1st place International on line newsletter We are harmonizing members of the Barbershop Harmony Bulletin is published by the Manhattan Kansas Chapter and Chorus Volume 36, Number 4 Inside this issue President s Message Karen Nanninga, Editor and Publisher August/ September 2015 Last Summer Performance for the 2015 season Page 2 Recording update Things that Page 3 go Bump Barber wife, Karla Fisher Youth Festival Quartet Report Page 4 Borrowed article Photos Harry Harmony It would seem everyone is happy with the singing at the Mennonite church. Page 5 Odds and ends Komments by Karen Calendar Page 6 Some places maybe small, as it was at Zeandale but the sound was awesome. The chapter and chorus meets every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the Harris Activity Center on the corner of Poyntz and 6th Street, Manhattan Kansas.
August/ September 2015 InCider Press Page 2 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 7:00 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) Chapter Officers Immediate Past President....John Thomson President....Mike Shepherd Executive VP....Mark Robb VP Marketing........Mike Sexton & Public Relations.....Harvey Kiser Asst. VP Music... Andrew Kvasnica & Performance...Aaron Pauls, Asst. VP Chapter Development & Membership...Pat Caffey. Bob Swenson Asst. Treasurer..Mark Robb...Gary Mott, Asst. Secretary.Chuck Marr....Darrelll Parks, Asst. Board Member....Leonard Purvis..Mail order show tickets Board Member / Uniforms.......Tom Neill Board Member/Chorus Mgr.....Don Thomson..Contact/ Booking Board Member. Harvey Kiser. Youth in Harmony Chairman Appointments Musical Director...Ken Lang Associate Musical Director.Don Thomson Assistant Musical Director..Andrew Kvasnica Librarian....Bob Ridley Singing Valentine Chairman....Bob Swenson Bulletin Editor...Karen Nanninga Web Master Bart Bartholomew www.littleapplechorus.org Bits and Bytes by Mike Mike Shepherd President Can you believe summer is basically over? I heard school teachers don t like the month of August very well because they have to start getting ready for the return of students. I think a Barbershop Chapter has some of the same issues as teachers when getting ready for a new year. While teachers might have a problem getting ready, most really love the chance to work with students and love their job. A Barbershop Chapter might have some different issues but everyone loves to sing. But, when you really think about it, fall is the time things start rolling. We work hard during the summer to keep moving forward but we really enjoy fall as we shift gears getting ready for a new set of performance opportunities. And boy we are really going to be very busy over the next few months working on all the projects we have on our plate. So if you have missed a few meetings during this summer, now is the time to return. We have already started working on music for this year s Christmas Show. We will be singing many of the songs we have sung in past shows however we started working on some new music for this year. We will still sing with the ladies and already have some joint rehearsals scheduled. We are starting to work on creating a CD for our Chapter. The music team has selected songs to sing and we are starting to figure out a place to record but things are under way. The Youth Festival Harvey Kiser has been working on is just around the corner. Soon some of the Chapter Members will be heading to schools in an attempt to get music teachers support so the participation levels will be high. If you would like to help with this event, I am sure Harvey can get you signed up. Election of Officers is also just around the corner and new blood in the leadership roles for our Chapter is vital. And believe it or not the Singing Valentine program is not that far away. I know it seems like it is way next year (well maybe it is) but it is time for people to be thinking about Quartet involvement and start working on the songs we will be singing. We have been working on Pole Cat songs at the start of our Chapter Meetings in support of quartet formation so start making those plans now. February 14 th does fall on a Sunday in 2016 which will create its own set of issues. 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. Then it is time for the Spring Show on April 9 th. We will be performing one show again year that will be in the afternoon like it was this year. Bob Swenson has done his magic again and contracted a fantastic quartet for us. We understand ticket sales and ad sales were down a little however the costs were reduced so much we still made a reasonable profit. Maybe for this show we can try to get more people involved in Ticket and Ad Sales to increase our ability to Keep The Whole World Singing. All chapter officers are expected and chapter members are encouraged to contribute their ideas on a regular basis.
August/ September 2015 InCider Press Page 3 Update on recording project Don Thomson, asst. director For several years our chorus has been asked if we had a CD for sale. Of course we do not and have not ever attempted to make a CD. We do, however, still have many fans and supporters who would like to have a CD. At the Executive Board meeting in June of this year, the board agreed to a long-term project of making a CD of some of our favorite songs. The proposal was to engage in a project of recording several songs (16), and have a CD ready for distribution by March of 2017. As many of you know that is when, we, the Little Apple Barbershop Chorus will be celebrating our 40 th anniversary (we were chartered in March of 1977). This is our first attempt at making a recording, and we understand that recording sessions can sometimes be very efficient, and other times be more of a challenge. Therefore, we are attempting to attack this project by: 1. Scheduling four separate (4) recording sessions attempting to record four songs at each session. 2. Scheduling each session on a Thursday evening a time when we already have Barbershop rehearsal reserved in our weekly schedules. 3. Singing songs that we have rehearsed for other occasions such as previous shows and community performances. 4. Giving sufficient time between recording sessions to refine each song we will record. (We would like to hold our first recording session in September of 2015; the next in February of 2016; the third in September 2016; and the final recording session in February of 2017.) 5. And lastly, we are asking and encouraging all of our members to support this project by their attendance at rehearsals and recording sessions. The better prepared for these sessions, the better chance we have for success of this project. We, as the Music Team, and the Executive Board will do our best to give you the target dates for each of the recording sessions. In the meantime, please make every effort to be present for our Thursday evening rehearsals as we prepare the songs selected for the recordings, AND as we also continue to prepare for our upcoming Christmas and Spring Shows! If you have any specific questions (or suggestions) for this historic (for us) project, please let Ken, Andrew, or Don know. We welcome your input and your interest! Things that go BUMP Andrew Kvasnica When we re sleeping at night, and something goes bump, crashes, or otherwise wakes us, it startles us and disrupts our sleep. How we long for a good night s rest. Anything other than this doesn t settle well with our bodies. When singing a song, vowel sounds give a good smooth sound. Consonants break up that smooth sound so we can understand the words we re singing. If we sing the consonants only for their required short time to provide clarity to the words we sing, and give the bulk of our singing time to singing vowel sounds, then we end up with the smoothest sound possible while still understanding the words. Here s a visual example with the word good : Goooooooood. All we need to understand this word is a little bit of the G, a little bit of the d, and the oooo for as long as need be. This focus on the vowel sound provides the most pleasing and smooth sound to this word. Singing consonantal sounds too long provides many bumps or other things that startle us and break up the smooth sound of our singing. We long to hear a smooth song that flows along like the waves in a wavebox. This comes from the bulk of our singing being on vowel sounds. Barber wife Karla Fisher Steve s membership in the Little Apple Chorus has been in two stints totaling 23 years. His hiatus was taken when his three girls were busy with their school, church, 4-H and dancing activities. Now if he is missing it is usually because of nine grandchildren and travel. Wife Karla is a behind the scenes supporter but was coerced to dance on stage with Steve during one show. Making harmonies is Steve s favorite barbershop activity whether it is in a quartet or in the chorus. Steve was the baritone in Men of A Chord quartet and in various other pick-up quartets that perform singing Valentines or at other functions. Church sing-outs have also been enjoyed when not in conflict with his busy retirement schedule. He is especially proud when his family (parents, daughters, grandchildren), friends and neighbors attend the annual shows. Other contributions Steve has made to the LAC include serving on the board as VP of Music and Performance and on creative committees for several shows. His least favorite thing is selling ads!
August/ September 2015 InCider Press Page 5 Sept. 26 -- An evening of music by Harvey Kiser Quartet news and happenings A barbershop harmony concert in All Faiths Chapel will be Saturday, September 26 at 6:40 p.m. for you and members of the community. Singing will be by the boys and girls who are in the Youth A Cappella Music Festival that day. You will experience how Harmony Rocks! with them. Other performers will be the teaching barbershop quartets - Legacy, Sweet Adeline and Prairie Fire. The last performing group is an A Cappella Choir directed by Dr. Joshua Oppenheim, Associate Professor and Co-Director of Choral Studies, School of Music, Theatre and Dance, Kansas State University. The School is a cosponsor with our Chapter. The quartets are planning a tag off with the kids. We have the music for the boys and girls as well as learning tracks for the girls. Don Thomson has made all of the music purchases for us. We have an ambitious goal of 50 boys and 50 girls. To accomplish this goal an email message was sent to area vocal music teachers last spring. Another email will be sent soon with more details. The schools are in the Manhattan area and from Sabetha/Axtell to White City and from Topeka and Salina. Students in schools outside the area from the 8 th through the 12 th grades and their teachers are welcomed to participate in the Festival. We are in the recruitment stage. Schools start the second and third week of August. Ken Lang will be visiting some local school music teachers and their classes. Other contacts will be by phone. Pat Caffey, who has two granddaughters in the Sabetha High School, will be visiting with their teacher. Other chapter members are invited to touch base with your local school s music teacher inviting them and their students to participate. I will provide you with the information you need. Also, 15 members of this chapter and 5 from the Topeka Chapter are serving as staff persons. The two quartets and Dr. Oppenheim are excited about the Festival. So, place the evening concert on your calendars! Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling. I chuckled and asked, "Why?" She replied, "So you can help me save the planet." I chuckled again and asked, "And why do you want to save the planet?" Because that's where I keep all my stuff," she said. Apple Core tet Myron Calhoun Still not much to report. We still practice semi-regularly (Tuesday evenings, but "semi" because such things as our "gig" for the Kiwanis 100th birthday party on 14 July took precedence). I should have mentioned that, since Loren Alexander (BARI) is a Kiwanian and was present at our singing "gig" (in fact, he was the one who arranged it!-), we invited him to sing a song with us, and when he accepted, Bob Ridley (the ACT BARI) stepped behind a curtain so Loren would be THE baritone as we sang a barberpolecat song. The Kiwanians loved it. Coaching Nuggets from Donny Rose Borrowed from Voice of Rushmore Your audience listens with their eyes. Every part of a diphthong is important. Mirror body movements of the director. Tell the story with emotion. Don't be afraid to show your emotions. Love your audience. If you get hoarse when singing, you are singing with tension. You should be able to sing for eight hours a day every day without getting hoarse. Always remember the Christmas tree basses are loudest, baritones next (depending on whether you are above or below the lead), lead is generally less than the baritones, and the tenors have the least volume. Work the hard parts of the song. It doesn't do any good to sing through a song without getting the hard parts correct before you sing it through. Don't "just sing" any song. Every song must be important because every song has a message The best sermons are lived, not preached
August/ September 2015 InCider Press Page 10 An adventure with Harry Harmony Harry was a tourist sightseeing in a European city. He comes upon the tomb of Beethoven, and begins reading the commerative plaque, only to be distracted by a low scratching noise, as if something was rubbing against a piece of paper. He collars a passing native and asks what the scratching sound is. The local person replies, "Oh, that is Beethoven. He's decomposing." July was Steve McKinzie for being in charge of the Riser Crew, setting up risers and arranging to get them where they need to be. Jim Lindquist was "the celebrity talk of the group" after a Chapter Meeting. These girls came over to the group and asked if we would sing a song for them. I said they would need to stand on the other side of the table next to one of the guys so I could take a photo. They went over and "selected" Jim to stand behind (I might add they had several choices but selected Jim:)) BOTM in June was Loren Alexander for all his help at district meetings and arranging Come Back Quartets for Chapter Meetings
Karen Nanninga 1379 26th Road Axtell, Kansas 66403 Thanks to the following for articles Mike Shepherd, Don Thomson, Harvey Kiser, Andrew Kvasnica and Mike Shepherd for photos Calendar for the Little Apple Barbershop Chorus Sep Oct First Recording session for Chorus DVD (date to be announced) Sep 26 Young Men in Harmony Youth Festival Oct 9-10 Central States Fall Convention Dec Harmony for the Holidays Christmas Show Wednesday November 4th, Chapter Meeting - Rescheduled from Thursday November 5th. District and International dates 2015 Fall Convention October 09-10, 2015 Overland Park, KS Barbershop Harmony Society Reno Midwinter -- January 26-31, 2016 Pittsburgh International June 28 - July 5, 2015 Komments from Karen Summer is almost at an end. I still wonder where it went. Summer is great with Church Performances and Singing with the Band. But Fall is great also, cooler weather, Central States Convention, and the Young Men in Harmony Youth Festival. Then Winter with the Christmas Holiday show. I love attending all of them. Keep on singing guys, you are great. Oh yes, you might want to consider writing an article for the InCider. A barbershop pole cat??? I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.