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News From Our RMT
2019-2020 Regional Management Team (RMT)
 
Communications Coordinator – Mary Kammeyer reg5communications@gmail.com
Directors Coordinator – Bev Hamilton reg5dircoord@gmail.com
Education Coordinator – Annette Wallace reg5edudir@gmail.com
Events Coordinator – Ros VanHecke reg5evco@gmail.com
Finance Coordinator – Beth Hager reg5finance@gmail.com
Marketing Coordinator – Judy Kaeser reg5market@gmail.com
Membership Coordinator – Karen Matthews reg5saimem@gmail.com
Team Coordinator – Twilla Duvall  reg5teamcoord@gmail.com
Did You Know?
 Region 5 has a new website!

For Member Login:
http://www.sairegion5.org/dbpage.php?pg=membersonly

Region 5 Competition Information:
http://www.sairegion5.org/dbpage.php?pg=regcontest

Speaking of Competition
Were you aware of the Boutique??

 
Calling all CHORUSES......QUARTETS....Our Boutique needs you to share your talents of Crafts....baked goods....needle point...knitting....or whatever you come up with.  You still have a little while to think about it........fill out the paper work and get it to me so I can save you a special table.  Thanks!  We are an awesome Region and we have 2020 VISION! Our Vision includes YOU!

 http://www.sairegion5.org/files/2020%20Boutique%20vendor%20letter%20%282%29.pdf

Pat Henry: quartet_chorus_tenor@yahoo.com
Upcoming Events

Spirit of the Midwest Region 5 Competition
April 23-26, 2020
Cedar Rapids, IA

Fall in Focus

September 11 - 12, 2020
Chesterfield, MO 

Spirit of the Midwest Region 5 Competition
April 8 - 11, 2021

Cedar Rapids, IA

Battle of the Barbershop Stars
June 19 - 20, 2020

Kansas City, MO

International Education Symposium 2020
July 22- 26, 2020
Trinity University, San Antonio Texas

International Competition 2020
October 12 - 17, 2020
Louisville, KY


International Competition
October 11 - 16, 2021

St. Louis, MO
More information go to the Region 5 Website: http://region5.harmonysite.com/dbpage.php?pg=evlist
"2020 Vision" - YWIH Chorus
2020 "Spirit of the Midwest Lifetime Achievement Award"
Do you know a regional hero? A Sweet Adeline that gives selflessly of her time, talents and expertise for the love and joy of barbershop singing? A woman who has distinguished herself at the regional and/or international level?

We are looking for that regional hero.

The “Spirit of the Midwest Lifetime Achievement Award” is given each year to a woman who has had a profound impact on all of us in Region 5. This prestigious, once-in-a-lifetime honor is the highest recognition we as a region have to offer a member who has earned our admiration and respect for all they have done, for all of us.

We are accepting nominations now for the 2020 “Spirit of the Midwest Lifetime Achievement Award.” This award will be presented at the 2020 Show of Champions during competition weekend in Cedar Rapids.

Who will you nominate?

Please remember:
  • This is a regional award. Activities and involvement of the nominees must be at the regional or international level.
  • Women are not eligible who have been recognized with either the
    • Region 7 Garee Rogers Award or
    • Region 20 Hall of Fame Award or
    • Region 5 “Spirit Award” since the inception of the Spirit of the Midwest Region 5.
  • A list of all recognized recipients of the above awards is available on the website, with the online application.
Please help us recognize the dedication and excellence that makes Region 5 great.

The link to the award application is below. Applications are due March 27, 2020. 
If you have questions, please contact Karen Matthews, Membership Coordinator, at: reg5saimem@gmail.com

Application: http://www.sairegion5.org/files/2020%20Spirit%20of%20the%20Midwest%20Lifetime%20Achievement%20Award%20Application.pdf
Educational Tidbits
GOING FROM “B” TO “A”
Sandi Wright
How frustrating!  You traditionally score in the 60s and 70s, but breaking into B+ and A scores seem unreachable.  You know you’re getting good coaching.  The arrangement is strong.  The voices are improving.  You have a great costume, visual plan and creative idea.  What is the magic formula for moving from B to A?  Let’s see if we can give you some sage advice on how to break the B-Barrier.
 

First let’s explore the scoring descriptors:
60-65 (B-)    Vocal skills generally good but inconsistent. Tuning issues. Not a                     sustained unit. Plan evident. Attempts at artistry and personality.
66-73 (B)     Vocal skills strong but not habitual.  Unit is inconsistent                                   Technical. Prepared.  Pretty Good.
74-79 (B+)   Vocal Skills are strong.  Confident.  Minor flaws.  Artistry is     
                   beginning to emerge over technique. Genuine involvement.
80-85 (A-)    High level of vocal proficiency. Consistent, confident and strong.                       Fleeting moments of technique. Locked and ringing chords.                             Engaging.  Feels natural.
86-93 (A)     Exceptional mastery of vocal skills.  Fully matched, locked and                         resonated unit.  Artistic. Effortless. Transparent.  Believable.
94-100 (A+) Complete mastery of vocal skills.  Dramatic and a total unit.                             Exceptional entertainment.  Captivating.  Flawless.  Exquisite.                         Overwhelming.
 
There are two major factors at play here – Head Space and Heart Space.  Head Space is all about the technical aspects of the performance.  When the vocal skills are strong and there’s a solid plan for vocal and visual drama with energy and a unit thought, and when the notes, words and visual plan can be performed with ease and purpose, then the Head Space is satisfied.  But if it stops there, then it comes off as technical and mechanical.  There has to be time spent on Heart Space.  If your group has an evaluation or a qualification method that doesn’t include emotion (ie: note and word perfection or a visual plan qualification), then you will perform technically.  A technical performance will keep your group in the B category.

To get to the A level requires Heart Space.  It includes the freedom and the willingness to feel the emotion of the music.  If any of your performers are unwilling to let go of themselves and see the lyric through the eyes of the character, then emotional freedom will be stifled.  It takes the entire unit to be willing to get into the character to discover the real essence of the message.  To earn an A score, the ensemble must transcend technique, so the audience is not aware of the skills and mechanics of your plan.  When you allow Heart Space to shine through, you become accessible on an emotional level.  There is a vulnerability and “human-ness” that creates a believable bond between you and your audience. An actor’s job is to bring the song to life.  To be believable, it must be infused with authentic, honest emotion.  Let the audience know what you want them to feel, then allow the audience to connect with the human YOU. 
 
A well-known barbershop coach and working actor, David McEachern, believes that “the art of performance is the willingness and ability to artistically convey stage-worthy things in a fashion that highly entertains.”  You have to have excellent skills – that’s the “ability” part.  But then you must be “willing” to put those skills into an artistic performance.  That requires each singer/actor to dig deeper, layer the emotions (it’s not all one feeling) and then go to that place.  You have to let go of “you” and become the character you portray.  It’s not your story…it’s the character’s story.  The situation you develop within the story - the emotions, core-driven movement, facial expressions, and the character’s journey…those are the “stage-worthy things.”
 
Here are some questions to help you work toward creating Heart Space:
  • Have you researched the song?  Is it from a show or a movie?  Is there a story behind the song?
  • Do you believe in the song’s message enough to lose yourself in the character?
  • Have you torn the lyric apart (subtext) to create the story and scenario (who, what, where, when, why)?
  • What is the opening beat (the spoken line that triggers the song)?
  • What is the story?
  • Is there conflict?
  • At any given line in the song are you speaking to yourself?  Someone on stage? Someone in the audience?  The heavens or the universe?
  • What happens after the tag?  How does the story end?
Ask any group that has attained the A level, and they will tell you that you can’t give a technical performance and expect an artistic result.  The more you chase perfect technique; the more imperfection will emerge.  No group is perfect – our imperfection is what keeps us human.  Remember it’s not about perfection – It’s about connection.

If you are looking for a good book about character development, read “Acting Songs,” by David Brunetti.  Everything in this article is in this book with ways to get to that real and honest place.   David Brunetti believes that instead of trying show the audience how well we sing, we should allow the audience to connect with us on a human level.  Give it a try.  It makes all the difference between B scores and A scores!
 

Sandi Wright is a master director and a member of the international faculty of Sweet Adelines International.  A 50-year member, she sang in two international championship quartets (Tetrachords/1978 and Ambiance/1986).  Sandi directed St. Louis Harmony Chorus to 14 regional championships, two international Harmony Achievement Awards and two Buckeye Invitational Grand Championships.  She is a certified judge in three barbershop systems – the Showmanship category in Sweet Adelines International and the Performance category in Harmony Incorporated and the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Chorus News

Saint Louis Harmony Chorus

 
St. Louis Harmony Chorus celebrated the season with a wonderful Holiday Concert! The concert was held on December 7 at 6 pm at Grace Episcopal Church in Kirkwood, Mo. Grace Church hosts our weekly rehearsals and we were very happy to perform for them in the beautiful setting of their church nave as a thank you for all they do! Of course, the general public was invited as well and many of our fellow barbershoppers were in the audience! St. Louis Harmony Chorus would like to thank the two quartets that performed: the Mistletones, a group of barbershoppers who love to sing Christmas music; and Eclipse, the second-place quartet winners of the 2019 Region 5 Competition last April. We are looking forward to an even bigger Christmas Concert next year!
 
The next performance of the chorus will be at the Working Women's Survival Show in the St. Charles Convention Center on February 23 at 10 am. We are looking forward to being a part of this event! Come by and check us out!

Harmony Central Chorus


Harmony Central Chorus is excited to announce our upcoming YWIH event. Find Your Voice will take place on Saturday, February 1 at Franklin Jr. High in Des Moines. The workshop will feature clinicians Mo Field and Nathan Green and will culminate with a performance. The chorus is thrilled to be hosting such a worthwhile event for the Young Women of Central Iowa.

 

 

Gateway Spotlight Chorus


The chorus planned a wonderful end of the year holiday party.  One of the assisted living facilities, where we present yearly shows made an ‘offer we couldn’t refuse.’  The chorus could use the multi-purpose room for the party…after we presented a holiday show for the residents. 

A script was written using “The Night Before Christmas” as the template for each verse.  Chorus members arrived dressed in red or green and donned Santa hats or Christmas tree headbands.  Various members read their verse followed by a holiday tune by the chorus or a quartet.  Pelting the guests with soft yarn snowballs after singing “Let It Snow” was met with much laughter. 

The chorus party commenced at the table filled with snacks and treats…not a broccoli spear in sight!  The gift exchange was a ‘Steal from Your Neighbor’ game.  Most were satisfied with their gift; however, a snowman cookie jar made a couple of rounds.  

 


 

River Blenders Chorus

Happy holidays from the Blenders!  We are always grateful for the Mondays Diane lets us off over the holidays, but then look forward to getting back together again in January.  We had a lot of fun polishing up our holiday music following our November show.  The chorus performed as part of the Christmas Traditions parade in downtown St. Charles this year.  It was a beautiful day as we strolled down Main Street with other performers, caroling and waving to the crowd.  Following the parade, we had our Holiday party and I think we realized yet again how lucky we are to be able to sing together and experience the friendships that we cherish so much.  Christmas is a time for giving gifts, but Sweet Adelines receive that gift over and over again at weekly rehearsals.  And, it is a gift that we give ourselves.  How cool is that?!!!

We are presently working hard on our new up-tune to prepare for International competition in Louisville in the fall. Lots of coaching is scheduled between now and October 15th!  We know what a gift it is to be able to work at this level and represent Region 5 in Louisville.

Sound Celebration Chorus


Happy New Year Region 5!

Now that we have “wrapped” up the holiday performances, Sound Celebration Chorus is ready to celebrate the New Year with a renewed commitment to our director and our riser mates to be “present” at rehearsals, to be prepared, and to bring our very best to our place on the risers.   
 
We love our new contest ballad, and we are reworking our uptune.  We are excited about our upcoming coaching sessions in January and February.   The Management Team is discussing possible show themes.

Sound Celebration hopes to grow this year.  If you have family or friends in Central Illinois, please point them in our direction.  We rehearse on Monday evenings at 6:45 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL. 

Like life, the joy of creating music is in the journey, not at the destination.  May we all strive to enjoy every note, every measure, every phrase, every ringing chord, and every soaring tag - every time.   It is not work when you love what you do.   
 
  


 

Kansas City Chorus

The Kansas City Chorus had a very successful and spectacular holiday show with the Heart of America men's chorus!  And our incredible guest quartet, Vocal Spectrum!  It was a lot of fun and our gift of music to family and friends.  It was certainly "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"

We celebrated with each other at our chorus party, welcomed a new chapter quartet, and had an unexpected surprise - the unveiling of our new chorus costume!

After a brief break for the holidays we will begin the new year with coaching from the amazing Mary Duncan, Baritone of ClassRing, as we get back to work on our contest set.  On January 21st we will host another guest night (five new members sang on their first holiday show).

In February we will participate in the Harmony Explosion program with Heart of America. It’s always a joy to help spread our style of music with middle and high school youth in the area.

And in March, we will have our weekend retreat with the dynamic Ryan Heller!  Our expectations are high as we continue to keep our dream alive!

We hope you're following your dream!  And Happy New Year!

Acappella Omaha


Acappella Omaha Chorus, under the direction of Annette Wallace, woke up from its successful November 9 Fall Show, “Our Pajama Party,” ready to participate in several holiday performances around the city.  The city of Omaha’s Holiday Lights Festival provided families with free transportation and access to various museums, libraries, and other popular venues.   As part of that festival, on Dec. 1st, the chorus sang holiday songs at the W. Dale Clark Library in downtown Omaha where families could come for free entertainment, books, and snacks.  On Dec. 8, the chorus joined the Omaha men’s barbershop group, Heartland Harmonizers, to sing carols and holiday music at Presbyterian Church of the Master, and then collected proceeds that went to a non-profit Diabetes foundation.  Finally, on Dec. 10, to finish out the month before their annual holiday break, the chorus shared a delicious meal at the Stokes West restaurant; honored chorus leaders for their hard work and dedication; and donated toys to the Salvation Army.  The attached photo is of the Dec. 8 holiday performance of Acappella Omaha and Heartland Harmonizers.

RiverSong Chorus


RiverSong went “NUTS” during the Farmstead Nuts and Treats sales.  Bags of “goodies” were delivered throughout the region and RiverSong is very grateful to all those that supported this annual fundraiser! 
 
RiverSong’s final event for the year was the “Sing-A-Thon” held on Saturday, December 14, 2019.  This annual event is a favorite with many of the chorus members. The chorus traveled to numerous group homes, residential facilities, shelters, etc., to spread holiday cheer throughout St. Joseph.  After nine performances, the joyful and exhausted singers concluded the day with a celebration at the home of Dwayne and Donna Turk.  Good food and much laughter rounded out the day.  The chorus was also treated to a rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock” by RiverSong’s quartet Staff Party, with Director Jerry Garrard filling in for the baritone. 
 
2020……. RiverSong is ready!!!




 


 

Metro Mix Chorus


Metro Mix Chorus enjoyed singing Christmas songs to shoppers at our vendor fair on December 7th.  This event has become an annual fund-raiser for the chorus.  Here is how the fair worked. Each vendor paid a fee to the chorus for securing a location and organizing the event.  Vendors also donated items for gift baskets that were used for a raffle.  Chorus members made baked goods to sell.  Small groups sang at the fair and also at the nearby NewBo Market where singers handed out flyers to direct the shoppers to the vendor fair. 
 
We are currently in the process of organizing to sell and deliver singing Valentines in February.

Show Me Sound Chorus
 

Show Me Sound has been very busy for the last 3 months practicing for Christmas performances. Five guests were welcomed to guest-sing with the chorus at local rest homes and care facilities. In addition, the chorus had two very important performances, one at the Truman Lake Opry where they performed a skit and sang songs relative to it and one performance for the State Fair College annual luminary celebration, where they were proud to wear new costumes. The chorus is working hard to prepare for H.E.L.P in March. Happy New Year Region 5. See you next year.  Sing on.

City Voices Chorus


City Voices Chorus portrayed USO performers for the troops “Grin and Barracks” Dec. 7, at their Holiday Luncheon/Show. It was a sold-out performance.  Stars and Stripes Forever, a patriotic Christmas theme in honor of Pearl Harbor Day was loved by all. Bobbie Jo Hope (Linda Schlueter) led our USO ensemble with lots of humor, comedy and spunk. Members cleverly decorated the tables in patriotic red, white and blue with Christmas décor.  City Voices collected “Toys for Tots” sponsored by the Marines. The visitors and chorus members were very generous this year.   Many children will benefit from their thoughtfulness.
 
The chorus was asked to perform its Stars and Stripes Forever show for the Veterans who could not go home for Christmas at the VA Hospital at Jefferson Barracks December 20.
City Voices also performed Christmas Songs at the Missouri Botanical’s Garden Glow December 19th. Although the weather was cold and frightful, Christmas and Holiday songs warmed all the listener’s spirits. 
 
After taking 2 weeks off for the Holidays, the chorus is preparing for our Cabaret show March 29 in Columbia, Illinois, a January performance for Seniors in Ballwin, MO, and competition in April.  We are also looking forward to a coaching retreat weekend in February with Diane Porsch.

 
Flint Hills Harmony celebrates the holidays and each other!

Flint Hills Harmony Chorus
 
The Flint Hills Harmony Chorus joyfully celebrated the holidays throughout most of December! For the first three Tuesday evenings, we caroled at senior residential centers around Topeka, as well as, for the first time, at the Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF), the state women’s prison in Topeka. We were also privileged to sing at the Shawnee County Health Department noon holiday party and in Lawrence one night, presenting a barbershop informational program at an independent living center. The residents of each facility where we performed appeared to enjoy our programs, as well as did our large audience at TCF, which was wildly enthusiastic!  FHH performed at the TCF minimum security building and had so much fun that we plan to return in the future, possibly expanding our visit to other residential areas at the prison.  We ended our holiday sing outs with a party at a local restaurant, singing, eating, playing games, and having a fun white elephant gift exchange.
 
After taking a break for the remainder of the holidays, FHH has resumed practice and has plans for an active, focused winter and spring leading up to the regional contest.  We hope everyone had a wonderful, celebratory season. Happy 2020 to all!!
Vocal Standard Chorus
 
Happy new year to you and yours, from Vocal Standard. We ended our year on a highlight as the featured performers on the Central Standard, Holiday Harmonies show at the historic Folly Theater in downtown Kansas City. It is always the best way to end our year as we get to perform, but also share the stage with some amazing 8-part arrangements, ringing chorus with Central Standard. 
 
As the new year gets started, we have posted our 2020 rehearsal calendar on our Facebook page, so if you're ever in the area and want to visit, know that all rehearsals are open to guests. We've begun our contest preparation in earnest and opened 2020 rehearsals singing in octets for the chorus of our two new song choices. We sure do love our tenors for having to sing with so many groups. They are amazing troopers. 
 
If you are in the Kansas City Metro area, we have a fun event on February 8th where we will be attending a Kansas City Mavericks game. To get tickets, you can contact the Mavericks directly and just tell them you are with Vocal Standard. A fundraiser, but mostly time to spend outside of chorus with like-minded people and have a great time. Hope to see some of you there. 
 
So, from us to you, go out there and take 2020 by storm. It's gonna be a great year!
Regional Information

Region 5 RMT Minutes:
 


http://www.sairegion5.org/dbpage.php?pg=documents&repgroup=Category


Regional Songs:

For Regional Song learning tracks available in the “Members Only” section of the Reg 5 website –

http://www.sairegion5.org/dbpage.php?pg=learning

Songs to Learn
Come Right In, Sit Right Down and
  Make Yourself at Home
One Song at a Time
Harmonize the World
How We Sang Today
Send Your Love
We Are Family
Happy Together

Take 5 Newsletter:

Next Take 5 Deadline is April 1, 2020. 

Email articles (limit of 200 words) and a picture (limit 1) to Region 5 Communications Coordinator Mary Kammeyer at

Reg5communications@gmail.com
PLEASE – send the text in the body of the email, not as an attachment. 



Getting your emails
If you’ve recently changed any of your personal contact information, be sure to update International’s records. SAI uses email addresses in our Personal Information Profiles to inform us of time-sensitive issues.


1. Go to the SAI website: https://sweetadelines.com
2. Click on Member Login at the top of the page.
3. Enter your username and password.
4. Click on More Member Options.
5. Click on Member Profile.
6. Enter your username and password again.
7. Your “Personal Information Profile” will appear. Verify your name, address, phone number, and email; then click through the instructions at the bottom to save.

If you need help, contact your chorus treasurer or membership chair.

 
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