale (April 4-6) $35 $25 $105 Regular (April 7-May 31) $50 $40 $140 Many of us do the Hoan-25 mile, but you can sign up for any route as a member of our team Route information (5, 12, 25, 40 and 66 miles) is on the website Finish line party is free to all riders I will have your ride packet, including t-shirt, at least a week before the ride This is a really fun summer event! Hope you can join us. Any questions? Call or . Toni King, A1 tking@wi.rr.com

6 Choristers Turn to Crowdfunding to Pay for 80 th Anniversary CD Project We may be closing on a century of existence, but don t accuse us of shying away from 21 st century advances especially when it comes to sharing our gift of song with other lovers of choral music. This spring we are producing a commemorative CD entitled 80--Eight Decades of Song! It will feature selections performed at our concerts over the years, including a mix of classical and contemporary songs as well as spirituals and beloved Broadway tunes. To pay for the CD project we are taking the plunge into socalled crowdfunding, which has become a successful money-raising tool for artists and arts organizations around the world. (Crowdfunding is defined as raising money for a project by soliciting many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.) We ve turned to the website Kickstarter ( to help us raise $3,000. It s one of the most popular and reputable crowdfunding websites around when it comes to raising money for creative projects like our CD. Since Kickstarter s launch in 2009, 5.7 million people have pledged $1,000 million to help bring films, games, music, art, design and technology to fruition. Please check out our profile and invite your family, friends and colleagues to do the same. The fastest way to spread the word is via and social media the Choristers are active on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Everyone who visits our Kickstarter page will enjoy the beautifully-shot and edited video about our birth and first 80 years of existence, and hopefully will be inspired to help us reach our fundraising goal. (We must raise that $3,000 within 30 days or we won t get to keep any of the money pledged for our CD project.) Let kick off our next 80 years with a successful Kickstarter campaign!

7 The Medley is the online newsletter of the Milwaukee Choristers Chief Editor, Art Director and all-around design person Joanne Cunningham CONTRIBUTIONS ALWAYS WELCOME! Happy Birthday, Dear Choristers! January Mary Jo Malone -4 Keralyn Bolliger 6 Penny Hargarten 9 Kathy Keleher 14 Lynnae Delach -14 Jean Grainger 18 Deborah Bernhardt - 19 Marilyn Harrower -23 Mark Weller - 23 Chris Krzyston 25 Mitzi Keel - 30 February Jim Kelly - 11 Jennifer Becker - 19 Kirsten O Quinn 27 Kerry Dews 27 March Bridget Smeaton 2 Suzanne Clegg - 8 Debra Kelm 8 John Hoaglund 25 David Brown 27 Katie Immel - 29