Video of the Week      

Here's To The Losers - performed by Max Q

Max Q won the International Quartet Championship of the Barbershop Harmony Society  in Denver in 2007, after finishing with a silver medal in the previous three contests. This song was a very entertaining way to poke fun at themselves while paying tribute to some of the best groups that never won the championship. The won the audience and the gold medal. Yes, it does contain lots of inside humor, but it's funny nonetheless.

 

Musical Terms of the Week

1. A cappella - One or more vocalists performing without an accompaniment.
2. Accelerando - A symbol used in musical notation indicating to gradually quicken tempo.
3. Adagio - A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.
4. Allegro - A direction to play lively and fast.
5. Beat - The unit of musical rhythm.
6. Cadence - A sequence of chords that brings an end to a phrase, either in the middle or the end of a composition.
7. Canon - A musical form where the melody or tune is imitated by individual parts at regular intervals. The individual parts may enter at different measures and pitches. The tune may also be played at different speeds, backwards, or inverted.
8. Cantabile - A style of singing which is characterized by the easy and flowing tone of the composition.
9. Cantata - Music written for chorus and orchestra. Most often religious in nature.
10. Capriccio - A quick, improvisational, spirited piece of music.

An Interview with Todd Wilson  

1. What was your first job?
   I worked as a janitor at the Lake Worth, Florida Turnpike Service Plaza when I was 16.    
   
     
2. My current job is...
   Creative Solutions Strategist and Marketing Consultant (currently between contracts). I currently volunteer over 1000 hours annually to Nashville Singers in my role as Executive Director and Director of Music. If your organization is looking for some creative solutions, and sound strategies to improve your bottom line, visit www.toddwilson.info
   
     
3. My worst job ever was...
   My first job   
   
    
4. My first car was a...
   An orange colored 1973 Toyota Corolla with manual transmission that my Grandma Bess Lau bought for me on my 16th birthday. 
   
    
5. My current mode of transportation is...
   I drive 1999 Ford Expedition XLT, the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.   
   
    
6. My dream car is a...
   A black Lexus LS430 sedan   
   
    
7. The last book I read was...
   "What Color Is Your Parachute?"
   
    
8. My favorite magazine is...
   Associations Now, the official magazine of the American Society of Association Executives   
   
    
9. Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
   This is hard to narrow down. The list would have to include George W. Bush, LeAnne Rimes, Toby Keith, Bill Gaither, Faith Hill, Kris Kristofferson, Guy Penrod, Oak Ridge Boys, Mike Rowe, Peter Jennings, Isaac Stern, Norman Schwarzkopf, and Mitch Miller. 
   
    
10. If you could meet any person (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
    That would have to be my grandfather Charles Lau, because he died before I was born, and from what I've been told, he knew how to build and run a solid business, and still have fun.   
    
     
11. When I need inspiration, I...
    I haven't been lacking when it comes to inspiration just yet.           



12. The educator or teacher that has left the most lasting impression on you...
    My high school choral teacher Harry Johanson. The best lesson he ever taught me was not be afraid to explore new opportunities; that the greatest personal growth I will experience will likely happen outside of my comfort zone.
    
    
    
13. But if I want to unwind, I...
    spend an afternoon on Percy Priest Lake    
    
     
14. I've never...
    Jumped out of a plane...yet!   
    
     
15. What is one thing that very few people know about you?

    The only formal musical training I have ever had was (instrumental) on the trumpet and string bass. 
    
     

16. My favorite experience as a performer would have to be...
    This would have to be a tie between...
    
    Performing with ACOUSTIX on a rare global broadcast called ABC 2000 hosted by Peter Jennings. We performed at the ABC Studios in Times Square on December 31, 1999. The network bought us out of a prior performance contract in New Mexico, flew the four of us and our wives to New York, put us up at the Essex House on Park Avenue, and treated us like rock stars.
    
    

    ACOUSTIX in the green room at ABC Studios, rehearsing "Two Brothers" a Civil War song we were requested to have arranged and learned on about two week's notice by Peter Jennings. The crazy thing was, after jumping through hoops to have it ready for the broadcast, as the segment producer gave us the "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" hand signals before we went on the air LIVE, a voice over the intercom in the studio shouted..."Sing "This is the Moment!" I'm not kidding!

    
    
    
    
    Singing bass with the Suntones in Kansas City (last month) on the 50th Anniversary of their winning the International Quartet Contest. I had the best seat in the house all week.
    
    
     
17. I've been to...
    over 300 cities in 17 countries      
    
     
18. My favorite meal is...
    Seafood Paella; and my favorite cook is my lovely bride, Jennifer.    
    
     
19. I am terrified of...
    Chuck Norris : )     
    
     
20. If I could vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be?
    I'd go back to Zell am See, Austria, but this time share the experience with Jennifer 
    
     
21. The one piece of technology I can't live without?
    That's a tie between my iPhone and my laptop     
    
     
22. The last thing I purchased was...
    Four conference table chairs on Craigslist     
    
     
23. My favorite television show is...
    The Borgias     
    
     
24. My radio is most often tuned to...
    WPLN (NPR)     
    
     
25. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, or BBC?
    The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) 
    
     
26. My favorite singer is...
    Female: Bonnie Herman or Diana Krall
    Male: Chet Baker or Harry Connick, Jr.     
    
     
27. My favorite sports team is...
    The Dallas Cowboys   
    
    
    
28. Musical instruments I enjoy playing include...
    Acoustic guitar, trumpet, harmonica, mouth harp, piano
    (by ear)   
    
     
29. What do I like most about being a part of Nashville Singers?
    The thrill of starting something very special from scratch, with a clear vision of what it will be come, and enjoying the journey to that destination with my dad, my oldest son, and some of the greatest men I have ever known. I am already proud of the musical legacy we will leave for others to enjoy, and our work to enrich many lives along the way.
    
     
30. How old were you when you first started singing? 
    Two yearsof age          

Quote of the Week

Nothing in the world is permanent, and we're foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we're still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it. If change is of the essence of existence one would have thought it only sensible to make it the premise of our philosophy. - W. Somerset Maugham, 1874-1965

Today in History     

August 8, 1969 - Photographer Iain MacMillan shoots the cover for what would be the Beatles' last recorded album, Abbey Road, just outside the studios of the same name where the band recorded most of its classic songs. The photo, which merely shows the band crossing the street while walking away from the studio, has become iconic in its own right    

Agenda for August 11 Meeting     

Season of Harmony  

November 19, 2011 @ 7:00pm

Silent Auction Begins at 6:00pm   

       STACY CASE     NASHVILLE SINGERS          LUNCH BREAK  

         Your Host             Event Producers        Hilarious Comedy Group

    Singer/Songwriter                                    Youth Ensemble 

plus...  

The John Overton High School Chamber Choir  

Recipient of the Nashville Singers

2011 Music Makes a Difference

music education grant

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