If you thought you were going out to rehearsal, you haven’t been listening. Due to our performance marathon, there won’t be a rehearsal on Monday, but we will be singing on Tuesday and Wednesday with the Sweet Adelines.

June 28,2005 Arrive at 17:30, on stage with WISAC for Secret Love, And So To Sleep Again, and Let There Be Peace On Earth. Salle Collège Laval.

June 29, 2005 Arrive at 17:30, on stage with WISAC for Secret Love, And So To Sleep Again, and Let There Be Peace On Earth. Salle Collège Laval.

Sunday was a long day, but we were excellent, and if the opportunity arises, we’d do it again!

Last week I promised you a second segment on inhalation; and, here it is.

As you know, session one in this series dealt with STANDING UP STRAIGHT. Session two was BREATHING IN and dealt with what happens to the lower abdominal area during that vital process. This session I want to discuss the rest of the inhalation process, that is, what should happen to the "upper apparatus" every time you inhale?

The idea here is to make the area where the sound resonates (the area from the larynx to the lips) as large as possible while not inducing any unnecessary tension. The components to this process are:

1. Lowering the jaw - both in front and in back (the space between your back teeth should increase, too). Now, be careful and don't overdo this! You should NOT create tension in the base of the tongue!

2. Opening the throat and gently raising the roof of the mouth (primarily the soft palate at the back). You can make this happen by producing coolness with the breath as you inhale. This is the "inner smile" or "bowl" feeling. It's very akin to the movement you make when you have a bite of very hot food in your mouth. (Another way to create the sensation of space is to imagine that you’re listening to a very faint sound that’s very far away.)

3. Lightly placing the tip of your tongue on the back of the lower front teeth AND letting the tongue RELAX forward in the mouth. It should be pretty high in front. This will keep the space at the back of the mouth (top of the throat) as open and large as possible - without undue tension, of course.

4. Extending the lips off the teeth, gently tucking the corners of the mouth, and creating a tall, oval mouth shape.

The idea is to make these four events happen simultaneously every time you breathe in. This will take a little practice to isolate the muscle groups, but the effort will, as always, repay you handsomely. You'll be a better singer and that will make singing more fun, and, gosh, that's what we're all in this for, right?

So, to recap, the "singer's breath" consists of connecting the expansion of the lower abdominal area (see last month's CC) with the proper positioning of the throat, mouth, tongue and lips. If you'll make the effort to master these movements, and take EVERY breath this way EVERY time you sing (assuming you've still got the good posture from lesson one, of course), you'll be at least half way to our goal: better singing!

Watch out! Next week - EXHALATION! Good luck and good singing! Hold your breath until then!

The 67^th Annual International Convention and Contest of the Barbershop Harmony Society will be starting on Sunday, July 3, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. There will be some new features this year, including an Opening Ceremony similar to the Olympics, where each quartet and District will have representatives parading into the Latter Day Saints Convention Centre, the site of the contests.

Our chapter will be well represented among the officials and organisers. Bob Ebers is vice-chairman of the Marketing and PR Committee and will be helping spread the word. Rob Mance is a Music judge for the Chorus Preliminary round and for the Collegiate Quartet contest. Murray Phillips is on the Events Committee, and will be working with the Society staff, the local committee and the competitors to ensure that things come off without a hitch.

So, you can’t afford the time or the money to go to the Convention this year? Well, you can still enjoy many of the events by tuning in to the new and enhanced webcast.

The rapid growth in listenership for the webcasts since Kansas City 2000, combined with constantly improving technology and dropping costs for streaming bandwidth have made it possible for the Society to deliver a very high-quality experience at a fair price.

This year, you can listen and see the contests from home, without interruptions for fund-raising appeals to support high-bandwidth video. Under the new pay-per-view model, everyone can get the experience he desires at a reasonable price.

Try before you buy: Go to the Webcasts test centre - www.spebsqsa.org/ID_065357 - to make sure that your connection and computer can support the experience you purchase. It is available NOW! They have four test streams that you can check out prior to your purchase. Each one will give you a five-minute stream that will allow you to test your Media Player, your bandwidth delivery and then let you decide which stream meets your individual quality standards.

Use your credit card to order online, and choose among these options:

You’re grateful? Want to donate more? They'll let you do that, too!