The Magazine April 2024

MONEY FOR OLD ROPE

by Hilary Orr

The Fundraising Team is always on the lookout for ways to increase Chorus funds

We all have items sitting in our wardrobes, cupboards, etc that we no longer wear/need By donating these goods to Chorus, we could make money via Vinted (a seller-focused app geared towards helping sellers make sales).

If each member were to donate at least five items and each item sold for £5, this could potentially make a profit of £25 - and 70 members could potentially make a profit of £1750! And if this took place 4 times a year, we'd make £7,000!

We are not asking you to list/sell the items but we are looking to create a Vinted Selling Team to support in the listing/posting of items We will have a "drop off" day and would be looking at holding these 4 times in a year

Do you think you have the capacity to be part of the team by

- Helping to sort the items

- Listing items

- Supporting with posting the items?

We would love to hear your thoughts and your offers of support Please contact me on hilaryorr@sky com

THE VAGUS NERVE

by Ann Jones

After Nancy mentioned this nerve a few weeks ago I was intrigued to explore its relevance to singing.

What is the Vagus Nerve?

The Vagus Nerve connects the brain to the gut (intestines and stomach), heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, kidneys, ureter, spleen, lungs, neck (pharynx, larynx and oesophagus), ears and the tongue. New research suggests that the Vagus Nerve also connects to the vagina and uterus and may play a role in sexual pleasure and arousal! So yes, it’s important!

The Vagus Nerve gets its name from the Latin word ‘vagus’ (meaning ‘wanderer’) because the nerve wanders from the brain into so many different parts of the body, creating links from the neck, heart, lungs, and the abdomen and then connecting all of this to the brain.

The Vagus Nerve is how the brain controls the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the rest and digest system.

Stimulation of this nerve….

Scientific interest in vagus nerve stimulation is exploding, with studies investigating it as a potential treatment for everything from obesity to depression, arthritis and Covid-related fatigue.

Today, vagus nerve stimulators are increasingly being investigated as an alternative to antidepressants in patients with treatment-resistant depression

Surgically implanted stimulators are also an approved treatment for epilepsy –although they only seem to work in a subset of patients.

THE VAGUS NERVE

by Ann Jones

Stimulation of the vagus nerve is via a small box near the neck, clips on the ear and vibrating pendants(!) but as singers, there are other things we can do.

Bee-humming based on Bhramari Pranayama yoga (search Bhramari Pranayama yoga - you'll find a lot of interesting information - Ed )

Loud singing Hurray (although not louder than beautiful! - Ed )

Talking and laughing

Massages

Cold water immersion

Meditating

Deep breathing

Gargling with salt water

Promote happiness and be kind

All of these activities stimulate the vagus nerve which reduces anxiety, regulates breathing, controls the muscles around the larynx, prevents inflammation around the vocal cords and controls adrenalin levels. For singers this is vital whilst performing.

So get humming in a cold shower in preparation for May!

For more information see google

AGM

by Ann Jones

Sixty-three chorus members attended the AGM on Thursday January 25th at St Paul’s

The winner of The Rose Heighway Rose Bowl (and not for the first time) was Lead Section Commander Janette Bolsover. Massive congratulations and so well deserved, supporting her lead cubs to magnificence. Here she is receiving her award from the regal Queen Mary.

The MD award this year went to Isobel Currie, Tenor Section Leader, Dress Commissioner, Embroidery Queen and all round good egg. Congratulations to you both.

Please see Mary's eloquent notes on proceedings on the website under minutes.

THE

AGM - COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

The Chorus Constitution requires all Committee members to be elected annually There is no limit on the length of time a person can hold an office, provided they are elected annually at the AGM

This year's Committee are -

President of Heartbeat Chorus Vice President Treasurer

Claire Makinson

Viv Worsley

Janet Moreton

Wardrobe mistress Logistics Secretary

Isobel Currie

Clare Kitchenham

Mary Wilson

Chorus Representative PR Representative Membership Secretary

Vanesa Baggott

Michaelle Kelly

Jane Hardman

Our thanks go to Kate Stockton (stepping down as PR Representative) and Cathy Ellis (stepping down as Membership Secretary) for all their efforts during the previous year.

Michaelle Kelly was elected unopposed as PR Representative

No-one was nominated for the post of Membership Secretary, but Jane Hardman volunteered after the AGM She was formally co-opted onto the Committee at the first Committee meeting

All other Committee members were re-elected unopposed to their positions.

BUDDYLICIOUS

by Mandy Dyson

In early New Year, Nancy, Rachel, and the Music Team introduced a “buddy system“ to chorus Each member was paired with a member from a different section, but within a similar geographical area. The objectives were to give Encouragement and Support across sections. New bonds and new friendships would be an added bonus.

The pairs were to work as suited them best - meeting and singing together, recording some or all of their part and sharing the recording with their buddy, videoing moves - whatever the pair wanted to work on and receive feedback on

We were all buddied up with another member of the chorus but from a different section to our own While some stayed in their pair, others joined together in small groups, whatever worked best

Feedback has been positive. Here are a few comments:

"Really useful to hear other voices"

"Found duetting a challenge"

"Non-judgemental and no pressure"

"Helps my musicality and confidence"

"Helps with my performance and movement"

I know from feedback from the groups I have been involved in that there really seems to be enthusiasm to keep these going, at least up to convention They are a great complement to section rehearsals and as has been said more than once, ladies feel comfortable singing and receiving comments on their singing from each other in a no-pressure, supportive environment

Support really is the key here.

Welcome to the lovely smiley Michaelle Kelly who is now part of The MagazineTeam

COACHING

We all love that Swedish wonder, Britt-Helene Bonnedahl And now we have met (and possibly fallen in love with) another Swedish wonder - Rasmus Krigström

Rasmus is the lead (sometimes tenor) singer in Ringmasters quartet, the 2012 World Champion Barbershop Quartet. Ringmasters was the first non-American quartet to win this prestigious title. He is joint musical director of Pearls of the Sound, a Sweet Adelines chorus, and the director of Zero8, a male voice choir that sings both barbershop and non-barbershop music He is also an arranger

Bubbling How many times has Nancy stood in front of us and asked us to bubble, sing, bubble, sing, and repeat? So from Rasmus we learnt to bubble sing, bubble sing, and repeat!

We also learnt

- that there is a lot more to bubbling than simply blowing a raspberry - see the detailed notes of the day

-That precision of sound comes from airflow

- that the bass is responsible for the pitch. The other parts have to slot into the overtone framework created by the basses.

- that we must be precise - every time Aim above the clock and you will probably hit it (You had to be there!)

- the Vacation Story (see the notes), which gives us free, open and lifted sounds we need to sing.

- there are 'checkpoint' chords throughout a song where we should be checking accuracy of pitch. Tune to the bass!

- where the baritones are an intergval of a 5th with another part, their note should be

- and so much more

Rasmus used the app TE Tuner a lot. He used it to show how a slight change in a vowel can cause 'interference' even though the exact note is in tune. That is why we should aim for the same vowel production so that each chord is clean and precise.

We sounded magnificent to judge by the body language, goosebumps and the standard of work we were able to achieve oh, and the recordings

CHOREO COACHING

Erin Howden

What a tornado she is!!! And for one night only at Stockport Guildhall, she gathered the front row up in her clutches and thrust them all over the floor!

The energy that this woman had is incredible and what a fantastic addition to the Heartbeat journey to convention. Why did we get her?

Sandra Lea-Riley

Erin is currently the choreographer and Master 700 Director of the North Metro Chorus, 5-time Sweet Adelines International Chorus Champions from Toronto, Canada She is a repeated Regional Quartet Champion and top ten Quartet Medalist as the baritone of Daybreak

Erin is a highly accomplished choreographer and performance coach in both Sweet Adelines International and the Barbershop Harmony Society. And that is why!!!!

Bringing her boundless energy and gorgeous smile, our Executive Coach (and former Bass Section Leader) also brought her special magic to us. We tried this and that, added this and that, got rid of this and that - and ended up with the final sparkling choreography. Sandra enhanced and slightly changed Suzanne's brilliant choreography and we are now in a very strong position A bit of 'spit and polish' is all that's needed!

Hurray - and a big thank you to the team!

HEARTBEAT DRESSES

by ISOBEL CURRIE

Most of you will have heard the announcement that at Region 31 Convention we will not be wearing the dresses we have recently purchased. I hope this email will answer the questions you may have about this and other aspects of costume.

Why are we not wearing the new dresses?

Erin Howden saw the dress and her opinion is that we will not look 'feisty' enough in them. We want to give our best impression to the judges, and we value Erin's opinion as a world-class chorus director with a lot of experience at success in contests, so the decision has been made to not wear them.

What will happen to the new dresses?

We will keep them for use in sing-outs and concerts where it is appropriate to look more like normal people and less like drag queens! They will be great on occasions when we don't have changing rooms and need to arrive ready. We will probably still add some sparkles to them at some point, because we are Heartbeat!

What are we wearing to convention instead?

We will wear the red fringed dresses Please try yours on soon and let me know if you need any repairs/ alterations/ swaps Perhaps also take the opportunity to freshen them up a bit with some sponging on the inside and/or airing (reminder: do not wash them!!) I know that Gaynor, Jess and Annie will need a dress - anyone else I've missed?

What about shoes?

The front row will be getting new shoes, so that they can do their amazing moves more easily and safely The rest of us will be wearing the red sparkly shoes Please let me know if you need any changes, and I will try to accommodate your needs from the spares I have

Jewellery?

After a morning spent visiting wholesalers, we are now the proud owners of new earrings. And as a bonus, we also have necklaces and bracelets! In addition, we have acquired some jewellry bags Everyone will have a set in a bag so it will be harder to lose (!) and hopefully there will be less breakages

If you have any costume needs or queries please let me know: it is best to contact me on email, WhatsApp or Messenger so that I have it written down (if you've spoken to me recently please remind me because it's probably fallen out of my head - it's been a busy few weeks in costume land!)

Thanks for your support

RETREAT

THE

MAGAZINE

by Mandy Dyson

On the weekend of February 10/11th we pootled off to the Best Western Lancashire Manor Hotel just outside Wigan for our first retreat since before Covid.

As always, the timetable was packed and pretty intense in places, but always incredibly valuable and great fun

Here’s a few highlights

After the risers were put up, then put up again, Janette kicked off Saturday morning with focused breathing for the chorus and a reminder of riser discipline. We all then set our personal intentions for the weekend.

Isobel gave a fantastic engaging talk on how to present our best “chorus persona” on stage. She drew from personal experience which really helped get the message across

Jane A worked her magic on us in a mindfulness thang with a bit of Tai Chi thrown in for good measure I have to say I personally love the way her sessions make me feel so relaxed but equally ready to go Thanks Jane

Nancy and Emma re-stacked the chorus based on individual voices. This was an excellent exercise, similar to the one Britt did when she visited us. It was enlightening to hear the difference even small changes to people’s positions made to our sound. Even more of a revelation was the effect on the sound just by bringing down the 1st row onto the floor and leaving a gap on the first riser

One of Nancy’s objectives for the weekend was to get us to lose our British reserve and be more Swedish! To this end, we undertook 2 inhibition-liberating exercises The first was Britt’s diamonds, where we got into groups of four and copied each other’s dance moves, as Nancy repeatedly changed the music. A number of moves were a little challenging, particularly for the pelvic floor. Next was enacting/mirroring each other’s emotions. Again, our British reserves were challenged but we soon shook them off, some more than others! Nancy noted that we were all really good at “angry”…….

Suzanne worked us hard, developing and embedding the choreography Considering we had only put the moves on a couple of days before, I think Suze was pretty pleased with our progress Thanks so much to Suzanne for her energy and keeping us all motivated

Got to mention the singing!! The new stack (in my opinion) really lifted the sound and it felt so much easier to sing well. Rasmus’s tweaks to the up-tune were embedded and we sounded pretty good! The ballad was beautiful and a few tears were shed, myself included.

Bring on Convention!!

RETREAT

THE

MAGAZINE

by Mandy Dyson

And, almost finally, some comments from our retreat virgins

The retreat weekend didn't disappoint!.. from the coaching (Nancy ,Emma, Suzanne and Janette), the laughter (lots of) to the glamour on Saturday evening it was brilliant to be part of a fabulous weekend Loved the silent disco too The hotel, the food and staff were a good find from the Claires. The weekend also gave time to chat to other ladies you don't usually have time to get to know. Thank you.

What a wonderful weekend with an amazing group of Ladies. Everyone made you feel so welcome and a great opportunity to get to know more people. Perfectly planned from the room, to expert coaching from all the music team, good hotel, food and space and a fabulous silent disco which everyone thoroughly embraced! I l learnt so much and loved every moment and continue to be blessed by joining this group xx

Great weekend that offered both intensive work on the competition songs as well as an opportunity to connect with fellow singers outside your section. Nice extra touch was the very helpful breakaway group for Convention first timers. Also thanks for the silent disco and the paid for teas and coffees Thanks to all who organised the weekend, particularly Clare K

We can’t finish this article without sincerely thanking everyone for making this retreat such a success Nancy, Emma and Suzanne - you bring out the best in us - and the Committee and Music Team Obviously these things wouldn’t happen without you, every single member of the chorus, what a wonderful group of amazing women you are Thank you

And finally …….

Quotes from the weekend

“Having an orgasm while your Mum is downstairs” (Carol T) only surpassed by “Having an orgasm while your husband is asleep next to you “(Ingrid!! Who knew?)

Saturday evening's party had a themeanything glittery and sparkly.

First prize went to Sally Maloney with Angela McCann a close second and Helen Mills a worthy third

THE MAGAZINE

RETREAT by Mandy Dyson

Saturday Evening…..The pictures tell the tale! The theme was anything glittery and sparkly.

RETREAT

by Mandy Dyson

Here are 3 out of 4 of Mayhem (barbershop quartet) utilising their previous stage outfits to maximum effect

Our Confidence Club team members are Jo Fogo, Mel Sheldon, Dulcie Williams, Jane Hardman and Sam Allen de Marquez

The team objectives are

To help members increase their confidence in a way that will help them to enjoy competition and give the very best version of themselves.

The team has a plan!

- a 5-minute confidence talk from each team member over the next 5 weeks. The aim is for everyone to take one small thing away from that chat.

- Confident Chorus-Resources WhatsApp group. This has been set up to share podcasts, TED talks, the 3 things to work on that week from Nancy, book recommendations or other short videos dealing with confidence and limiting beliefs

- Allocate the needs identified from the Google poll to an appropriate source of help For example, small groups, drop in clinic before chorus, stage performance, breathing techniques, etc.

- To enlist any confident chorus members to offer their support and/or hints and tips where appropriate.

The team introduced themselves on March 7th with a rather fascinating talk from Mel about her experience as a volunteer at the Olympic Games! Great parallels with preparation for chorus on stage too

The following week we were treated to an inspiring talk from Sam who showed us that fear is a green light in our lives

Dulcie helped to allay our fears by telling us all about our scrambled brains.

PREPARING FOR CONVENTION

How are you preparing for convention?

Are you doing your 2 minutes a day bubbling, mandolining, practising your moves, singing in front of a mirror?

Here is Claire M doing her bubbling on the train What dedication

We have learnt a lot about bubbling We know that it is key Every time we bubble and then sing it sounds so much more unified and clean Do your bubbling!!

At Hearbeat Chorus we are so lucky to so much support to help us prepare for Convention.

Chats at retreat - Janette, Jane A, Claire M and Ali L spoke to our Convention virgins mainly about the logistics This included Convention schedule and rehearsing on the Friday evening and Saturday pre-contest, depending on where we are drawn orderwise on the day

Other things touched on were; Makeup, costumes, keeping calm, support, 5th wheeling and afterglow.

A WhatsApp group has been set up for any questions related to convention. What a team!

PVI group - a team set up and trained by Nancy to give Personal Vocal Instruction to anyone who wishes. You can have a one-to-one session or you can sing with a friend. Do let the PVI team know if you are interested The sessions are very relaxed and are there to help you

Confidence team - a team set up to help build confidence in ourselves and our abilities Have a look at the ariticle Confidence Club

Small groups - Arranged by chorus members, these are an evening get-together to go over the contest songs, becoming secure with notes, interpretation and moves. It's great fun. There is often social time at the end of the singing. See how happy these small groups look! If you've not yet had a go - do it! You'll enjoy it!

PREPARING FOR CONVENTION

Front row dedicated sessions - Organised by Suzanne, these aim to make sure that the front row are comfortable with the choreography.

First class MD and Music Team - they work tremendously hard to make sure we have the tools to do our job - to sing as well as we can, and to perform as well as we can

Expert Section Leaders - They work hard to support their Section both musically and at a personal level. They arrange extra rehearsals, keep an eye on attendance and give whatever support and help they can.

Excellent Committee - They also work hard, albeit behind the scenes, to make sure that all organisational matters are dealt with - like renewing everyone's registration with SweetAds, organising rehearsal space, raising funds, organising hotels for retreat, convention - and all the other things you can think of!

Buddying scheme - See the article Buddylicious.

Section rehearsals - Organised by the Section Leaders, these aim to make sure everyone is comfortable with their notes, interpretation and that the section produces a clean, unified sound.

PREPARING FOR CONVENTION

Look who has snuck onto the front row!

After her dirty dancing slut dropping performance at retreat, private dancer Lynne Rossi caught Suzanne’s beady eye Suzanne succinctly plucked her from the barren risers onto the tropical front row, where we are sure she will do very well!!

Speaking of convention, we are always eager to know the order in which the choruses will sing at convention. For those of you new to Sweet Adelines competition, the International Board of Directors draws the order of competitors for each regional convention Here's the order for Convention in May

As last year's Champion Chorus, Lace City are competing at the International Convention in Kansas City later this year. Evaluation will help them in their preparation.

Next to last for Heartbeat This gives us time to prepare ourselves without getting up at silly o'clock, although it does mean we will not have the opportunity to listen to any other competitors

It's a much better position than our last outing! On first. Remember standing there for what felt like hours whilst the emcee repeated her speech?

Not again, thank you!!

Congratulations to Ann Jones (Lead) on the birth of her granddaughter on Sunday 28th January at 06:11, weighing 7lbs 11ozs. Mum and baby are doing well.

Baby Mabel is the family’s miracle baby and sister to Max.

We are truly blessed Big thanks to Jane A for all her support x

Congratulations to Emma on her new job as an exam invigilator. There will be no talking on her watch!

Congratulations to Northern Soul for their success at the Harrogate music festival last month. First place! Setting themselves up nicely for Sweet Adeline's in May.

Running in the park, look who Jenni bumped into!

Dulcie showing the grandkids our choreography at retreat

Nancy on her way to see ABBA Voyage .

Welcome to our new associate members, Jess (bass) and Gaynor(Bari) Shenton

A mother and daughter duo.

Singing a sea shanty at retreat too, what a way to introduce themselves to chorus. Enjoy your time at Heartbeat, ladies!

And congratulations to Annie Glarvey new associate bari member. What a lovely smiley face you have!

Have a Listen...

by ISOBEL CURRIE

If you are interested in expanding your knowledge and appreciation of all sorts of musical forms, here are a couple of programmes which might interest you when you want some audio accompaniment as you go about your day

On Add To Playlist presenters Cerys Matthews and Jeffery

Boakye are joined for each 45 minute episode by a couple of musical experts from different genres and they take it in turn to choose a piece of music which has a link to the previous one picked.

They explore each track and highlight some aspects that interest them, creating an eclectic playlist which in one episode alone covered the rhythms in a Stone Roses single, the way emotions are conveyed in Handel’s Messiah, the sampling and collaboration used by MC Hammer, the cymbal sounds in a Miles Davis jazz classic, and the sounds of Iranian singer Googoosh. Some of the links are fascinating and surprising. It is great to hear the enthusiasm and expertise of specialists and musicians illustrating their thoughts with great examples from a wide range of musical genres from around the world There are a lot of episodes and the playlist is just a device to start the conversations so you can just dip in anywhere to hear about one or two songs.

They’ve not done any barbershop (yet) but you will hear many things that will be familiar from what our own musical experts teach us: chords, rhythms, and feelings in the music are often explored I have learned something new from every episode I’ve heard, and find that I listen to music in a different way as a result I’ve gained a greater knowledge of the similarities and differences between different genres of music, as well as a better understanding of the music we sing in Heartbeat

The other programme I would like to mention is Soul Music which also has loads of episodes. Each 30 minute episode is about one piece of music, and it shares some similarities with Add To Playlist in exploring the music. The main focus of this programme, however, is hearing how the music makes people feel and their personal stories and connections to the music, just as we often explore the emotions and stories in the songs we sing at chorus One thing this programme made me realise is that every song is somebody’s favourite song - someone in our audience may have a deep connection with whatever we are singing, so, even if it isn’t your personal favourite, you could make it your goal to sing it well for them

All episodes of both programmes are available on BBC Sounds or as podcasts.

BEST AND WORST with LINDSAY WATERHOUSE

Lindsay is a Tenor with Heartbeat, and has a passion for marbles in bowls Say no more!

Car

Worst - a Zastava Yugo. My dad bought it from the car auctions. It was only a couple of years old but felt like driving a skip.

Best - Mitsubishi Shogun. It was quite high up, so felt like I was driving a tank. Felt safe. Being small, I felt strong

Date

Worst - I went on a date when I was on holiday in Spain with some friends and we met a group of Spaniards at a disco. I won’t go into details but never again!

Best - my first date with Graham.

Holiday

Worst - Graham myself and Owen went to Pontins, Prestatyn Why you may ask? We were given a weekend free voucher Our flat was so old fashioned The pillows were stained, beds lumpy Curtains had cigarette burns You had to buy your own duvet covers The bath was a tiled square. No shower. Graham couldn't fit in the bath and he had to use a pan to pour water on himself. That was the only pan, so we had to use that to make our tea. The entertainment was so bad; Agadoo and the Chicken Song. It hadn't changed since filming On The Buses!

Best - so hard to choose. New York. A place you see in films but I never thought I would go to.

Brilliant

THE MAGAZINE

BEST AND WORST with LINDSAY WATERHOUSE

Job

Worst - newspaper girl, delivering Sunday newspapers, heavy with all the supplements. Paid 90p a week. I remember it snowing and I trailed through the snow to deliver the papers. I was the only one who turned up I was nominated by my boss for best newspaper girl At least I won 2 tickets to watch ABBA the movie

Best - working at the community Neuro Rehab team Lovely team, kind, hard working who put their patients first

Barbershop song

Worst - (no answer so clearly Lindsay loves ‘em all!)

Best - The Rhythm of Life (Lindsay so enjoys a good crawl! - Ed ) Gift

Worst - was from my ex-mother-in-law for Christmas My sister-in-laws also had something similar A shop in Chester was closing down She gave me a matching set of culottes and blouse In royal blue, orange and black. With cream lace, Victorian style. We all put our outfits on together and laughed until we cried. Need I say I never wore it again!!!!

Best - When I was 5 my Nana taught me to knit and for Christmas she bought me a knitting bag with needles and lots of balls of wool. Loved knitting clothes for my dolls.

Band/singer

Worst - Screamer bands

Best - Freddy Mercury and Queen.

Death Row Meal

Chicken chat, Paella, lemon meringue pie

Sadly, we say goodbye to

Gaynor Fanning, Bass

Dee Tatton, Lead.

A great mover and expressive singer. We always need to look and move like Dee!

A wonderfully expressive singer and such a joy to be with. Love and laughter follow her about!

Carole Chadderton, Bari What a lovely voice - we will miss you!

We wish you all the best, ladies, and hope you have enjoyed your barbershop time in Heartbeat Chorus.

Heartfelt Heartbeat condolences to our lovely Lead, Helen Mills.

Her Mum, Eileen, sadly passed away on Sunday 18 February. She was a very good golfer, martini drinker and dancer. She would have fitted right into Heartbeat.

THE TAG

Sir James Galway -

"Being unprepared heightens the nerves"

"It is normal to be nervous."

"You cannot prepare enough for anything"

Words to take to heart as we approach convention?

LOTTO NEWS

And finally....

Thank you to all contributors for this edition

Remember if you would like to add an article to the Magazine, please get in touch We want to hear about your life

THE

MAGAZINE TEAM | Ann, Mandy, Michaelle and Janet