Harmony Rag December 2014 Edition

December 2014

Bronze beauties

Finesse is third in the world!

Contents FEATURES 8

§

Stories from Baltimore

Looking back at the wonderful achievement of our Region 31 ambassadors

QUARTET OF NATIONS Sweet Adelines International REGION 31

USUALS 4

§

Regional Buzz

9

§

Column: Warmed Up

11

§

RMT Updates

21

§

Coaching Directory & Calendar

Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organisation of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education, competition and performance

Celebrating success Well, it’s almost the end of the year. As you all wind down for the festive season, here’s an edition packed with stories from that fantastic week in Baltimore from the people who witnessed the excitement both on and off stage.

We say it enough – Region 31 rocks! And I know we’ll go from strength to strength; Las Vegas is really going to be so exciting.

And as you look forward to the holidays, I wish you a Christmas overflowing with love and laughter with all your loved ones.

Charl CHARL ASUIT COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR charlasuit@gmail.com Twitter: @charlie74 | Instagram: @piggynaut

COVER PAGE: The December 2014 cover features Finesse courtesy of Read Photography

Harmony Rag is published quarterly in March, June, September and December by the Regional Management Team (RMT) of the Quartet of Nations in digital format. The June issue is also published in print format.

Materials sent for publication are at the author’s/contributor’s risk and while every care is taken, neither the Quartet of Nations RMT nor Sweet Adelines International accept any liability for loss or damage.

Send all queries, copy and images to the Harmony Rag Editor, harmonyrag@sweetadelines.org.uk

Deadlines are one (1) month prior to publication

3 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

SPREADING THE BARBERSHOP BUG IN THE CAPITAL Submitted by London City Singers

London has a plethora of activities for everyone making it a perfect place to start a hobby. This diversity of options is even present in the singing communities where one can have a choice from community choirs, chamber, rock choirs, gospel and others. So with all this competition about, how do we, London City Singers, attract potential members to our risers?

First, we realise that we need to differentiate ourselves from the rest. This would be the first hook that we’d throw into the singers’ pond.

Luckily we do have quite a unique bait which was not really hard to establish – we sing barbershop and we’re the only group (both for women and men) to offer that kind of singing within Zones 1-2 in the British capital. We made sure that this fact is prominent in all our marketing collateral; it’s even in our tagline “bringing barbershop harmony in central London!”

Another way to entice people through our doors is to organise an open rehearsal where women can try out our style of singing. Since 2013, we called this campaign Keep Calm and Sing, which is homage to the “Keep Calm and Carry On” motivational campaign of the British government during World War II. For this year, our campaign is underpinned by a goal that we set as a chorus at the start of the year increase our membership to 25. To maximise all opportunities, we decided not just to have one but three open rehearsals – one in September (coinciding with Sweet Adelines International’s Global Open House event), one

4 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

in October and another in November. We welcomed a total of 20 guests over these three Keep Calm and Sing dates. For a chorus of 21 members, 20 is a good number. So how did we do it? Do read on.

“Thanks for last week – it was a lot of fun! I was amazed at how quickly we learned the two songs. Listening to the chorus in ‘performance mode’ was a real highlight and I really wasn’t expecting to hear such a wide range of songs sung in barbershop style.”

Some of our open house guests

As it is a campaign, our Chorus Coordinating Committee (CCC) set out a well-defined plan.

We identified our target segments and tailored the messaging for each one. Our target segments were identified based on the socioeconomic demographics of women in London – the youth, working women, stay-at-home mums, mumpreneurs, Janes-of-all-trades and the ladies of leisure. We analysed the characteristics of each one and came up with four themes for our messaging: ! ! ! !

Get some ‘me’ time Stay fabulous A creative escape Your next challenge

rate of 35% and would make our total number closer to thirty.

If you’re interested in our marketing plan for Keep Calm and Sing, please contact Charl Asuit charlasuit@gmail.com, our Marketing and Fundraising Coordinator.

A PRESIDENT’S VIEW OF THE RMT VISIT Submitted by Sheffield Harmony On 9th June 2014, Sheffield Harmony had its visit from the Regional Management Team (RMT). On this occasion, it was Alyson Chaney, Region 31’s Workshop Coordinator, who came.

Flyers, website landing pages and invitations were orientated along these themes and distributed according to the relevant target markets, e.g. “Stay fabulous” themed materials were sent to ladies’ social clubs in London and “Get some ‘me’ time” were sent to stay-at-home mums.

Sheffield Harmony has undergone huge changes over the last few years. “We had always been a small chorus,” says Elaine Carter, the current President, “then about 3 years ago we held a singing course which caused the chorus to pretty much double in size. This meant that we had to start doing things differently to accommodate all the lovely new ladies.”

So, was it a success? Well, we already had five women returning since their open house visit with three prospective members getting ready for their audition and two who said that they’ll be coming in the new year. If and when they pass their auditions that would be a conversion

Furthermore, the chorus and its director of many years parted company in May 2014 thereby unceremoniously hurtling the chorus into its next phase. “It was a very difficult time but the chorus all pulled together and we were extremely lucky to find and appoint Tim Briggs,

Screenshot of a landing page on our website

5 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

our new Music Director (MD), so quickly. In fact he started one week before Alyson’s visit!”

for us, it certainly wasn’t like that. It was all very easy and very positive!”

Was that not, then, an inconvenient time to have the RMT visit? “Well we could have taken that view,” says Elaine, “but we decided that having the visit at such a time of change meant we could ask for help and seek assurances for the chorus from the RMT if we needed it.”

On the day of the visit, Alyson arrived with fellow Lace City-ite, Sue. The only formal part of the process was that Alyson, in consultation with Elaine and Tim, had to fill in a form for the RMT about the chorus. It covered a range of things from the reason for the visit, details of the director, right down to how many quartets they had. Alyson then watched the rehearsal, talked to the chorus about the RMT and then answered questions. She and Sue joined the chorus on the risers for some singing, too.

“Alyson was lovely,” says Elaine. “She was very open with the chorus, very complimentary to us and our new Director and very helpful. She suggested ways to help Tim should he need it and made it clear we could contact her whenever we needed to. She also spoke to Sue Finnigan (our previous President) and me about how we could feel more involved with Sweet Adelines International. Since then Sue has attended a shadowing weekend with the RMT and reported what a fantastic group of women they are and how tirelessly they work for the welfare of all choruses and their members.”

So was the RMT visit a positive experience?

“Definitely,” says Elaine, “I think choruses might feel they are being inspected or something but,

6 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

Sheffield Harmony with new MD, Tim Briggs

Since Alyson’s visit, Sheffield Harmony has gone from strength to strength. “Tim is an amazing director,” says Elaine. “The chorus just loves him! We have also begun building up a really good coaching relationship with Ellie Blackeby (also from Lace City) so the future looks very bright for us”.

And long may it continue!

DIRECTORS TUNING IN Submitted by Trina Bache, Region 31 Directors’ Coordinator

With Directors and Assistant Directors representing 19 choruses and one prospective chorus within Region 31, two Directors from the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS), two from the Velvetones in Spain and one from Australia (Dianne is currently singing with Lace City, she didn’t fly in on the day!) what a great day we had in Birmingham in October. Kim Vaughn, Master 700 Director of San Diego Chorus, facilitated

this Director-specific education day. She brought her own relaxed, informative style to a day of discussion, enlightenment and enjoyment.

The day began with a class on Analytical Listening where everyone had an opportunity to develop their listening skills, with Kim encouraging Directors to discuss and debate how to correct or improve what they had heard.

After a lively lunch we moved on to Raising Your Level, Artistry, Finesse & Interpretation Skills and The Sound Category & How It Affects You sessions – all subjects that Kim covered with great knowledge, skill and expertise.

Here is a selection of useful tips that Kim

provided during the day: ! After convention look at your score sheets across all categories and make a plan for the following year. ! For example, look at the difference between C+ and B in all categories and identify what is common in all four. ! Music choice must be right for your chorus and try to personalise every song, don’t just sing it the way someone else has. ! Put the breathing pattern in last not first as it stops creativity – let the song develop. ! Warm up using the vocal pattern of the song, turn the diphthongs. ! Choruses should focus on vocal skills during warm-ups and all aspects of vocal skills should be checked every time

7 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

!

!

! !

!

! !

(breathing, posture, phonation, resonation and articulation).

During warm-ups always make singers aware of higher levels – don't let them get away with out of tune singing!

Remember that synchronisation and energy is judged by all 4 categories – choreographers particularly need to be aware of this.

Directors need to be clear about what they’re asking the chorus for.

The scoring for the sound category is broken down into 70 points for the unit sound and 30 points are awarded for expressive singing including artistry and finesse.

Challenge singers to sing at the ‘A’ level as they cannot sing at that level unless they have experienced it.

A key to success: sing well and sing out often.

Instil confidence and self-belief in your singers.

Following the Tune In day we asked attendees to complete a post-event survey and were delighted with the positive feedback – here a few of the comments: “I enjoyed talking with other people about their experiences, their highs and lows. Learning what skills other choruses had developed to aid their convention improvements.”

“Attention to detail – I liked the analytical learning and thought the guides and correction points were very well delivered by Kim. It was also a great to hear from the other delegates.”

“Kim managed to engage everybody regardless of the current level of the chorus he or she directs.”

8 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

“Interesting to listen to different artists performing the same song in different ways and so much useful advice. Kim's knowledge of songs that she used to demonstrate was wonderful as was her generosity in sharing her talent, down to singing into my voice recorder to help me with the interp of a song!”

“Loved it! I have some great notes and already think my chorus has benefitted from ideas and suggestions I have brought back.”

“Thought provoking.”

Handouts from the classes are available on http://sweetadelines.org.uk/docs/tunein/ As a result of this positive feedback we hope to hold another Director-specific event in the future.

The attendees found Kim to be a fantastic educator and the majority of them are keen to attend another education event facilitated by Kim. At the International Convention in Baltimore, Kim was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her talent and commitment to Sweet Adelines International and the barbershop art form. She will be retiring as Musical Director of the San Diego Chorus and Pacific Coast Harmony Chorus. She has decided to travel while coaching and teaching and will be starting with an extended stay in Australia in January 2016.

Any choruses or regions that are interested in an extended stay coach, voice teacher or even interim Director can email Kim directly at kimvaughn3@gmail.com

Alyson Chaney, a Certified International Faculty member, presents a regular column about how to devise a great vocal warm-up routine for your chorus. She would love to hear from you too, so if you have any great warm-ups to share please email Alyson at alysonchaney@yahoo.co.uk and she’ll include, with your permission, your favourite warm-up(s) so that we can, as a region, put together a useful resource.

EXTENDING YOUR RANGE Believe it or not, I started my barbershop life as a baritone and it was only the lack of tenors in the emerging Lace City Chorus in 1993 that introduced me to the high life! Those first few weeks were difficult to say the least but with constant practice I managed to be able to extend my range upwards. Various cats we have owned during the past 21 years have protested loudly about my conversion to tenorland.

The vocal exercises I am going to explore with you this time will help you to discover notes you never thought you could sing, so good luck, and remember to share any other exercises you may have developed with your own chorus or quartet.

As with all vocal exercises, use correct breathing techniques throughout as you explore the extremes of your range and beyond. The “pint of air” exercise, which I

mentioned in the very first Warmed Up article, will help you retract your false folds and avoid any constriction so use this as you work through the exercises.

First of all, the technique of anchoring which I touched upon last time is essential to achieve success. There are two kinds of anchoring: torso anchoring – bend your arms and stick out your elbows. Now imagine you have an orange under each armpit. Squeeze the juice out of each one by bringing your arms down. You will feel the muscle engagement of the lats (latissimus dorsi muscles) that will provide the framework for your focused vocal exercises.

The other anchoring is neck anchoring: imagine that you are trying to pull on a swimming cap that is rather too small for your head. Head and neck anchoring involves bracing the skeletal structures of the head and neck and gives a stable external framework for the smaller muscles that control the vocal tract.

Use of these anchoring techniques during vocal exercises will have an amazing effect on your ability to sing notes you only ever dreamed about. In fact, when I tried this with the Lace City Chorus, some of the basses were able to sing top C! Try these exercises both with and without anchoring and notice the difference. ! Using the NG sound (think of the word SING and use the NG only) side up from any note to the fifth above that note and back again so it forms the pattern 1-5-1. Then go down a semitone and repeat the sequence.

Anchor to help you reach the lowest notes with quality and clarity. ! Using the NG sound once more this time slide up from any note to the fifth above that note and back again so it forms the pattern 1-5-1. Go as high as you can using the NG sound.

9 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

! Now repeat the sequences again using NG but this time sing the highest or lowest pitch you reach on a vowel sound and notice the clarity of the sound you produce.

From the start the NG sound should be made with a small amount of air and remember to constantly monitor the clarity of the sound during the NG and the singing of a vowel.

Practise doing the exercise after taking in a very small amount of air, controlling the amount of air, as the NG becomes a vowel is important. It's the consistent flow of air rather than moving lots of air that matters.

Here’s a link to an audio demonstration of these exercises - https://db.tt/x1LiiNgp Aim to sing the highest notes quietly – this will require anchoring and retraction to avoid constriction.

If you do these simple exercises daily you will notice how your range extends both upwards and downwards. Using NG with the anchoring technique is a safe exercise that will never harm or tire your voice. It's a great technique to prepare your voice for daily use – both your singing and speaking voice will benefit.

As Britt-Heléne Bonnedahl stated during her excellent class in Baltimore: “We are what we repeatedly do.” Never underestimate the value of repeated focused practice. You will notice great things, most certainly.

As always I'm grateful for your comments, suggestions and queries so please continue to get in touch. I'm looking forward to hearing how these simple exercises will make a difference to your ability to extend your range.

Till next time, Alyson

10 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

STORIES FROM BALTIMORE The 68th Annual International Convention & Competition of Sweet Adelines International was held at the Baltimore Convention Center from 03-08 November 2014. Three quartets and two choruses represented the Quartet of Nations Region 31, including our 2013 chorus champion, Forth Valley and 2014 quartet champion, Domino. Finesse and Fortuity are automatically entered in the quartet semi-final contest as returning top 15 quartets from 2013. Vocal Dimension qualified in the Harmony Classic contest after scoring 607 in the 2013 regional convention.

Baltimore convention results for Region 31 Finesse – 3rd Fortuity – 16th Domino – 25th + Best Novice Quartet Forth Valley – 18th Vocal Dimension – 2nd + Most Entertaining Chorus

Impressions of Baltimore Recorded by Alyson Chaney (Region 31 Workshop Coordinator), Elaine Hamilton (Region 31 Education Coordinator) and Fiona McGlashan (Region 31 Membership Coordinator)

Region 31 rocks! Our representatives Forth Valley, Vocal Dimension, Domino, Fortuity and Finesse were absolutely fantastic and we were so proud of you all!

Here's what we enjoyed and were inspired by:

There was a tremendous amount of support given to our regional representatives. The biggest and perhaps the loudest came from the Team GB Scream Team, who certainly made their presence felt in Baltimore.

And after all the hard training and rehearsals, the results were fantastic once more for Region 31. Congratulations and well done, ladies!

You’ve made us all proud!

! Proudly wearing our Scream Team t-shirts and making ourselves hoarse into the bargain! ! Finesse. What can we say? Crowns next year, ladies! ! Rönninge's swan song is the ultimate in dynamic and exciting staging! Seeing BrittHeléne and Anna appear on those risers, gliding across the stage so effortlessly! ! Seeing Jim Arns leap about 3 feet in the air while directing the Melodeers. ! The amazing high standard in both quartet and chorus contests. ! Rönninge's education class on the Saturday morning entitled Journey to the Gold was so very well planned and delivered with appearances from David Wright (their main

11 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

arranger) and Jan Alexandersson (choreographer extraordinaire!) as well as presentations on their drills, vocal exercises, mindset work and strategies to help each singer attain her own personal goals.

Vocal Dimension aces it in Baltimore!

Submitted by Viv Cooper, Vocal Dimension

Vocal Dimension Chorus is immensely proud and delighted to have represented Region 31 in Division A of the Harmony Classic competition in Baltimore, USA. The support you have given us in the 18-month lead up to the contest has been wonderful, from boosting our funds, including buying our recipe books and Christmas CDs, to all your generous compliments and good wishes as we set off on our adventure!

Rönninge Show Chorus in rehearsal

! Touché's quartet education class was also so well structured and informative. ! Coronet Club Show and Mass Sing with Lori Lyford. ! Experiencing the excited anticipation of next year's convention in Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. ! Meeting and making friends from all over the Sweet Adeline world. ! Enjoying the beautiful and historic city of Baltimore and gorging ourselves on seafood! ! Enjoying the opportunity to meet with fellow Regional Management Team (RMT) members from all over the world to chew over the hot topics of the day!

On 1st November we boarded our group flight at Heathrow, full of trepidation and excitement. Seasoned long haul travellers encouraged first timers to the USA during the bumpy flight, and as we landed in Baltimore it seemed appropriate to treat the other passengers to 'Straighten Up And Fly Right'!

We even got a good luck mention over the intercom from the pilot and our mascot, Theodore the bear, was allowed to visit the cockpit.

Once we’d settled in at the impressive renaissance style Lord Baltimore Hotel, we embarked on our three pre-contest rehearsals.

The first two were open rehearsals and we were thrilled to welcome old friends and new – there’s nothing quite like sharing your talent with like-minded singers from around the world. We even had a last minute mini coaching session from our heroine Dale Syverson.

In between times we took the chance to explore the Inner Harbor location of Baltimore, a picturesque area full of interesting eateries; the quaint Fells Point quarter and historical

12 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

sites such as Federal Hill, the site of a Civil War fort. We also had the chance to shop for all kinds of weird and wonderful bling at Harmony Bazaar, which was held inside the Baltimore Convention Center, this year’s venue for International Convention. Whilst there, our nerves jangled as we saw the arena being prepared for the contest – a vast open space where the stage, viewing screens and audience seating were being built.

On the day of Harmony Classic we had our final rehearsal and suitably adorned in pan stick, false eyelashes, hairpieces and colourful costumes we climbed aboard the bus for the short trip to the Convention Center. By now our nerves had been transformed into excitement and we couldn’t wait to get on stage to show the world what we can do! The centre had been transformed into a glittering arena focussed on a brightly lit stage, and as we stepped out into the limelight we were thrilled and humbled to see our band of UK supporters at the front, waving a giant Union Jack flag and sporting their official Scream Team T-shirts, truly a moment to cherish. We were on! We launched into our 15-minute Wimbledon Ladies’ Final skit complete with tennis players, a royal appearance from Wills and Kate, and our Master Director Valerie “umpire” Taylor. We absolutely enjoyed every moment of it – all the hard work rehearsing and fundraising that we’d invested in those 15 minutes paid off, the chords rang, we had a ball and the audience loved us! Coming off stage, Valerie said, “That was perfect! It all went to plan and we couldn’t have done any better!”

You can’t ask for more than that!

Image © Read Photography

There followed two and a half hours of nailbiting tension until the results were announced. Our elation knew no bounds when we heard that the audience had voted us Most Entertaining Chorus (what an accolade!) and we cheered as we watched Valerie and Emma Riley, our Team Coordinator, jumping up and down on stage!

Image © Read Photography

Scoring 1270 points and being awarded second place at our very first international contest topped it all off – so we had a trophy and silver medals to bring home. We were pipped to the post by Springfield Metro chorus who scored 1274 points, the competition really was extremely close. However we were thrilled to see that our score was higher than all of the mid-size choruses (many of whom were very

13 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

experienced choruses whom we had long admired), so that gave us an extra boost.

Emma Duguid, our choreographer said, “Entertaining the audience was our main goal when designing our set and we’re so thrilled that we made that a reality – and we had an absolute ball performing it! A win-win!” Now it’s back to the UK to concentrate on more rehearsing to hone our skills and more fundraising to fill our coffers, and who knows, maybe next time…? Until then thank you, thank you Region 31 for all your support!

Team GB in Baltimore Submitted by Fortuity

The Team GB Scream Team did exactly what it said on the packet in Baltimore! From the day we arrived we bumped into Region 31 friends proudly strutting around in their bright white Scream Team t-shirts. We even saw a few friends from New Zealand wearing them!

When Fortuity walked out on stage, we could not only hear the Scream Team, but we could see them; a sea of white, frantically waving Union Jack flags. It was such a boost.

Baltimore really brought home exactly how much Region 31 has achieved in the last few years. We were thrilled on Tuesday night to watch Vocal Dimension bring home Image © Read Photography the silver medal in the Harmony Classic Division A competition with a fantastic score. The Wimbledon themed package had the audience laughing out loud from the start.

Forth Valley gave a wonderful performance in the chorus contest earning them an excellent 18th place. The ballad had the audience in the edge of their seats and the uptune was full of excitement and energy. We also have it on good authority that David’s dancing was a big hit with the queens in the front rows of the audience!

We were thrilled to see Domino place 25th and win the Novice Quartet, keeping it in Region 31 for the second year running. Congratulations to Val, Emma, Sarah and Suze for a fantastic first year at International.

Fortuity had a great time and we were delighted with our performance, which placed us 16th. We narrowly missed being in the top 15 again but are not discouraged. We're thankful for all the support from our families and Region 31 friends. It was not our time this time, but we'll work hard and aim to be back again, and who knows what will happen in the

14 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

future. We are proud to be amongst the quartets that walked across that stage, and especially proud to be from the same region as Finesse. Team GB screamed their hearts out for Finesse at the quartet final and were bouncing off the walls with excitement when they were announced as the 3rd place quartet.

Congratulations Beth, Helen, Nicky and Tanya for such an amazing performance.

Many of you have asked if there will be a Scream Team t-shirt for Las Vegas. The answer is YES! All four members of Fortuity are excited to be singing with Lace City in Vegas. We want Lace City, Dale Diva, Phoenix, Finesse and any other Region 31 quartets to experience the same level of support as the 2014 groups did.

We’ll be adding a new twist to the logo and adding a bit of Vegas flair to the lettering. We’ll also be offering round neck and V-neck t-shirts due to popular demand. With potentially more than 200 members of Region 31 singing in Las Vegas in 2015 we have a real opportunity to turn the auditorium (and Facebook) into a sea of white and show the world how Team GB is working together to make its mark on Sweet Adelines. Ordering information will be released soon.

Now it’s time to get in the Christmas spirit and we’re looking forward to performing on several shows. If you would like Fortuity to perform at an event please contact us at fortuity@hotmail.co.uk, or message us on Facebook.

See you in May and thanks again for all your support.

Message from Domino

Hello Region 31, As you may have already read on Facebook, Domino, sadly, had to go our separate ways.

We would like to thank you for all your support during our amazing 15-month journey together – we were absolutely thrilled to become 2014 Quartet Champions in May and we then thoroughly enjoyed the preparation and build up to Baltimore! Being on stage in Baltimore, knowing that you were all rooting for us, was wonderful and to be awarded the International Novice Quartet Award was the icing on the cake and very special for us all! Thank you to our choruses, Heartbeat and Vocal Dimension, for your encouragement, support and love over the past 15 months – we appreciate you all. Looking forward to seeing you in May!

Ellie, Gemma, Sarah and Veryan Love from Emma, Suzanne, Valerie and Sarah

15 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

Sequins and pants, my memoirs Submitted by Mags Ronald, Forth Valley

We all know about sequins and elastane pants.

Just two things you can't escape from when you step onto planet Adeline in the starry cosmos of international barbershop. Many other things spring to mind but that apart, what were my highlights from Baltimore? Well, to name but a few – the Mo-Joe effect, coaching from Mo Field and Joe Connelly on successive days before the competition, Joe hi five-ing the whole chorus as we went on stage, the GB Scream Team living up to their name, having another chorus and three quartets from Region 31 to support and Rönninge!

What is it about these Swedish goddesses of barbershop? Are they all really tall and slim with razor-sharp cheekbones, or is it just an illusion? Why do they wear little hats that look amazing on them but would look stupid on us mere mortals? If only the Vikings had pillaged and plundered a bit further east, maybe Forth Valley would be called Edinbrönnige Show Chorus. We might be endowed with the looks and confidence of these striking and talented women had our gene pool not been watered down by the short stocky Celts! Well, their workshop on Saturday morning gave away their secret. Apparently, it's all in the mind!

They spend about half an hour every week at their rehearsals, lying on the floor doing positive thinking exercises. I can't help wondering if our chorus would fit into the floor space of our church hall.

Would we have to use the baptismal bath?

Could we afford Paul McKenna? Would David be happy to leave us lying around still and silent for 20 minutes? Would we all stay awake at 9pm on a Thursday night?

16 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

Many things to consider but the crux of it all is “if you say you can or if you say you can't, you are right.” If it works for Rönninge, it must the way to go, however I think there might just be a little witchcraft attached to this chorus. Having Googled the town to find out where the nearest airport is, I discovered it's in the Salem Municipality, the namesake of the town in USA where they hung a lot of witches. Just a thought!

Forth Valley’s biggest disappointment was that we didn't get to perform our showcase, however, we did perform half of it on Saturday night at the Tuscan Grill Italian Restaurant to the delight of the waiters and the other customers – who were mainly Sweet Adelines.

I'm not sure it was our best performance as most of us were rather inebriated by that time and The Iona Boat Song with all its ‘oooos’, is something perhaps best forgotten.

Finally, just a word about my roomies Fiona and Debbie, who also made my time in Baltimore unforgettable – in mostly good ways.

They came up with the title of my unwritten novel, which in tribute, I've given to this piece.

Look out for this within the next 20 years in whatever format people are reading books in the future. All names will be changed to protect me.

Image © Read Photography

Baltimore, barbershop and bling!

Submitted by Maggie Pringle, Forth Valley

So much fun, such great memories and countless highlights! Just being part of Team GB’s Scream Team was awesome in itself. What an honour and privilege that was!

Outside of convention, I loved the Harmony on the Harbor Concert (who could forget that hyperactive sloth?) and the amazing education presentation by Rönninge Show Chorus on Saturday morning. Unexpected thrills came from being entertained at our restaurant table in Bubba Gump on Friday evening by Speed of Sound, fresh from their triumphant second place in the quartet competition, and from the sheer fun we had in an unsuspecting Italian restaurant on Saturday evening when a large section of Forth Valley Chorus (FVC) gave an impromptu concert between courses and performed much of what would have been our show package had we made it to the finals.

Best of all for me was the thrill of the semifinals, starting when Joe Connolly appeared backstage and hi-fived every single one of us as we made our way out to face the audience to deafening cheers and much enthusiastic flag waving. Our six minutes of fame seemed to flash past so quickly (did we remember all we had practised?) and we were thrilled and overwhelmed by the applause we got. Not just from our Scream Team, either; as we walked back through the auditorium to our seats, whole sections of the audience were still on their feet and made a point of talking to us and praising the performance of this relatively unknown bunch from over the pond. I will never forget that as long as I live! Ok, so maybe the judges did not entirely share their views, but we learned such a lot and have come away with so many positives that Baltimore 2014 has to be a landmark in FVC’s history. Here’s to the next time – we will certainly give it our best shot as we prepare to compete for a place in Las Vegas.

17 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

SUMMARY OF NOVEMBER 2014 RMT MEETING The following items were discussed and agreed: ! The Show of Champions will feature winners from the 2015 chorus and quartet International Division contests plus Las Vegas-bound choruses. ! All Events Tickets for 2015 will remain the same as last year’s – for members: £60 early bird, £65 full registration | youth members: £30 | non-members: £70 early bird, £75 full registration. ! Work on the re-design will commence in December with the selected web designer/developer and aiming to launch new website in the new year. ! Successfully held the RMT Open House for applicants who are interested in applying for an RMT position. ! The region is on track with the RMT chorus visits although there are still a few to be arranged for the new year. ! All faculty for Ignite 2015 are confirmed and booked. Venues still being confirmed. Dates will be published on the December issue of the Harmony Rag. ! Discussed several initiatives proposed within the Barbershop in Harmony (BiH) cooperative. This includes running a standalone Mixed Quartet event – RMT to gauge interest from members first before deciding the level of commitment, if any, from our organisation.

18 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

! Discussed plans for education workshops in 2016 – some International faculty provisionally booked. ! Discussed feedback on the successful Tune In workshop facilitated by Kim Vaughn for directors and assistant directors. Hope to run a similar workshop again in 2017. ! A Region 31 Hall of Fame and Women of Note will be established to recognise members and chapters who have made exemplary contributions to our art form and hobby. Criteria and guidelines to be provided in the new year. ! Future RMT meeting dates will be published on the regional website. ! Next RMT meeting will be on 23-25 January 2015 in Nottingham.

RESULT OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS (IBOD) ELECTIONS The election of the International Board of Directors of Sweet Adelines International is complete, and the following candidates will be serving along with the current members of the Board: Joan Boutilier, River City Sound Chorus, Region 3 – serving a three-year elected term 01 May 1 2015 to 30 April 2018 Marcia Pinvidic, City of Gardens Chorus, Region 26 – serving a three-year elected term 01 May 2015 to 30 April 2018 Thérèse Antonini, North Metro Chorus, Region 16 – serving a one-year appointed term 01 May 2015 to 30 April 2016

Jeanne d’Arc (JD) Crowe, Canadian Showtime Chorus, Region 16 – serving a one-year appointed term 01 May 2015 to 30 April 2016

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE The IBOD met on 02 November 2014 in Baltimore and the following is a summary of the actions taken: ! The charter and chapter membership for the following chapters were authorised: Coastal Charisma Chorus, Region 34, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and Carpe Diem Chorus, Region 11, Santa Barbara, California, USA. ! Golden West Region 21 was chosen as the location of the 2015 Rising Star Quartet competition. ! In order to assure that competing quartets register for International Convention before the seating assignment process begins, members of competing quartets will be given until 31 July to register at the reduced, competing member, early bird rate.

Competing quartet members choosing to register for International Convention after 31 July will be charged the member full registration fee. ! A recommendation that the quartet competition performance be limited to only the four people in the quartet was approved. This upholds the concept that a quartet consists of four people and that only the four quartet members may appear on stage during a competition performance. It further affirms that people not in the quartet may not be used as props, may not pass props to the members of the quartet, may not assist the four member quartet in any way during a

competition performance, etc. Any quartet that uses an additional person or persons on-stage, for any reason, during a competition performance, will be disqualified. ! A recommendation was approved that competitors that are disqualified from any competition, in any division, will not receive a scoresheet.

SPOTLIGHT ON FINANCE Prepared by Nuala Hobden, Region 31 Finance Coordinator

As Finance Coordinator, it is my job to ensure that all financial resources of the region are accounted for in an effective and efficient manner. I prepare annual budgets for the region, which are based upon historic knowledge plus the best guesstimate with regards to convention and workshops/education. I’ve held this position since 2009 and am, sadly, finishing my term in April 2015.

The income for the region is derived from regional dues and convention; any profit from these areas goes towards workshops and education events.

The Regional Management Team (RMT) has decided to raise the regional dues to cover the increasing costs of venues, suppliers and other services that we tap into to run our events and programmes. With effect from the 01 January 2015, regional dues will go up by £1 to £16 per annum per member.

The Quartet of Nations Region 31 accounts for financial year beginning 01 January 2013 to 31 December 2013 has now been certified by

19 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

Stuart Hoare Chartered Accountants. We made an overall loss of £19,110, which consists of £4,230 from convention 2013 and £15,248 from the Summer Rollercoaster event held in Edinburgh. We were able to control all other overheads for the rest of the year and this enabled us to reduce the loss.

Here are the Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet sections of the accounts.

Sweet Adelines International Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 31 December 2013

Income Regional subscription Convention receipts Workshop receipts Other income and sales Bank interest Expenses RMT meetings Chorus visits Convention costs Workshop expenses Car, van and travel expenses Newsletter Insurance Postage and stationery Advertising and business entertainment costs Bank charges Accountancy Other business expenses (Deficit)/Surplus

2013 £

2012 £

14,913 71,184 10,913 1,914 98,924

17,133 84,975 11,860 560 111,528

6 98,930

6 114,534

11,200 791 75,415 26,161 166 2,288 819 248 26

7,198 484 74,199 10,086 2,125 375 751 154 -

86 252 588 118,040

252 95,624

(19,110)

18,910

Sweet Adelines International Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 December 2013

Assets Bank – Treasurer account Bank – Money manager account Bank – 14 day notice account Convention costs in advance Workshops costs in advance Liabilities Other liabilities and accruals

Net business assets represented by Capital account: Balance at start of period Net (loss)/profit

2013 £

2012 £

21,051 10,740 1,671 2,500 1,436 37,398

31,745 10,734 1,671 9,610 3,000 56,760

252 252

504 504

37,146

56,256

56,526 (19,110)

37,346 18,910

37,146

56,526

Notes to the Accounts 1 Accounting basis The accounts have been compiled on a basis that enables profits to be calculated in accordance with UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice and that provides sufficient and relevant information to enable the completion of a tax return

COPY DEADLINE The next Harmony Rag will be issued in the end of March. Please send all contributions to harmonyrag@sweetadelines.org.uk by

28 FEBRUARY 2015

20 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag

ELLIE BLACKEBY, Lace City mills_ellie@hotmail.com

NANCY KELSALL, Heartbeat UK nancykelsall@hotmail.com

ANNE CARGILL, Aberdeen annecargill2012@btinternet.com

SANDRA LEA-RILEY, Heartbeat UK sandraleariley@virginmedia.com

ALYSON CHANEY, RMT Workshop Coordinator, Lace City alysonchaney@yahoo.co.uk

DOROTHY MAIN, Aberdeen themains@talktalk.net NICKY SALT, CAL nicky.salt@hotmail.co.uk

GLENN CHANEY, Lace City glenn.chaney@yahoo.co.uk

DAVID SANGSTER, Forth Valley carsonsangster@aol.com

EMMA DUGUID, Vocal Dimension duguidemma@gmail.com NORMA FERRIER, Forth Valley norma.ferrier@whec.edin.sch.uk ELAINE HAMILTON, RMT Education Coordinator, CAL elainemrssh@aol.com TANYA JENKINS, CAL tunefultan@virginmedia.com

VALERIE TAYLOR, Vocal Dimension valerie.taylor@privacysolutions.co.uk GWEN TOPP, Aberdeen gmtopp@yahoo.co.uk MICHELLE WALKER, Lace City shelbywalks@yahoo.co.uk LYNDA WOOD, Phoenix lynda@pottonwoods.co.uk

2015 23 – 25 January

Quartet of Nations RMT meeting

Nottingham

08 – 10 May

Region 31 Convention 2015

Nottingham

22 – 25 May

Sing 2015 (BABS)

Llandudno

19 September

Ignite 2015 for Central, Scotland and South West

Venues TBC

26 September

Ignite 2015 for North West and South East

Venues TBC

05 – 10 October

69th Annual International Convention & Competition of Sweet Adelines International

Las Vegas

30 October – 01 November

LABBS Convention

Bournemouth

October/November

Ignite 2015 for Netherlands

Venue TBC

21 | December 2014 | Harmony Rag