Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America
# Sharp Notes #
Publication of the Regina Golden Harvest Chorus
Golden
Harvest Chorus meets most Monday Evenings, 7:30-10:00 at
Knox
Metropolitan United Church, corner of Victoria and Lorne, Regina,
Saskatchewan
Guests always
welcome!
September 2002
Welcome Guests!
We hope you’ve enjoyed your evening with the chorus. As you should know by now, we love to sing – and we’d love to have you come out and sing and harmonize with us on any Monday night. If you have any questions about our chapter, our music, our organization – anything at all – just ask.
Sing! For Life…
From the Pres.
Fellow Barbershoppers!
Welcome to our 2002-2003 season of singing and other related activities! We are about to embark on what will hopefully be a busy and rewarding year in the "a cappella" style. Dave, Bill, Jack and Ron (have I missed anyone?) have been working hard to develop a show programme which hopefully we will be able to present several times in celebration of Regina's 100th.
In addition we need to develop a short programme which will "roll them in the aisles" and bring spontaneous standing ovations. The challenge is there and we are able.
Let's get on with it!
Stuart Reiley,
President
Show Script
Yes, we have not one, but two show scripts.
1) We have the main script involving participation by all three choruses and associated quartets. The format consists of songs with accompanying slide projections to augment visually the music. The initial narrator is Pemmican Pete. Taking over about 1900 is Walter Scott (editor of the Morning Leader, and first premier of the province). A running gag has every chorus and quartet he attempts to introduce mistake him for Sir Walter Scott, the novelist. He finally stamps off stage in disgust, and is succeeded by Pemmican Pearl who brings Regina’s history up to date.
2) We have a companion script with essentially the same format but carried only by the Golden Harvest. The portions of history covered by the Sweet Adeline choruses are filled with quartet offerings. This will give us more opportunity for multiple shows in 2003, at times when the ladies might not be free to assist us.
Bill Quick
Live a Little… Sing in A Quartet!
To BINGO or Not to BINGO…
That is the Question. In case you’ve missed it, there has been a very active, very thoughtful and very thought-provoking discussion that has been going on between chapter members – via email.
This all started with an email that Stuart asked John to forward to the general membership…
"Stu asked me to forward this to everyone for consideration. I discussed this at length with Lynn last night. Our core function is singing in the Barbershop style. We need to be able to meet the expenses incurred to support that function. We have to be careful that we don't deter people by making our fees too high or by requiring them to participate in an activity (bingo) that they will not. We must also attempt to balance contribution of the members as much as possible as well. Somewhere in there is what we should be doing and what we must make an effort to identify."
And the discussion continues…
Keep a melody ringing in your heart!
Woodshedders play it by ear
"Woodshedding" is defined as the act of three men creating Barbershop harmonies "by ear" to a given melodic line sung by a fourth man. The melody should not have a well-known arrangement, and it is ideally not well-known by the three harmonizers before the melody-singer introduces it to them.
SPEBSQSA Update
Check out the great new addition to the Members Only section of the www.spebsqsa.org website. "The Audiofile" is an index to a private collection of more than 12,000 recorded songs – most from the early '20s to the late '40s (the golden age of popular song) – and many of them unobtainable from any other source.
Each of these performances is now available to Barbershoppers on cassette or CD (unless protected by copyright, of course).
Access to the database is free for your first look. But after that, you are encouraged to make a donation of any size to the Society’s Harmony Foundation.
If you see performances you’d like to own, the owner will dub them onto cassette or CD and send them to you at no charge. You are asked only for a further donation to Harmony Foundation of $10 for the first song in a request and $5 for each additional song.
Go ahead, log on to the Members Only site and have a look. You’ll be amazed at this database, and you’ll have fun browsing it. If you have questions, contact Lynn Hauldren, elhaul@attbi.com.
Every Monday is a Guest Night!
Way-da-go, Eric!
Congratulations and "way-da-go" to Eric Neufeld – out latest Way-da-go Award winner. Eric was presented the Way-da-go Award at our first meeting of the fall by the previous award winner, Stuart Reiley.
Something Old?
As we begin a new season there are some things that are old. With our focus on the big extravaganza that we are going to stage in the spring of 2003, it is easy to forget or minimize some important things that are on going, and I want to take a moment to refresh your mind.
We have as a charity a very important agency, the Regina Early Learning Centre. It is important in many ways, because it is the innovative initiative of a most dedicated woman, Anne Luke, who was determined over 25 years ago to do something for the kids who have been dealt a bad hand in terms of parenting. These are children who never see a newspaper, a magazine, or perish the thought, a book; they never see anyone reading anything anywhere: they don’t know that there is a wonderful world out there in the form of stories and literature of all kinds waiting to be found. They know nothing about things that we take for granted. Anne Luke is rescuing those youngsters, day by day and year by year. Once in a while, a successful young man or woman will come back to the Early Learning Centre to tell Anne that if it hadn’t been for her, and what she did when they were little kids, they would not have ever been successful in school, and university. They would not have a profession and be an asset to the society they live in. She has made a tremendous difference to this community. That’s why, of course, she was awarded the Award of Harmony by our organization a few years ago. But she has a tough time making ends meet. She depends on donations to keep going. Therefore, it is most important that we should keep her in mind, and be as generous as we can. Some 80 little gaffers each semester depend on us.
The second thing on my mind is this. I try to send greeting cards to our members and spouses, on occasions that stand out. Whether it is because of bereavement, or illness, or on the other hand, in cases where someone of our number has had something good happen in their life – become a grandparent, or whatever. I like to acknowledge it on your behalf. I can’t do a passable job of this unless I get help. You have to let me know when something has happened that calls for sending a card. Phone me, or email, but not snail. However you choose to do it, please give me the information to enable me to do the job.
On a lighter note, have you heard the one about… Oh! Never mind. Lynn has already heard it without a doubt!
In closing let me wish us all the very best as we tackle a big job this season. May God bless us every one.
Jack Boan,
Service & Charities Chairman
Teach the Children to Sing!
The Lead’s Creed
1. I will constantly remind myself, and all others, that I am the natural centre of the quartet or chorus.
2. I will never be tempted to try to sing Tenor, Baritone or Bass, for I can carry a tune.
3. I will strive to never drop pitch, for I grow weary of hearing the Bass whine that I am forcing him to go too low. Isn't that where he's supposed to go?
4. I will make no attempt to understand why the Tenor sings way up there.
5. I will take command of the melody and the other three parts can darn well harmonize with whatever I'm singing.
6. I will treat the Baritone with kindness, for he is a sensitive fellow and cannot help making those strange sounds.
7. I will smile wider and make more gestures than the other singers, for mine is the part that everyone listens to.
8. I will, on rare occasions, allow the Bass to take the melody, bearing in mind that he can't be expected to handle it for long.
9. I will allow the harmony parts to take a swipe now and then. It's all they have.
10. I vow to remain generous, modest and unspoiled by acclaim.
Earl McGhee
Daytona Beach chapter
Bring a Friend – Share the Fun!
SingCanada Harmony
Gentlemen,
I am sending this to every Canadian Chapter, or near Canada Chapter in the U.S.A. which has Canadian members of SPEBSQSA of which I am aware to announce the development of, with intention to launch, SingCanada Harmony.
SingCanada Harmony will be a charitable organization in Canada established under the rules and regulations of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.
SingCanada Harmony will execute the charitable mission of the SPEBSQSA in Canada and will provide income tax deductible receipts for donations made.
SingCanada Harmony will be a Canadian organization, directed by a board of officers who are Canadian Citizens residing in Canada. All monies raised by SingCanada Harmony will remain in Canada and will fund Canadian Projects.
The SPEBSQSA Society Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Harmony Foundation are aware of and approve the establishment of this Canadian charitable organization which will execute the Society's charitable mission in Canada. The theme song of Harmony Foundation, "Teach The Children To Sing"; the mission statement of Harmony Foundation "... to preserve our musical legacy through support of vocal music education in our schools and communities"; the "Chapter Harmony Foundation Chairman Manual" and all other Harmony Foundation attributes are intended to be adopted by SingCanada Harmony.
This is a first where we can now support the current charitable mission of SPEBSQSA in Canada and begin to receive income tax receipts for donations. This was not possible previously for donations by Canadians who donated to Harmony Foundation.
SingCanada Harmony will be an all Canadian Barbershop organization. The SingCanada Harmony Board of Directors will be comprised of Canadians from Northeastern District, Pioneer District, Evergreen District, Land O' Lakes District and Ontario District. As this is a new organization being developed from the 'ground up', the Presidents of Harmony Inc. and Sweet Adelines International were invited to allow Canadian Chapter/Choruses to participate and benefit from income tax rebates etc. The President of Harmony Inc has endorsed the concept and has accepted an invitation to join (SAI did not accept the invitation). Therefore an Ontario based leader from HI has been named to the board of SingCanada Harmony.
As stated earlier, this is just a preliminary announcement. Many details will be forwarded to you all as developments occur. We are already members of SPEBSQSA and already support the charitable mission of the Society.
This development was conceptualized several years ago. Much of the paperwork has been put together and I'll be meeting with our lawyer soon to get things moving. I look forward to hearing from every Chapter which has Canadian members in the very near future.
Thanks for all you do for your Chapters and our hobby.
Cheers eh !!
J.R. Digger MacDougall
BA MEd CD CHRP
Lead "Capital Lettermen" Quartet
Bass Kingston Chapter SPEBSQSA
Proud Supporter of Harmony Foundation
Trustee Harmony Foundation
Member O.C. Cash Founder's Club
Ontario District Harmony Foundation Chairman
Vice Chairman Society Leadership Task Force
SPEBSQSA Virtual Resources Group International COTS Faculty
Consultant for: Leadership, Organizational Change, Career
Transition, Human Resources and Training
Slayer of Dragons, Purveyor of Harmony, Agent of Change, Consumer
of Spiritus Fermentus, Husband, Father, Cook, and all-round good
fellow.
Articles
in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the views of the
chapter. Unless carrying a byline, they are those of the editor.
Items received may be referred to the executive before
publication.
All chapter officers and members are encouraged to submit
articles to the Sharp Notes.
Please address any comments, suggestions or submissions to
the editor – Bruce Fish, (306)761-2503 / bfish@accesscomm.ca. Current and back issues of
the Sharp Notes can be found on the Golden Harvest Chapter
website at www.gpfn.sk.ca/culture/arts/gharvest.
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