Post on 01-Aug-2021
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News From Our RMT
2019-2020 Regional Management Team (RMT)
Communications Coordinator – MaryKammeyer reg5communications@gmail.com
Directors Coordinator – Bev Hamilton reg5dircoord@gmail.com
Education Coordinator – Annette Wallace reg5edudir@gmail.com
Events Coordinator – Ros VanHecke reg5evco@gmail.com
Finance Coordinator – Beth Hager reg5finance@gmail.com
Marketing Coordinator – Judy Kaeser reg5market@gmail.com
Membership Coordinator – Karen Matthews reg5saimem@gmail.com
Team Coordinator – Twilla Duvall reg5teamcoord@gmail.com
"Happy Holiday's from the RMT"
Did You Know?
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Sweet Adelines recently updated the:
"Mission Statement""Vision Statement""Guiding Principles"
Follow the link: https://sweetadelines.com/mission-vision-and-guiding-principles
2020 Real Guest Program
REAL GUEST PROGRAM = REAL MONEY FOR REGION 5 CHORUSES Once again, the Regional Management Team of Spirit of the Midwest Region 5
has approved Real Money for the Real Guest Campaign.
This six-week program is simple:
1. Each chorus selects a six-week time frame for a membership drive.
2. Notify Karen Matthews, Region 5 Membership Coordinator of your
selected dates before your first designated rehearsal.
3. Submit a weekly report of your chorus’s real guest names and their
contact information to Karen.
4. Real guests are women who love to sing and meet any age requirement
established in your standing rules
5. Current chorus members on leave of absence or associate member status
do not qualify. (Nor do out of town visiting relatives or high school
friends.)
Cash awards will be presented during Competition weekend in April 2020.
$600 to the chorus with the highest percentage of guests during their six-
week campaign.
$600 to the chorus with the most second time visitors during the
designated six-week drive.
Already completed one? Why not use what you have learned to do another?
Send your dates, weekly reports and questions to: Karen Matthews,
reg5saimem@gmail.com.
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Save the Date
Upcoming Events
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Metro Mix
"Holiday Show"
November 23, 2019
Maquoketa, IA
City Voices Holiday Luncheon
"Stars and Stripes Forever"
December 7, 2019
St. Louis, MO
Heart of Missouri
"Sweets and Songs Extravaganza"
December 8, 2019
Columbia, MO
Spirit of the Midwest Region 5
Competition
April 23-26, 2020
Cedar Rapids, IA
Fall in Focus
September 11 - 12, 2020
with Scott Kvigne
DoubleTree by Marriott
Chesterfield, MO
Spirit of the Midwest Region 5
Competition
April 8 - 11, 2021
Cedar Rapids, IA
Metro Mix
"Holly Jolly Vendor Fair"
December 7, 2019
Cedar Rapids, IA
Kansas City Show
"Holiday Harmony Spectacular"
December 7, 2019
Unity Village, MO
Topeka Acappella Unlimited Show
"Christmas Show"
December 14, 2019
Topeka, KS
Battle of the Barbershop Stars
June 19 - 20, 2020
with Diane Porsch & Dede Nibler
Kansas City Marriott Downtown
Muehlebach Hotel
International Competition 2020
October 12 - 17, 2020
Louisville, KY
International Competition
October 11 - 16, 2021
St. Louis, MO
More information on the Region 5 Website: https://www.sairegion5.org/events.html
Educational Tidbits
Upgrade Vocal Blend for Higher Scores
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Dixie Dahlke
As a Sound judge, one of the errors I often hear when judging is loss of blend,
whether through much of the performance, on just one song or at key changes
or in complex phrases. Loss of blend guarantees various degrees of out-of-
tune singing, so here is a brief review of the importance of blend to an in-tune
performance.
Blend requires
· Keen listening skills
· Freely produced voices
· Equalized and consistent breath energy
· “Like” Vowel Sounds
· Synchronized delivery – timing and length of the target vowel and
diphthong, timing of word turns, and timing of the breath into the next phrase
· A mental focus on section and chorus blend beyond focus on the
individual singer
To achieve good ensemble blend, each singer must apply a consistent
awareness of “mixing” your own vocal quality with those of the singers around
you. Your ears will make subtle adjustments to your own resonance in order
to achieve the greatest degree of blend possible. You must be psychologically
willing to allow your voice to adjust as you allow other resonances to blend
with your own. Learn to sing into the voices around you.
Voices to be blended must be relatively free of tension in all performance
ranges and they must be supported with consistently energized air flow. When
voices are produced by utilizing the throat muscles, blend can become
impossible to achieve.
No chord will tune completely until all voices are blended into their own section
and each section is blended with all the other sections.
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Balance is a vital part of our barbershop sound. The Judging Category Book
says, “the voices to be balanced must first be blended.” Unblended voices will
rarely balance or tune.
Of course, each singer in a section must sing correct notes and words. We
don’t need to discuss this, right?
Producing “like” vowels is critical to maintaining blend and consistent “fine
tuning.” I.e., “Lah” vs “Luh” in the word “Love.” Leaving out diphthongs will
momentarily affect both blend and tuning.
It is vital that we practice both the physical/mechanical skills and the mental
skills related to good ensemble singing. Great listening skills and thrilling
performances rely on training our ears and our brains to work together through
every phrase.
You’ll be so busy listening to blend and tuning during rehearsal that you may
even forget that your feet hurt or that you’ve sung that same phrase a dozen
times! Go forth and blend!
Quartet News
Staff Party Staff Party had the honor of singingour National Anthem at Gladstone’sTheater in the Park. The quartetalso performed the Anthem and theCanadian National Anthem at KansasCity T-Bones baseball games to
This space is for YOU!!
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finish the summer. Not onlydoes Staff Party love to sing, but thequartet enjoys good baseball gameswith funnel cakes!!
Preparation began for the quartet’ssegment on the RiverSong fall show,“Musical Mystery Tour.” StaffParty was thrilled to share the stagewith the men’s quartet Priorities, andour Region 5 quartetchampions Take Four! The show andafterglow were successful and filledwith fun and laughter.
Along with many other members ofRegion 5, Staff Party traveled to NewOrleans to observe the tremendoustalent that crossed the stage. Congratulations to Vocal Standard,Pizzazz, and Take 4 for representingour region in fine fashion! Ofcourse, Class Ring was a favorite! Not only did Staff Party take home abountiful supply of ideas andinformation, but the quartetmanaged to take home a few extrapounds! Yes, New Orleans food isfantastic!!
As people in the Midwest arescooping snow, Staff Party will bepreparing for holiday performancesand contest in the spring. HO! HO!HO!
-Carolyn, Mary Ann, Diana, andBettye
Chorus News
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Show Me Sound Show Me Sound chorus of Region 5recently hosted a celebrationobserving their 25 years of charteredsuccess. The chorus was chartered in1994 and has worked hard withmuch help and support from sisterchapter, the Kansas City chorus andRegion 5 and previously from Region7. The anniversary party was held atthe Wesley United Methodist Churchwhere the chorus has rehearsedsince its beginning. The chorus isdirected by Rosemary Olas and KrisDeweese and would like to thank allthose who have helped with thesuccess of the chorus.
Harmony Central Chorus
Join Harmony Central and HarmonyDelegation (BHS) Choruses as wecelebrate the magic of Christmas onDecember 14, at 3 & 7 pm atMeredith Reformed Church, DesMoines. Tickets are available bycontacting any chorus member orat: https://tinyurl.com/HCCHD2019.
Cedar Harmony
Comfort levels were tested as sevenchorus members joined the Women'sBuild with Habitat for Humanity.Women's Build is a global eventfocusing on building and improvinghomes and raising awareness ofaffordable housing issues facingwomen and their families. Ourladies enjoyed a great day giving tothe community. Fun and education exploded duringour fall retreat. The chorus brushedup on breathing and support,brainstormed a mission statement,tie dyed t-shirts, workedchoreography and crafted braceletsand earrings. A great day to spendwith sisters in harmony! Not tomention the money raised through asilent auction with the proceeds
Kansas CityThe Kansas City Chorus continues itsDREAM! We had a fabulous coachingsession with the incredible JeanBarford! We had sectional PVI's thefirst evening and every personreceived feedback. Jean truly is the"Master of Sound" and she sharedtechniques individualized for eachmember. The next morning riserplacement was completed, and thatafternoon Jean offered herembellishments and textures to ournew ballad. It was a noteworthysession!
We have guests regularly and threeprospective new members are on therisers! Fundraising is ongoing; we'reselling nuts, an amazing toiletry bagthat can be personalized and achorus member is returning a
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going to purchase a CD burner forthe chorus. Cedar Harmony has moved to a newrehearsal hall, "Music Hill Studios".We had outgrown our old space andhappened into space in a churchacquired by a music studio. Happyvoices abound! Hard work permeates our lives as welisten to learning CDs, learncompetition songs and choreographyand fine tune performances. We livefor a craft that satisfies our souls,touches hearts, and enriches lives.
portion of her PartyLite proceedsback to the chorus.
Our Holiday Harmony Spectacular"It's the Most Wonderful Time of theYear" on Saturday December 7thwith special guest quartet, VocalSpectrum, is right around thecorner! We are excited to share thisgift with you! Tickets are sellingquickly. Info is available on ourwebsite or call Marlin @816.945.9671.
Congratulations to Vocal StandardChorus, Pizzazz and Take 4 Quartetsfor their wonderful performances inNew Orleans! Class Ring’s inductioninto the Coronet club was awesome! And, our own Michelle did a fantasticjob on the webcast!
Gateway Spotlight
GSC presented an original “SecondChances” show a rainy and chillyafternoon of October 26th. “Mr.Sandman” granted our lovely brideZilla her wish of ‘bringing adream’. Three quartets followed with“Sound of Starbucks”, “MagicTonight!”, and “Everybody Loves aLover”. All guests were able to “Getto the Church” to “Give My Heart” ina “Sentimental Journey” to the “Topof the World”. Mothers-in-lawagreed to live “Side by Side” …butwhich mom got to wear one of theidentical dresses? Guests enjoyed acupcake and punch reception asmen’s quartet Rivertown Soundwarmed-up for memories with lively50’s and 60’s songs. The afternoonprogram was topped off by GSCsinging “What a Wonderful World.”GSC members enjoy many holidayswith a small gift bag exchange. Twoweeks prior to the holiday, themegift bags are distributed to those
Vocal StandardVocal Standard Barbershoppin’ theBig Easy was more than we could’veever hoped for. We could not haveunderstood what it would mean to allof us to share that “first” time onstage together. We had 16 memberswho had never competed on theInternational Stage, including ourDirector, who made his SAI debut,and getting to experience it throughthat fresh lens was a joy.We started the week with a proposalat our first rehearsal, and ourexcitement for Ashley and Nataliepropelled us into the rest of theweek. 26 of us marked the weekwith matching tattoos, while the resthad fake ones so we could take 43
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who wish to participate. Setting alow dollar limit, bags are filled withtreats and small surprises. A grab-bag type exchange delights andsends spirits soaring! Christmasexchanges might be more elaboratewith names drawn and tiny (secret)surprises given weekly until namesare revealed at the Decemberparty. Fun, friends, and frivolitykeep us #.
purple notes on stage with us. Our 7minutes on stage went by way toofast, but we could absolutely feel thelove coming from the audience fromstart to finish. We even heard a few“VS, you know!” chants coming atus. And the rest of the week wewere rewarded by the commentscoming from far and wide, strangerson the street, and on all the variousbarber-chat social media platforms.There is nothing better than knowingthat your performance impactedpeople in a positive way. We are sograteful to each and every personwho took the time to share with ushow they experienced our music. Wewill remember those commentsforever.Another “Life on a High Note”moment was when a small groupsinging Happy Birthday in arestaurant turned into an invitationand amazing opportunity to give aperformance at the New OrleansChildren’s Hospital. We sang forstaff, patients, and their parents,and it really was the best way to capoff a week of emotions, love, andmusic.Thank you to all of you for your lovegifts, your comments and support,and for those of you who couldattend, cheering for us in NewOrleans. It was truly an amazingweek for us.So, what’s next? We are the featuredguest on the Central StandardHoliday Show at the Folly Theater inDowntown Kansas City on Saturday,December 14th at 7PM. You can visitCentralStandard.net for tickets. Wehope we can see some of you localKC peeps there. We love to singsome holiday tunes and have theopportunity to sing with the BHSmedalist, Central Standard. We knowmany of you are preparing your ownholiday performances, we wish youthe very best as you close out your2019. We’ll see you all soon!
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Metro MixOctober and November are busymonths for Metro Mix chorus. OnOctober 26th, Metro Mix was afeatured guest for the Iowa Citymen’s barbershop group--Old CapitolChorus. At that performance, BevHamilton was honored with a specialaward that is presented each year bythe Old Capitol chorus. This award,called the “Big Wheel in the Arts”award, is presented annually tosomeone has made significantcontributions to the arts in the IowaCity Community. During thepresentation, Bev was recognized forher many contributions includingquartet performances and awards,quartet coaching, chorus coachingand directing, supporting YoungWomen in Harmony clinics, andhelping Metro Mix chorus membersgrow in their personal vocal skills. She was also recognized for directingMetro Mix chorus through numerousregional contest awards and 6 tripsto international competitions. Also, in October, a small group ofchorus members called the ExtensionChords sang for the annual HooverMemorial ceremony whichcommemorates the date thatPresident Hoover was laid to rest inWest Branch.
Sound Celebration
By the posting of this Take 5 edition,the Divas of Starstruck will havekicked off the stilettos and slippedinto something more comfortable forthe holiday sing-outs.
Sound Celebration Chorus andLincoln Land Chorus co-hosted theFirst Annual Greater Springfield AreaYouth in Harmony Festival onOctober 30, 2019. Approximately106 students from four area highschools spent the day learning theart of four-part barbershopharmony. The young men andwomen then performed their newlylearned songs at an evening concert,which also featured the quartetsFlipside and South of Normal, andboth Sound Celebration and LincolnLand Chorus. The festival was wellreceived by the students, whoseenthusiasm is contagious. Sound Celebration has severalholiday performances scheduled forNovember and December, and ournew contest ballad is to hit the riserson November 25th.
May you all have a ringing holidayseason!
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On November 15th there will be twoperformances. The ExtensionChords will sing for the Novembernaturalization ceremony in CedarRapids. In the evening, the choruswill sing for the annual gospelconcert that is organized by theHarmony Hawks. On November 23, the chorus willperform a show at the Maquoketaperforming arts center-called theOhnward Performing Arts Center. The performance begins at 4:00 P.M.
Acappella Omaha
Acappella Omaha Chorus’ annual fallshow, “Our Pajama Party”, under thedirection of Annette Wallace, wassuccessfully presented on November9, 2019 at Ralston CommunityTheatre in Ralston, Nebraska. Chorus members in the showcommittee wrote an original scriptwhich introduced some of the chorus’favorite all-time songs; and both thechorus and the audience had a lot offun!And it was a FREE SHOW!! Prior tothat show, on October 20, the chorusperformed for the River City Rehabin Omaha and was warmly receivedby residents, one of which was aformer member. On September 21, the chorusperformed for a group within the St.James Catholic Church in Omaha andone of our former members and herspouse were in the group whichappeared to really enjoythe chorus’ presentation.
FHH "candy witches" at Topeka's "Boo
at the Zoo." Front of the table: Jessica
Wilson and Katie Martell. Behind the
table: Linda Rousser and Virginia
Easton Far right: Rebecca Cannon
Flint Hills Harmony
Flint Hills Harmony joyfully reunitedwith several past chorus memberson October 8th! FHH delighted in anight of singing, reminiscing, andcatching up with about a dozenformer members. It was such asuccess that we may plan an annualreunion! On October 14th, FHH presented alighthearted barbershop musictutorial for the Women’s Fellowshipat Mother Teresa of Calcutta CatholicChurch in Topeka. Formatted in oldradio program style, we discussedthe history of barbershop, sang
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several selections, and taught theattendees a fun song that we allsang together. Thank you, PaulaClayton, for being the liaison and theradio “host!” FHH encountered princesses,superheroes, tigers, cowgirls, andother characters at Topeka’s “Boo atthe Zoo” on October 26th. It was asunny, brisk day to distribute candyto thousands of children and to greettheir “adults.” This was the third yearthat FHH joined in the fun! Our busy upcoming holiday plansinclude an annual guest night onNovember 12th, singing for aLawrence women’s group onNovember 21st, and visiting areacare homes several nights inDecember. Spreading our love ofbarbershop music during theholidays is one of our favoriteactivities each year!
City Voices
City Voices Chorus held a “Meet andGreet” for our new director, BarbHyder. There was a very goodturnout. The chorus and twoquartets, Grace Notes and HoneyBees provided entertainment for theaudience. There was time to visitand get to know Barb. Everyoneenjoyed socializing with old friendsand visitors.
Our annual holiday luncheon will beheld December 7, 2019 at Genesis
River Blenders The River Blenders enjoyed aspectacular fall afternoon inSeptember as we performed at theSt. Louis Art Fair. Our five finalistsSing for Scholarships soloists sangtheir hearts out for the audience andeach of them went home with a bigscholarship check from our chorus.The talent of these local studentsnever fails to amaze us, and weLOVE this annual performance!Sandwiched in between very busyrehearsals for our November showwas a performance at St. Luke’s
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Catering. Since the date is PearlHarbor Day, the chorus is performinga USO show for the troops (theaudience.) Stars and Stripes Forevertickets are rapidly being sold. Ifanyone would like a ticket call LindaT. @ 314-651-8558.
Hospital's Ribbons andBows event. It was a program “tocelebrate the incredible women whohave allowed us to be part of theirbreast cancer journey.” We werehonored to be part of this wonderfulevening.June Lenk, one of our Basses, wasfeatured in a full-page article inOctober’s Pitch Pipe! We are soproud of June's efforts to build aninclusive and collaborative chorus.She makes us better.Our Nov. 2nd, MAKE A NOISE showwas a great success! Judging fromthe audience’s laughter at both thematinee and evening shows, theyhad a good time. So, did we! Tons ofwork, but tons of fun!!! And, wehope, tons of profit. Our show is oneof our major fundraisers to help withthe expense of going to InternationalContest in Louisville next October.The other is selling tickets to aCardinals baseball game nextsummer. Check out ourwebsite, riverblenders.org, for moredetails!
Regional Information
Region 5 RMT 2019 Minutes:
https://www.sairegion5.org/administration/regional-management-team-condensed-minutes.html
Regional Songs:For Regional Song learning tracks
The next Take 5 Deadline is January 1,2020Email articles (limit of 200 words) and apicture (limit 1) to Region 5Communications Coordinator MaryKammeyer atReg5communications@gmail.com PLEASE – send the text in the body ofthe email, not as an attachment.
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available in the “Members Only” sectionof the Reg 5 website –www.sairegion5.org
Songs to LearnOne Song at a TimeHarmonize the WorldHow We Sang TodaySend Your LoveWe Are FamilyHappy Together
Getting your emailsIf you’ve recently changed any of yourpersonal contact information, be sure toupdate International’s records. SAI usesemail addresses in our PersonalInformation Profiles to inform us oftime-sensitive issues.
1. Go to the SAI website:www.sweetadelineintl.org 2. Click on Member Login at the top ofthe page.3. Enter your username and password.4. Click on More Member Options.5. Click on Member Profile.6. Enter your username and passwordagain.7. Your “Personal Information Profile”will appear. Verify your name, address,phone number, and email; then clickthrough the instructions at the bottomto save.
If you need help, contact your chorustreasurer or membership chair.
Copyright © 2017 Spirit of the Midwest Region 5, All rights reserved.
Our contact address is:Reg5communications@Gmail.com
You are receiving this non-commercial email because you are a member of the Spirit of the Midwest -Region 5 - Sweet Adelines International