Sweet Adelines Lake Ontario Region 16 Newsletter
March 2017
Regional Governance Pilot Program!  APRIL 1, 2017 DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS!
We need YOU!
Region 16 is excited to be a part of Sweet Adeline International's Regional Governance Pilot and are thrilled to share with you the names of our three Regional Directors. We are confident Sue, June and Cathy will guide our region effectively through this test program (5/1/17 through the end of 2018.)

This is a reminder that applications are now being accepted for the resource team positions.  Please click on the links below for access to the job descriptions for each area, as well as the application form.



Sue Melvin
Education  Director
Click here for
Education Resource Staff
job descriptions

June Donovan
Administrative Director
Click here for
Administrative Resource Staff
job descriptions

Cathy Stovold
Membership Director
Click here for
Membership Resource Staff
job descriptions


Please email all Regional Resource Staff applications directly to June Donovan jdonovanreg16@roadrunner.com by April 1, 2017.

If you have any questions regarding any of the resource staff positions, please contact June directly.
April Deadline!
Submission Deadline for April Issue : April 7, 2017
 
Here are a few guidelines to follow when submitting your articles:
  • Keep your submissions to approximately 500 words. We all have a lot of great news to share and I encourage you to submit monthly so articles could be kept to a reasonable length.
  • Send your articles either in a Word document, or in the body of an email. Please do not send as a PDF
  • Send your articles to sheighwayreg16@live.ca
Regional Reminders
Watch for the next Convention e-Blast coming soon! 
 
You don't want to miss all the great information that the Convention Team will be putting together to keep you informed about everything you need to know about this years Convention!


EDUCATION CLASS AT CONVENTION
 
We're excited to announce our guest faculty for this year's class will be Mo Field -   internationally-known vocal performance coach and inspiring educator!  Mo is a professional musician and Sweet Adelines International Master Director, having led the Stockholm City Voices chorus to 6th-in-the-world status. She is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, published songwriter/composer and internationally recognized and sought-after vocal performance coach.
 
Mo's organic approach of drawing upon life experience and combining it with musical development helps performers discover a path to their true inner artist.  The result is sincere, dynamic and energetic performances that connect with our audiences.
 
"Music is life. Beyond technique for technique's sake, lives expression.  Here we find ways to enchant our audiences and lose ourselves in the flow of making musical art."     --Mo Field
 
You will NOT want to miss this opportunity on Friday May 5th, from 10:30-11:30 AM, in the Carrier Theater at the Syracuse Civic Center. Please pass this along to your chorus members.  Read more about Mo and follow her here: https://www.facebook.com/MoFieldCoach/
In This Issue
Regional Website Login Information
Just a reminder that our Region 16 website does not have a member specific login.  In order to get to the Regional Songs, enter the userID and Password below in the "Members Only" area.

UserID:      member16
Password: singalong
Past Publications
Click on the link below to see past issues of the Sixteenth Notes

New Members!  Wahoo!
North Metro Welcomes:
  • Cindy Klinger
  • Kelsey Dann
Harmony North Welcomes:
  • Janie Grice
  • Nancy Waddington
Durham Shores Welcomes:
  • Liana Bonell
  • Gayle Keay
Greater Kingston Welcomes:
  • Lucille Fragomeni
  • Nina Elkin
  • Candice McMullen
  • Joann Butcher-Williamson
Let us know who your new members are and they can see their name
here too! 

Quartet Corner
Competition season is upon us! Psychologists quote a high number of focussed hours a week necessary for competition preparation. I have compiled "My Top 5" for when your quartet is together and when you are not. How many of these do YOU do? You could brainstorm your own list.
 
When you are alone :
  1. Sing a whole song, check your pitch on a keyboard or pitchpipe  to make sure you are contributing to the spin upwards in the tonal centre. (We should all know what key our songs are in...) RECORD yourself. Are you hearing what you want the audience to hear?
  2. Put on your costume to make sure there are no fit or condition surprises.
  3. Sing your songs into a mirror. Do YOU believe yourself? Do you have a variety of expressions that match the lyrics?
  4. Move with command. Walk to your kitchen sink as if you were approaching the microphone. Accept the applause with grace and pride. Build your own stamina  in whatever form you need. Make healthy choices to be the best you.
  5. Audiate your whole performance. Blow the pitch then sing the song silently with every dynamic variation, every passionate nuance, every lifted phrase. You will be reinforcing every intention and will feel the same endorphins. Do all that with purposeful focus. It is not a passive activity.
At quartet rehearsal , have you used some of these options?
  1. Trio a chunk of a song while the 4th is your coach, then rotate.
  2. Duet a different chunk of the song while the other 2 are listening to different aspects of the performance (pitch check, lifted countenance, quick breaths, forward motion, synch, believability, etc)
  3. To reinforce your air moving, bubble a line then sing the next line etc. For fun, have tenor and lead start bubbling the first line while bari and bass sing lyrics first, then switch for the next line. It might break down into giggles but that's fun too.
  4. Sing as a 4-some into a mirror. Are you singing the lyrics with the same feeling? Can you reflect the person who looks the most genuine? Lovingly, coach each other.
  5. Record chunks of your rehearsal for later analysis and pleasure.
The result is improvement through repetition of hte good stuff but with lots of variety to keep it moving.  Have fun as you take on this challenge together in May.  Do something scary for you. Take a risk, You are worth it!

Paula Allen
Region 16 Quartet Coordinator
Acapella North
Acapella North Chorus conducted a Barbershop Boot Camp program in October with hopes of attracting a few new singers. Imagine our surprise when  13 ladies attended the first of a four week Barbershop Basic Training Program.  Rehearsals were carefully planned and carried out and our hard work was rewarded.    We are so happy to say that we gained 8 new members and 7 of them will be appearing on stage with us in May.  We are anxiously awaiting the thrill of competition and look forward to sharing with our new members the excitement and good times that Sweet Adelines brings to all of our lives.  
 


 
In Jan. and Feb. the weather played havoc with so many of our rehearsals.  We cancelled or rescheduled since the conditions on Tuesdays were most often less than favorable. Smaller groups met and worked independently to perfect their parts.  In early March we will have a day long coaching session with Nancy Watson.  We look forward to working with her and learning from the experience and knowledge she will be sharing with us.  
 
Spring is just around the corner (finally), and with Spring I always think of Regional Competition.  I can hardly wait  to see old friends and make new ones and to enjoy the performances of so many wonderful choruses and quartets.  See you all in Syracuse.
 
Jewel LaComb

Buffalo Gateway
BGC Chorus members are back on the risers in 2017 after enjoying a well-deserved rest after the busiest, most challenging, most exciting year ever! We not only competed in Las Vegas, we participated in the Regional Music School, assembled a Holiday Chorus and prepared them to join us in our annual Holiday Dinner and Show.
Our preparation for the International Contest was, as always, well planned and methodical, thanks to our director, Diane Porsch. Her knowledge and commitment to us results in accurate identification of our areas of strength, and the areas we need continued effort. Our coaches are booked with their various areas of expertise in mind, and Di seems to be able to pinpoint just when we are ready for that next leap in our growth as a competitive Sweet Adelines chorus. This past summer really tested our commitment and resolve as we battled the heat wave with a non-air-conditioned rehearsal hall. We came prepared with our sweat accessories: head bands, cooling neck towels, pre-frozen water bottles and plenty of fans, personal and floor models. Making the top 10 never gets old; Buffalo Gateway woman always find enough voice to show our excitement loudly and proudly!
No rest for the weary, as they say, so onward to some prep for the BGC performance at the Fall Music School, a short time after our return from Vegas. How great it was to feel the support and love of our Region 16 comrades! All who attended the sessions spoke highly of the quality of the educational experience.
And, finally, we could visualize the finish line, as the tasks line up for the much anticipated Holiday Show. We invite friends, family and whoever is interested to join us as performers for a portion of the Show. They come for one or more of the specific rehearsals set up for them to learn three of our Christmas   repertoire, with learning tracks and sheet music provided for them for a nominal fee.   This has proven to be a fun addition to the already warm and generous mood of our chorus during our holiday festivities. It is especially gratifying to see the young daughters and granddaughters joining us on the risers and having a blast with us. While we are always conscious of putting on the best performance we can, there is a feel of good, lower-pressure enjoyment of sharing old favorites with our audience.
Topping the season off, like the cherry on the sundae, is the BGC Chorus members' Christmas Party, held for many years now at the famous Salvatore's Italian Garden Restaurant. With the wonderful food and festive atmosphere, one's spirits could not be more uplifted. Then came the much deserved break, to return in the new year, refreshed and ready to continue our journey toward musical excellence!

Circle of Harmony
 


 
             
While the cold winds and snow blew outside, we basked in the energy and humour of Joe Connelly at our first coaching of 2017! The time flew by and Joe kept us laughing and singing for 3 solid hours that felt like 3 minutes!   We sure hope to have him back!





 
Talk about dedication!  Super Bowl Sunday and where is our Front Row? Practising their hearts and toes out in the mirrored room at our rehearsal space!  It was so terrific to fine tune our moves with each other, AND it was Ingrid's (rear,taking picture) birthday to boot!
 


To many of us, The Circle of Harmony is our second family, and we celebrated by singing together on Family Day at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre where we rehearse. Directed by our Assistant Director, Margaret Fielding, we sang to a very warm and responsive audience and received a standing ovation at the end!
Early spring brought with it the shining light and warmth of Erin Howden at our coaching with her at the end of February. She never says the same thing the same way, and is always so entertaining and encouraging! We can't get enough of her, and are already looking forward to having her at our retreat weekend in April!

 
Here's hoping that Wiarton Willy's prediction of an early spring was correct...
 
To all our Sisters in Harmony Happy Spring!
 
Susan Mander
The Circle of Harmony

Durham Shores Chorus
It's been a whirlwind year, to say the least.  I joined Durham Shores Chorus in early 2016 and was treated to a very warm welcome.  With only weeks to go before competition in Syracuse, I had my work cut out for me to prepare.  The last thing I wanted was to undermine the hard work of my new found friends.  As you can all relate, competition was exhilarating, and over in the blink of an eye. 
 
By summer, DSC found ourselves looking for a new director.  I eagerly joined the search committee, but it is a daunting task, trying to select a musical leader with the skills, expertise, and personality that can help us reach our goals.  We took our time, but our efforts were rewarded.  A new year saw us embracing our new directing team, Rob Snoulten and Diane Warner.  They are a dynamic duo, with complementary skills and personalities, and we are lucky to have them both.
 
Through the changes this year, DSC has emerged as a smaller, yet cohesive group, strongly committed to each other.  With Pam Calveric, we undertook a Core Values Session that helped us to articulate our principles and goals.  We have also benefited from her inspired coaching.
 
Under our new directing team, we are polishing our contest repertoire with renewed enthusiasm and optimism.  DSC is attracting new members and I'm happy to call them all my sisters.
 
All but one, but she's a special case.  Our newest member is my daughter, Liana.  She's been involved in barbershop longer than I have, but until now, we've been in different cities.  I'm thrilled that we now share this hobby.
 
See you all in Syracuse!
 
Lesley Bonell
Durham Shores Chorus
Greater Kingston Chorus
Through rain and sleet and snow and wind... Greater Kingston Chorus  carries on!     Tuesday rehearsals Jan 3 - Feb 7 were either cancelled or poorly attended due to Mother Nature being in a bad mood!    What does she have against Tuesdays we wonder?!     But that doesn't stop GKC.   We simply moved rehearsals to Friday or met separately as sections.     We are enjoying the talents & personalities of four new members:   Lucille Fragomeni, Nina Elkin, Candice McMullen and Joann Butcher-Williamson (who used to be a member of Orangeville chorus).     
Here's a tasty fundraising idea:  on Valentine's Day we paid $5 for a bowl of homemade soup and fresh bread (made and donated by members).  Our "sweeties" were invited to attend.  We "supped" together then had an exciting rehearsal.     Andrew Carolan, director, continues to teach us the finer points of the barbershop craft.   He has a way of pulling the very best out of us and we didn't even know we had it in us!   We're "Dancin" and "Shakin" and "Fallin in Love" every week.  
Our latest performance had us catching a ferry to Wolfe Island (south of Kingston).   We warmed up in the ferry's lounge area much to the enjoyment of some of the passengers.    We sang our hearts out to a couple who were celebrating their 60 th  wedding anniversary AND it was the bride's 80 th  birthday.   It literally was a "kitchen party". We sang to them from their open concept kitchen!   Too much fun!      
 
GKC is looking forward to spring....because that means that Regional Convention is just around the corner!    Sing on Region 16!  
www.greaterkingston.org    and visit us on Facebook!

Harmony North
 






Happy New Year to everyone!   Harmony North has had a busy Christmas schedule this past December. We sang at several local retirement residences and nursing homes as well as holding our annual Christmas concert - "The Spirit of Christmas". We had a fabulous crowd come out to enjoy our presentation of favorite Christmas tunes. We also featured a local school band - the Worsley Elementary School Band - who were a big hit with our audience. As well, we had the opportunity to perform for the Collingwood community at the annual "Mayor's Levee" this January. It was great exposure for us in the community. We always welcome the chance to promote Sweet Adelines to our local community.
 
We just held our annual retreat in Owen Sound. The theme was "I Am Canadian, I Am Sweet Adelines". Our coaches, Leila Brown and Jane   Smith , were wonderful with their positive energy and attitude. We received a lot of reinforcement about things we are doing, and also received a lot of great direction on things to work on. Our Saturday evening entertainment was a lip-sync contest that was truly hilarious. As a Sweet Adeline, you know that we all love to entertain, and we took full advantage of that.

     
 
Here is an excerpt from a letter written by one of our new members - Janie Grice - that we would like to share.
 
"At one time I would have said that home was the most important thing in my life. But, through a series of misfortunes of health, I had to sell my house and my car. I am also far away from my family. A few friends and other good souls stand between me and total isolation. I found a home, though, with a group of ladies called Harmony North Chorus. I am doubly blessed with having a good singing voice and a forum to share that gift. If you have ever sung with a chorus or choir, you may understand that singing together builds spiritual bonds. The women of Harmony North adopted me with great warmth and cheer. As a newcomer, I was made welcome and instantly included as one of the group.........
 
Who, I ask you, would come out on a cold, snowy, blowy night just to say happy holidays to each other? But that we did, and we collected a large pile of gifts for a local women's shelter. Sometime during the evening, someone said to me, "you're ours." I felt the certainty at that moment that I was in the right place.     Home can mean a lot of things. It can mean a chorister driving me to and from rehearsals and events. It can mean a supportive setting for music to perform its healing practice. I know that I am stronger and more confident since joining the chorus."
 
We are looking forward to contest and seeing all of you there. We hope everyone stays healthy and safe this winter season.

Ontario Heartland
 
Ontario Heartland Chorus - Hoping for a Repeat of 2016

What a year 2016 was for OHC!  We were ready for hard work and play under the guidance of our ever famous coach, Erin Howden at our March retreat. Oh, what a workout we had - sing, choreo, laugh, repeat!  Such fun!   So exhausting!  I looked up the definition of Retreat and it means "an act of moving back or withdrawing".   This is most definitely the opposite of what OHC retreats are like!   We were so lucky to end with an expression workshop lead by Canadian actor Denise Oucharek.  

   

Dress rehearsal brought out friends and family for a glimpse of our contest package.
    Feedback was requested rom the audience, which is well received and not taken lightly.

Woohoo!  We are ready for contest!  Many of us arrived early enough to cheer on the quartets, and especially our very own quartet, Lavish.  You know the rest... Rehearsing, dressing, make-up, timelines for the next 24 hours.  We entered the stage with more confidence than most of us can remember, but we also know we are up against some solid competition!  We were so thrilled to be chosen Most Improved Small Chorus, an honor we shared with Image City Sound.  And in the midst of that excitement, to be called up again as first place caused a bit of delirium for most! 
 
From May till June we invested our time and energy into a series of vocal performance workshops.  With a simple ad in our local paper, we invited women who loved to sing, to join us to learn the "barbershop way".  Upwards of 25 singers came out.  These workshops culminated in a very successful show, "They Came! They Sang!" where we showcased several songs they had worked hard to learn.  We were blessed to have several of them decide to join Ontario Heartland and we inducted Lori, Barbara, Mary-Ann, Joanna. Later in the fall we were privileged to welcome mother daughter team - Laura and Hannah!

Summer came along and we were invited to entertain at several locations.  We also had an announcement that we would be losing out rehearsal space.  A team quickly formulated to find us a new home (riser-friendly, of course).  Nothing is definite yet, but I doubt we'll be singing on the streets.

Sue Melvin came out to guide us through a workshop for updating our Core Values, Mission and Vision statements.
  We had such valuable input from the chorus.  It certainly connected us together in a very positive way.  Thanks to Sue for spending this evening with us.

Front row at Fall Music School!  That was terrific!  Almost the whole chorus come out (including two of our newbies!) and were thrilled to be allowed to perform on Saturday night.

We've come full circle and right back to retreat with Erin...Getting that choreo just right and then, of course, "changing it up a bit".  
 
Have I mentioned how much fun it has been?  We've already begun a fabulous 2017!

York Harmony



For YHC, "The Force Awakened" at our Nottawasaga Inn retreat! Coaching us to help awaken our force was none other than the fabulous, energetic Erin Howden. She really pressed for all of us to Bring it! Own it! And sing it! Working with us to perfect our sound and moves, Erin has a way of casting a motivating, inspirational spell on her audience.
  
We are all grateful to Erin for her talent, expertise, patience and persistence, in helping all of us at YHC to raise the bar! Offering each of us personal goals to work on was particularly valuable. "May the force be with you!" 
 
We also owe a huge "THANK YOU" to our Assistant Director, Heather Deslauriers McCuaig who above all else was gracious enough to direct the chorus during retreat. She has been enthusiastically learning the Director ropes, and we certainly put her through her paces! With the support of Martha on Skype, and Erin holding her knees, "Margaret" (Heather) persevered...and learned some invaluable directing tips along the way. The force is strong with this one!  
On the Saturday night, members enjoyed lots of laughs, talking and sharing with some fun games and skits during our traditional YHC talent show. 


A special thanks goes out to the YHC Retreat team members who helped to organize our weekend:  Linda Morrison, Sarah Pippy, Cheryl Yaciuk, Jen Febel, Sue Dubois, and members of our music team.
 
On March 7th, in honour of National Women's Day, a small group of YHC members performed in "Flash Mob"  style at the "Celebrating Diversity of Women" in support of the Women's Centre of York Region.  They received many praises,  as well as a few inquiries about YHC membership!

Finally, we are preparing for our fundraising event, "Death By Chocolate" being held on Saturday March 25th at 2 pm at the Newmarket Lion's Hall,
200 Doug Duncan Drive. Doors open at 1:30.
WE STILL HAVE TICKETS -  $20.00 EACH.

To purchase email - yhctickets@gmail.com  (Anne Gauvreau) or call Cheryl Yaciuk at 905-895-5595.

Check out our website for full details - http://www.yorkharmonychorus.ca 
It's going to be a "SWEET" afternoon event

 
Director Searches
STILL SEARCHING!
 
Bytown Beat Chorus, Ottawa ON, Region 16 Sweet Adelines Intl. ,is a small chorus of enthusiastic, performance oriented, fun loving women who are serious about their musical goals.  We are seeking a musical director with experience in directing and who has strong and positive teaching skills.  Applicants will have, preferably, a knowledge of women,s 4 part barbershop harmony or a willingness to learn this a cappella style.

Enquiries should go to
BBDirectorSearch@ gmail.com
Deadline is June 30,2017

Upcoming Events
Save September 16, 2017 for North Metro!





Sweet Adelines Region 16
Sue Heighway - Communications Coordinator