Sweet Adeline Lake Ontario Region 16 Newsletter
February 2016
Greetings!
 
Well, here we are with the 2nd monthly issue of Sixteenth Notes!  We hope that you are loving the new format and look forward to feedback from  you. 
 
Don't forget, if you have anything you would like to include in an issue, please coordinate with the leadership of your chorus.   Deadline for submissions for our March issue is February 29th.
 
If you hear from your riser mates that they are NOT receiving this great little newsletter, please ask them to check their spam / junk folders and if it's in there then to please add us to their "safe sender" list. We'd really hate for anyone to miss out!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about material you would like to see in the Sixteenth Notes, please contact  sheighwayreg16@live.ca.
Sweet Adelines International Regional Governance Proposal
If you have gone to the Sweet Adeline's International website lately, you may have seen some information on a Regional Governance Proposal put forward by our International Board of Directors.

We feel that effective communication is a key ingredient for a successful and happy region, and therefore,  as your Regional Management Team, we felt it was important to share with you the details of this proposal as it will directly affect how Regional Management Teams are structured throughout the organization.  Please click on the link below for direct access to the Sweet Adeline's Website, and more information regarding this proposal including a video message that all RMT's saw on January 8th, 2016, a Regional Governance Model document, and some frequently asked questions and answers.


All Regional Management Teams will participate in a vote in April.

If you have any questions or feedback for us, please either respond to this email or contact June Donovan, Region 16 Team Coordinator directly at jdonovanreg16@roadrunner.com

A Word from our Regional Membership Coordinator
So......what does the Membership Coordinator for Region 16 actually do?

Well, I'm here to help each of you get the most out of your membership as you can, as well as providing support to chorus growth initiatives. Through contact with Sweet Adelines International and other Regional Membership chairs I can share ideas about bringing in new members, membership growth programs, best practices and overcoming challenges. I maintain the records on changes to membership within the Region and am the contact for our CAL members.

At Fall Music School in Kingston this past November, the Membership Roundtable discussion was well attended, allowing participants to discuss ideas for attracting new members, making our choruses and rehearsals appealing to younger members and concerns about retaining current members. Information was provided on the Young Women in Harmony/Girl Guides Girls Scouts badge program (see link below for more information). It also allowed for choruses of different sizes and needs to talk about what their membership process is- how to get new people in and successfully converting guests into members who stay and how to leverage the success some choruses are having with advertising through MeetUp.com

I am passionate about this organization as a whole and Region 16 in particular and look forward to what we can accomplish in 2016. We have fantastic talent and resources in this Region- all of you contribute to our success and I hope you are as enthusiastic and proud to be a part of it as I am!

The where, when, why and how we have all come to be Sweet Adelines is as varied as each of us, but the reason we stay is simple and universal- belonging to this organization is fulfilling a need. Be it musical, social, administrative, creative, personal growth, educational or any one of the many other benefits, there is no doubt that our lives have been immeasurably enriched by being members. The best thing we can all do for our Region is be Membership Ambassadors, so I hope that you continue to encourage the women you interact with in your daily lives to come check us out!

I am always available for any questions you may have, ideas you want to share or anything else you need, so don't hesitate to get in touch!

In Harmony,

Andrea Thorne-Percy- I am Sweet Adelines
In This Issue
Region 16 Newbies!
Buffalo Gateway Welcomes...
  • Amanda Sheriff
  • Jamie Lawson
Durham Shores Welcomes...
  • Libby Dollar
Orangeville Chorus Welcomes...
  • Jen Ballantyne
  • Shelley Ballantyne
  • Karen Evans
  • Barb Reynolds
  • Heather Sheridan
North Metro Welcomes...
  • Ines Ribeiro
  • Jenna Kellas
  • Grace Kahle
  • Stacy Hugman
  • Claire McMartin
  • Susan Sanders
Pineridge Chorus Welcomes...
  • Cydele Fadeeva
  • Lara Newman
  • Kim Stokes
Past Publications
Click on the link below to see past issues of the Sixteenth Notes

Upcoming Events
Komedy Kwartet 2016! 
Wednesday June 8th, 2016
hosted by
Durham Shores Chorus
Click HERE for more information on this social evening full of fun and laughter!
Come join us as a participant, or just as an audience member!
Regional Contest is fast approaching. Here are a few information items to share with you all.
  • As listed in the Regional January e-blast about competition, the registration deadline for quartets to compete is FEBRUARY 15th.
  • The order of appearance will be posted on the SAI website on Feb 22nd.
  • The other deadline that affects us is the photo and DVD order form and payment to Liz Gibbs by March 1st.
Other exciting news: The quartet that wins in April will be invited to assist Spritzer as faculty at the Quartet School in Oshawa Ontario, June 3rd and 4th. Anyone who wins a blue ribbon will have lots to share on the steps required to win one. I hope it is on your calendar.

And also a wee reminder that Facebook has a Reg 16 Quartet page for any internal fun and connection. Look for us out there in cyberspace.

You do not have to be in a registered quartet... just interested in quartetting!
 
Paula Allen
Region 16 Quartet Coordinator
   
Young Women In Harmony "Day Camp"
Nov 2015  
Submitted by Nancy Watson
What a fantastic day we had (in Kingston)!  
The day camp ran in conjunction with the Lake Ontario Region 16 fall music school.  We had 26 YW register.   Four were the awesome  "The Hidden Fifth" from Buffalo, NY, one was from Northumberland Chorus (Cobourg,ON) and the rest were  from the Greater Kingston area.    One was 8 yrs old, one was 9 yrs old and the balance were between 11 and 25 yrs old!  Greater Kingston Chorus  members Margaret  Wheatley, Debbie Millan, and Sue Marriott contributed largely to local publicity - including the use of social media.   Many thanks to Vanessa Patterson for including the YW in her "Stamina" physical warm ups on Saturday morning.  They loved it!      
The songs "Happy" and "Roar" were a hit!   Both arrangements were generously donated by Elaine Gain for the EXCLUSIVE use at this event.  People wanting to use either of these arrangements for future events must contact Elaine.  elainegain@xplornet.ca   Learning tracks were generously donated by Donya Metzger for exclusive use by the adult section leaders for this event.  People wanting to use them for future events must contact Donya.  Music and learning tracks were not issued to the YW prior to the day camp.  These YW learn quickly!  
Neon coloured T-shirts were issued over the lunch hour and Denise Kingsbury (Greater Kingston Chorus) generously donated the stencils & spent her whole lunch hour ironing on the stencils.    The T-shirts were a huge success.   They loved the neon colours & signing each other's shirts. 
The YW were eager to learn, very well behaved, and enjoyed each other's company no matter what the age difference.   Laughter and energy was evident ALL day!  A couple of YW were initially very quiet and withdrawn but within a few hours they were participating wholeheartedly.
The YW performed for Region 16 fall music school attendees.  It was fantastic that the parents/guardians were invited to have front row seats! 
"Many hands make light work".  Because we had a good number of adults to teach the songs to the YW it enabled the adults to enjoy some time with the YW AND still attend the classes of their choice at the fall music school. 
MANY thanks to:   
Tenors:  Geri Loukes ( Durham Shores), Andria Coward  (Greater Kingston)   and Julie Sykes (Canadian Showtime)  
Leads:    Kathy Wakeman (Director Image City Sound),  Naureen Mohamed (section leader Lake Effect Harmony) and Sandie Nason (Director Canadian Showtime)   
Baritones:   Denise Kingsbury (Greater Kingston) and Janet Cadman (Canadian Showtime)    
Basses:    Liz Gibbs (Canadian Showtime) ,Kathleen Hickey (Canadian Showtime)  and Joan Borden (Director Orangeville)  
 "Roar"  Directed by Sue Marriott (Ass't Director Greater Kingston Chorus)
"Happy"  Directed by Nancy Watson (Co-Director Greater Kingston Chorus)
We truly "Harmonized the World" on this day!  It was a blast!    Thanks to everyone!  
  
Pineridge members really enjoy reading the news from other Region 16 Choruses. It looks as if everyone was very busy leading up to Christmas!
 
Pineridge Chorus also booked a number of events in November and December. We performed at 4 different Senior's Residences, and can definitely echo the sentiments of Canadian Showtime Chorus. The residents were always happy to see and hear us, and loved to be able to sing along with some of their favourite carols. Our programme included an audience participation version of The 12 Days of Christmas. It was great fun to perform was really enjoyed by everyone.

In addition, we sang several times in stores in our community, helping to put their shoppers in a Christmas mood. The attached photo shows us in our Christmas garb, which added to the festive spirit.

But our Main Event was the Pineridge Chorus 30th Anniversary Open House, which was held on Monday, 07 December at the historic Uxbridge Music Hall. We had a full house, including our Deputy Mayor and Mayor, who presented the Chorus with a Special Certificate commemorating our 30 years as part of the Uxbridge Community. Charter and past Chorus members were present, as well as members of nearby Choruses. One of our talented members made a beautiful Anniversary Cake. We shared some of our Chorus history with our audience by decorating the hall with past Chorus costumes. A real highlight of our celebration was a performance by Region 16 Quartet Champions S.L.A.M.! Their performance was greatly enjoyed by everyone.

For the next two weeks, we have Guest Nights at our regular rehearsals, as well as SKYPE coaching sessions on 2 nights. So we're sure the time will fly by until April, when we look forward to seeing everyone in Syracuse! Happy Singing in 2016!

Chris Musselman and Gerry Morrison
It's A Good Day!!!
 
It's an upbeat song, full of positivity and Canadian Showtime Chorus's new mantra! After an engaging and energetic physical warm-up, resonator-opening vocal warm-up, we roll into "It's A Good Day" because any day we are together is indeed a Good Day!!
 
Choruses all over the world will relate to this - we live the hype of competition and take well-deserved breaks after returning home. Often, this is a turning point for some and CSC is no different. After much soul searching and for various personal reasons, we have bid farewell to a number of members in the last few months. We miss them and wish them the best in their new journeys. We look forward to seeing them in the audience or in our rehearsal hall for upcoming events! We'll always be family!!
 
On the flip side, we also welcomed new members to our risers. Enthusiasm and energy radiate from their very beings and infects everyone around - brings back fond memories of my first night on the risers, passing my audition and experiencing my first coaching session with Big Jim Casey 20 years ago! Welcome aboard ladies - fasten your seatbelts and get set for one joyous ride!
 
January was all about planning and celebrating as Canadian Showtime turned 32 this month! A perfect time to take a retrospective look and rethink who we are, who we want to be and where we want to go! At the heart of it all is being true to our art form, our mission and our core values - commitment and respect!! Under the leadership of our management team and our chorus director and her musical team, we have a healthy and bright future and we are soaring! Take this past weekend's coaching sessions with the one - the only - Joe Connelly for instance!
 
Tough to see the end of a month sometimes but not when that means our friend Joe will be in the house! The Friday session started with reconnecting, sharing and our showing off the work we have done on our contest ballad and uptune since he last saw us. Sandie and he are in constant communication between coaching sessions - they brainstorm - they plan - and he was impressed with the progress made on both songs; our ballad in particular as it is somewhat new and as yet unveiled to our Sweet Adelines community! Before we knew it, it was time to head home in preparation for a full day of coaching on Saturday! A nuance here, an embellishment there, the introduction of swag to our character, embracing the swing in the lyric and putting the appropriate emphasis on the choreo moves to match all, contributed to the goose flesh and raised hairs on the back of the neck that took over the risers by end of day. Wow! Impressive work! Love our new sound and newfound determination! Can't wait to show the Region at Spring contest! J
 
We ended our coaching session on a very special note. Tag singing with Joe Connelly! He taught us "Why Did You Break My Heart" - the only tag he ever wrote, some 15 years ago. We stood in a circle around him and Sandie, learned each voice part and made beautiful music together. But there is more to this story! Unbeknownst to Joe, Brian Hogan wrote a song around this beautiful tag and sent him the chart a couple of years ago!! How special is that!?
 
So much to look forward to! New people in new roles - new level work to be accomplished - new rehearsal techniques - renewed commitment to soar to the next level! We look forward to seeing all of our Region 16 sisters in harmony at Convention in Syracuse in April! Enjoy the ride!!
 
JD Crowe
 
    
 
 
 
Warm winter greetings from your friends at York Harmony Chorus 
 
 
 
YHC Saves Christmas!It was late November when the YHC elves returned from their tropical vacations ready to build toys for Santa. But five of the elves lost their ears while they were away and EVERYONE KNOWS you can't build toys without your ears! They had to find them, and fast! Santa helped the elves by giving them clues which sent them on a musical journey where they learned the true magic of Christmas and found their ears. Christmas was saved!  
 
Annual holiday celebrationOur annual end-of-year holiday gala was held at the Red Crest Golf Course in Newmarket. After feasting on a buffet of turkey and all the fixin's, we were entertained by YHC's version of Lip Sync Battles. Many greats were impersonated including The Spice Girls, Nancy Sinatra, Haynes Sisters, to name a few. Even one of the husbands donned a blonde wig to participate in lip-syncing Leader of the Pack! And to top off the evening, we welcomed 6 newbies into the YHC family.  

 
Christmas by Lamplight, Black Creek Pioneer Village On the last weekend before Christmas, we travelled south to sing at beautiful Black Creek Pioneer Village in the north end of Toronto. We sang in the Fisherville Church where the acoustics of the 1856 timber-frame building gave our repertoire a special 'ring'.
Here we grow again! We are proud to announce that 8 ladies have chosen YHC as their SA home. With warm wishes, we welcome Jill Gillespie (Bass), Karina Bryant (Lead), Kelly Nesbitt (Lead), Marion Campbell (Lead), Mary Jo Lemme (Lead), Mary Linden (Lead), Melanie Coulter (Tenor), Morag Harvey (Bari)

Last, but by no means least...
Patricia Blake It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of YHC member Pat Blake. Pat had been a dedicated member since 2009, enthusiastically supporting any project that needed a helping hand. As our Membership Coordinator, she was the first person many new candidates interacted with when deciding to join YHC. You might remember her cheesecakes and the beautiful necklaces she made by hand that were proudly sold at vendor tables at SA and chorus events. Pat was an integral part of the harmonic fabric of our chorus and she, and her lovely bass voice, will be missed dearly.
 
In harmony, Brenda Lock, YHC Communications Coordinator

 
 
Greater Kingston Chorus is always busy with coaching, singing, playing and just enjoying each other. Here are a few of the things that we were involved with this fall and Christmas Season.
Coaching with Joan Boutilier
Joan was new to us as a coach. She was a pleasure to work with - a coach with such class and encouragement. She encouraged us in such a positive way that each member felt special. New ideas and hints were welcomed by GKC. Lots to work on!
Choralpalooza
Sunday after coaching with Joan, we went to sing with 750 other Kingston Singers at the Esabel Bader Centre, a Queens University music centre. For a second year, many singing groups from all over Kingston and area came together to rejoice in song. All 15 groups sang in either the performance hall or in the lobby for 15 minutes each. It was an exciting experience and one to be continued for years to come.
Christmas Show-A Partridge and a Pear tree
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge and a pear tree."
This year we had a fun and lively Christmas Show with a saxophone quartet, our guest performers. Partridges were hung on a pear tree, the saxobells played Christmas music and a former member with her husband performed a hilarious skit about the twelve days before Christmas. We saw smiles, tears and heard laughter while we sang to a packed house. The show finished with a chocolate for everyone. A great way to start off the Christmas season!
Christmas Party
Christmas would not be Christmas without our special party. Funny skits, newbees performing a poem, quartets singing and as a special treat a couple of members played a duet. Our party is always a feast with folic and fun for all.
Coaching with Erin Howden
Just recently, we were coached by Erin Howden. She brings her enthusiasm and positive support. Members were encouraged to sing with freedom and feeling. "Perform like Macbeth", she said. One can never get enough of Erin. She creates excitement the minute she walks in the room.
Now we continue to get ready for competition and help the newbees along the way. It is a very exciting time for all of us. Watch out Region 16. We are hot to trot for the gold metal!
41ST Annual Regional Convention
"INTO THE SPOTLIGHT" 

Watch your inboxes for e-Blasts from our Regional Convention Team!

These emails are packed full with all of the convention information that you need to know!

Did you miss the January e-Blast? 
Click HERE to see it again!

Sweet Adelines Region 16
Sue Heighway - Communications Coordinator