1st place International on line newsletter We are harmonizing members of the Barbershop Harmony Society Volume 33, Number 8 Karen Nanninga, Editor and Publisher September 2010 Inside this issue: Bulletin is published by the Manhattan Kansas Chapter and Chorus President s Message BOTM Show news Page 2 Page 3 Make a joyful noise Making a song come to life Page 4 Clay Center show Thinking of others, Man of note announcement Travis at Harmony University Karen s Komments Harry s Adventure Secretary s report Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Calendars Page 8 President of the Dutch Mill Sweet Adelines, Linda Rouser is very surprised with the gift from the Little Apple Chorus. Photos by Bridget Troyer from John Thomason Surprise By Bill Hanson President At the August board meeting it was decided to help the Sweet Adelines of Wamego with some of their expenses as they compete in the International Sweet Adelines contest in Seattle, Washington. At the the next Thursday, it was decided that someone should visit the Wamego Chapter to present the check representing our contribution. Bill Hanson and John Thomason receive many hugs and thanks. There is no doubt that they are happy and pleased. Reports are that their songs and choreography are very good. So on Monday night John Thomason and I walked in the door at the weekly meeting of the Wamego Dutch Mill Chapter. When they finished singing the song they were working on, John stepped up and said that Bill needs to speak to your Chapter President. Linda Rouser came down out of the chorus and I shook her hand and then said something like, "Please accept this check from the Manhattan Barbershop Chapter as a token of our appreciation for your work with us through the years." I think they were thinking $50.00 or maybe less, but when they realized the amount of the check the room exploded with cheers of Thank You and John was swarmed with many hugs. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable experience for John and me and we are very proud of the ladies from Wamego and a wide surrounding area. The Dutch Mill Chorus will be joining the Little Apple Chorus on our annual show in April. The chapter and chorus meet every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the First Methodist Church Activity Center on the corner of Poyntz and 6th Street, Manhattan, Kansas.
Page 2 InCider Press September 2010 InCider Press, a monthly publication, is the official publication of the Manhattan, Kansas chapter of the Central States District (CSD) of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The Manhattan Chapter is the home of the Little Apple Chorus. The chapter and chorus meet every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the First Methodist Church Activity Center on the corner of Poyntz and 6th Street, Manhattan, Kansas. For more information about meetings or joining call or write to the Editor. (see below) ChapterOfficers Immediate Past President - - Harvey Kiser President - Bill Hanson VP Marketing and Public Relations - - John Thomason VP Music &Performance - -Loren Alexander VP Chapter Development & Membership - - Dave Fink Treasurer Bob Swenson Secretary - Pat Caffey Board Member - -Ken Lyle Board Member - -Jim Lindquist Board Member - -Cam Beatty Board Member - -Don Thomson Board Member - -Fred Wachsmuth Board Member - -Steve Cross Appointments Musical Director. KenLang Associate Musical Director...Don Thomson Assistant Musical Director...Myron Calhoun Music Chairman....Bob Ridley Show Chairmen......Jim Lindquist and..... Don Thomson Singing Valentine Chairman.Ken Lyle Youth in Harmony Chairman.Travis Troyer Equipment Manager..Fred Wachsmuth Uniform Manager..Cam Beatty Bulletin Editor.......Karen Nanninga Web Master..Bart Bartholomew www.littleapplechorus.org Bulletin Editor Karen Nanninga 1379 26th Road Axtell, Kansas 66403 Phone: 785-736-2870 email: taren@bluevalley.net Unless carrying a byline or some form of credit to borrowed sources, all items in this bulletin are by the editor and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the chapter or board. All photos in the bulletin are by the editor, unless otherwise identified. All chapter officers are expected and chapter members are encouraged to contribute their ideas on a regular basis From the keyboard of President Bill Hanson Since I last communicated with you through the newsletter a number of positive things have occurred for our Chapter. I apologize in advance for omissions because I am writing from a flawed memory. It was a joy for the Little Apple Chorus to spend a Sunday morning in late July singing for our friends in the churches north and south of Highway 36 and then spending the lunch hour enjoying the hospitality of Karen and Terry Nanninga for our annual Chapter picnic. Many thanks go to Karen, Terry and Terry Smith for the great food and homemade ice cream. And, as always, thank you to our support group for contributing several delicious side dishes and desserts. Following the picnic, several of our members headed for St. Joe for the beginning of Harmony University. Those members came back to Manhattan a week later with stories of fantastic experiences in musical harmony. If you have any inclination to go on an indescribable adventure immersed in musical greatness, talk with any of the past attendees and I guarantee you will be inclined to set aside one week next summer to enjoy an unbelievable musical experience. (Remember, your Chapter pays a part of your cost to attend.) After a busy summer of church and other performances, the Little Apple Chorus has begun preparation for an on the road show at the Clay Center High School on Sunday, October 25. We will be performing some old songs from our repertoire and sharing the talents of our Chapter Quartets. More details of this show will be found elsewhere in this newsletter. And as the Chapter year slowly comes to a close, we look forward to beginning serious work on the 2011 Show, celebrating the successes of the 2010 Chapter year and are evaluating invitations to perform far into the 2011 year. And, as a part of the year s celebration of success we give LARGE KUDOS to our editor, Karen Nanninga for winning the online newsletter contest at the International Society level. Congratulations, Karen. Terry Smith was presented with the Barbershopper of the month award in appreciation for his ice cream at the picnic and all the muscle work he does at chapter meetings. Photo by Bart Bartholomew
September 2010 InCider Press Page 3 Show news, is good news By Don Thomson, Associate director Here is a little news about our annual show to be held in April of 2011. You have already been singing all but two of the songs we will perform on the first half of the show and those two we have sung on a show(s) a few years ago. So, we are already well on our way to learning the show songs. This should give us much more time to refine our presentation. On the second half we will sing six (6) songs with the Wamego Sweet Adelines, and three of those we sang with them a couple of years ago; so it will just be a matter of reviving three songs and we will be up to speed on those. More Good News! We will not have to round-up costumes for our next show. We will be wearing our tux pants for both halves of the show, and the vest for the second half. For the first half presentation, we will be wearing black shirts, white suspenders, and white ties (all which will be ordered for you). Cam Beaty will be asking you for your shirt size very shortly. Even greater news! Bob Swenson has contracted the ultimate entertainment quartet for our show. We will really want to get the word out about the Hum Dingers (members of the Dapper Dans from Disney World). If there are those of us who were not able to get to Orlando this year, we can come to McCain Auditorium to see and hear this outstanding quartet! This is going to be a very entertaining show, and my hope is that we can get all of our 60 members on the stage! A Grace to the tune of Edelweiss Come dear Lord. Be with us. Guide and keep us Forever. Bless this food. Make us strong for our service to others. Thank you for giving us daily bread. Life & health & dear ones. Come dear Lord. Be with us. Guide and keep us forever. Guide and keep us forever. Make a joyful noise unto the. By Dave Fink We've all heard the start of this phrase. Most usually, it would end with...lord, All Ye Lands. If we were rehearsing, Ken would want us to make any kind of joyful noise to him, to the Lord, to the kitchen sink, WHAT EVER! As long as it was in tune, it would be Joyful. So, why does the piano always go sharp after we sing, even a few phrases? (OK, I had to give it a shot!) I'm sure a number of people can come up with a multitude of reasons...you're not sitting up straight, you're not using proper breath control, you're not, you're not...you fill in the blanks. At the 'meeting after the meeting' some of us have after every rehearsal, we've all noticed that we rarely go flat when we sing. We always joke that one of two things needs to happen: (1) either we start rehearsing at the local watering hole, or (2) we start drinking at the Harris Activity Center! What do you think of those ideas? I think that there is a third possibility. I think maybe it s because we're performing. Yes, it's possible! I know that even when we go out to sing at churches on Sundays, that there is energy, vitality, an edge that we don't/can't capture when we practice. So, if we are performing for the Catholic Youth group at Paddy O' Quigley's in our shirt sleeve's, or for a happy, tearful sweetheart on Valentine's Day, or a full house at McCain Auditorium, IT'S MAGIC! I like it! I'm hooked on it! I want more! We know that practice is necessary, but I also feel that the rush I get from performing is also what keeps me going. It's what keeps me involved in singing, it s what makes me feel alive, it's what makes us all Barbershoppers! I think that if we had one rehearsal a month at the mall, we would be amazed at how we sound. Let me know if you agree if you're ready to perform more. Keep in mind it will not be convenient, it will take commitment and hard work from every one. We need the fix! Make a Joyful Noise...! September Birthdays Gary Mott 12 Ned Valentine 24 Stewart Gardner 28 Leonard Purvis 30
Page 4 InCider Press September 2010 Make a song come to life By Harvey Kiser Feel the emotions of the song you are not memorizing notes and emotions, you feel them. This is a nugget shared by a member of an international competing quartet in the Harmony University class titled Making a Song Come to Life. Bring your audience into your song, said Cindy Hansen-Ellis, faculty teacher of the class and internationally acclaimed choreographer of choruses and quartets. When you have a rhythm song feel the rhythm. Or bring ballads to life. Learn the music emotionally and learn how to do it in warm-ups and how to do it in performances. We must have the courage to bet on our dreams, to take a calculated risk and leave behind forever the internal forces that hold us down. a quote from Bryd Baggett, a nationally known leadership speaker and consultant. Cindy said, Decide to be silly, vulnerable, and awkward, make mistakes to grow and act outside the box all to get into a new comfortable place. Cindy said that we can pretend or do what we are asked to do in performing the song s message. She added, this is a start and can only get us so far. She recommended viewing a video to observe the faces of a chorus like the Ambassadors of Harmony. She asked when you see them do you believe them? Their whole body movement comes from the soul, their energy pulls you up there with them; No two of the chorus members faces are alike; The mood is set and They are not told to do the same thing. She asked How do you approach a chorus to get the feeling of a song that is presented? Now here is something scary that she suggested do a video taping of your chorus (focusing on 10-12 faces at a time) and put it on the chapter web site. This way a guy can fix himself, she said. Exercise facial muscles she said -- with your mouth wide open like when singing vowels. Perform the vowels inside the mouth and don t let facial muscles destroy the vowel sound. Can you think of a quartet or chorus that does this? She said to watch the eyes of performers. If it is in their soul, it ll come out in your eyes she said. Go to somewhere else when you are singing make it your story feed the audience. Her class was rewarding one. She affirmed with the class of 37 that there are ways that will work for any chapter chorus in Making a Song Come to Life. Clay Center here we come By Loren Alexander The Little Apple Chorus of the Manhattan Kansas Chapter of the Central States District of the International Barbershop Harmony Society will present a full program of men's chorus and quartets with lots of barbershop harmony in Clay Center, Kansas on October 24th at 2:00 p.m. Our chorus members continue to work diligently on a set of songs that Director Ken Lang laid out for us (with the proviso that he may make additions or deletions along the way). Now would present a good time to double-check words, notes, breathing, etc. for the four sets, and to generate/ maintain vocal skill. The songs we are singing are: I Feel a Song Coming on My Wild Irish Rose Home on the Range Darkness on the Delta If I Had my Way When There s Love at Home Swing Down I ll Walk with God Alleluia River Jordan I m Sitting on Top of the World Can You Feel the Love Tonight Barbara Ann Sweet Roses of Morn Mary Lou You Raise me up Friends America the Beautiful (overlay) Battle Hymn of the Republic Also the Charades, Manhattan Music Machine, and Late Night Edition will sing during several breaks for the chorus. We have worked for weeks on special situations in each of these songs; our maintenance of pitch and quality of singing has improved. Many thanks to the active quartets, who provide much of the backbone and brains of our chorus. If you have traveled out of town or had other commitments, check with the guys in your section on specific items in the songs (breathing, difficult segment, emphasize a note in a chord, deemphasize a note in a chord, choreographed movements, etc.). Let's maintain good attendance --- when a guy misses a session, let him know how much we need him. We look forward to a rewarding experience in Clay Center What joy (and demand on skills, especially for this old guy) as we now sing on the risers in rehearsals!
September 2010 InCider Press Page 5 Thinking of others By Bob Swenson, treasurer The older we get, the faster the time goes by, and so it's not too early to think about year-end contributions. In our case Harmony Foundation International, the charity directly benefitting all things barbershop, is an excellent place to donate your tax-deductible contributions this year. Harmony Foundation International is dedicated to transforming young lives through singing. When you support Harmony Foundation International, you are reaching out to future generations of singers. Your gift this year can: * INTRODUCE PEOPLE TO THE BARBERSHOP ART FORM: Your dollars will send more than 5,000 kids and 300 music educators to Harmony Explosion camps and workshops. * SEND YOUTH TO MUSIC FESTIVALS: The foundations will provide $250 scholarships to each member participating in the wildly successful Youth Chorus Festival this coming January at the Midwinter Convention in Las Vegas. * SUPPORT LOCAL EFFORTS: The Foundation allow you to designate up to 30% of your gift to go directly back to either Central States District and/or the Manhattan chapter, and still the entire gift is tax deductible. * SHAPE TOMORROW'S SINGERS TODAY: The Foundation will provide more than $450,000 to underwrite the Barbershop Harmony Society's youth education and outreach programs. Giving to Harmony Foundation International is quite easy. You contribution can be mailed to them at 110 Seventh Ave. N., Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37203. If that address seems familiar, it is because they occupy part of our Society's headquarters building. Of course, our chapter will be making its own donation and collecting individual's checks in the next few months to send. And for the serious giver who likes to make automated monthly, quarterly or annual contributions, you may contact them to start that process. Ryan Kileen is the Midwestern Region's representative and he may be reached by phone at 866-706-8021. When you contribute to Harmony Foundation International you know your gift will further the goals and aspirations of our Society. Being a giver over and above your dues amount indicates support for the future of our society. It will make you feel good, I guarantee it! The Creative Committee "brainstorms" the contents and presentation of the Spring Show. They come up with all kinds of ideas, many of them useful and many are almost off the wall. But, when they all put their heads and ideas together, they seem to come up with a pretty good product.. From left to right they are: Dave Fink, Pat and Paula Caffey, Harvey Kiser, Gene Klinger, Don Thomson, Gary Drake, Cam Beatty, Chuck Marr and Bart Bartholomew. Photo from Bart Bartholomew An announcement from Mike Scott From Dave Fink CSD President Don Blank has just announced that we re going to continue our special recognition program for all new CSD members and their Man Of Notes at both the upcoming fall convention in Mason City the spring convention in Columbia, Missouri. in 2011. This will be that all New CDS members will receive free registration at one of the upcoming conventions (Mason City Iowa, fall 2010 or in the spring at Columbia Missouri, 2011). This includes any new members who singed up in 2009 after the fall convention in Lincoln and were not able to attend. 1. All new members and their guest (spouse, etc.) will be seated UP FRONT in the auditorium. 2.Their Man of Note recruiters and their guest (spouse, etc.) will be seated UP FRONT to show our appreciation for their hard work recruiting new members. 3. The new members and the Man of Note s will be asked to stand and be recognized to show our appreciation. (Make sure you wear matching socks!)
Page 6 InCider Press September 2010 Travis s Harmony University experiences continued By Travis Troyer I took several additional classes. Directing Techniques was a wonderful class where our directing techniques were broken down to the basic techniques. We were able to direct in front of the class and get feedback on how different techniques affect the singers in the chorus. A stressed point was that less is more, in other words, the chorus should watch intently and be able to react and flow with the director and see what the director is trying to pull out of the music. It was a wonderful experience being able to watch and interpret other directors with many more years of experience. At a recent chapter meeting, Travis Troyer tries his hand at directing the Little Apple Chorus. I had the opportunity to direct part of a song that we worked on in the general session and as I practiced directing I could feel how I wanted the music to flow. I practiced with my roommate and he said I was doing really well. However, when I was in front of the group it didn t flow as well as I thought it should. As I looked up at my classmates, I noticed that quite a few of them had their heads looking down at the music. This made me realize how important it is as a singer to get off the music and to allow the director to have complete control of the music. I also took classes in Sound Management and Leadership. These classes gave many ideas and allowed us to experiment and try ideas and see how well they work in an actual chorus environment. I learned how different forms of tension affect the sound. For example, lifting the "soft palate" will really help give a resonate sound. Also, we talked about posture and breathing and how that affects the singer's ability. We covered a lot of material in a short amount of time and hopefully I can organize and share a lot of that information with others. The most difficult class that I took was Theory. It was quite a challenge, but the class went slow enough that I was able to comprehend all of the material as we went along. I learned a lot and gained valuable knowledge to help me understand how a simple change in balance changes the sound of the chord. I also gained knowledge to help me understand how to arrange in the barbershop style. Brian Swenson gives directing a try at a recent chapter meeting. Date Changes October 11 and 18. MONDAY NIGHTS All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I would love to share more of this information. So, if you have any questions feel free to pull my aside after rehearsal and I will be happy to share. Don t Forget Be there
September 2010 InCider Press Page 7 Komments From Karen Wow, just what happened to Summer? It sure went fast. The Church performances for 2010 are a thing of the past. As you know, they are enjoyed by a lot of folks, those who listen and also those who are singing. Singing with the band was just awesome, at least from where I was, and from the sounds of things Harmony University was a great success. So now you are working hard on fall activities. I am excited about the Clay Center show, sounds like there are a lot of good songs to sing. We are going to the Convention at Mason City. We are bringing our exchange student with us. She will enjoy it. Will we see you there? Who knows just what else may happen. Actions by the board By Pat Caffey, Secretary At the board meeting on Monday, September 13th, the board decided to buy black shirts, long white ties and white suspenders to wear with our tuxedo pants on the first half of the show. Chapter members may voluntarily donate money to defray the cost, which is estimated to be about $30, per set. The plan is for there to be one number that we use black light. The white on black should really pop under black light. We will also wear white gloves for that number. Don Thomson discussed the show plan. We will open with a set of classic barbershop songs. That will be about 30 minutes duration. After the Award of Harmony and other announcements by the emcee, the Wamego Sweet Adelines will do a three-song show package before the intermission. The second half will feature the Hum Dingers, our guest quartet that performs at Disneyworld as the Dapper Dans (They can't use that name, because it is a Disney trademark.) Then we will close the show joining with the Wamego Sweet Adelines for about four songs. The tentative show title will be "Bring Back Those Good Old Songs." As a side note, Jim Lindquist has turned over the show chairmanship to Steve Cross. An adventure With Harry Harmony His request approved, Harry, the Fox News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight. He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport. Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger. He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, 'Let's go'. The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off. Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, 'Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.' 'Why?' asked the pilot. 'Because I'm a photographer for Fox Cable News,' he responded. 'And I need to get some close up shots.' The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally he stammered, 'So, what you're telling me, is... you're NOT my flight instructor?' There was further discussion about the idea of extending chapter meetings, not just for show schedule, but for the whole year to enable us to spend more time on quartet singing, section rehearsals, and other activities in addition to regular chorus rehearsal. Ken Lyle will be polling the members about this plan before the board decides whether to do it. Next month's board meeting will be on October 4th, which is a change from the usual second Monday of the month meeting date. Terry Smith inspired the scarecrows.
Karen Nanninga 1379 26th Road Axtell, Kansas 66403 s begin at 7:30 p.m. Quartet/polecat practice begins at 7:00 p.m. September 16 September 23 Calendar of Events: Ladies night Central States Convention Mason City Iowa October 7-9 September 30 October 4 October 11 Monday October 18 Monday October 21 October 24 Board meeting Clay Center show Concert --- Sunday, October 24 Clay Center Community High School, Martyn-Snodgrass Auditorium 2:00 p.m. Thanks for the following for contributing articles Harvey Kiser, Bill Hanson, Don Thomson,, Bob Swenson, Travis Troyer, Loren Alexander Deadline for submitting articles for the next InCider is October 1 And to Bart Bartholomew, and John Thomason for photos.