ISLAND CITY CHORUS

GREATER MONTREAL CHAPTER

Date: May 27, 2002

What a great show! Congratulations to the chorus and quartets for a fantastic performance. As good as we were last year, the audience reaction after the show was unbelievable by comparison. Everyone raved about the quality we produced and told me how wonderful the show was and how much we had improved as performers.

Thanks to Rob, the Section Leaders and each of you we have reached a brand new level and are going to be serious contenders for the number 1 spot at district next year.

A special thanks goes out to the following members who did more than could be expected of anyone to make the show the success that it was.

Bert Brossoit for the countless number of hours he put in to making sure everything was ready; The MC, Lighting, Sound, Props and Afterglow etc.

John Clendinneng for a superb job on ticket sales . What a wonderful professional job he did once again this year.

Ron Schurman for getting the advertising bucks we need so badly.

Addie and Jennifer Wheaton for the great supper we all enjoyed so much. They are fantastic.

Steve Wheaton who looked after Metropolis from the time they got off the plane to the time he put them back on the plane at 9.45 am on Sunday

Shayne Neville who fell in love with our hobby and jumped right in three weeks after visiting us to create our beautiful program book in two days, take on responsibility as stage manager and also sell tickets at the door. Shayne sets an example we can all learn from and I am looking forward to having him on our team as our newest member.

Diego who also fell in love with our hobby, and although not a member he handled ticket sales at the door and did whatever anyone asked him to do to help.

If I left anyone out I apologize and will make it up on Monday night. Right now I have to close or I will be late for my tee off time.

See you all on Monday night. Alan Kenley, Music VP

We invited the male members of our audience to join us for a special guest night on next Monday, June 10, 2002. at 7:30 PM, at Ste-Sixte Church.

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:

By recruiting 15 percent of your end of year membership, you cover the losses due to all areas of attrition. And let's face it, can anyone look at the numbers above and say a 20-man chapter can't realistically expect to recruit 3 members, or a 100-man chapter 15, in a YEAR? We're not asking a lot here, gang!

The Society didn't grow "for awhile." The Society grew nearly consistently from the early 50s until the early 80s.

Why? It was because, at that time, the Society stressed growth, recruitment and new chapter development. Any so-called "average age of joining" has no bearing on the fact that we don't do a very good job of encouraging recruitment as an association (and by that I specifically mean supporting membership development with adequate financial resources - more on that shortly).

My argument for youth recruitment is that by encouraging men to join the Society early in their lives they develop an appreciation for the association, AND for membership in it. Will every 17-year old who joins remain a member his entire life? Probably not. As I said, I joined at 15, but dropped out after school when I lived in a NBZ for a couple of years (NBZ is a No Barbershop Zone, and the reason I developed my interest in membership and new chapter development).

The important thing is that I did come back! Most of my school friends, who sang in our barbershop ensemble at Highland High School in Medina, Ohio, did not join the Society. Of the three who did join in our teens, two of us left during/after school and came back a few years later. And the other hasn't come back only because he works 2nd shift, and doesn't get home from work 'til 11:30 PM (which brings up the discussion about daytime chapters, etc., a topic for another day).

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.

By Earl McGhee [From the H@rmonet] [Editor's note: This is the last of a four part series.]

1. I will never forget that I am a Baritone and will never attempt to act normal, lest others forget
2. I will sing softly, with quality, leaving the bellowing to the Bass.
3. I will sing what works, even if it cannot be described on paper, for I am a Baritone.
4. I will show a little respect for the Tenor, for he also sings softly, though his notes are ordinary.
5. I will sing flawlessly thru the two part swipes, creating wonderful sounds, in spite of the Bass.
6. I will never attempt to match volume with the Lead, for I understand that what I must seek is the harmony that only a Baritone can produce.
7. I will, at every opportunity, practice my part alone, for I know it drives others up the wall.
8. I will occasionally tilt my head to one side and smile blissfully, so that everyone will think I'm hearing wonderful harmonies that they can only dream about.
9. I will try to understand that others do not realize that it is really the pitch pipe that is off.
10. I will remember that very high notes, very low notes and the ability to carry a tune are grossly over rated and that only a Baritone can settle a chord.

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

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