Volume 43, #2 Serve With Purpose 2015 Visit http://sldsmokesignals.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Mar/Apr 2015 Seneca Land District Leadership Team © 2015 SMOKE SIGNALS is the official publication of the Seneca Land District, Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, Inc., dba Barbershop Harmony Society. It is published bi-monthly, appearing online at www.senecaland.org/ and printed & mailed to members Send comments, inquiries or submissions to: Seneca Land District Bulletin Smoke Signals Editor - Pat Close 5 Fourth Ave, Franklinville N.Y. 14737 716-912-4795 [email protected] ADVERTISING RATES Business Card (6 issues) $35 Quarter Page (per issue) $50 Half Page (per issue) $100 Full Page (per issue) $150 Back Page (3/4 pg per iss) $165 2015 SLD Events Leadership Academy: January 17th, 2015 Spring Convention: April 17-18-19, 2015 Pow Wow: July 17-18, 2015 Chautauqua Serenade: August 23, 2015 Fall Convention: September 25-26-27, 2015 Leadership Retreat: October 30-31, 2015 Page 2 President Exec. VP C.O.O. Secretary Treasurer I.P.P. BOD BOD BOD BOD VP C&J VP CDD VP Events VP Fun VP Franchising VP Frat. Outreach VP Fundraising VP Human Res VP Marketing/PR VP Membership VP Youth VP Home School VP CSLT VP Music Allegheny DVP Appalachian DVP Catskill DVP Ontario DVP DISTRICT BOARD Bob Coant [email protected] Zelesnikar [email protected] Pete Carentz [email protected] Tom Jones [email protected] Glenn Sparling [email protected] Eric Saile [email protected] Warren Capenos [email protected] Nate Bell [email protected] Don Stothard [email protected] Pat Close [email protected] DISTRICT OPERATIONS TEAM Don Stothard [email protected] Nick DiLorenzo [email protected] Todd Horton [email protected] Larry Brennan [email protected] ~ ~ Jim Eldridge [email protected] Steve Harrington [email protected] ~ ~ Jay Holman [email protected] John Rice [email protected] --Matt Fruth [email protected] John Schoonover [email protected] Jerry Knickerbocker [email protected] Jim Barickman Bobby Porter Tom Jones David Bay [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] DISTRICT COMMITTEES AND APPOINTMENTS AHSOW Mike Ebbers [email protected] Archives/History Bob Coant [email protected] B.O.T.Y. Brian Mayeu [email protected] Chautauqua George Jarrell [email protected] Ethics David Lawson [email protected] District Directory Editor Jim Barickman [email protected] Finance Warren Capenos [email protected] Financial Review Don Morgan [email protected] Hall of Fame (HOF) Bob Fuest [email protected] 5th Man Fred Burne [email protected] Music Man Eric Saile [email protected] Nominations Skip Berenguer [email protected] SLAQC Kevin Jones [email protected] Smoke Signals /Conv prgm Pat Close [email protected] Standing Ovation Prg Mike Lurenz [email protected] Services Chairman Butch Talada [email protected] Endowment Fund Chair Butch Talada [email protected] Web Master Jay Holman [email protected] We Sing to Feed Them All Chair - Ed Blaine [email protected] Laws & Regs Nate Bell [email protected] SLD Chefs David Lewis [email protected] Butch Talada [email protected] Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals Life is too short...it really is! by Bob Coant, SLD President The nature of this article is going to hit home and hopefully with the intent it is intended for by me. I will do my very best not to mention any names at all because it really isn't about the people, rather the incidences and general, overall attitudes within the district. Since my last term as District President some 17 years ago (1997-98), I have seen and noticed a change in attitude in our hobby. I wish I could say it's been a good change but it hasn't. I have noticed that many of our members are so critical of district (and chapter) leadership. Much of this criticism comes in the form of e-mails, letters, texts, social media and phone calls. Leaders, (for the most part) are very hard working people, giving of their time unselfishly. Last year, one of our district leaders received a letter that he shared with me that was downright nasty. The letter was unsigned with only a postmark which I won't share with you. Here's another example: Two weeks ago I was preparing to attend Mr. Dick Grapes' 90th birthday party and the weather in Fulton was deplorable. My wife (obviously for my own safety) questioned me: "Are you sure you really want to venture out?" I told her it was quite necessary and as we now all know, Mr. Grapes passed away one week to the day and then Lynne said to me that she was so happy I made the decision to make the trip against her wishes. I guess what I am saying here is that we are allowing our real-life society (not BHS "Society") tarnish our thoughts and feelings towards our fellow brother & sister barbershoppers. When we leaders make an error or mistake, it takes minutes for someone to point it out. It's kind of like the person(s) that cannot wait to point out typos in written documents. Instead, how about saying: "Thanks for taking the time putting this in writing for us, for OUR benefit, etc.?" I cannot tell you how many times I have heard complaints backstage (mostly from the competitors) during competitions of how this or that could be better, or why can't you do this or that for me right now, etc., etc.? Again, why not say: "Thanks so very much for YOU giving up YOUR time for US so WE can enjoy the weekend convention??? The same could be said about the people that run Pow-Wow, Leadership Academy, HX Camp, the various district programs, etc. These people are working, busting their cans for YOU, the attendee. Would you like to have a whole new appreciation for what they do, why not YOU step up and put YOUR time in some of these events??? If you do have an idea or suggestion, please share it but please do it in a kind, caring way. Please drop the criticism and sarcasm. I truly hope that we don't allow the nastiness we experience everyday around us creep into the hobby we all love so much. We have lost SEVEN SLD people (Walt Holt, Maggie Swift, Glenn Jewell, Peter McDonnell, Dick Grapes, Sal Sciandra and Del Zerkle) in just the last couple of months so you see, life really IS much too short to treat our fellow members with anything less than respect and love! Bob Coant, SLD President VP Fraternal Outreach “Serve With Purpose” really fits into what we as Barbershoppers can do. President Bob is so right. No matter what size your Chapter is you can do great things within your community. You need to make contact with other Service Clubs and organizations within your area. These include Lions Clubs International, Kiwanis, Rotary, Sertoma, Exchange and Zonta. The focus right now is on working with Lions Clubs International. Having been a Lion for 15 years, they do much more in their communities than provide eye exams and collect eyeglasses. Our music can help us work together to raise funds and keep Barbershop Harmony in the forefront of community activities. The Warren Chapter with the aid of Jerry Knickerbocker contracted with the Titusville Lions Club for several years putting on a package show. They got the venue, sold advertising and tickets, as well as, putting on the Afterglow. Your Chapter can offer to put on a benefit show, allowing the Lions or any other community organization to set it up. Together you work and volunteer to benefit your community and other communities in your area with no Barbershop Chapter. Then you are able to do what you do best, sing and share your hobby. Who knows you might gain some new barbershoppers. Please contact me via phone or email if I can help. Jim Eldridge Smoke Signals [email protected] Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 3 WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR YOUR CHAPTER? by Eric Saile, [email protected] How about that as possible theme for the next SLD Leadership Academy! That would align with the 2016 District theme “SERVE, WITH PURPOSE”. This idea can offer an alternative approach for SLD leadership development that works off our new theme, and takes it right to the guys so they can serve their chapter with a purpose. We need to do a better job aligning the “gifts” each man has with the job description of what he is doing, for the best possible match, and get the best result! Some elements of this approach would be to: Identify the WHY of the District, Chapter, and Member (tie to 2014 theme). Talk about HOW the Chapter works, and views of the management team. Talk about the WHAT the Chapter is working on as goals for 2016. Identify the purpose of each job in the Chapter (or District). Identify the strengths of each leader. Talk about what happens when leaders choose “NOT to serve”. Talk about what happens when leaders serve but “NOT with purpose”. Discuss what it looks like to really “Serve, With Purpose” in general. Discuss what it is to “Serve, With Purpose” in your specific position. Last year at the Leadership Retreat, Peter Carentz gave the District leaders a test to identify our strengths, so that we could then match our strengths to our job profiles. Some of us did a special exercise called “Strength Finders 2.0”, a system by Tom Rath, which through a battery of questions, pinpoints your top five strengths. I think we need to continue that matching process through the Chapter management level. The results show what you can do best, and with a correct match, you can have fun doing your job because it comes naturally to you -- no work, just sharing your natural gifts because you have the right job! The premise is we utilize people for their strengths. Instead of just taking the first volunteer, the chapters would all be more successful if we can make sure they all have the right man for the job. It was fun taking the test, I knew Pete and I are similar, but I was surprised that we matched on 4 of our top 5 strengths (there are 34 recognized strengths all together). I was a High School Librarian, which was a great match for my skill set and strength profile, which led me to a successful, enjoyable, rewarding career. We can experience that same level of success doing a better job matching men with the chapter jobs. fraternity group of singing friends. Pete just told me at “Dick Grapes’ final afterglow” that he met a lady that has lived in Webster NY all her life AND SHE HAS NEVER HEARD OF THE ROCHESTER CHAPTER! Ouch! Don’t let that happen to you. Be proud of our hobby and give back to your neighbors. Sing more in more places! It looks like more chapters are contributing articles and photos to our Smoke Signals, making it a real pleasure to read. Thank you to the guys that are sending in material about chapters getting involved with community activities. That is a big part of our WHY, and it is a great example to everyone of what can be done to reach out. We need more stories to share about how we all can SERVE, WITH PURPOSE. Pat Close said I was one of the first dozen to opt-out of receiving a hard copy of the publication. If enough of us with computers do that, it could save us some money. It works for me and I enjoy getting my full color copy even before it goes to press. I can look anything up in the District archives that I need to reference with no problem. I have told family members, potential members, and past members they can read it on line free of charge at our District website senecaland.org even if they are not members of SLD or the Society. Hopefully the past members, guys that left for any reason, will read about something they miss, have a fond memory about, or would like to take part in, and just may come back! Things change, people change, chapters change, and they should be ENCOURAGED to come back and try singing again! As your new Music Man Chairman, I will be working with Kevin Jones and the members of SLAQC, the Seneca Land Association of Quartet Champions, to provide coaches for ANY quartets or choruses that would like some FREE COACHING. These quartet champs have all been on stage during contests and have done several performances, PLUS they have been coached by the best, and have successfully focused their natural talent to work as a team to WIN. They would love to share their experiences with you. One of the available CHAMPIONS will be matched to your needs, and the District will reimburse his travel expenses! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? I already have requests from a quartet in the north and a chorus in the south for free coaching. There will be more information about this in the next Smoke Signals! Ground Hog Day has always been one of my favorite holidays … it’s a great opportunity for me to take a peek out of my cozy hole and see if it is safe to come out and play, or not! It has been a long winter, with several days in a row below freezing. I remember snow banks this high when I was a kid, but I may have been shorter then !!! I don’t think we can wait until the snow melts or Spring comes to bust another chord! By the way, they gave that job to the groundhog because he is a natural pessimist … will it be 6 more weeks of winter, or just a month and a half? Honestly, most chapters can’t wait much longer for their officers and Boards to get up and go, to get excited about our hobby and share their wonderful gift of singing with the community. Usually it’s the music team or Director that creates a reason to get better and strive to improve. Whatever it takes, get out there be seen and make yourselves known. There are honestly guys in your community who would love to sing and be part of a Eric Page 4 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals SCHEDULE & JUST SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES... Spring Convention Schedule Geneva, NY HQ Hotel: Ramada Inn Contest Venue: Geneva High School th Friday, April 17 , 2015 Ramada Inn Registration Opens: 2pm Barbershop Shop Opens: 2pm (Geneva Room) Fun Activities: 2:00 pm: AHSOW (Woodshedding) – Hotel Room Number TBD 3:00 pm: Pick up Quartet Contest (Ballroom B&C) Geneva High School 7:30 pm Quartet Semi-Finals Quartet Evaluations immediately following Contest Ramada Inn 10:00 pm Chorditorium (Hotel Restaurant) Seneca Land District’s 3rd Semi-Annual Parade of Pick-up Quartets th Saturday, April 18 , 2015 Ramada Inn 9:00 am: VLQ Contest (Ballroom B&C) Geneva High School 12:00 pm: Chorus Contest 2:30 pm: Chorus Evaluations (Round 1) 3:30 pm: Chorus Evaluations (Round 2) (Times for evals are subject to change based upon the number of contestants) Ramada Inn 5:30pm: District Buffet (Ballroom) Geneva High School 7:30 pm: Quartet Finals 9:00 pm: Show of Shows Ramada Inn 10:00 pm: Afterglows th Sunday, April 19 , 2015 Ramada Inn 9:00 am: House of Delegates Meeting (Hotel Ballroom) o o o When: Friday, April 17th at 3:00 pm (Main Ballroom) Where: Ramada Inn, Geneva Who: Any Barbershopper that likes to sing in a Quartet Quartets will be randomly put together, quartets will have twenty minutes to practice Sign up by registering online (See E-Blast Email) or in person at 2:30 pm at the Hotel! I received a request from our incredible district Endowment Fund Chairman, Butch Talada. Butch asks me to remind you that he sure could use donations for the raffle table for our upcoming Spring convention in Geneva, NY the weekend of April 17-19, 2015. The Smoke Signals article I wrote for the Nov/Dec 2014 issue was entitled: "Help For Butch". I hope you all had an opportunity to read it, if not, would you go back and read it? It basically talks about the fantastic job that Butch does for each and EVERY convention for the past 18 years. Butch stands at his raffle table throughout the entire convention and pretty much stays there all weekend except for the few minutes he gets on stage to perform with his quartet and chorus. So, as your District President, I am asking you to "Please Help Butch" by considering bringing an item or two that can be raffled. Bob Coant [email protected] Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 5 The H. Philip Lambrinos VLQ Contest When: Saturday, April 18th at 9:00 am (Room TBA) Where: Ramada Inn, Geneva Main Ballroom Who: Any Chapter VLQ (very large quartet) Each VLQ to sing 2 songs (one barbershop and one non-barbershop song) Sign up by registering online (See upcoming E-Blast) or in person at 8:30 am at the hotel Our current "VLQ District Champion", “Men in Tune” from the Binghamton chapter won in Fall of 2014 and are prepared to once again defend their championship (they’ve won 2 years in a row). All chapters are welcome to enter as many VLQs as they wish. It’s all in good fun with yet another outlet for men to sing. Very Large Quartets can be the foundation of good singing in your chapter. They can also help cover many chapter singouts when you can’t get the whole chorus there. I encourage you to start a VLQ in your chapter. The benefits will be HUGE! Here’s an idea, why not get your chapter’s board to sing as a VLQ? Just for the FUN of it; Larry Brennan PS: Our Celebrity Judges will be none other than our Current District Champs- COLD SNAP Seneca Land District would like to welcome "BSQ" quartet from the Mid Atlantic District (M-AD) to our Spring Convention / Contest. They will be "competing out of district" and we are pleased that they chose SLD as their home away from home! Please say hello and welcome! Page 6 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals SLD ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES! Promote your Barbershop related Upcoming shows Chorus & Quartet activities Youth In Harmony events Help celebrate anniversaries , someone special, Advertise for support Chapter or Quartet fundraisers Or just say "GOOD LUCK" to your favorite contestants SLD District Convention Program Quarter page - $30 Half page - $60 Full page - $100 Inside covers - $125 Back cover - $150 Your ad needs to be a PDF, JPG, or PNG, something that can be scaled for the program (4 X 8 inches) Deadline for Ads is MARCH 29, 2015 No Ad will be honored without payment being submitted! Make check payable to: Seneca Land District Mail to: Pat Close 5 Fourth Avenue Franklinville, NY 14737 Phone: 716-912-4795 (c) In Harmony Pat Close Convention program and Smoke Signals Editor Smoke Signals SMOKE SIGNALS ADVERTISING RATES Business Card (6 issues) $35 Quarter Page (per issue) $50 Half Page (per issue) $100 Full Page (per issue) $150 Back Page (3/4 pg per iss) $165 Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 7 This is a request from backstage manager, Rick Collins asking for interested volunteers to act as quartet and chorus runners for the upcoming Spring convention. It's a very easy job and a ton of fun as well as helping the district and our competitors in a big way! If interested, please contactRick Collins at:[email protected] 585-957-0225 I received a request from a fellow SLD member last evening. His name is Bill Farewell and he is a member of the Onondaga County chapter. Bill is blind and attends Harmony University each year. He asked me if I could send the info out that he is looking for a fellow SLD person that might be attending HU this summer and would like to share a room with him as well maybe assist him getting around a bit. Bill is VERY independent and does very well but just needs a little assistance from time to time. If you can assist, please contact Bill directly at: 315-396-0441 (home), 315-395-9817 (cell) or e-mail him at:[email protected] Bob Coant An open letter from Lois Jewell; I wanted to personally thank each and every one of you who came to Glenn's funeral and sang your hearts out. And to those who wanted to be there but couldn't, I thank you also for I know you were there in spirit. It was beyond beautiful and I could never thank you enough for raising your voices in Glenn's memory. I heard so many comments from those who were there praising your singing, saying they had never heard the Lord's Prayer sung so well. On a personal note, I loved hearing "Heart of My Heart" as it was Glenn's very favorite barbershop song, and mine as well. Again, our deepest thanks, Lois and all of Glenn's family Page 8 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals Fellow Seneca Landers, Fellow Seneca Landers, For the seventh time in as many weeks, I have the sad announcement of the passing of another Seneca Land District family member. Although he has not been active in many years, Del Zerkle was a brother SLD barbershopper. He was lead of our 1976 SLD Quartet Champions, The Personal Touch. I apologize about the timing of this announcement but I just received word two days ago. It is with great emotion that I announce the passing of Walter S. Holt on December 26th, 2014, just after 11 PM. Surrounded by his family and loved ones in a calm, serene setting of live music, vocal harmony, candlelight, and the rich scent of bay evergreen, Dad was finally released from earthly bondage to join that Great Barbershop Quartet in the sky. He was 93. Delbert Allen Zerkle, 81, of Cortland, passed away Saturday, December 13, 2014 at St Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse NY. He is the son of Ora and Goldie Zerkle, born December 17, 1932 in Waterloo, Indiana. In his early years, Mr. Zerkle served in the Navy 1952 thru 1956, and served on the USS Midway. He met his wife, Leona Weixel at a dance in Seattle Washington, and married in November 1956. Del retired from Monarch Machine Tool in 1998 and enjoyed spending his time playing golf. He also enjoyed singing and was in a number of Barbershop Quartets throughout the years. Anyone acquainted with Walt knew that he only ever cared about three things in life: his country, his family, and his barbershop music -- and not necessarily in that order! To know Dad was to know his love for four-part harmony singing -- and telling a good joke. An icon and true original, I have always said that "all Dad ever really needed was an audience." A Celebration of Life/Memorial Service will be held here in SWFL on Thursday, January 22nd at Happahatchee Nature EcoSanctuary - and later on in the summer, a Military Funeral and Interment of Ashes will be held graveside at Erie Memorial He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Leona (Weixel) Zerkle, Gardens in PA. and their daughter Pamela Zerkle-Stoffle and their son, Brent Zerkle. Del is also survived by his brother Dwight Zerkle and If your life and heart were touched by Dad's music, in lieu of his sister Karen (Zerkle) Slone, four grandchildren; and many flowers, I invite you to contribute to the Walter S. Holt Memorial Barbershop Fund, which supports the Harmony close friends. Foundation, a corporate partner of BHS (Barbershop Calling hours will be Tuesday, December 16 from 5 to Harmony Society). 6:45p.m. at Wright Beard Funeral Home, 9 Lincoln Avenue, Cortland, NY, with services starting at 7:00 p.m. A private Your loving donation, great or small, will provide for a special burial will be held in Waterloo, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, youth outreach curriculum affording kids the opportunity to contributions may be made in his memory to Abundant Life attend a Barbershop summer camp program where they learn Church, 105 Elm Street, Cortland, NY 13045. The family to sing four-part a cappella harmony, including professional wishes to extend their gratitude to St. Joseph's Hospital, vocal instruction in singing technique and stage presence. I could not think of a better way to honor Dad's memory and Syracuse NY. To offer online condolences visit preserve his legacy. (Please pass it on.) http://www.wright-beard.com Meanwhile, sympathy cards and condolences may be sent to Mrs. Elspeth (Beth) Holt at Barrington Terrace, 9731 Commerce Center Ct, #309, Fort Myers, FL 33908. Or call the main line at 239-334-2500. Yours in Harmony, Online donations to the Harmony Foundation may be made Bob Coant at:https://www.harmonyfoundation.org/donorinfo.aspx?id=3 Seneca Land District , or by phone at 615-823-5611. President If you prefer good old-fashioned "snail-mail," please make friend of Del Zerkle checks payable to: Harmony Foundation ("Walter S. Holt Memorial Barbershop Fund" in the memo section) 110 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37203 Yours in Harmony, Bob Coant Seneca Land District President friend of Walt Holt Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 9 Fellow Seneca Landers, Fellow Seneca Landers, It is with great sadness that I again announce the passing of one of our members, Peter L. McDonnell. I ask that you keep Bev and her family in your thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time. It is with great sadness that I again announce the passing of one of our members, Sal Sciandra. Sal was a long-time Buffalo Chapter member and will be remembered by his infectious, huge smile. I always recall Sal as being one of the first men in SLD to register each year for the district HEP school at Alfred University. Please join me in sending condolences to Sal's immediate family as well as his barbershop family. Penfield: Jan. 27, 2015, age 71. Peter was a gentle man and a lover of all people who truly adored his family & friends. He is survived by his beloved wife of 31 years, Beverly (Turner); his daughter & son-in-law, Elizabeth and Mark Manning; his sister, Jessie Baco & brother, James McDonnell, both of Buffalo; mother-in-law, Madeline Turner; and Salvatore J. Sciandra, February 7, 2015, of Williamsville, at age 86, passed away after a long and courageous battle with numerous nephews, nieces, cousins and friends. Alzheimer's Disease. Peter was an active participant in and a patron of the arts. He was a 48-year member of the Barbershop Harmony Society Beloved husband of 61 years to Anna (nee Sebastiano) (Chorus of the Genesee), and had a longtime affiliation with Sciandra; devoted and caring father of Anne (Wayne) Siminski, Salvatore (Erin Sullivan) Sciandra, Maria Sciandra Pittsford Musicals, Inc. and Angelo Sciandra; proud and loving grandfather of Michael He loved galleries, lectures, performances of all kinds, and was (Elyse) Bauer, Salvatore Sciandra III, Christopher Bauer, always ready to travel. He very much enjoyed his career in the Anthony (Jen Cook) Sciandra, Nicolas Sciandra, Matthew world of beauty, working at Sibley's Salon, Continental School Sciandra, Austin Sciandra and Josh (Amanda) Siminski; greatof Beauty, and briefly at Shear Ego School. grandfather and papa of Michael, Zachary, Matthew and Liam; dear brother of Thomas (Gail) Sciandra and the late Mary Peter was the original lead of Empire Express. They were the (Patrick) Salvatore and Salvatrice (Frank) Mueller; also 1974 SLD Champions and represented SLD in Indianapolis in survived by several godchildren, nieces and nephews. 1975, finishing 17th. The family will be present to receive friends on Monday and On Friday, Feb. 6th, friends will be received at the Falvo Tuesday from 4-8 PM at the (Amherst Chapel) AMIGONE Funeral Home, 1295 Fairport Nine Mile Point Rd. (Webster FUNERAL HOME, INC., 5200 Sheridan Drive (corner of Rte. 250), 3-5 & 7-9 PM. A Celebration of Peter's Life will be Hopkins Rd.). held Saturday, Feb. 7th at 11 AM at Gathering at the Daisy Flour Mill, 1880 Blossom Rd., Rochester, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will celebrated on Wednesday from St. Mark R.C. Church, 401 Woodward Ave., Buffalo at 9:30 AM. Memorials may be directed to your favorite Arts organization Please assemble at church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may or to Penfield Volunteer Ambulance. be made to "Alzheimer's Association of WNY" or "HospiceBuffalo, Inc." Share condolences at www.AMIGONE.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/democratandchronicle/o bituary.aspx?n=peter-lmcdonnell&pid=174024378&fhid=27505#sthash.AJxYdiwV.d puf Rest in peace, Sal we will miss you! Yours in Harmony, Bob Coant Seneca Land District President friend of Sal Sciandra Bob Coant Seneca Land District President friend of Pete and Bev Page 10 Yours in Harmony, Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals Sunday, February 8, 2015 1:00 p.m. Event: Dick Grapes 90th surprise birthday party Where: Panes Restaurant, N. Tonawanda, NY (Dick's hometown) I received a phone call about two weeks prior from Jim Fretthold the gentleman that planned this surprise 90th birthday party for (as the sign says: "the man, the voice, the legend"), Dick Grapes inviting me to this very special event. Prior to attending, I was contacted by Dick's daughter (Lynne) and son (Rick). I promised I would attend their Dad's surprise birthday party and would take plenty of photos since they could not attend because they both live in Utah. For those who may not have been born in the past few weeks or so, Dick Grapes is the last surviving member of the famed Buffalo Bills barbershop quartet. I first had the honor of meeting Mr. Grapes when he was emceeing a barbershop show several years ago that Cornerstone was performing on. I say "honor" because anyone that has met Dick Grapes knows how very special this man is and the true legend that he really is. Since this first meeting, I further had the honor to know his wife Doris and Lynne and Rick. I even was shown Salt Lake City and the great Mormon Temple when we had the BHS convention in Salt Lake City in 2006. Sadly, we lost Doris, this grand, grand woman about five years ago. Dick emceed many Seneca Land District conventions and one of his all-time greatest saying when introducing me (Bob Coant) to people is: "I want you to meet my dear friend Bob Coant, two of the nicest gentlemen you'll ever meet!" Although this is quite a funny line, I know Dick really means it and I am so very proud to be considered a friend of Mr. Grapes. The afternoon began with a very bad snow and ice storm hitting the Buffalo area. When we left the Syracuse area, the weather was actually quite nice. We all arrived early and the small room filled with about 60 guests was filled to capacity. Dick arrived shortly after 1:00 p.m. and I'm unsure what or where he was told he was going but when he entered the room he was very surprised. I overheard Dick say to one gentlemen: "This is wonderful. I've never had anything like this happen to me before." Dick made his way around the room greeting each and every person in the room. A beautiful hot buffet was served and then the program began shortly after the meal. The Harmony Production Company quartet (with Skip Berenguer on bass) was brought in to entertain with several numbers for Dick. A special treat was when George Jarrell's granddaughter, Catelyn Gipe sang the very appropriate "Lida Rose" to Dick and did a splendid job. What a lovely voice! With very little prompting, the quartet asked Dick to join them singing and he did two songs: "My Wild Irish Rose" and "Heart of My Heart?" After the quartet entertained, ventriloquist, Larry Brennan did a few minutes with his two favorite puppets, Charlie & Gladys. Dick and the guests enjoyed both Harmony Production Company and Larry & friends very much. Due to the very in climate weather (which got much worse as the afternoon progressed), many people decided to get on the road early but not before "Happy Birthday" was properly sung for Mr. Grapes. What an incredible party for an absolutely prince of a Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 11 gentlemen. Thank you Dick Grapes for making all of our lives so much better from knowing you. We all hope to repeat this event again (except maybe for the weather!) again in ten years when we celebrate your centennial birthday! My personal thanks to Peter Carentz for getting me to and from Buffalo safely. Most of the return trip home was at just 35-40 mph and took us about 5 hours instead of 3. It really was horrible driving conditions and I thank you Pete! Bob Coant, SLD President and friend of Dick Grapes Fellow Seneca Landers, As promised, I am sending the updated information on the passing of Mr. Richard E. Grapes. Doris preceded Dick by five years but now they are eternally together. You were both wonderful people and will be greatly missed by us all! Richard E. Grapes age 90 of North Tonawanda passed away unexpectedly on Sunday February 15, 2015 at his residence. Born in North Tonawanda he was the son of the late Fred C. Grapes and Elizabeth Curtis Compton. Dick was the youngest of nine children and grew up in a warm and loving home. He attended Colonel Payne Elementary, Felton Grammar School and graduated from North Tonawanda High School in 1943.He served in the US Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. While stationed in Philadelphia, he met a pretty girl named Doris Adams. They corresponded during his time in service. After his discharge, he returned to Philadelphia and furthered his courtship. Dick and Doris were married November 30, 1946. They moved back to North Tonawanda and made it their lifelong home. Dick work in the paper and packaging industry for over 50 years with the Hubbs & Howe Co. and with Chudy Paper. He sang baritone with the Buffalo Bills Barbershop Quartet winning the International Championship of SPEBQSA in 1950. He fulfilled his lifelong dream to participate in football by becoming a high school official. He was also a swimming official. He was a charter member of the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame. He was the voice of the North Tonawanda High School Football Team for 51 years. He was honored to have the press box named the Dick Grapes Press Box in 2008. He was also a member of the "chain gang" on the sidelines of his favorite team the Buffalo Bills. He was a past president and life member of the Kiwanis Club of the Tonawanda's with 57 years of perfect attendance. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Beloved husband of the late Doris (Adams) Grapes for 64 years; Dear father of Evelyn (Jerry) Perkins of Orem, Utah, and Richard E. Grapes Jr. of Provo, Utah; Grandfather of Jared (Anne) Perkins, Elissabeth (David) Rees, Beth (Questin) Francis, Adam (Catherine) Perkins and McKay Perkins all of Utah; Rebekah (Cory) Crawford of Germany and Rachel Perkins of New York City Great grandfather of Grant, Hyrum, Jack, Hunter, Abby, Questin, Clare, Eden, Elliana, Isaac, Charlotte, Bryant, Caitlyn, Brynna, Brimley, Chase, Richard, Lily, Easton and Jane. Brother of the late Norman, Vernia, Donald, Olive, Edward, Suzette, Stanley and James. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Friends may call at the Fretthold Funeral Home Inc. 1241 Oliver St. at Ward Rd. in North Tonawanda on Thursday and Friday from 2-4 & 7-9 P.M. Funeral services will be held on Saturday at 10 A.M. from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1424 Maple Rd. Williamsville. Interment in Elmlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice. Yours in Harmony, Bob Coant Seneca Land District President friend of Dick and Doris Grapes Page 12 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals On February 14, 2015, Dick Grapes, baritone of the Buffalo Bills, passed away at his home in North Tonawanda, NY. At the wake held on Feb 20, members of the quartet Playback (Mike La Scala, tenor; Mike Holmes, lead; Mac Sabol, bari; Joel La Scala, bass) were in attendance and sang “It Is Well With My Soul” – Dick Grapes favorite hymn and the one song he specifically requested every year at the Friends of Harmony annual show afterglow. The quartet put their all into the song and I am sure that Dick would have been pleased. What happened following our quartet number, however, is something I will never, ever forget. Following Playback singing “It Is Well”, and as the children and grandchildren returned to visiting with other family and friends, one of the grandchildren – McKay Perkins – got together with Mike La Scala, Joel La Scala and their brother Christian La Scala to sing a bit in the main hallway. After going through a couple tags together (it was obvious that McKay loves barbershop music: he is from Utah, sings baritone with the Salt Lake City Saltaires, and obviously ADORED his Grandpa), Joel and Christian left for other engagements. The parts shifted and McKay got his twin brother Jared to sing lead. I “attempted” to sing bass, while Mike La Scala continued on tenor. We sang several polecats together. It was a blast to hear what genetic engineering can do to create expanded sound – frankly, it didn’t matter how little one could hear my bass, it was that good. I could FEEL it. What I missed in my euphoria over the expanded sound experience, however, was that everyone had stopped talking in the adjacent rooms, had come out to the hallway to see what was going on, and began to engage in the hallway festivities. Some began singing, some began tweeting on their Smartphone, some were videotaping (must be on Face book somewhere), some were just taking it all in and swaying in harmony. But, no one was not engaged in some way. From that bit of tag-singing there arose this full-blown “Sing-Fest”, culminating with a family performance of “Lida Rose” (with most of the parts covered by Dick’s children and grandchildren, plus Mike La Scala and me for backup). It was at that point that I realized the true gift Richard Grapes had left for his family – the gift of barbershop song – and, even though Dick didn’t go with the quartet to Broadway, “Lida Rose” was THEIR song. It was also at that point that I realized that Mike La Scala and I had become “extended family members” and communicating with the language of barbershop. What an honor and a blessing! If “Singing is Life”, then I can attest that Dick Grapes is there with his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, and all those people whose lives he touched along the way. Thanks, Dick, for the memories and for an experience I will NEVER forget. I look forward to telling others about my experience and extending my family circle as well…. Mac Sabol Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 13 Page 14 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals Learning about the letter “P” in S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. In a previous article I talked about the power and demise of the letter “E” in our original name S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America). Ah yes, the forefathers of our hobby chose wisely. But did you know the letter “P” did not originally stand for preservation. Oh No! As I said, they chose wisely. The original word behind the letter “P” in our name was “propagation”. Here’s Webster’s definition: propagate- 1) to pass along to offspring 2) to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area: extend 3) to foster growing knowledge of, familiarity with, or acceptance of (as an idea or belief): publicize. In layman’s terms propagate is a verb meaning cause to spread. The short of it is our founding fathers believed that this thing called barbershop should spread. The known in every community by every man, woman, and child is a fraternal singing society whose purpose is to do good in their community using their special gift of four part harmony. Early members considered themselves charged with the propagation of this great thing called barbershop. And with Zeal unknown to us today they grew the society; man by man, chapter by chapter to over 30,000 men and 820 chapters. What happened to that zeal, that early mission and purpose? When did we become spectators to our hobby? When did we abdicate our personal responsibility to pass along the joy of barbershop to another? How many men have you heard utter the words “I wish I knew about this barbershop thing earlier in my life?” Maybe you said it yourself? That statement is a testament the importance members placed on the joy they’ve found singing and participating in barbershop and energizes me to ensure that others find this life changing hobby. What a great act of love and kindness each of us can give to another human being by exposing them to this thing called barbershop. How many men in your community could benefit from being a barbershopper? (Hint: all of them) Everywhere I look I see people in need of barbershop. The singing, the fun, the fraternity and doing good with our musical gifts. Yes, I embrace the original call to “propagate” this thing called barbershop. It’s like an evangelical mission! And I ask that YOU join me now as we go forth and propagate the Society. Let’s tell our friends, family and even strangers about this wonderful thing called barbershop. Invite everyone you know to a chapter meeting. Ask women if they know of any men who like to sing. There isn’t a better feeling of contentment than knowing that you helped someone discover and join the Society. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and “Propagate”! Yours in harmony, Pete Carentz News from the Seneca Land Association of Quartet Champions Newly elected SLAQC president, Kevin Jones is brightly optimistic about the future of this elite club. Kevin says this group of champs has much to offer the members of Seneca Land, and the district leadership. With a resurgence of interest by several of the group’s members fueling the drive, plans are afoot to become much more involved in activities during convention weekends. The popular SLAQC Hospitality Room will reappear in Geneva, hopefully with a larger venue and some snacks for guests. All quartets will be welcome to perform, and all barbershoppers are welcome to attend. SLAQC’s board of directors has already set in motion a complete rebuild of the memorial tribute to the champs who are now members of the chapter eternal. “Remembering those who showed us the way is a solemn obligation and should be done with dignity and respect, in the finest display possible” said Kevin at a recent SLAQC BOD net meeting. The board is calling on all members of SLAQC to watch for communication regarding this effort and to visit the group’s website at www.slaqc.org for more information. Future endeavors for this group include a fund raiser to benefit the International Convention attendees, a newly revamped coaching system that will be available to any SLD quartet or chorus, and an effort to update the roster info of all SLAQC members. Next edition: The Seneca Land Association of Quartet Champs welcomes its newest inductees: ColdSnap! Watch for an introduction and biography of these four very talented young guys who swept the competition on their first time out! Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 15 Seneca Land District Hall of Fame Criteria (6-6-14) I. PURPOSE: To give recognition to those men of the Seneca Land District who have made exceptional, long standing, unselfish, dedicated and devoted contributions to the Chapter, District and Society. This award shall serve to extol the virtues of such participation, responsibility, excellence and high ideals we hold in special regard and is intended to focus pride on these achievements. II. QUALIFICATIONS: Membership in the Hall of Fame shall be limited to those persons whose continuing contributions to the Seneca Land District span not less than 10 years. Their contributions may have been in various levels of organization: administrative, musical, or both. These levels include division, chapter, district and Society, and shall be in the nature of service and activities which have added to the overall well-being of the Seneca Land District and to the hobby known as "barbershop harmony." Recognition need not be limited to current Society members but the recognized service shall have been performed while the individual was a member of the Society and the Seneca Land District. The recipient need not be a currently active member, permitting the award to be presented to those who served with distinction but for some reason have retired from membership, moved or permitting the award to be presented posthumously. The basic criteria of qualifications could include, but is not limited to, the activities of quarteting, chorus directing, coaching, contest judging, composing, arranging, publishing, administrating, writing, promoting, teaching, philanthropy, etc., and preferably some combination of these. This shall be marked by unselfish, dedicated and devoted service. The fact that a nominee has, or has not, received the District B.O.T.Y. award has no bearing on his ability to be nominated to the Hall of Fame. However, he will not be considered for a period of ten years after receiving the District B.O.T.Y. award. III. SELECTION COMMITTEE: The Seneca Land District Hall of Fame Selection Committee shall consist of five members who are active members of the district and who reside in the district. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee is to be appointed by the District President. The committee shall consist of two "Hall of Fame" members and three members with ten or more years service in the Seneca Land District. To assure some continuity of effort and to benefit from past experience, it is recommended the "Hall of Fame" members serve a threeyear term, each selected on a rotating basis. After the first year, the "Hall of Fame" members on the committee shall be chosen from the past recipients of the Hall of Fame award who are willing to serve. If such recipient is not available or not willing to serve, the voting member shall be selected from those persons with ten or more years service in the Seneca Land District. Multiple members, such as a quartet, are eligible for this award and such groups would be permitted one member to be their representative on the committee. IV. NOMINATIONS: Any member of the district can make nominations of a person for induction into the Hall of Fame. A call for nominations will be made in the district publication, Smoke Signals and/or mass e-mail (Constant Contact) to the district membership and forwarded to the SLD Hall of Fame Committee. The description of achievements should be precise on dates, places, results, etc. and must provide sufficient credible information to substantiate the qualifications offered. Collaborating sources, such as publications or individuals, may be used. A specific person may be nominated more than once. If someone is nominated by more than one person, it shall be treated as a single nomination and the combined facts and information will be considered. A quartet shall be considered as one nominee. Deadline for nominations must be made no later than August 15th for the year nominated, and sent to the Hall of Fame Committee Chairman. Nominations not acted upon by the committee during a given year will be held on file for a period of three calendar years from date of submission, after which a new nomination form will have to be submitted to the committee for further action. V. SELECTION PROCEDURE: The selection committee shall meet (face-to-face, teleconference, e-mail or phone call) at least once per year at which time it shall review the nominations submitted. Four of the five voting members must approve the nomination of a candidate. At all times the award should be given only when clearly appropriate and most deserving. Up to three (3) nominees may be selected per year. VI. AWARD AND RECOGNITION: Presentation is to be made at the Fall district convention with an appropriate ceremony. Every effort should be made to have each of the inductees, or their designated representative or heir, present at the ceremony. Each inductee is to receive a permanent plaque and a memento of the occasion, which will be a special "Hall of Fame" badge. The District Historian shall maintain a scrapbook of Hall of Fame members and pertinent data, and the editor of the Smoke Signals shall feature inductees in the district publication. The names of the inductees shall be listed in the District Directory. Page 16 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT Rochester When Dana Caplash made her Valentine's Day hair appointment at Sorellas & Co. Salon in Pittsford, she knew she'd get a good haircut. She didn't, however, expect four smartly dressed men to come up to her and sing her a love song. When Stacey Gitsis went to her waitress job last Sunday at the Bay Front Restaurant in Irondequoit, she was clearly bewildered when four of her customers — dressed in tuxes and boutonnieres — took a break from their cheeseburgers and gathered around her at the counter to serenade her. Both ladies were the surprised, but happy, recipients of singing Valentines, delivered in beautiful four-part harmony by members of Webster's Chorus of the Genesee. Six different barbershop quartets from the Chorus of the Genesee made the rounds Valentine's Day weekend, delivering 40 musical gifts to ladies in restaurants, bowling alleys, workplaces and private homes all over the Rochester area. Well, they were mostly women. Dave Bay, who performed in Dana's quartet, "All In," and in Stacey's quartet, "Ra-Cha-Cha," said it's almost invariably a boyfriend or husband who orders the Valentine, and they almost always sing to women. "It's very unusual for us to sing to a guy," Dave said. "I know the guys appreciate the thought, but I don't think, quite frankly, that a guy enjoys four guys singing to him. It isn't in our wiring." Neither Dana's nor Stacey's Valentines fit that mold, however. Dana's sister arranged for hers. "I was completely taken off guard," Dana said. But it didn't take her long to figure out what was happening. When the quartet approached her, people started gathering around and pulling out their phones. "I thought, 'This looks like a community effort.” Then she was handed a long-stemmed rose, and the quartet broke into their first song, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." Stacey's Valentine came from two of her regular customers, Ellen and Duke Brooks. "They are the sweetest people," she said. "They're like my more-than-parents. They come to see me on Friday for a fish fry. I love them." The Chorus of the Genesee is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to preserving and promoting barbershop harmony. When they're not delivering Valentines, you'll find the group's 65 members rehearsing weekly at Webster's historic Harmony House, working on old barbershop standards and learning new songs. The Chorus also can be seen regularly all around the greater Rochester area, performing at sporting events, festivals, museums and nursing homes. A few of the chorus members are professional musicians, but most are just guys who love barbershop harmony and love to sing. And clearly, delivering singing Valentines is among one of their favorite things. Their grins were almost as big as those of the unsuspecting ladies. "The gals are always, always surprised," Dave said. "It's very sweet and very emotional for whoever the recipient is. "We kind of figure we haven't done our jobs if the woman isn't crying by the time we leave." Warsaw leaders On Tuesday February 3 the Warsaw Chapter met at the Lumberyard restaurant in Perry for their Installation of Officers dinner with chorus members and family. Early in the evening, the waitresses were serenaded with The Story of the Rose (Heart of My Heart). This must have been a tough audience; not only did the song not bring them to tears, there was no reduction in fare either! The chapter had fun with the Warsaw version of their favorite game, “I Can Name That Song … in 1 note”. Someone, not necessarily the same one would blow a Bb, a minute and a half discussion would ensue, then off the chapter would go. This gave great entertainment to the other patrons at the restaurant. Chapter President Linc Walkley made some brief remarks and Chorus Director Bob Fuest inducted two men into the chapter Hall of Fame: Bill Oliver, no longer with us and active in the chapter in the 50’s and 60’s, and Bruce Crane, decidedly both with us and very active. Dave Bay, the Ontario Division VP shared his thoughts on Encouragement in the context of S.P.E.B.Q.S.A. The stairway into the restaurant made great makeshift risers for the chorus for their energetic finale Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da. Dave Bay, Ontario Division VP Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 17 Maple City Chorus on the GO! There may be no sap running in the trees around the Maple City, but the Hornell chapter is ready to boil! The blizzard on Valentine’s Day caused us to postpone a couple deliveries, but nine men in four quartets delivered surprise, love, and joy in about a 75 miles radius of Hornell on Friday and Saturday. Yes, we had the outlier, singing to Steve Spencer's daughter Heaven while she recovered at the Unity Hospital in Greece. She is home now, but this is a prime location to put Valentine posters, next year for the very grateful people. One quartet sang on-air to TJ, the morning DJ at Kickin Kountry 105.3. We had fantastic publicity this year through Ward Votava's efforts with the local newspaper and radio stations. Hornell starts its fifth year of participation in “We Sing To Feed Them All” with the single most generous gift ever, $1,375 to the Food Pantries of Hornell. A mild break in the frigid winter helped to fill the audience with generous donors. The Hornell High School Select Choirs along with Revised Arrangement Quartet and the Maple City Chorus provided a Free Musical Variety Show on February 22. The enthusiasm of the performers and the generosity of the audience tell us that this outreach is a valuable way to return to the community, and we plan to continue this endeavor as long as the need exists. Two other a cappella groups wanted to perform for this cause as well, but were not able because of emergencies and other conflicts. They recognize the joy in giving back too! We are singing for lunch in a few weeks at a local Senior Center, as well as planning and rehearsing for our Annual Show in May, “Harmony In Hollywood”. We are also hosting our second annual Youth In Harmony Workshop on May 9 with our friends, ‘Shoptimus Prime serving as coaches. Hornell Youth In Harmony Workshop May 9, 10 to 7, Alfred Almond Central School with Shoptimus Prime instructing. Sponsored by Harmony Foundation (607)382.1433. Hornell Annual Show The Maple City Chorus presents Harmony in Hollywood May 9, 7:29 pm Alfred Almond Central School with the YIH Workshop Chorus. Quartets; Rusty Pickups and Revised Arrangements Shoptimus Prime - Headliners Tickets: www.MapleCityChorus.org We look forward to seeing you all at convention in April! John Schoonover This year we have something new happening in The Mark Twain Chorus!!! It's called the Spark Plug Of the Month. The SPOTM is distributed by our President Butch Talada. Each month he picks a member of the chorus to be awarded for their extra efforts and going above and beyond. January - Bob Paul Page 18 February - Larry Horn Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals VP Chorus Director Development On January 17th one of the most awesome, intense, amazing, and inspiring events took place right here in beautiful Geneva, NY. Seneca Land's own CDWI. What is a CDWI you ask? Great question!!! A CDWI is a place for frontline directors and assistant directors to really improve their skills as a director and an educator. 5 Directors are chosen on a first come first serve basis to take on this "Chorus Director Workshop Intensive". It is broken into two parts. First a hands on 1 on 1 course detailed to each directors specifications. Then second, a video taping of the director with a chorus of 20+ men with coaching. This event we had the pleasure of having Mr. Raymond Schwarzkopf and Mr. Royce Ferguson as our lead instructors!!! (There is some fire power!!!!) Here are some snapshots of all the fun and knowledge we soaked up. We all know the director has the advantage of having the largest effect on the chorus week to week. So don't you want your director in it? For information on the next CDWI contact your VPCDD, Nicholas DiLorenzo, by email at [email protected] Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 19 Page 20 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals This grand hobby of ours that we call "barbershop harmony" was formed in April, 1938 by two gentlemen (Owen Clifton Cash and Rupert I. Hall) who felt that community service was just about the most important calling a man could do. Of course, you have to remember that it was also pre-World War II, a time when our nation was calling to arms every abled body American (man and woman and even children!) for their service. Very little has changed in the past 77 years from our perspective, in fact, I would venture that we barbershoppers have become even more dedicated to the cause of community service. As the current District President of the Seneca Land District, I am fortunate and blessed to be in the position of being able to steer our members in the direction of servicing their community. In the Syracuse community, the goal of the Harmony Katz is to become synonymous as the premier community service organization period. We have worked diligently for the past 78 years ensuring our community knows exactly who we are and what we do. There really are no strings attached. The Harmony Katz are exactly who they come off as...."Syracuse's own barbershop harmony chorus" dedicated to: "Singing Memories to Life in 4-part Harmony." We belong to the Syracuse community and we are VERY proud of it! Bob Coant Ellicottville Sound Chorus Food Pantry Benefit Concert The chorus received a letter from the coordinators of the fundraising event on January 31st; Dear Ellicottville Sound, Your fantastic concert with the "Stone Soup Supper" helped us raise $2,100 for the food pantry. The pantry has been in critical need of a new commercial freezer and now we can make that purchase!! The positive comments from the concert continues to be heard in town. We are grateful for your help and your presence in our community. Nancy and Annie Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 21 How Singers Learn To Read Pitches Ever since I have been in the BHS (1988) I have been trying to figure out how barbershoppers read music. I know how I do it myself, but everyone I have asked (and that’s been many) has always been quite vague. I think I’ve finally figured it out. We all start out looking at the page, and easily catch on that, as the notes go up, we sing up. As the notes go down, we sing down and if they are on the same line or space, then we sing the same pitch. That’s the beginning of the “Interval Path” for Singers to learn how to read pitches. Second, we learn that when the notes go up from a line to the next space, we go right up the scale. Third, we learn that if the notes go up from one line to the Next line that we jump up a Small jump. If it jumps up skipping a line, it’s a Big jump and if it jumps up a couple of lines or more then we sing a Huge jump. That’s about as far most of us go in our reading ability. Then we rely on a keyboard, someone else or learning tracks to get it right. But that’s not Sight Singing, that’s rote learning - not what we are talking about. Fourth, with experience a lot of us learn the difference between a whole step and a half step interval. This is especially important in barbershop singing as we sing a lot of chromatics. If we try to go on this “Interval Path” most of us get into trouble. For instance, if we try thinking in terms of a Major 3rd and a Minor 3rd we sometimes may make mistakes. If we’ve had decent instruction in a Musical Instrument we tend to think that we can memorize the sounds of the Letter Names and can read vocally that way. But I have known only two persons in all my years of experience that had “Absolute Pitch”. Research tells us that only 1 in 10,000 people can read using “Absolute Pitch”. Still most of us think that memorizing the sound of each letter is how good sight singers do it. That’s not true! It is true that with experience, “Muscle Memory” may get some of us close to accuracy in Absolute Pitch but not total accuracy. That leads us to the best way for most of us to continue our Vocal Reading ability beyond the 3 or 4 steps listed above - learning the “Degrees of the Scale”. Syllables such as “Do, Re Mi etc” are the best way to sing “Scale Degrees” but I’ve recently concluded that for most barbershoppers, “Scale Degree Numbers it the best, since Numbers are most logical. But there are two parts to Scale Degree learning: 1) Knowing the Sound of a Scale Degree Number (such as being to sing 1,6,2,4 etc.), and 2) Positioning the Scale Degree Numbers on the Staff. If you don’t know the Sounds, then practice them using the in-between number as “Helping Tones to get you there. Positioning the Scale Degree Numbers on the Staff requires that you know “Key Signatures”. Learn the simple rules for Key Signatures. But knowing that the song is in the Key of C won’t help you at all unless you know where C is on your staff. Knowing the position of “1” is more important than even knowing the name of each Key Signature. Also knowing the positions of “3 & 5” is very helpful. “1, 3, & 5” are what we usually tune up to. So work at positioning also. That will get you to accurate sight singing, with some effort on your part. Ted Norton http://www.musicedted.info Page 22 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals Hello, Seneca Land! I’m Matt DeMartino! You may know me as the bass of J.A.M., or as just another one of the “kids” that go to all of the district conventions. But I’m writing now because I want you to get to know me as well as the most recent Seneca Land District member to start the process of becoming a BHS Contest Judge as a Music Judge Candidate and answer some common questions that people have about the process. Why did you decide to become a judge? After taking a bunch of music classes in college, gaining more experience as a singer in quartets and choruses, and going to Harmony University in Missouri (and now in Nashville) to pick up the ins and outs of arranging and coaching, I realized I had an opportunity to give back to the Society at large so I applied and was accepted. What exactly does a music judge look at when judging a chorus or quartet? I always thought the music category was the most difficult to understand of the three scoring categories. If I were to describe the category in a sentence, it would be: “Music judges your musicality in bringing the song and arrangement to life through the lens of the performance’s suitability to the barbershop style”. Really, there are two things going on. 1) Is it barbershop? And 2) How well does your performance display the hallmarks of the style and how effective were your musical choices? What makes something “barbershop” would require more space than I can spare but I can point you to a great video: http://barbershop.org/news-a-events-main/378-dave-stevens-qwhat-are-we-trying-to-preserveq.html A keynote address from Dave Stevens in the 1980s in Harmony University that gives a good idea of what barbershop “is”. If you’ve been singing barbershop for a while, too, you have a good idea of what makes something barbershop. Trust your ear. But what do we mean by good musical choices and “displaying the hallmarks of the style”? One hallmark of the style is locking, ringing chords. In other words, consonant in-tune singing. When you sing the right words and notes at the right time, you do a lot of important work towards doing the song justice. We’re also concerned with how well you developed theme of the song --- do you sing a song driven by its rhythm in a way that I can tap my feet and get excited by its syncopation? Do you draw my attention when the lyrics of a song are particularly beautiful and do you tell a story with a beginning, middle and end? Do I get entranced by a song’s haunting melody by how well you sing it and am I impressed by how you perform a song built to ring? Lots of the questions of them are really asking how well you delivered the song. Things like “choosing to slow down to highlight a particularly vulnerable moment” or “having the bass predominate here because he has the melody” are all musical choices that affect how a song is delivered. We also look directly at embellishments and how their use in the arrangement and your treatment of them as performers enhances the theme of the song. Do your embellishments create drive or finality to the phrases? Or are they just kind of there and you’re not singing the song; the song is just singing you? When we’re not concerned with whether something is in the barbershop style, we are thinking about all of these things. What does a judge do and what are their responsibilities? A judge has to be available twice a year for contests (all expenses paid by contest district). On Friday you drive or fly to the contest and meet up for a briefing before heading to the contest venue. If you’re a CA, you will inspect the contest site beforehand. Asterisk judges (there’s always one in each panel) are in charge of making sure the venue *sounds* good, acoustically and also go to inspect the venue. They will also run the mic check at the beginning of each contest session. When we’re done with each contest, we’ll briefly discuss scores and rationale and then go to do evaluations. We need to have 8 hours of sleep as an official policy so it’s often off to bed right away. The routine is about the same the next day, breakfast, briefing, chorus contest, evals, possible rest, dinner, briefing, quartet finals, evals and then we’re free. Oftentimes, judges will have early flights back on Sunday and you may end up staying up to catch that early morning flight. We’re not precluded from spending some time out of our rooms on Saturday, though, so you may see judges out and about that night. How does a judge come up with a number? Every judge has a slightly different process but, in general, we’re trained to do it “early and often”. Typically, we can get a 10 point range or so of how a quartet will score by the eighth measure and the score we ultimately write down will be within that range Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 23 maybe 75% of the time. Obviously exceptions occur but we continually watch and listen to how the quartet treats the song and the number we have in mind may change as the song progresses. It’s important to note that we don’t start at a 100 and take points away as the song goes on. We give the score the quartet earned. What’s the application process like? An in depth version will be on the Seneca Land District website for people interested in becoming a judge themselves but here’s the abridged version: It takes 3 years to become a certified judge. The first year you spend as an applicant, sending in two letters of recommendation from currently certified judges in your category and completing a lot of tests. In the music category, we also had to turn in three complete arrangements, one of which was assigned to us. Then we’re invited to candidate school in late July before Harmony University (if we did well on our homework) where we learn about the category, scoring, and evaluations (and do more tests). I became a “candidate” last year (July 2014) when I passed candidate school. The next two years are spent as a candidate, practice judging at least 6 contests, two each spring and one each fall at least. As we continue to do more contests, we become increasingly more involved in the evaluations and our scores and scoring rationale become more heavily scrutinized. I did my first contest last fall in Ontario. If we show that we’re a qualified candidate by the end of our 6 contests, we’re invited to category school where we’ll become certified upon completion. How was your first contest as a candidate judge? The Ontario convention was a lot of fun! They held it in Belleville, ON, Canada --- that’s just across Lake Ontario from Rochester. Our own Don Stothard (Lead of Seniors Reps “Geezer Q”) was up in ONT too as the assistant contest administrator. I got to shadow Alex Morris and Clay Hine in evaluations and met excellent coaches and judges in other categories as well. We were treated to excellent hospitality from Sharon and Barry Towner (although they didn’t have soup quite like Dave’s!). How can I help you? You often hear about “supporting your quartets financially”. Funny enough, for me, this isn’t the case. What I can use is help “experientially”. There’s really two aspects to being a good judge: scoring well and giving good evaluations. The first is pretty easy to learn --- judges and candidates have access to lots of videos and contests to become solid at scoring a barbershop contest. On the other hand, giving good evaluations takes much longer to learn and that’s where you can help me. I’m looking for opportunities to coach quartets and choruses in the district. I’d like to come to any rehearsal you have to help how I can, at absolutely no cost to you. This will help me develop my skill as a coach to give better evaluations to quartets and choruses and will help your group too. My contact info is at the bottom of this article. Matthew DeMartino 607-377-4524 [email protected] 10202 Bennett Road Painted Post, NY 14870 Page 24 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals RESOURCES AVAILABLE FROM SLD There are so many resources available to you and your chapter, all FREE OF CHARGE just for being a dues-paying member of the Seneca Land District. These programs and materials have been developed, collected and archived by incredibly dedicated people that care about you. These can all be found on the SLD website. www.senecaland.org 6 SATISFY SATISFY Chapter Revitalization Membership Retention • Irish • FUN Programs BlesSING • Of TheeWe SING •Be Our Guest • ChristmaSING • We SING To Feed Them All 40 GROW GROW Chapter Franchising Membership Recruitment • Franchising Manual • I SING Ambassador program • Yard Sign program • Button program • Poster program • Craig’s List •HarmoniSING •Welcome Back Kotter •Raise Your Voice With Ours • How to Franchise • How to Charter Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 25 Next Smoke Signals deadline is Apr 24th 2015 Smoke Signals readers Please take notice of the following changes; Each black and white, paper issue in of the Smoke Signals will be sent to every registered SLD member. You do not need to do anything, except keep your Ebiz account current and correct, to continue to receive Smoke Signals. A full color issue of the Smoke Signals is available on the district web site www.senecaland.org in PDF format. If you DO NOT wish to receive the paper copy for any reason you may contact the editor at [email protected] or [email protected] and your address will be left out of distribution. If you DO NOT want to receive the paper copy it actually helps the district to save money on printing, paper and postage and that money saved can go towards other areas of our district for your benefit. The website Smokesignals.org NO LONGER EXISTS and has been consolidated into the new website. The Email address of [email protected] also NO LONGER EXISTS. The official email for the editor is [email protected] (or [email protected] for as long as I am permitted to do this job of which I greatly enjoy). If you have any concerns about the Smoke Signals, input or any chapter dates that need to be known, or you wish to advertise please contact me. District Convention Program If you have any concerns or input or wish to advertise in the Convention program please contact me [email protected] District Web Site The district website has been operational for a while now but there a few tasks that need to be completed. Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated while our Webmaster Jay Holman is working his fingers to the byte. If you have any input to the district web site, please contact Jay Holman [email protected] District Directory The 2015 District Directory should be available on our website by the time you read this. Please look through it carefully to verify any information that pertains to you or your chapter. If you have any input or corrections for the district directory, please contact Jim Barickman [email protected] Thank you for Making Seneca Land your District of choice! Page 26 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals February 9, 2015 To: Seneca Land District Barbershoppers The Ramada Geneva Lakefront is, once again, hosting the upcoming 2015 Seneca Land District Spring Convention April 17-19, 2015 in Geneva, New York. If you are reserving a room at the Ramada (HQ) – either through your chapter or individually – please read the information below. Chapter representatives from each SLD chapter have already received this information. If you are reserving a room through your chapter, your representative will include you on the chapter rooming list provided to him. Whether you are reserving a room through your chapter or individually, the reservation dates and policies (below) are the same. Please read carefully as policies may be different than those you are familiar with from previous conventions. The hotel will begin accepting reservations at 9:00am on Monday, March 16, 2015. Call the hotel at 315-789-0440. (Please do not attempt to call earlier as reservations will not be accepted until the proper time). All reservations must be accompanied by a credit card guarantee or first night's deposit equal to $109.00. For chapters, a credit card guarantee is also required from those chapters paying for all their rooms. In this instance, full payment of room charges can be made by check upon arrival. Where applicable (chapters), tax-exempt certificates must be received no later than Friday, April 3, 2015. For those attending the convention on an individual basis (without a chapter), reservations can be made directly with the hotel beginning at 9:00am on Monday, March 16, 2015 (same as chapters). The deadline for all reservations is Friday, April 3, 2015. After that date, all rooms not reserved as part of the barbershop block will be released back to the hotel for resale. If you have any questions, please contact Carrie Mann - Ramada Geneva Lakefront at 315-789-0400. Smoke Signals Please send in your pictures and stories at any time! Why not be in it! Page 27 PRESRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Olean, NY Permit No.88 Seneca Land District SPEBSQSA 5 Fourth Avenue Franklinville, NY 14737-1301 www.senecaland.org [email protected] The Chorus of the Genesee proudly presents Harmony, Old and New Our Guest Quartet OC Times - 2008 International Champions May 16, 2015 at 7 pm At Penfield High School For tickets visit www.chorusofthegenesee.org or call (585) 265-9540 or contact any COG member $14 each for groups of 10 or more $16 each prior to show $18 each at the door Page 28 Visit www.senecaland.org, for a FULL COLOR VERSION of Smoke Signals! Smoke Signals
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