ISLAND CITY CHORUS

GREATER MONTREAL CHAPTER

SPEBSQSA Inc.

The Little Chorus that could!

MINI PITCH

Date: May 20, 2002 Show week! Prepare to spend Saturday at the Hall.

"A B natural is a regular B" - famous bass

"Yikes. Only five days to go?" It is time to get the money in for your tickets, ads and the afterglow.

The special rehearsal on Saturday at the Church of St. Augustine, Pointe-Claire went pretty well.

• Just an old fashioned love song
• I'm Beginning to See The Light
• Que Reste-t-il
• Sixteen Tons

For Tonight Only (3 songs)

• Words
• Mary Lou

Key of Eh? (3 songs)

• You'll Never Walk Alone.
• How deep is the ocean?

• Orange Colored Sky
• Roses of Picardy
• Steppin' Out

Metropolis (7 songs)

FINALE: Just an Old Fashioned Love Song (Reprise)

The afterglow has been moved back to Dynastie de Chine (across from Bombardier on Laurentien Blvd.). The cost will be $16.00 per person. Have you told Ernie Chapell how many people will be? Those who were there two years ago will remember the food was great and plentiful.

We will be inviting the male members of our audience to join us for a special guest night on Monday, June 10, 2002. It will be in the usual place at the usual time, but with a special program.

Invite the people you have been thinking about, and sell them a show ticket, too.

The latest news is that Mike Nichols has been named Director of Saratoga Springs Racing City Chorus.

I am sure we all wish Mike and Saratoga Springs Chapter the best of luck. They will be having a show next May with a pretty good guest quartet. 1980 International Champions Boston Common.

It sounds to me like it would be worth a trip down I-87 for that one!

Research shows the Society has one of the BEST retention rates of any membership association out there. Our retention consistently runs in the 87 to 88 percent range, while most others are in the 75 percent range.

The "retention myth", (that we can solve all our problems through retention) gets trotted out whenever someone points a finger at the naked emperor. It's simply a handy excuse for our not facing the reality of our failure to recruit, nor of the association putting the needed resources into the recruitment area of the operation.

If your current members aren't having' fun, they'll leave because of pressures from work or home or because they enjoy bowling more, whatever. If they're having' a ball, they won't be able to wait to get to the chapter meeting every week.

The importance of recruiting should never be relaxed. Without constantly bringing in new blood, the typical group will begin to grow stale over time. And that's when real trouble can begin. We have to have a balance between "having fun" and "being better". New members help to keep us on our toes as THEY always work really hard to catch up with the rest of us. Without a regular supply of new membership coming into the chapter we run the risk of becoming complacent.

Also, remember, on average we lose about 1 percent of our members to death each year. Therefore, we need to replace those people. And we lose another 12 to 13 percent to other forms of attrition (new jobs, move to another area, children are born, etc.). My recruiting rule of thumb for chapters is to target recruiting 15 percent of your end of year membership in the following year, thus our chapter needs to recruit 6 new members, just to stand still! (MORE NEXT WEEK.)

Thank you, to all those who have taken on the responsibility for setting up and taking down the risers. Please lend a hand where you can.

1. I will remember that I am a Tenor and that Tenors are unique among men. I will conduct myself accordingly.
2. During chorus rehearsal, I will allow myself to be shushed by the Director, but at the performance, I will drive my high notes to the far corners of the room.
3. I will show a certain respect for the Bass, for few men could sing with their knuckles dragging upon the ground. I will not get mushy about it.
4. I will always remember that the Baritone really thinks that those strange notes are hauntingly beautiful. I will respect his intentions, but I will not get mushy about it.
5. I will not forget that all Leads really wish they could sing tenor, but I will not let my pity for them become obvious.
6. I will be very selective about the Lead, Bari and Bass that I will consent to sing with in a quartet. I know that I will always be in great demand, for they are many and we are few.
7. I will practice until no one can tell when I go from natural voice to falsetto, for I know it drives the others crazy.
8. When pickup quartetting, I will insist upon trying to sing the bass part, for I know it causes the real Basses great pain.
9. Whenever, in a show, my quartet manages to create an overtone, I will let a sly smile play across my face that says "Yes, I really did hit that note".
10. I will hold my head high, remembering that I am a Tenor and that humility is for those who can not afford arrogance.

Practice is something we do at home, every day, between rehearsals!

Rehearsal is where we reinforce what we have been practising every day!