April, 2009, #2

New Faces

At our 4/14 rehearsal/open house, we welcomed 11 guests. It certainly was one of the more successful gatherings in recent memory. In the picture above are the following guests: L to R (top row) Bryan Waters, Eric Jolly, Karl Reuther, Charles Lessick; (middle row) David Brittingham, Karl Stutz, Don Sprankle; (bottom row) Scott McCarthy, Paul Albert, Michael Johnson, Jon Collett. The evening was filled with singing by the chorus, chapter quartets and , of course, the guests. Finally, pizza and soda were enjoyed by all and there was even more singing. Six of these guests returned for the next chapter meeting on 4/21.

Barbershopper of the Month
March, 2009

For his hard work and dedication that contributed to making our 62nd Annual Show a success, Jim Elliott was awarded the BOTM award for March. Jim has already begun plans for next year's show, so jump on the bandwagon early. There are always enough jobs to go around. Congratulations and thanks again Jim for all that you do.

Speaking of Our 2009 Show.....
(Do These Guys Look Familiar?)

Birthdays

Guyles Clifford 4/29
Jim Heaton 4/30
Charlie Wilson 5/5

A New Link

At the top of this page, there is a new link for the Barbershop HQ Blog. This is a way for barbershoppers to have interactive contact with each other and with The Society. It is the latest communication tool that has been made available to Society members, so be sure to check it out.

100 Ways To Help Your Chapter

90. Form an ad-hoc/pick-up quartet and sing for the chorus.

91. Always show up prepared for a performance, correct uniform/costume, correct make-up (if applicable), warmed up and ready to perform.

92. Offer to help build props for your annual show.

93. Support all of the barbershop organizations (SAI, SPEBSQSA, HI) and fellow chapters/choruses by attending every show and event you can in your area. We are all in this together!

94. When travelling, try to visit a chapter meeting wherever you happen to be.

95. Be mindful of members' individual personal lives; everyone can only give what they personally can. Take what you can get from each member and encourage them to be happy. Relax and enjoy the hobby.

96. Support youth outreach however you can, take your quartet to a local high school and give a presentation on barbershop harmony.

97. Never give anything less than your best effort every time you sing.

98. Give "100 Ways You Can Take Part in Your Chapter" to your bulletin editor.

99. Distribute "100 Ways You Can Take Part in Your Chapter" to new members.

100. Keep the Whole World Singing and Harmonize the World!

This is the final installment of "100 Ways.....". Thanks to Bob Pyron of the Boston MA Chapter for making this list available. We should be encouraged by the large number of our chorus members that are already doing many of the things on the list. Let's all try to add one or two of these activities to our "to do" list in the near future.

The Songs We Sing

(God Bless America)

God Bless America was written by Irving Berlin in 1918. He was serving in the army at the time and the song was written for a show that was being organized. Berlin didn't think that the song really suited the show so he put it aside.

In 1938, when Kate Smith asked Mr. Berlin for a patriotic song, he remembered his earlier composition. He made some revisions and the song was introduced by Kate Smith during a radio broadcast on November 11 (Armistice Day) of that year. It was considered a "peace" song.

Woodie Guthrie, the singer and songwriter noted for his social and political commentaries, was not a fan of Irving Berlin's song, so in response, he wrote "God Blessed America For Me". This song was later retitled "This Land Is Your Land" and has become a patriotic anthem in its own right.

The Chorus At Progressive Field

The Derbytown Chorus will being singing The National Anthem before the Indians-Yankees game on Sunday, May 31. We hope that you will be able to join us, either as a participant or a spectator. Tickets are $20 per person. Contact Ray Stone for more information.

Mystery Chorus Member Revealed

If you thought that the unknown chorus member whose bio appeared in the 4/13 issue of the bulletin was, our Chapter President, Wil Veith, you were correct. Thanks for sharing, Wil.

Slightly Off Key

(by staff reporter, Bob R. Shoppe)

(Literal Answers To Rhetorical Song Questions)

How High The Moon?

It varies between 356,000 and 407,000 km in distance from the surface of the earth, its average distance being 384,400 km.

How About More Quartet Singing?

(Watch for the next bulletin issue on Monday, May 11)