Date: February 4, 2002

EDITORIAL: It appears that we have a big problem. After advertising the Great Northern Harmony Workshop as a required event for a year, we still didn't have everyone in attendance. Granted, some people had told Rob Mance that they could not attend, and had valid reasons. What concerns me are the members who didn't advise Rob in advance and didn't come.

The only way we can become a top performing and singing chorus is if ALL of us learn and implement the lessons we receive at the great coaching sessions our chapter leadership arranges for us.

Perhaps a survey of non-participating members is in order.

Steve Wheaton did a great job in organizing the facilities, faculty and courses for one of the best GNH Workshops in my memory. The new courses were excellent, the instructors were top notch and the lunch was delicious.

There were travel tails galore, as coaches and instructors braved the elements to participate in the school. It took Theresa Weatherbee over 24 hours to fly from Halifax to Montreal. (When this was mentioned at the closing of the school a wag said, "I had a car like that once!")

The "show" was great, but disappointing. Once again, we (as a chorus) did not have enough people to perform in the cavalcade of choruses and quartets.

4 Tonight Only represented us well in the Cavalcade. It was great to hear both Club NED and Road Show singing well. We wish them, South Side and Northeast Connection the ability to sing their best during prelims. If they do, the announcement at the end of the Prelims will be, "Your International Representatives to the Quartet Contest in Portland, in alphabetic order are..."

The members who attended the school got a treat as Adam Woods gave us a great workout on putting emotion into a song. We were working on "How Deep Is The Ocean," but his advice is portable. That is, we can use it on any new or old song.

"Read the words, like a poem. Find out what they mean."

It is simple, yet eloquent advice. We have to know, understand and internalize what the song is about, not depend on someone else to interpret it for us. We need to make it ours. That wasn't all he gave us, but it was the phrase that I will take as a keeper.

The song we worked on good better as we went, and more than one person mentioned to me that they had been taken to the emotional edge. Great job, Adam!

It was his first accident in 46 years of driving, so you can imagine how he felt. The roads were icy and it was too cold for salt to be working. Even driving slowly the slide towards the cars in front of him seemed like it was in slow motion. Unfortunately the car behind him wasn't going as slowly, so there was a double whammy.

Fortunately there were no injuries, but John was shaken up and suffering from shock. As of Sunday afternoon, he was feeling a bit better.

One of the highlights of the GNHW was the return of our friends of Joker's Wild, along with their new tenor Dave Meyer. It was a treat to see that they haven't lost a thing. They are still a great bunch of guys and the sing like champs. Dave Kindinger (Bass), Steve Letgers (baritone), and Jon Clunies (Lead) continue to be crowd favorites.

They were pressured into singing "The Rhythm of Life," at the afterglow - twice, along with many of their best loved songs.

I know that you have already started selling tickets for the 2003 show featuring Gas House Gang. Okay, maybe not.

You should know that they have had to reschedule their appearance here in Montreal. It is a week earlier - March 22, 2003. I have it marked on my calendar, do you?

On February 13, 14 & 15, 2002, we will be delivering love songs, roses and candy to lovers around the Greater Montreal area. We will be doing it in quartets and we need YOU!

So here is where you come in. You can post the great flyers at work, at church, in the barbershop, at the service station … you get the idea. Then you sell a Singing Valentine to a co-worker, friend, neighbour … you get the idea there, too.

The next thing you do is get three other guys (one from each of the other voice parts) form a quartet and learn the three songs we are going to use. You never know, but you may find out that you really love singing in a quartet and keep on going.

Sign up, sell a few Singing Valentines, sing up in a quartet, have a great time. That's all we have to do, and the best part is it is a lot of fun.

We should be singing Words as if we really know it. Rob Mance will fill in the February 4 and 11 blanks.

As usual, this schedule is subject to change.

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

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