What a blast, what a huge success, and what a gift!

THANK YOU to all members of the Convention Team for pouring your hearts and souls into making our virtual Convention such a wonderful, memorable event.

All your planning, organizing, creativity, and love left us on such a high, and our hearts full of gratitude.
Message from Sue Melvin
WOW! What a professional, entertaining, emotion-filled, fun, and inspirational weekend! Thank you is not enough for all the time, effort and love our magnificent Convention Team put into this stellar event. The convention, and Erin’s extraordinary ‘Million Dreams’ session, reminded us of how important each of us is and what a gift it is to be part of Sweet Adelines together. And I am such a happy Sweet Adeline after seeing so many of you this past weekend and so grateful for this amazing experience we shared.

Regional Management Team – As we move forward into a new Sweet Adeline year filled with hope and possibilities, it is my pleasure to introduce our new 2021-2022 Regional Management Team. We welcome new team members, Vanessa Echlin (Bytown Beat) and Cathy Stovold (North Metro.) Many thanks to outgoing Marketing Coordinator, Martha DeClerq, for her many RMT contributions and for implementing a successful, professional marketing program for Region 16. You can see more information about what the RMT does, along with an organizational chart that includes additional Resource Team positions, on the Management Team page of our regional website.

Past Issues

Next deadline
May 30

members'
login info
USERNAME:
the word member
PASSWORD: R16sings
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COVID-19 Health Safety Information– On April 11 Sweet Adelines International
emailed all members with Back to Rehearsal Resources. Given the Sweet Adelines
organization spans the globe, some Sweet Adeline choruses in a few parts of the world were
ready for in-person singing. As such, the IBOD and Headquarters proactively provided some
materials that may assist choruses with these decisions whenever they are ready to start
talking about it. The sending of this ‘toolkit’ was not intended to encourage us to rehearse in
person, speed up our decision-making process about it, or to express an opinion of any
kind. The decision to sing live is up to each individual chorus in discussion with their
members and by consulting their local health authority guidelines. For the convenience of
members and choruses, we have provided an additional resource by expanding the
information on the region’s COVID-19 and Singing page so you have more information at
your fingertips. Please make sure to read Leila Brown’s brief article later in these Sixteenth
Notes about the contents of the page.

Each of you is the heart of the region we hold so dear. Thank you for continuing to inspire
all of us on the RMT.

Regional Team Coordinator
Leadership Excellence Award

Congratulations to Susann McKinlay as the recipient of the 2020-2021 Leadership Excellence Award. Here is Susann's nomination letter.

________________________________________________

As section leader and chorus warm-up team member, Susann McKinley is a motivating force, partnering with NM leads to exploring their potential, providing encouragement, coaching and support.
 
Susann as Regional Education Coordinator recognized and envisioned the innovative opportunities using ZOOM for continued education. She reinvented creative, virtual educational opportunities, planned a Regional Education weekend and many additional creative education opportunities.
 
She is a collaborator enlisting input from other leaders to provide exciting, quality programs. Susann enlisted the skills, ideas, and teaching talents of our Regional Faculty, to lead monthly classes encouraging suggestions from others, such as the Saturday morning warm-ups now being offered, providing our members with encouragement to keep singing. Susann’s role has become an integral and central focus to regional member retention, development, and inspiration.
 
She recruited, appointed, mentored, and encouraged a new YWIH Coordinator, helping to expand our visibility through education for future generations of Sweet Adelines.
 
As the 2016 recipient of the Larry Dale Coaching Achievement Award, she continues to coach choruses and quartets, offering education and motivational support. She was also the recipient of the 2019 North Metro Harmony Award.
 
Susann encourages others to be the best version of themselves, generously and passionately giving of her time. Her kind spirit makes her a strong ambassador of Sweet Adelines and a deserving recipient of the Region 16 Leadership Excellence Award. She is a true cheerleader who puts the needs of others before her own.   
Education Corner

Thank you to those who participated in A Million Dreams For the World We’re Gonna Make class at our Virtual Regional Zoom weekend. We will have the video available to view once we get our Travel In Tune segment completed later this summer.
 
Thank you, Erin Howden, for your incredible, moving session! Truly inspiring. The Region is grateful to you for sharing your gift of words and touching our hearts so deeply. That is what this is all about!
 
Make sure you sign up for the next education session:

Marketing and Powerful Communication:

Faculty: Martha DeClerq, 2019-2020 Region 16 Marketing Coordinator. Click Here for bio.
 
Date: Thurs, May 20, 2021, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Click here to register.

Description: It's time to ramp up your social media tools. Join Martha and her Marketing Team as they share ideas on how to grab attention with graphics, social media ins and outs, and how to utilize powerful communication methods.
 
Audience: Open to all members

Looking Ahead...
New Visual Communication Category

Faculty: Diane Porsch, Visual Communication Judge, Sweet Adelines International Faculty, Master Director of Buffalo Gateway Chorus. Click here for bio.
Date: Saturday, June 12 from 9:30 – 11:15 a.m. Click here to register.

Description: An interactive session designed to discuss the new enhancements to the Visual Communications category. Begin implementing changes and apply to your chorus as you continue to meet over Zoom. Review vocal skills (as defined in the Sound category Performance Level Guidelines) and updates to the new Visual Communication Scoresheet. Diane will create a mock contest using videos of different levels of choruses. Breakout sessions of 5-6 people will discuss what they noticed and implement new ways to review performances based on the new guidelines. 15 min Q & A will be included at the end.

Audience: Open to all members
Wake Up With Vocal Warm-ups
Don’t forget to tune in each Saturday for 20 minutes starting at 9:00 am -Saturdays.
 
Click here to see the scheduled faculty leading a 20-minute warm-up on Saturday mornings. No registration needed. Just join the zoom! Start warming and preparing your voice for when we can be back together singing in person. Thank you, Rhonda Spoelstra, Director of Image City Sound, for initiating this program. Click here to view videos of past session.

Education Coordinator
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has assisted in the PR & Marketing endeavors over the last two years. We have an amazing team that has been promoting our regional events and kept us all engaged on our social media. Our presence online is growing due to their efforts.

My term as PR & Marketing Coordinator is up and I have decided to step away knowing that we are in good hands.
I have the pleasure of introducing your new PR & Marketing Coordinator for the 2021/2022 term, Vanessa Echlin.

Vanessa hails from the Ottawa area and is presently a member of Bytown Beat Chorus. She originally joined Canadian Showtime Chorus as a lead in 2012. She took a few years off in 2014 when she gave birth to her daughter, but eventually found her way back to Sweet Adelines by joining Bytown Beat Chorus where she now sings tenor. She definitely has a passion for design and photography. Vanessa went to school for photography that contained a design element. She is presently a member of Bytown Beat's Management Team and took over its online marketing when the pandemic struck. Their presence online has grown regionally and internationally with Vanessa’s efforts.

Please join me in welcoming Vanessa to our Regional Management Team as our new PR & Marketing Coordinator.

PR & Marketing Coordinator 2019/2020

The RMT coordinators completed an important and enjoyable task of visiting virtually with each of you this spring. We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed the opportunity to meet you and hear and answer your questions. We hope you will agree this is an important vehicle to connect more personally with you to foster and strengthen our bonds, and to accomplish more together.

To further enhance the communications reach within the Region, all member email addresses (692) have been confirmed and updated! This allows us not only to assure our communications are reaching you but provides the RMT with a more accurate understanding of the value of the information we transmit to you as defined in our communications' statistical reports.

The Regional Directory is currently being updated to reflect the leadership changes that have occurred following the annual chorus elections. We hope to have this update completed and posted on our website by mid-May 2021.

Sixteenth Notes continues to be a valued means of sharing our choruses' news, promoting regional programs and stories of how so many of our leaders are helping us thrive through the changes resulting from COVID-19. We encourage all choruses, small, medium, and large to submit monthly articles and pictures of the fun and interesting things happening in your chorus, These articles are so uplifting and full of chorus pride - so we encourage you to submit in writing, whether brief or not so brief!

Our RMT has been instrumental in increasing communications and understanding through virtual leadership meetings. These have provided a popular platform for peer support, sharing ideas, finding solutions, and rolling out many valuable education classes to keep us moving forward.

This past year, I have regularly communicated with many chorus representatives, and I am heartened by your warmth, humour, support, and willingness to work together.

Thank you.

Calling All Music Educators!
 
Did you know that Young Women in Harmony provides music educators with complementary resources to incorporate the art form of barbershop harmony into their school’s program? Check out the Sweet Adelines Music Educator Resources webpage for more details.
 
If you have utilized these resources for your students in the past, let us know! We’d love to hear about your experiences. What works? What can be improved?
 
If you haven’t brought barbershop to your classroom yet, we’d love to hear from you as well. We are here to help get past any roadblocks so our future singers can have the opportunity to experience those ringing chords! 
 
Your students will undoubtedly benefit from registering for our upcoming 
YWIH Virtual A Cappella Camp on July 9 - 10.
 
Region 16 YWIH Coordinator
Zoom Tips

Meeting Participants

Are you constantly having to ‘Rename’ yourself on Zoom? Why not change your Zoom profile at the source for convenience! Here’s how:

1)     Click this link https://zoom.us/signin to sign into the Zoom web portal with your login credentials.
2)     Click on the Profile menu selection at the top of the left side menu panel.
3)     Click the Edit link on the top right side of the screen.
4)     Change the Display Name field to be what you’d like people to see when you’re Zoom-ing.

Zoom Hosts

Tired of continually having to let meeting attendees in from the Zoom Waiting Room? You can bypass both the Waiting Room and manual Passcode input security measures!

  • Verify that Embed passcode in invite link for one-click join is enabled in Settings > Meeting > Security.
  • Set up your meeting/recurring meetings – Under Security, check Passcode and uncheck Waiting Room
  • Click the Save button. The Passcode is now embedded in the meeting link!

For more details Click here for the Zoom support article.
Have Zoom questions or need general technical assistance for your chorus? Contact our Tech Team: Sue Melvin or Christine Yorke.
Our Regional convention was a BLAST!! It was wonderful connecting with so many familiar faces over zoom. JD Crowe and the Convention team did a marvelous job running all the presentations to the minute. Nobody missed a bus, no costumes were lost, nobody got lost in the backstage pattern and there are no suitcases to unpack. Erin's inspirational class will stay with me for a long time. We realized that life can be full NOW. There were so many happy tears!

My hope is that we came away from the convention with renewed energy to be active in our singing lives again. We want our voices to be ready to sing in person but we all know that may take months of frequent, mindful singing sessions to find our voices. From chatting with people, I have heard observations like “My voice range is noticeably narrower”, “My breath support has gone out the window” and “I hear cracks and holes when I sing now.” We know that all that is reversible and there is joy to be had in singing and staying connected over the internet.

The prospect of singing live again is real. Let’s start getting ready now! We know there are lots available to get us there. Let’s make the most of the technology we have now to enjoy the wait!

Let's bubble in water. Let's him. LET'S SING

Regional Quartet Coordinator
Visit your Region 16 website
When can we sing together again?

We are all looking for the answer to this question.

Much research has already been done on this topic and it continues. We know that the return to congregate singing will depend on where we live, and the guidelines and recommendations of our local health authorities.
Your Region 16 website has a page called “COVID-19 and Singing Resources that includes links to credible sources of information, including the local health unit governing where each chorus is located. 

It is important to be informed. We will keep this page updated with studies and research as they become available

Members-Only Area 

We receive many questions about how to get into the Members-Only area of the regional website where our Regional Directory, Regional Song Library, etc. are housed. The Members-Only area is accessed using common/generic login credentials for all Region 16 members, i.e., everyone uses the same Username (the word, member) and Password (R16sings) to log in. For your convenience, this login information is published in the upper right-hand panel of every Sixteenth Notes publication.

For questions about the R16 website or ways you feel it can be better, email Leila Brown, Webmaster.
Questions?

Do you have a burning question? Is there someone on our RMT who can offer you guidance or answer that burning question? So simple! Just click on the Ask Us square and we will direct your question to the appropriate RMT member, and voila your question will be answered. Not magic....just simple. We want to support you so go ahead and click the box.
Image City Chorus
Spring is here! Its arrival has brought birds, blooms, and blessings to ICS. Enthusiasm is growing as we look toward singing and performing together in the future. Zoom rehearsals have continued to build vocal skills, polish up songs in our repertoire and make progress in learning a new ballad. April has “showered” us with special guest visits. Christine York, Region 16 Membership Coordinator, and Circle of Harmony chorus shared ways to use zoom as a tool for improvement. It can allow the chorus to self-critique performances and take advantage of opportunities outside our area. (Viewing lessons, coaching sessions, guest speakers, and activities with other groups). Martha DeClerq, York Harmony Chorus director, also shared her expertise with us. Hints for making music, warm-ups, and focusing on the key note (doh) of a song were included. Her explanation of the Pythagorean Scale is new to many but shows how we get the notes we sing. It focuses on the key note (doh), the 5th note above(sol), and the 8th note/ octave above (high doh). Common notes would be C G C. Other notes in a tune are in intervals or steps 1 or ½ step up or down. Listen for doh-sol-doh and see where your part and others fall in to make that sweet barbershop harmony. Thank you ladies for your lessons and motivation.

Speaking of motivation. WOW! We are proud of Rhonda Spoelstra, our director for initiating the Saturday morning Wake Up vocal warm-ups! Week 2 was led by Sue Melvin and attendance grew as word spread. Both sessions were enjoyed and included voices from near and far. We are grateful to you for sharing your time and talents with us and happy to be making new friends in song each week.

Thanks also to our Music Section Leaders who delivered Easter baskets to each member. What a wonderful surprise! ICS continues to Bloom! 
We are happy to welcome Carol Taif to our Management Team! 

Our new website is coming soon.

We look forward to celebrating our 25th anniversary next month!

 “Plenty of Sunshine Comin’ Our Way!”

Yours in Song: 
Debbie Hughes
The Heartland Singers

Another month, and another month of virtual rehearsals under our belt. We have been busy, getting ready for our upcoming May AGM, selecting a SAOTY, and a Heart Award winner, both being announced at the meeting. There are so very many deserving people in our chorus, it is a hard choice to make!

New section leaders have been announced! In our Lead Section, congratulations to Amy, Diane, and Helen! Our Leads know they are in good hands with you. And in our Bass Section, thank you to Leila and Laura for combining your talents! And with Dorothea and Kristen leading the tenors and baritones, and of course, our fearless leader, Hannah, our Music Team is looking mighty strong!

With our FunScrip program and our wonderful supporters via the program, we were once again able to donate funds to our local food bank, Fare Share. There is so much need in the world and we are grateful to be able to help out in any way we can. 
So many of us have been enjoying the Saturday morning Regional Wake Up Vocal Warm-Ups. We know that it is early in the day, but they are fun, as well as a good way to start your day. Let your friends from other Regions know about it... all are welcome. No need to even get dressed; you can leave your video off, just let us know you are there by saying hello. Our own Diane Martin will be leading the way on May 8! 

We are looking forward to the day we can see everyone again. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy! 

Diane Martin
Bytown Beat Chorus
April started off with a laugh and an April Fool’s prank from Bytown Beat’s Management Team. We posted on our Facebook page that our Management Team had decided to rebrand and change the chorus to Baytown Bytes Chorus an online-only version, complete with matching tattoos and all. We even fooled a few people into thinking it was for real with our photoshopped tattoos. Kudos to our Management Team for keeping the secret from the rest of the chorus so that the prank played out perfectly!
Director, Janet Cadman proudly displaying her neck tattoo.
Picture: Baytown Bytes Management Team displaying their new branding!
Karen, our in-house Warm-Up specialist, has been coming up with fun and creative ways to start off our rehearsals! Drawing inspiration from the Region’s Saturday morning Wake-Up Vocal Warm-ups, she brought us some extra fun ones Monday evening. We were asked to show up with rolled-up socks, plastic bags, or scarves. We weren't exactly sure what to expect. The only other clue she gave us was if we brought the stuff it would make me 'Happy'. So we showed up with our gear in hand not knowing what was going to happen until the music started. She asked us to juggle what we had brought to the tune, “Happy”! It was discovered that scarves and bags are the easiest things to juggle as they are easier to catch than socks! It was a crazy, fun, and amazing warm-up! Everyone made an attempt at it, and we were bursting our guts laughing at each of our failed attempts to accomplish it. It will definitely go down into our books as one of our more out there warm-ups, but a really fun one.
 
Vanessa Echlin
Pronouns: She/Her
North Metro Chorus
What a wonderful virtual Convention experience. So reassuring and, yes, stabilizing to see our region congregate in such large numbers, eager and parched to reunite on this very special occasion. And it was special on so many levels; satisfying our needs to be part of a vibrant, pulsing entity and appreciating the vital role our singing communities and friendships play in our lives.

We were left with a nourishing satisfaction that all is well, that there is hope, and that indescribable feeling when the music resonates within us with such familiarity and joy. Congratulations and thank you to the entire Convention Team who dedicated their time and talents to committing to the undeniable success of this alternative approach to experiencing our favourite event of the year. Erin's Education Class honored each one of us, encouraging us to shift our perception and look for the opportunities that learning provides. This virtual Convention was an honest-to-goodness gift on so many levels; it's depth and purpose beyond anything we imagined.  
Did you see North Metro's social media lead-up to the Convention as NM members reminisced about their road trips and Convention weekend experiences? Thank you to our Marketing/PR Team Cathy Partridge and Laura Gillis for these fun and interesting social media releases spreading the visibility, life, and energy of our chorus, and oh yes, the silliness all Sweet Adelines can relate to!

NM rehearsals continue to be exciting and inventive as Erin with her remarkable mojo keeps us engaged and growing. Our main focus continues to be on finding the authenticity and integrity in the visual communication of our songs. There is lots of work to do to prepare musically, physically, (and administratively), for our eventual return to in-person rehearsals, and so Erin is rolling out another PVI ‘boot camp’ to provide individual skills development and education. While the rush to sign-up for these sessions might need a nudge or two to overcome any anxieties, they are without a doubt so valuable and personally rewarding.

Congratulations to Lindsay Giovos who received her Doctor of Chiropractor Medicine after many years of intense study. Lindsay is the lead in Glisten. We just may need your professional service and skills, Lindsay, when we return to our three-hour rehearsals. And of course, congratulations to our much-loved and admired member, Susann McKinley for being awarded the Region 16 Excellence in Leadership Award. We couldn't be more proud.
North Metro elections are complete and Installation is on the horizon. Congratulations to our incoming President, Heather Parker. The first time for Heather in this daunting role.

Many NM members have experienced illness and great personal loss at this time. Our membership has reached out to comfort them and support them with love, cards, and lots of encouragement reminding them that they are not alone. This aspect of our chorus culture and relationships is key, always, but perhaps now more than ever completely unyielding as we understand the added difficulties of isolation.

We have come far. We continue to believe we will reclaim the promises of all the joys and personal fulfillment our choruses' experiences have always delivered and will continue to deliver when we return. Erin's powerful Convention class has re-lit the fire in our booster rockets, and we are ready to take off propelled by the basic three Rs in mind - rejuvenated, renewed, refocused, and reassured...oh that's 4!

Jacqui Barron
Barrie Soundwaves Chorus
Barrie Soundwaves continues recording performance videos to share with friends and family, and the Long Term Care communities. We learned "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story. While wearing brightly coloured shirts emblazoned with the words for friends or friendship in many different languages, we revealed our song. Since we have been running a Zoom membership program, we had several new members take part in this video.

One of our other rehearsal nights involved a mini-show, accomplished by singing along with our favourite recorded songs that were linked by a script that tied the songs together in a theme for a Journey of Love. This is tied to an ongoing creative endeavour in which we are compiling lists of songs that fit various themes. We hope to prepare a reference for use in planning future performances or "sets" in a show. It gives us a chance to explore new songs and identify pieces that we might want to have arranged or to purchase. It also gives us a chance to examine why we like some pieces of music, what the "hook" might be, and gives us a chance to focus on different elements of music.

Our small but mighty group has remained enthusiastically engaged thanks to our committed and hard-working leadership team.

Gayle Haley
Orangeville Show Chorus
As we continue our journey with Zoom rehearsals, we continually look for new things to do to keep members interested and engaged. We are learning a new song because of course, that is what we do! Once a month we listen to HERSTORY… a member who provides a profile of her life outside chorus and her history with the chorus. Zoom has made this a creative effort, with photos, videos, and other props tossed into the mix.

We also continue to recognize how some are struggling with this new reality and so we go with the premise that ‘Laughter is Contagious’. And so for this month’s message, we present our ‘Boob Shot’… We were asked to show up at our Zoom rehearsal wearing a ‘shirt with a message’. This is the result. We hope it brings you a chuckle.
Anne Richardson
Northumberland Chorus

Lea Roque was presented with the High Note of the Month. Even with health issues, Lea attended as many rehearsals as she could before COVID-19. Sometimes she isn’t feeling up to it and is tired from working all day, but she still attends our zoom meetings. She is very dedicated and we are so glad to have her in our chorus. Lea has also agreed to join our Management Team. I know she will be a great addition.
We were invited to attend the Bay of Quinte open house. They had many activities planned. They taught us a tag, which was new to some of us. Three of the Bay of Quinte members talked to us about their musical experience and how they got involved in Sweet Adelines. I always find it interesting to hear other people’s stories and the different genres of music that they have participated in. Joel, their Director, surprisingly plays classical viola and violin which he teaches. We watched a video of a chorus performing in competition. We then had a discussion on what we liked and didn’t like and what stood out about their performance. This is always a learning opportunity, as well as entertaining. To end the night, we sang a couple of songs with the words posted on the screen. All in all, it was a fun night. We love these get-togethers and I for one am looking forward to meeting all of the members of the Bay of Quinte Chorus in person.
We had our AGM Meeting this week where we had the installation of the Management Team. Our Sweet Adeline of the Year was announced. She is Nancy Buott, who without a doubt earned the title. (top row 2nd from L).

After the business part of the meeting was finished, we had social time. Nancy did a presentation of zoom pictures taken at our various get-togethers since we have been meeting on Zoom. Joan Porter is the only current member of our chorus who was there in 1982 when the chorus was chartered. She gave us some interesting facts about Northumberland Chorus, including the fact that their first competition was in Albany, NY in 1985. Jackie gave a slide show of all the plants that she has been growing under lights and tents that she will plant in her garden next month. Heather showed off her new puppy. He is so cute and a lot of us wanted to hold him and maybe someday that will happen when we can see each other in person. Nancy showed a video of her grandsons singing and her son-in-law accompanying them on the keyboard. They were really entertaining. Sheila told us the legend of the Blue Willow. It is a story of an angry father who was an Emperor in China, pursuing his daughter who is eloping with a commoner. After they flee, the young couple is transformed into two beautiful white doves. Dishes with the willow pattern are blue and show a picture of the area where the story takes place, including the two doves. Diane Hall led a trivia game and Cheryl showed her newest paintings that she has done. Diane Martin played a video done in Florida of a news item about the gas prices and she was riding her motorcycle. It’s amazing what we find out about our chorus friends in these social get-togethers.

Laura Heighway
Kawartha Music Company


It’s certainly great to see spring and Kawartha Music Company is in fine spirits. Over a year into this pandemic (has it really been that long?) we continue full Zoom rehearsals each Monday evening and enjoy every minute
of them!
St. Patrick’s Day was a real blast. Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right? We at KMC love any excuse for a celebration, even if it has to be virtual these days. Listening and singing along to Irish tunes are always so much fun, especially when it’s the day to celebrate being Irish. Slainte!

On April 5, we had a drop-in visit from Sue Melvin as part of the regional chorus “check-in”. Sue also happens to be our wonderful coach and we were so thrilled to see her; chatting with Sue is always so uplifting. She gave us lots of good information about the state of the region and all of the good work the Regional Management team is doing.
We also took the opportunity to show some appreciation for our terrific director, Cindy Bennett-Awe (top row center). We truly appreciate her and all her hard work, so we decided to show her just how much. Cindy has been amazing throughout this pandemic year, choosing outstanding physical and voice warm-ups, rounds, tags, music from around the world, and more.
We can’t forget to thank our wonderful Assistant Director, Donna Haug, as well. Thanks to Donna we practice (muted, on Zoom of course) to amazing song tracks. Donna has used the Acappella computer app to record all parts of some of the older songs for which we can no longer find learning tracks. It’s so helpful, thanks, Donna, you rock! Many thanks also go out to our “Zoom girl”, Suzanne Bailey. She keeps our Zoom rehearsals going with the inevitable glitches kept to a bare minimum. Thanks so much, Suzanne. as we continue our Zoom rehearsals we practice our regional and chorus repertoires and are having a lot of fun learning new songs at the same time: Girl on Fire and Beauty and the Beast. We plan to be fully ready to go whenever we can get back together again and rehearse in person, and even sing for an audience. We’re sure these songs will be great crowd-pleasers. Can’t wait! As we’re sure all of Region 16 is doing, we are very much looking forward to the summer coming and hopefully being outside more. We may even get to sing together, outdoors and distance, of course!

We send our love to all of Region 16!

Susan Boissonneault
Circle of Harmony Chorus
Welcoming and Celebrating Our Members.
 
As we look back on our past year on Zoom, we are delighted that five wonderful women have decided to join our chorus and become members of Circle of Harmony. We are grateful to these ladies for taking a chance on us and for all the new energy they bring to our weekly rehearsals. We can’t wait to meet and sing with them In person.

Welcome to new our members:
Deline Anthonyapillai
Scully Zeng
Jen Watson
Julie Craig
Susan Bober
Our annual nomination process for the Sweet Adeline of the Year Award was also a cause for celebration. Ten members of Circle of Harmony were nominated, showing just how much love and effort they put into our chorus and how much our members appreciate them.
 
SAOTY Nominees:
Donna Chaput, Alex Morris, Louise Di Carlo, JJ Piccolotto, Sabine Findlay, Jocelyn Ramage, Barb Hodge, Christine Yorke, Lisa Michaels, and Jane Zaroski.                              
We are delighted to announce that Barb Hodge is our SAOTY for 2021! As our director and master motivator, Barb’s leadership has been instrumental in Circle of Harmony’s continued success over the past unprecedented year. The vast amount of time she has spent behind the scenes on music, research, brainstorming, and mastering new technology has resulted in weekly rehearsals that are engaging, interesting, educational, comforting, and fun. Her encouragement to the chorus as a whole, and to individual members as needed, has kept us motivated as she continually reminds us that we will sing together again one day soon!
 

Lisa Michaels
Circle of Harmony
York Harmony Chorus
April showers brought May flowers and a touch of YHC craziness! From wild hair and hats to Zoom anniversaries and bingo games, we have been making our own fun this month!

Before getting into all of the craziness, we’d like to send a big “Thank you” to the iconic a cappella singer, producer, arranger, composer, director, and coach, Deke Sharon, for the inspiring personal message you sent to us at YHC! We were all awe-struck by it and really appreciate your sincerity and thoughtfulness!
Our April 7 rehearsal started out normal, then went totally off the rails, even for us!! We switched tracks to celebrate our 1 year anniversary of Zoom rehearsals! (yes – you heard that right!) The theme was Crazy Hair and Crazy Hats. It was filled with trivia, competition, and chats in small groups. Thanks to Anne, Carol, Linda, Katrina, and Sue for planning the evening.
On April 10, we conducted a local food drive to help fill up the Newmarket Food Pantry after the holiday weekend. A few of us were even able to see each other and pose for a social-distanced parking lot photo. Thanks to all who donated food and money, and to Helen for organizing packing, and delivering!

At the following rehearsal, we dusted off some of our rep songs plus sang our contest songs. We had the largest amount of 'Spotlight Singers' to date, showcasing performances by Cindy, Linda, Meaghan, Kathy, Sue, Martha G, Martha D, Silvana, Karen, Anne G, Erin, Carol, Denise, Marie, Pat, Marla, Kathleen, and Lis. 
Thanks as always for our fabulous Director, Martha DeClerq, supportive Chorus Leader, Sue Dubois, our superb Assistant Director Linda Morrison, and our very talented and dedicated music team who at each week’s rehearsal keeps us on track, engaged, and connected.

Here’s hoping for a future filled with in-person a cappella harmony. We will get there! Stay the course, stay safe, and keep singing!

Kelly Nesbitt and Cindy Whitfield
Acapella North Chorus
We have really enjoyed taking advantage of all the online resources provided by the region as well as by International.  Our director begins our zoom rehearsals with new warm-up videos every week.  We have done some work with note intervals, watched some educational videos about them, and also looked at some videos that use popular tunes to help familiarize ourselves with each interval and what they feel like.  We have also practiced learning tags every rehearsal and will split into groups in Zoom breakout rooms to work on them. In an attempt to find ways to sing all together, we have done a sort of tag-team singing where one person will sing a few lines in a song, and then someone else sings the next few lines, and so on.  It has encouraged us to really know our music in order to be able to listen to a singer of another part and pick up in your own part!  Very fun though. 

Our members and Board have continued to discuss what we are all comfortable with in terms of meeting in person.  We have done some brainstorming about different outdoor locations that could host a gathering and allow us to socially distance.  It is all still on the drawing board but we are eager to move forward, and we miss everyone!  We are so glad that Region 16 is able to provide a virtual Convention, and our members are excited about all the educational opportunities.

Laura Kleist