ISLAND CITY CHORUS

GREATER MONTREAL CHAPTER

SPEBSQSA Inc.

The Little Chorus that could!

MINI PITCH

Date: November 4, 2002 It was a good show!

We had a great weekend of barbershop. The show went well. Any glitches were apparent only to those who knew what was really supposed to happen.

The two choruses performed well, and Morgan Lacroix gets massive bonus points for singing in both choruses. Our two newest songs weren't quite up to the quality of the other songs, but they were still rather acceptable. The audience was both large and enthusiastic. All in all the show was a success.

The Boston Common was wonderful. The sound was huge and the chords rang like crazy.

The two CD set was on sale at a special "Montreal" price of $60.00 CDN, and many were sold.

Any ticket, afterglow or advertising money should be turned in tonight! We need to pay those who loaned money to get the show produced.

SPECIAL THANKS to Rob Mance for his patience, to Richard Frenette, Al Mahoney, Jeffery and Matthew Mance and Murray Phillips for the riser transport, and to John Clendinneng for the fabulous job (under trying circumstances) handling the tickets.

Jeffery Mance has rocks in his box. If you want to be one of the migrating rockers, you need to get a singing guest to a rehearsal before November 11^th.

Don't take your rock anywhere, and you only get to move it if your guest cometh.

Chocolate Bars or Chocolate Covered Almonds are here to be picked up and sold. People really enjoy the Hershey's quality, so they are easy to sell.

The Cheese Sale for Christmas has started. If your company gives Christmas presents, the cheese boxes are a great gift. Pick up an order form and catalogue.

A percentage of ALL the sales you make will be accumulated in your account and can be applied to the Fall Forward, costumes, etc.

• Avoid over-singing. If you sing too loudly, you can cause irritation or bleeding on the vocal cords, which will make you hoarse and give you pain. Over a long period of time, over-singing can give you vocal nodules. Over-singing can occur while trying to out-sing other chorus members, or while your quartet is practising over other noise in the room, or trying to sing over other pick-up quartets at an afterglow.
• Record yourself before and after your performance or rehearsal. Then compare the tapes. If you sound more hoarse after singing, there is something about your technique that should be fixed.
• Use good posture. Good posture assists you with proper support. Without proper support, you have to abuse the muscles in and around your larynx to make sound, which leads to the same problems as over-singing. Dr. Sataloff pointed out that most people don't think of a sprained ankle as a voice complaint, but the ankle pain will lead to poor vocal support! Be careful of over-exuberance with stage presence moves; if you are off balance, your support is impaired. Stand with your weight slightly forward on the balls of your feet, with your knees slightly flexed.
• Try to avoid other people's cigarette smoke before singing, as it will irritate your vocal cords and make you hoarse.
• Don't drink alcoholic beverages before or during singing. Alcohol dilates the blood vessels, and makes you susceptible to injury.
• Don't eat or drink unfamiliar foods right before singing. Many people have mild unrecognised food allergies. A little swelling in the vocal cords can lead to hoarseness, and make injury more likely.
• Be careful if you are flying to a contest or performance; aeroplanes are terrible for singers. Cabin air is very dry and can irritate the mucous membranes. So keep drinking juice or clear soda. The cabins are very noisy, so don't try to sing or have a long conversation on the plane. A nice snooze is a good idea. From the SPEBSQSA web site

Rudi Flaig is fighting hard. He appreciates the phone calls he has received, the kind thoughts and the prayers as well.

The FAM Trip is coming up on November 15, and the winning choruses all know who they are. We will receive the information very soon.

The first area of concern is the requirement for 25 chorus hosts (or hostesses.) We already have a group of volunteers, and Jerry Silverberg is Chairman of Competitor Services. He will be working to fill out the list in time for the hosts and hostesses to meet with the Chorus Managers during the FAM Trip, which will take place November 15 and 16. At the same time we are collecting the names and preferences of as many other volunteers as possible.

Many people have offered their assistance in a general way, and will be available where needed.

Email requests have been sent to the Northeastern District and will be sent to the Ontario District as well.

A total of about 400 volunteer days are required.

Registrants (before January 1, 2003) will pay $100.00 US. Use the web link to register.

http://www.spebsqsa.org/montreal/registration.htm

Here is our current and future repertoire list: Songs in bold are to be learned or re-learned.

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

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