Voice Box Page 2 from Labbs Chairman

The magazine of the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers

www.labbs.org.uk June 2008 IN THIS ISSUE:

HAVOC GET THEIR SEVEN GO TO SEA LEGS CONVENTION

Our current Champions on a nautical visit p. 16 Barbershop from the rookie perspective, continued p.5

QUARTET WORKING IN HARMONY CLUBS CORNER Catch up with Noted, After Hours p.11 Green Street Blues Brunel Harmony Cheshire Chord Company Capital Connection MUSIC The White Rosettes The IVY League Singing Category Advice Signature p.4 Welwyn Harmony Music Resources Update p.14 p.6-10 Selling Ourselves the Jt. Marketing Workshop p.8-9

VALENTINE S DAY LABBS NEWS ROUND-UP

Message from the Chairman, the Mentoring Pro- Capital Connection gramme, Prelims results and Convention draw have been forging p.1-3 their very own special relationship with the U.S.A. AND THE REST Find out more inside. All the usual Letters to the Editor, Notices, and Ads p.13

Capital Connection at the U.S. Embassy p.6

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 2 FROM LABBS CHAIRMAN

Hello everyone

It seems only yesterday that I became Chairman I cannot believe how quickly the year has gone. It has been a hectic but most interesting and rewarding one. I have managed to visit a number of clubs and have further visits planned. Please forgive me if I do not get to your club but to visit all 48 would mean a visit every two weeks over my two year tenure and that is just impossible.

Jacqui Edwards The Executive Committee was once again delighted with the attendance at the AGM 39 out of 48 clubs were represented and thank you to everyone who attended. Thanks to email, all members of the Associa- tion should now have a copy of the AGM Minutes if you do not then please speak to your club email contact.

Prelims. has just taken place of course and I would like to congratulate everyone who took part; particularly the four Choirs of the Day The Tudor Roses, Signature, Cheshire Chord Company and Second City Sound. I thoroughly enjoyed the days in Bristol and Hatfield and Kath Good did in Leeds and Long Eaton. The workshops proved to be very successful and the educators brought in by the E&J most professional and entertaining if you missed them you missed a treat and the evalua- tions very positive and helpful. Thanks must go once again, of course, to the E&J and the Prelims/Convention Team for all the hard work they put in to make these things happen.

I do sometimes have some sad duties and one recently was to write with our condolences to the husband of Marie Burson (Marie Higgins). Marie was a founder member of Gem Connection and then sang with Second City Sound and was LABBS Secretary from 2000 2001. She was a very keen and loyal member of the Association and a lovely lady who will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her (see Notices section).

Yours, in harmony, Jacqui

MENTORING PROGRAMME When I was approached by the editor to a day of education (and White Rosette songs for Prelims. All members from submit a piece for Voice Box the hardest food!) to learn together and experience both choruses have also met on 2 occa- task was to choose what to write about. singing in a chorus of 130+. A thrill to sions to date, to sing and learn together Rehearsal schedules, 5-year planning, direct let me tell you! Despite it being and a joint song is being prepared in Music Team meetings, coaching, Ant excellent fun, it was never clear time for Convention. Abbey Belles will and Dec (that s for another day!) and whether it made a difference to indi- be invited on to Convention stage with much more came to mind, but a smaller vidual choruses on their road to suc- the Rosettes as they retire as champions worry that lurks at the back of my mind cess and achievement in our National to sing together and celebrate the com- has made it to the column; the future of Competition. What could the Rosettes pletion of the year s programme. Don t LABBS. do to assist in the difficult passage of miss it! improving scores on the journey to- When Phoenix from Potton chose to w ard s excellen ce? Eu r eka! Th e At the end of the mentoring year The leave the fold and join Sweet Adelines, Mentoring Programme was born. White Rosettes will share the process the grapevine was hot with news that and findings with LABBS in the hope The White Rosettes would do the The Music Team developed a pilot pro- that the programme can be developed same . gramme for one year to mentor a further and supported through the asso- smaller chorus with the above aim in ciation. Obviously, this was news to us and the mind. The team would coach the nomi- music team met to discuss the subject. nated chorus throughout the year and So, rather than leave, we aim to im- With tea and chocolate the discussions offer assistance that the nominated prove, by sharing what we have learned began. Nothing could have been further chorus had identified as areas to work over the last 30 years and giving it back from our thoughts and as the meeting on. All we needed was a chorus. We to our fellow singers. What has been an drew on it was clear that not only was approached Abbey Belles from Selby added bonus is the camaraderie and the idea of leaving alien to us, but the who accepted with open arms. We friendship that we are discovering idea that it was time for The White Ro- were delighted! along the way. Priceless! settes to give something back to the As- sociation began to take shape. Following scoping meetings and the See you at Convention and remember, drawing together of a document to out- put your hands together for The Abbey Over the last couple of years The White line aims and protocols, the pro- Belles . It s one heck of a journey. Rosettes have hosted an Education gramme began. Evenings have been Day whereby choruses from the north- spent together working on craft and Sally McLean ern area are invited to come together for vocal production whilst rehearsing Musical Director, The White Rosettes.

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 3

PRELIMS RESULTS

Pos. Chorus Mus Pres Sing Total % 1 Cheshire Chord Company 319 308 313 940 78.3 2 Signature 297 299 311 907 75.6 3 Second City Sound 293 283 292 868 72.3 4 Belles Of Three Spires 282 280 293 855 71.3 5 The Tudor Roses 249 269 258 776 64.7 6 Crystal Chords 254 256 264 774 64.5 7 The Barberettes 247 256 268 771 64.3 8 Guildford Harmony 253 253 263 769 64.1 9 Main Street Sound 258 253 254 765 63.8 10 Pennine Chimes 261 248 251 760 63.3 11 Wessex Harmony 254 241 255 750 62.5 12 Abbey Belles 255 238 256 749 62.4 13 Silver Lining 241 242 254 737 61.4 14 Red Rosettes 245 234 241 720 60.0 15 A Touch Of TLC 243 238 236 717 59.8 16 Bristol Fashion 240 245 229 714 59.5 17 Norwich Harmony 241 233 239 713 59.4 18 Colne Harmony 228 230 250 708 59.0 19 Arun Sounds 239 231 231 701 58.4 20 Brunel Harmony 226 233 234 693 57.8 21 River City 231 225 228 684 57.0 22 The Chordettes 231 228 220 679 56.6 23 Welwyn Harmony 224 210 225 659 54.9 24 Renaissance 222 216 214 652 54.3 25 Humber Belles 214 213 206 633 52.8 26 Junction 14 211 206 212 629 52.4 27 The Pitchpipers 210 208 189 607 50.6 28 Harton Harmonisers 206 195 188 589 49.1 29 Vale Connection 207 187 177 571 47.6 30 Ridgeway Harmony 194 177 189 560 46.7 31 Imari 190 179 189 558 46.5

With thanks to all who took part, including the judges, Prelims Convention Team, backroom staff, and mic warmers: The White Rosettes, Amersham A Cappella, Capital Connection, Gem Connection and Avonbelles. In all, 25 choruses will be competing at Convention. The draw is shown below:

MW1 Renaissance 8. Wessex Harmony 17. Silver Lining MW2 Welwyn Harmony 9. Tudor Roses 18. A Touch of TLC 1. Pennine Chimes 10. Second City Sound 19. Signature 2. Red Rosettes 11. River City 20. Brunel Harmony 3. Belles of 3 Spires 12. Main Street Sound 21. Guildford Harmony 4. Amersham A Cappella 13. Gem Connection 22. Bristol Fashion 5. Norwich Harmony 14. Abbey Belles 23. The Chordettes 6. Colne Harmony 15. Cheshire Chord Company 24. The Barberettes 7. Capital Connection 16. Crystal Chords 25. Arun Sounds

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 4

T HE FOUNDATION OF GOOD SINGING CONTRIBUTED BY NANCY KELSALL

This is the first in a planned series of when you take in the breath and so phrase. articles from members of the Singing you should really feel the breath ex- Category of LABBS Education & Judg- panding the ribs and diaphragm Exercise 3 warm up for keeping rib- ing Committee. cage high and wide. Keep chest high When we talk, we take a breath then and wide. Inhale through nose and feel With good breath control you can mini- talk until the air runs out, allowing the the ribs lift. Hiss the air out as you mise or eliminate a number of prob- ribs to collapse as count one to eight. Keep the lems: tone flatting, breathy tone, exces- it does so. We then ribcage high and wide. GETTING TECHNICAL: sive vibrato, inability to project the t a k e a n o t h e r The muscles used to keep the voice and the effects of nerves. Breath- Perform again, increasing breath. When we rib cage 'high and wide' are ing and breath control take constant the number of counts as you sing we need a the intercostal muscles. concentration. The moment you lose it continuous cush- hiss out the air. You might the voice loses its quality and projec- do it as a chorus walking ion of air to sup- Those in the diaphragm are tion and forward motion is lost due to round the room and see who port. Accordingly, the epigastrial. fading at the ends of phrases. you need to de- can get to the highest num- velop muscles you ber of counts. Posture don't use when talking to keep the ribs Posture has a major impact on how you expanded and the diaphragm lowered Exercise 4 warm up for strengthening breathe and how much air you can take (and the lungs stretched) for as long as abdominals. Breathe in through nose into your lungs. Every time before you possible. and keep chest high and wide and make sing and throughout the song make the abdomen go fat. Make the following sure you have the right posture: Some suggested exercises are set out sounds. Group the sounds into twos, below. fours etc and breathe between each One foot slightly in front of the other, group. As you make the sounds feel feet comfortably apart. Exercise 1 lifting the ribcage. Put your abdomen muscles working Weight forward on the balls of the your hands on either side of your feet, but with heels on the floor body and feel your ribs. Keep the sh sh [breathe] sh sh sh sh Knees relaxed chest high and wide. Breathe in f f [breathe] f f f f Buttocks tucked under through your nose and feel the ribs s s [breathe] s s s s Chest lifted high and spread wide lift. You will also feel the muscles on your back working. Keep shoulders Sit ups are also good for strengthening Shoulders and neck relaxed relaxed. your abdominals. Head level Chin parallel to the floor Hold your breath for 10 to 15 seconds. Finally : some practical tips on breath- Hiss out the air but don't let the ribs ing in a song; You can do it as a chant for a warm up: collapse. Repeat daily until you can toes pressed, knees flexed, pelvis increase the amount of time you hold Agree all the breath points for the song. tilted, ribcage lifted, shoulders relaxed the breath without tension. You If even a few people breathe (or forget Sandra Landey used to say to the White should be able to get to a minute. to breathe) you can hear it and it dis- Rosettes before they started a song turbs the unity. It sounds simple but I 'imagine (like a puppet) you have a Imagine you have a belt around your have seen one coach stop a medal win- string out the top of your head, lift your ribs when they are lifted and ex- ning chorus ten times because one per- body as if the string is being pulled'. panded. Don't let the belt fall as you son sang through a phrase where there sing a phrase. is a breath point. You can hear it. The science bit The lungs are where the fuel for the Exercise 2 - locating the diaphragm Try to make the breath points as sensi- voice is stored, The lungs are attached muscles. Lay on your back and make ble as possible. It isn't an endurance to the rib cage and to the a moderately heavy test. It should be the type of phrase a diaphragm. If you ex- POSTURE: object rise and fall on reasonably good quartet could get pand the rib cage and Has a major impact on how your abdomen through (you don't have to sing longer lower the diaphragm you breathe and how much phrases because you're a chorus) then the lungs are auto- air you can take into your Stand near a wall. Place matically expanded and lungs. Every time you sing a water bottle with one If you need to, in a chorus, use stag- the air rushes into them make sure you have the end on the wall and the gered breathing. Rules of staggered without the need for right posture. other on your abdomen breathing are: don't breathe at the end any extra help from the (above the belly button) of a word because you can hear the singer. In order to avoid lean weight gently breath that way. Take a word or part of making ourselves look too fat (!) we against it and as you breathe in you a word out and come in a smoothly as sometimes develop bad habits of shal- should move away from the wall. You possibly. Make sure you are not taking low breathing from the chest. Your might think of it as getting 'fat' as you a breath at the same time as anyone chest should already be 'high and wide' breath in and 'staying fat' as you sing a (Continued on page 5)

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 5

SEVEN GO TO CONVENTION CONTRIBUTED BY THE BARBERETTES

When we left our Barberettes rookies an eerie silence to the stage wings, so proud of the chorus, so proud to they were starting to learn their repertoire says Julia Robson. Now was the mo- be a Barberette, she explains. and building up some confidence. We ment we had all waited for and with rejoin them now in October, in Bourne- heart hammering and adrenalin surg- Apart from the nerves, they did mouth, and this new hobby of theirs is ing we walked onto the stage risers. have a lot of fun when they were- getting seriously scary. When the curtain opened my eyes mo- n t on stage. Our party on the Sat- mentarily were blinded by the lights urday evening was a hoot, al- Once I was confident enough to go to and I stared into the blackness with a though next time I am going to sing-outs they were really good fun as the huge smile on my face: all the p repare and reception the club was getting from the things I d been tau ght When I thought of Con- have a little audience was amazing, says Urja Patel. w h iz z e d a n d t u m b le d vention my heart stopped. ' d i t t y ' r e - But when I thought of Convention my through my mind. What if I froze or embar- hearsed! says heart stopped. What if I froze or embar- rassed the club by singing Diane. And rassed the club by singing a wrong note? The atmosphere was elec- a wrong note? we'll have to tric, says Urja, who did thor- learn the sec- Fellow rookie Jacqueline Cowgill had simi- oughly enjoy the experience, ond verse of lar concerns. In the holding area, about to once it was over. Jacqueline recognises "Flower of Scotland" for next year. go on stage, I wondered why anyone that feeling. I was so focused, she would be mad enough to do this twice, says, but I couldn t remember the The Sunday morning show at the she says. My legs were shaking so much I words to either song. Then the curtains B.I.C. was really interesting for could hardly stand up. But then, when I opened, the convention audience gave me, says Julia. I was able to see needed it most, I felt a reassuring hand on us a huge cheer, pitch was blown and the winning choruses for the first my shoulder from one of the more experi- we were off. Suddenly the words came time and I was truly amazed by enced singers. It was just what I needed flooding back. their skill and the standard that and so typical of the girls to they set. know just what to do or say The performance itself at the right time. Why would anyone be went by in a blur. All I Highlights for Chris Lupton were mad enough to do this really remember of our the fun and camaraderie on the The depth of support struck twice? performance, says Julia, coach, the chance to hear the quar- Carolyn Tyler too. The old is concentrating hard on tets and other choruses sing plus timers were ever-present our musical director Kay, the chance to sing with the with their guidance and reas- the disconcerting feeling of shaking champs and, of course, the party. surance for us first timers, she says. legs as I sang and twitching of my face It took the best part of a week to They showed us the ropes and made us muscles between songs. At the end of come down to planet Earth! she feel so at ease the whole weekend. our second song, as the last note ended, says. I held my breath. I actually had to re- Nevertheless, some moments seemed to mind myself to breathe again. Their overall impression? last a lifetime and will probably be remem- We can t wait till Harrogate! bered for a lifetime. After a brief re- Jacqueline remembers crying as the hearsal in the warm up room we walked in curtain fell. I was so proud of myself,

(Continued from page 4) around you. You can reach an 'agreement' as to who breathes when.

Lastly, energise ends of phrases - try to push the volume and energise the end of EACH PHRASE. We wretched judges love mentioning 'support'. If you trail in energy at the end of phrases it's much easier to pick up on. Push the energy and the volume slightly at the end of every phrase and keep the forward motion of the song.

For help and advice on the singing category or for coaching, contact the E&J Committee. Details can be found in the LABBS Directory or on the LABBS website.

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 6 AROUN D TH E CLUBS

T O THE US AMBASSADOR, WITH LOVE CONTRIBUTED BY MAUREEN MOLLOY

It was Standing Room Only in the main entrance hall of the Embassy in London s Grosvenor Square as the Ambassador and his wife joined the staff to listen to the performance. For many of the audience this would be their first taste of Barbershop Harmony, says Maureen Molloy, and we wanted to do ourselves and LABBS proud. We entered looking glamorous in black dresses and silver collars and took our places on the risers amid impressive ambassadorial portraits and flanked by flags and flowers.

They opened the performance with an eight-part rendition of Boogie Woogie Robert H Tuttle Bugle Boy. Now, even the off-duty security guards were smiling! says Mau- u n for g et ta b le p er fo r m a n ce. A n Capital Connection helped the U.S. reen. From there, Director Debi Cox led afterglow-to-remember followed in the Ambassador, Robert H. Tuttle, his Embassy's own pub, The Regal Eagle. wife and the Embassy staff to cele- the audience through a Valentine`s Day Cock ta ils w er e h osted b y th e brate St Valentine s Day in February. love story that cleverly linked the ballads Their performance was so well re- they sang, many taken from the great Ambassador, who joined the chorus ceived they won themselves an invi- American Song Book. Capital Connec- there to personally thank each member tation to return for another special tion s octet, Eclipse, also performed a for the afternoon's concert. night later in the year. polished four-song set. Capital Connection and Eclipse were Babs Wilson had the delighted with the reception they honour of formally r e ceiv e d a n d w it h t h e m a n y t h a n k i n g t h e compliments that followed, and were Ambassador and his thrilled to receive a message from the wife for welcoming Embassy to expect an invitation to us to the Embassy. perform at the Embassy's stellar But before we knew Election-Night Party in November. it, the final thrilling chords of the Bach A star p erform ance in the U.S. Fugue in E Minor were Embassy in London Listen! Could ringing out around that be Broadway calling? the marble hall, a stunning end to an

CHOIR OF THE DAY CONTRIBUTED BY HILARY REID, P R.O

Signature wait to hear if they have enough to go through to the semi-final in know who is listening. At a recent been selected to compete in the semi- Liverpool in November. sing-out with a brass band in aid of a final of the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the local Mencap group we unexpectedly Year Competition. Two brand new members joined the es- found ourselves in the spotlight when tablished chorus on stage at Prelims at we discovered that an ex-Director of the It was a very hard fought contest Hatfield. Leigh and Sarah you did us Swingle Singers was in the audience, with a huge range of styles of singing, proud. We had a really enjoyable time Hilary explains. This was quite a sur- including BABS and Sweet Adelines and were delighted to be awarded the prise but luckily we didn t disgrace our- groups, classical choral singers and badges for the top scores on the day. selves! the London Gay Men s Chorus, says With several more potential new sing- P.R.O. Hilary Reid. However the ers, we now have more than twenty per- It s difficult to believe but it s now six judges were extremely complimentary formers. Small may not always be beau- months since our new Chorus Director, towards us, and awarded us Choir of tiful, but we do our best! Paul, took us on. Doesn t time fly when the Day status so now we are back to you are having fun! more waiting to see if we have done This is just as well because you never

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 7

W UNDERBAR! CONTRIBUTED BY LYNDA GREEN P.R.O. That was the unanimous verdict of The White Rosettes made a guest ap- politicians a thing or tw o about THE WHITE ROSETTES on their re- pearance as LABBS champions and entente cordiale ! cent visit to the German National represented the UK, along with After Competition Barbershop Musikfesti- Hours and the Cottontown Chorus in Before flying back to the UK, the cho- val 2008 . This was organised by Bar- the Festival Shows. Choruses and quar- rus went to the Platz von Leeds in bershop in Germany (BinG! for short) tet from the USA and all over Europe Dortmund, which is twinned with the and held in the fabulous Konzerthaus also took part. The Alba Show Cho- White Rosettes home town. Lynda ex- in Dortmund. rus, from Sweden, lived up to their plains, After one song in the rain we name and put on a very entertaining had a brainwave that it would be nice It was a weekend full of singing, en- show and we heard fabulous singing to sing in the nearby Church of St. Rei- tertainment, fun, eating, and refresh- from the American quartets Cross- noldus which is regarded as the mother ments, says Lynda Green. You know roads, Real Time, and UnderAge (how church of the City of Dortmund and how these Convention weekends go! good are they going to be when they has a history dating back to 800AD. We seemed to master the most impor- are Of Age ?) Singing How Great Thou Art on the tant phrases very quickly ein Kaffee steps of the Great High Altar in such a mit milch/ Kuchen/ Bier bitte ! The afterglows were excellent too. beautiful and historic church was very Personally, it always pleases me just moving. Friedel, their host (and member of La- wandering around the different areas dies First) cheerfully worked hard to listening to a chorus here, and a quartet The White Rosettes will be competing make sure that the chorus were looked there, says Lynda, who took great at the Llangollen International Musi- after. She and the people of Dortmund pleasure in watching the choruses and cal Eisteddfod in July. More about extremely friendly and inquisitive and quartets of all nationalities, ages and that in the next issue of Voice Box. they were more than happy to oblige abilities mingling and encouraging whenever they were invited to sing. As each other to sing along. Singing and Finally, says Lynda, we would like Lynda says: It s not in a Barbershop- music are great levellers and our Bar- to send all our very best wishes to Sig- per s nature to be shy and retiring and bershop craft is a prime example: all nature for the next round of the Choir turn down an invitation to sing is it? are equal in the sheer joy of singing of the Year Competition sock it to together. We could certainly show the them girls!

T HANK-YOU, AUDREY CONTRIBUTED BY GILL HIBBS The Avonbelles made a special pres- moved to the Bass section in a re- entation to a special member in May shuffle of the Chorus. She will con- when Audrey Akroyd stepped down tinue to stay in touch as an Associate from the risers. member of LABBS and will be visiting the Avonbelles from time to time to Audrey helped to set up The Avon- catch up with old friends. belles in 1975. She has been a staunch supporter ever since, says Gill Hibbs, She made new members very wel- and was our PRO for several years. come and her friendly, smiling face In fact, she has held most of the posi- will be missed by us all, says Gill. tions on the committee at some time or another over the last thirty-three Thank you Audrey for your time, and a half years. your voice and your huge commit- ment to the Avonbelles. Audrey (right) receives gift from Audrey originally sang Lead but Avonbelles chairman , Pearl Conway

IVY LEAGUE GROWING STRONG CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER CHAPMAN, P R.O

Since they last wrote in, The IVY As well as learning Live til I Die and who attended and especially to our League have been polishing some performing it at the GoldRush III newest members! We d like to thank new material and have had some ex- show in March, the girls teamed up the Quartet Champions choruses (both tra coaching from one of the U.S.A. s with the National Barbershop Youth BABS and LABBs) for inviting us and top coaches, Royce Ferguson. Chorus from BABS to perform Summer giving us the outlet to perform. We d Nights on the same stage. This was also like to congratulate one of the IVY He really helped us to improve our only their second sing-out since Con- League quartets, Noted , on winning sound as a chorus, says Heather, vention last year. the Dorothy Bosley award. and many members were able to take the skills they d learned in that re- It was a very tiring day for our See website for more information: hearsal and apply them to their home girls, says Heather, and so a big www.labbsyouthchorus.co.uk chorus. youth chorus whoop for everyone

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 8 SELLING OURSELVES

OINT COURSE A GREAT SUCCESS J CONTRIBUTED BY JAN JONES Jan Jones, Gem Connection s Public fun of it all, says Jan. Jan says, but still managed to give us Relations Officer attended the Joint a huge amount of useful information. BABS/LABBS/Sweet Adelines Mar- Lawrence McNulty, who has had a career keting Course in April and was thor- in sales and marketing, told attendees After lunch, attendees could choose oughly impressed. how to make the best opportunities with between practical workshops covering the local press. Again Jan felt that she the morning s topics. I chose Practical After an introduction and welcome learned a lot from that, and from the next radio interviews , says Jan, with tw o from Jacqui Edwards, Jeanette Yuile speaker, Sheena Kaigh, who has also had brave volunteers being 'interviewed' and Laurie Whittle presented a session lots of hands-on experience. Sheena ad- by Sheena. They responded like true called 'What Are We Selling?' It was vised on the most effective way to deal professionals and neither of them had humorous and informative, reminding with the local radio and television net- experienced the real thing. us all of what a great hobby we all en- works. joy and how to put across the sheer I would like to heartily congratulate David Taylor wound up everyone concerned in organizing and the morning session. He presenting the day and I u rge spoke about what to in- every chorus P.R.O. to try their best to clude in a Chorus Website. attend the next workshop. The enthu- He had to whistle through siasm, energy and slick presentations this at the speed of light carried us all along and the day due to time constraints, seemed to be over in a flash.

Organiser, BABS Alan Goldsmith and Jacquie Edwards (LABBS Chairman) with the Joint Marketing Workshop Faculty.

Back row (l to r) : David Taylor (SAIs); Alan Goldsmith (BABS); Jeanette Yuille (SAIs); Joy Needham (LABBS); Jacqui Edwards (LABBS); Lawrence McNulty (BABS);

Front row (l to r) : Linda Stevens (LABBS); Sheena Kaighin (SAIs); Valerie Taylor (SAIs); Laurie Whittle (BABS).

BETTER PRESS RELEASES FROM THE WORKSHOP DELIVERED BY JOY NEEDHAM AND LINDA STEVENS

One of the practical workshops held words relate it to your event . quality version that is available for print at the Joint Marketing Course was if required. Practical Press Releases . Joy Introductions should include the 5Ws: Needham and Linda Stevens teamed Who, What, Where, When and Why. It Check the LABBS website for more up to talk about the best way of send- should convey the key point of your arti- help and advice and see page 9 for ing articles to newspapers and maga- cle and it should emphasise the unique- two examples of the way that the zines. ness of your event. Use the 3rd person media can work for you, if you do a and don t express personal opinions. little bit of homework, have a little Their advice is: keep it short, and con- bit of luck, and don t give up. cise and on one page. If you must go You should develop your story in the over two pages make sure you num- main body of the Press Release. Stick to ber the pages and put more or the point, concentrate on the facts, and mf (more follows) at the bottom. put them down in descending order of importance. The Press Release should be headed in large bold capitals: PRESS RELEASE. End it with the name of your chorus, or If you want it to go out immediately, quartet, and give some brief details add For Immediate Release - again, about what you do. Don t forget to give in bold capitals. the relevant contact details of the person issuing the release and your website ad- The heading should be short and dress. Finally, make your accompanying snappy and attention-grabbing. Use picture a suitable size to send on e-mail bold capitals and in less than ten but let them know that you have a good Linda Stevens and Joy Needham

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 9 IM-PRESS-IVE CONTACTS

REACHING A WIDER AUDIENCE

Carolyn Tyler, one of the seven Bar- magazine we re preaching to the con- the nature of the activity and the upbeat berettes rookies we ve been following verted , but whenever we get an arti- but touching nature of her story meant is getting used to seeing her name in cle published in a local or national that it was relevant to Good House- print. As well as being included in newspaper, or a regional or national keeping. I asked Joy to send me through Voice Box she has just had her story magazine, it spreads the word to an a fuller synopsis of the story, which she pu blished in Good H ousekeep- enormous audience who might never emailed that same day, along with a ing (out now). have heard of barbershop before. photo of the lady in question.

The article is a great illustration of the Laura Mannering, Deputy Features That speedy turnaround allowed the way that our hobby can support us in Editor at Good Housekeeping, was features desk to act quickly and get the times of personal trouble. And this is good enough to explain some of rea- editor s approval. There was an element something that we ve touched upon as sons for Reading s success in getting of luck. Laura pointed out that we we ve told the Barberettes story here Carolyn s story noticed. were already planning a feature on hob- in Voice Box. bies and this story fitted in. But plan- She says, Joy from the Barberettes ning and forethought played a bigger The big difference is that Voice Box is called the Good Housekeeping fea- part. A story that is relevant, properly read by about 2000 people most of tures desk at the correct department thought out and sent to the right person whom are already well aware of the to deal with her idea. She outlined the at the right time will always attract benefits of barbershop. Good House- story of a woman who had got into more luck than one which isn t. keeping has more than 200,000 sub- barbershop singing in later years and scribers, most of whom will not be how it had helped her through some aware of barbershop at all. In this difficult times. The age of the woman,

W ELL IN WITH THE BBC CONTRIBUTED BY JUNE WRIGHT P.R.O. A straightforward drive to publicise with the rest of the song, and Rachel mond s Sunday Afternoon programme, Welwyn Harmony s Open Rehearsal also interviewed Alan, our Director, and although the radio car was busy Night in February has resulted in the and some Chorus members on air. covering sports events, Ernie spoke to building of an excellent relationship June over the phone. The light-hearted with their local radio station, BBC 3 The chorus, who finished the slot interview went very well, she said, Counties Radio. with Mama, were a big hit and Rachel and LABBS was mentioned in the first asked them to sing more of their rep- sentence! Sadly, the wonderful sound In the end, the station didn t actually ertoire to her. Back at the station, of the chorus wouldn t carry across a cover the Open Night but one of the Lorna help- mobile phone presenters, Lorna Milton, contacted fully gave out connection, so the chorus anyway. She was pleased lots of details a g a in , t h a t that PRO June Wright was a keen lis- about Welwyn m ight h ave tener, and was also intrigued by Wel- Harmony on been the end of wyn s original email that stated that air, which was it. But, obvi- participants didn t need to read music. fantastic pub- ously commit- She suggested sending a roving re- licity. And the ted to the idea porter, Rachel Brabbins, to answer the girls were able of getting the all-important question: could anyone to listen to the Chorus on air, learn to sing? show via the station s w ebsite. So Ernie invited with the photos and even a DVD them to make further arrangements to Many e-mails and phone-calls later, taken by partners and family they got sing again on his live show. the date of the gig was set. and ar- a great souvenir of their fifteen min- ranged in a beautiful venue, St Giles utes of fame. In addition, they have also been asked to Church in Codicote. The quaint 13th sing carols on Lorna Milton s show at century church provided good acous- That might have been the end of it, Christmas. So what started out as a sim- tics, says June Wright, and the radio but Welwyn didn t leave it there. ple request has blossomed into a great show went ahead with Rachel learn- They enjoyed their day so much that relationship. Stay tuned to BBC 3 Coun- ing the bell chords in Bye Bye Blues. they contacted 3 Counties Radio ties Radio (90.4 or 103.8 FM) to find out Lorna came back to Rachel on three again when Prelims came round. where it will go next! occasions to broadcast her progress They were booked into Ernie Al-

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 10

STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT CONTRIBUTED BY CAT FINCH, P.R.O. In the last issue of Voice Box we Peter has us working on some brilliant Peter Kennedy learned that Green Street Blues were new repertoire songs. He already has started in barbershop going through some changes and plans towards recording our very first at 18 and won Quar- were definitely in need of a treat . CD, putting on our first new show tet Silver with Team next Spring and we will be looking to Spirit in 1989. He We didn t have to wait long, says entertain you as guests of other shows, has also directed Cat Finch. We are very pleased to so we`d love to hear from you and Thames Valley Cho- rus who won Chorus announce that, strictly by appoint- we`re sure you will be hugely enter- ment only , Peter Kennedy has agreed Silver in 2003. In tained by the new style and sound of 2004 he joined the to be our new musical director. How Green Street Blues. If Peter and By very successful did they do this so quickly? Having Appointment are anything to go by, BABS quartet By contacts with BABS Royal Harmonics we will be performing again very Appointment who certainly came in useful and we soon though don t be surprised if w e are well-known for should thank their Chairman, James are dressed as Elvis or vampires their comedy rou- Dubois, for the bit of gentle persua- bring it on, we can t wait. tines. sion he used.

SPREADING THE WORD CONTRIBUTED BY SHEILA DOWLER, P.R.O. Dowler, PRO. Come February they They may not make it to Harrogate Every year the NFYFC asks clubs to won the local Cornwall competition, but thanks to Janet Ham of Brunel prepare some form of entertainment went on to the regional competition and Harmony, a group of young men and and then take it to competition. Janet won that and they now go onto the na- women from the farming community persuaded the group she is involved tional competition in Blackpool. What a will be singing at Convention this with to take up Barbershop. year: their own National Federation way to spread the word/ song of Bar- bershop among young people all over of Young Farmers Clubs Conven- They practised every week and then the country. How s that for doing it tion, in Blackpool. some with Janet tutoring, says Sheila with style?

CHESHIRE ON SHOW CONTRIBUTED BY KATY HUGHES P.R.O.

Cheshire Chord Company are busy Cheshire Chord Company featuring showcase our hobby in the area. promoting barbershop to a wider au- Enigma, Warrington Wire Brass and dience too. As well as a spot on the Anita Bolland will be over and done As well as all of this, there has been the trailer for the new BBC talent show, with. As will the Acoustic Festival. usual round of rehearsal and prepara- Choir Wars , they nabbed a spot at This annual gathering attracts head- tion. We really enjoyed getting back the Acoustic Festival of Britain in line acts and this year Midge Ure, into competition mode at Prelims in May. Donovan, Melanie, Hazel O Connor, April, says Katy. It was wonderful to Gordon Giltrap, Jethro Tull and Fair- catch up with our friends and enjoy What a whirlwind first half of 2008 port Convention were on the bill. some great performances in the North- for the Cheshire Chord Company! Cheshire Chord Company were asked ern heat. Can t wait to see you all again says Katy Hughes. By the time Voice to open the show. As Katy says, it is at Convention! Box goes to press An Evening with the another brilliant opp ortu nity to

Review GOLD RUSH III, LEICESTER, APRIL 2008 Billed as a Top LABBS quartets Havoc, Enigma, of Summer Nights complete with leather blend of gold and youth, Gold Rush Finesse and After Hours strutted their jacket and plenty of 50s attitude . The III was set up to showcase the cream stuff opposite the current BABS cham- BABS QCs gave us a beautifully mis- of British Barbershop and provide a pions QED (who are off to Nashville timed and wonderfully manic I ve Got stage for the talent of tomorrow. shortly for the International Conven- Rhythm before singing with the ladies tion), and Pitch Invasion, who appro- champions. The night ended with the Thanks to the hard work of the organ- priately used Goodbye World for a massed ranks of all four choruses on isers, Jo & Tim Braham, their back- swansong. stage and a very loud and rousing ver- room staff, the expert singing of those sion of Let s Get Together Again. who took part and MC Sally McLean s The youth choruses, The IVY League sense of fun, it did all that and gave us and the NB-YC, had a great time and Most people did in the bar almost im- an evening full of laughter too. performed their own new songs be- mediately afterwards and it was a fore joining up for a brilliant version grand night all round.

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 11 Q UARTET CORNER

N OTED AWARD WINNERS CONTRIBUTED BY HARI BIRTLES

When they heard Sally McLean an- sound and the ringing chords of Bar- sham A Cappella for their encourage- nouncing the winner of the Dorothy bershop style singing, says Hari, it ment and for offering us coaching with Bosley Award at the Gold Rush III has been a wonderful experience to be Bronze Medallists NotEorious what show, the first reaction of the young in at the start of something as exciting an offer! Thank you everyone, we look members of Noted, who were behind as The IVY League and now NOTED. forward to meeting you and to singing the curtains at the time waiting to per- for you sometime soon! form with The IVY League, was sur- The girls are studying at various uni- prised indignation. versities across the UK, and are particularly grateful for the finan- We looked at each other all thinking Dorothy Bosley Award Winners cial grant included in the the same thing, says Hari Birtles. award which they will put to What a cheek! Someone stole our good use widening their rep- quartet name! Then it actually sunk in. ertoire and paying for coach- We had won the award. ing. Says Hari, With great sincerity we thank Mel Lane The girls met when they joined The for her work with The IVY IVY League and, perhaps not surpris- League and for allowing us ingly, they all have barbershop family to meet in the first place and connections. Hari Birtles is the quar- the LABBS E&J team for this tet s tenor. Her mum sings with Amer- award. We were so de- sham A Capella. Sisters Catrina (lead) lighted to receive it...since and Jamie (Bari) Lakin usually sing winning it we have received alongside their mum with the Abbey overwhelming support from Belles. Tash Willis (bass) has previ- so many people within ously sung with the Avonbelles and LABBS who have welcomed her dad sings with Great Western Cho- us like new family members. We have NOTED, who were presented with rus. been offered encouragement, support their award at the Gold Rush show in and coaching and must thank Saman- March. So, already heavily under the influ- tha Roberts, the Quartet Registrar, ence of the fabulous close harmony who has been a great help, and Amer-

A (FIRST) DIRECT HIT FOR AFTER HOURS

It s clear that After Hours are just as the Head of first direct Marketing, who rus and quartet level, says Jo. It was much fun to work with as they are to w as su itably em barrassed as w e great to catch up with members of watch. Last year they serenaded un- blasted him with Ain t That A Kick In Cheshire Chord Company who had suspecting colleagues at first direct on The Head! travelled there with the Bolton guys, Valentine s Day and had so much fun and also members of other choruses they couldn t resist repeating the ex- A few weeks later, After Hours repre- who d gone independently and of perience this year. sented LABBS at the BinG! Convention course members of the LABBS Execu- in Germany. Alison joined Jo, Julie & tive Committee. Many teams had set up their col- Jane and the rest of The White Rosettes leagues with a rendition of a particu- in Dusseldorf and they all made the We hope to see many of you at quar- larly sloppy love song in order to journey to Dortmund together from tet Prelims, and are looking forward watch them turn varying degrees of there. It was a busy occasion. After very much to our coaching days with red, says Jo. Even the senior managers Hours mic-warmed the quartet compe- Amersham A Cappella and Silver Lin- got involved. We also managed to tition, had a spot on the show, and then ing in the not too distant future. catch the first direct Chief Executive performed with the chorus. Chris Pilling who was bowled over by Keep harmonising! barbershop harmony and Mark Mullen It was a fantastic weekend of singing Jo, Alison, Julie & Jane and socialising and flying the flag for British ladies barbershop on both a cho- www.afterhoursquartet.co.uk

For news of Havoc, see p. 16

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 12

PASSING TH E W ORD CONTRIBUTED BY ANNE STOREY

All clubs have their own way of do- Sadly, we can t reproduce the colour here but the Belles use ing things but we can all learn colour-coding to differentiate events. New items are from each other. The Humber GREAT shown in red, LABBS items are shown in blue, Coast to Belle s method of communicat- Coast rehearsals are shown in green, italics are used to ing their monthly schedule came IDEA! show this month s highlights, and so on. It s a system to Jacqui Edwards attention re- that allows for easy identification and busy chorus mem- cently and she suggested we publish bers find it useful because it allows them to easily see the it so that other clubs might produce items that most interest them. similar bulletins if they don t already. Do you have any great ideas ? Any special ways of doing things at your The Belles Bulletin includes the practical club? Please send them in. Notices that all club members need such as reminders about Savings Clubs, LABBS membership cards and upcom- HUMBER BELLES DIARY SHEET (example) ing coaching days. It s accompanied by Month Day Date Event a colour-coded and regularly updated diary sheet. November Mon 5th Music Committee Meeting Mon 12th Executive Meeting Anne Storey explains, The Belles Bulle- tin began as a weekly e-mail/postal bul- Sun 18th Coast to Coast rehearsal letin sent out to all members by our for- mer Chair, Jen Nicol. This stopped Mon 19th Wardrobe Team Meeting when Jen was ill earlier on in 2007 and Thurs 22nd Humber Belles AGM when we had a lot of singouts/activities in December I revived it in the new for- Mon 26th Executive Meeting mat which I send out before each re- December Sat 1st To be confirmed hearsal. I also produce printouts to be given out at rehearsals to those mem- Fri 7th Wooton Hall Village Fair Belles Arts & bers not on e-mail or unable to print a Crafts stall for Convention 2008 copy. We also have a very well estab- Sat 8th Sentiments Memorial Service lished Diary Sheet, which I produce 2.00 5.00 p.m.** monthly, with notices . This was in place when I joined the Belles in 2001. Mon 10th Music Committee Meeting Weds 19th Charity Pub Crawl See the example laid out on the right. Thurs 20th Christmas Party

MUSIC RESOURCES UPDATE CONTRIBUTED BY JEAN SUTTON

FROM STAY SHARP MUSIC: contact Jean Sutton 1. STARS FELL ON ALABAMA Arranged by Jean Sutton 2. CONSIDER YOURSELF (full version) Arranged by Jean Sutton & Marilyn Penketh FROM LABBS: contact Sue Cooke (LABBS Music Sales) 1. DIET MEDLEY (original lyrics) Arranged by Roger Payne 2. WITHOUT YOU (own composition) Arranged by Roger Payne

WITH APOLOGIES for anyone requesting FLY ME TO THE MOON from Marilyn Penketh the licence is not yet processed.

SEARCH FOR A SONG: This is a new database which has been emailed to all Clubs and Registered Quartets and will be updated annually. It lists the availability of currently 880 arrangements & contact details. Should you wish for a personal copy

# by pdf (Acrobat Reader needed) by email attachment email: Jean Sutton

# by post (a hard copy print out) please send a cheque made out to LABBS Music Committee for £5 to Jean Sutton JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 13 ADS, NOTICES & LETTERS

HOLLAND HARMONY EUROPEAN CONVENTION 2009 Thursday 5 - Sunday 8 March 2009 NH Koningshof Conference Centre, Veldhoven (nr Eindhoven)

We are very happy to announce the first truly European Barbershop Convention which will hopefully increase Harmony and Friendship across the borders of our countries and organisations.

During this long weekend we are planning to combine the national Holland Har- mony contest with a European Contest. All Holland Harmony quartets & choruses are invited to compete, as are the top three quartets and choruses from all Euro- pean barbershop organisations. More than 50 quartets and choruses will be performing from Holland, UK, Germany, Ireland and Scandinavia.

Don t miss this fantastic opportunity to see and hear the best barbershoppers in Europe. Put the dates in your diary now and visit us next Spring. http://www.hollandharmony.dse.nl/conv2009/index_EN.htm

OBITUARY MARIE BURSON (FORMERLY HIGGINS)

Marie had strong links with East Midlands Barbershop singing worked just as hard for them as she did for us had she for more than twenty years. She was a keen member of Derby been able. We shall all miss her. Ladies and Amber Valley choruses and, in 1998, was a founder member of Gem Connection where she worked hard in vari- Cecile Stevenson, on behalf of Gem Connection ous executive positions to help to establish the chorus.

She was a long-standing supporter of the men's Grand Central Marie had only been with Second City Sound for a short Chorus where her first husband, Gordon, was a member, and time but her involvement with the Chorus and her com- she held office in that chorus as well. mitment to the club was one hundred percent. She was a much loved and valued member. She had a wonderful All Marie's friends in the East Midlands were delighted when, sense of humour and always made rehearsal nights a fun in 2004, after several years on her own following Gordon's time. My lasting memory of Marie was at Convention in long illness and death, she and Terry found each other and Harrogate, 2006. She had been receiving treatment for were clearly well suited and happy together. We were sorry to her illness which had resulted in her losing her hair. De- lose her to the West Midlands but pleased that she continued spite having had a gruelling session of chemotherapy her barbershop singing with Second City Sound. She herself that same week, she stood on the Convention stage was delighted with the welcome she was given there and by sporting a very elegant wig and gave it her all. That was the kindness she received during her all too short membership. to be her last performance but what a wonderful and he- roic achievement it was. We are very proud that Marie A group from Gem Connection attended Marie's funeral and was a part of our Chorus and there will always be a little were pleased that Terry chose to use two items from our cho- space on the risers in memory of her. rus CD as part of the service. We were also pleased to be able to join with Second City Sound and sing some songs from hap- Yvonne Powell, on behalf of Second City Sound pier times at the wake. We send deep sympathy to Terry and all the family members on their loss and our condolences to Second City on the passing of a member who would have

JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 14 Eu4ia COVENTRY Monkey Magic BABS quartet LABBS gold medal quartet BARBERSHOP HARMONY CLUB presents BELLES OF 3 SPIRES HARMONY SOUNDS OF 3 SPIRES LABBS chorus INSPIRES BABS Chorus Saturday 21 June 2008 at 7.30 p.m. Club Quartets Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa The Freeman A wonderful evening of harmony singing. Dance School

Tickets: £10 Tickets include a donation to the Myton Hospice

WANTED! Guildford Harmony Assistant Chorus Director To work alongside and under the guidance of our talented Musical Director Mike Warner.

If you are appropriately qualified, looking to improve your directing skills and wish to join a hardworking & friendly bunch of singers, please contact the Chairman for more information

www.guildfordharmony.com

LABBS NEEDS YOU (YES, YOU!)

LABBS needs help from someone exactly like you to take over the role of Secretary (vacant due to ill-health) There is a tremendous team spirit on the LABBS Executive Committee and it is a great way to get to know like-minded people from all over the country. If you are in a position to help, please let us know.

For an informal discussion about what the job entails please get in touch with Jacqui Edwards See LABBS Directory or the LABBS website for contact details.

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Thanks once again for all the contributions you have sent in for this issue and apologies for the few I could not squeeze in. Apologies too for asking for contributions from MDs in the last issue. My timing was impec- cable the deadline was right on top of Prelims. MDs, please regard it as an open and ongoing invitation though!

Fund-raisers, club secretaries, make-up artists, costume-makers, buyers and club historians please pass on Great Ideas . Likewise, reviews of anything related to barbershop are always welcome. The next issue is the last before Convention. Why not share some of your preparation stories with us?

If you have visited the LABBS website recently you ll notice that past issues of Voice Box have started to appear. The online version comes out roughly 6 weeks after the print publication and is in a slightly edited format with personal details removed.

Contributors to Voice Box should also look for the guidelines recently published on the LABBS website. They were designed to answer some frequently asked questions and I hope you ll find them helpful. Yours, Jean. JUN E 2008 VOICE BOX PAGE 15

FOR SALE! DIARY DATES Jun 21-22 LABBS Quartet Weekend Jun 28 LABBS Council meeting 45 DRESSES Jul 18-20 LABBS/BABS Foundation Course Silver glitter detail crys- Jul 26 Jt Meeting Exec, E&J and tal pleated top with Prelims./Convention Team plain skirt beneath. Aug 22-24 BABS Harmony College Red silk jersey, fully Sep 6 LABBS Exec. Meeting washable, Sep 19-21 LABBS Category School drip dry. Only (tbc) £10 Sep 27 LABBS Council Meeting each All sizes o.n.o

Some brand The LABBS website carries a full new. D o n t and up-to-date list of Forget events as well as notices and advertisements.

Check back often to find out what s new. Welwyn Harmony Chorus www.labbs.org.uk NB: colour is red

H AVOC ON BOARD This year seems to be flying (and sailing !) past. It s frighten- splendour after falling out of use for many years and is ing to think we are already half way through our champion- now a major award-winning visitor attraction and museum. ship year. Before the delegates arrived, we were lucky enough to be treated to our very own private tour of this magnificent ship We will be travelling to Anaheim next year to represent and gained much insight into what life was really like on LABBS at the International Convention and have already board in Victorian days. We had a great time singing too! started to come up with different fund raising ideas. To this end, we are currently are in the process off selling HAVOC Anyone who went to the Gold Rush show will surely agree squares. If you were at Gold Rush or any of the LABBS cho- what a fabulous evening it was. It was wonderful to be in- rus Prelims you will probably have been accosted to part vited to sing on the show both as a quartet and as part of with money and buy a square (or 2 or 3 of course!). You get the marvellous QCs. It was a great day, a fantastic show and the chance to win £100 and the satisfaction of knowing you ll what an afterglow. be helping us to get to Anaheim. We are hoping to raise enough money to get us home again too, by the way. So don t We ll see you in Cheltenham where we will be representing even think of walking past any of us at ANY barbershop LABBS at the BABS Convention. And don t miss our Ladies event in the near future without stopping us and buying at Singing Workshop! least one! Ali, Linda, Donna & Jo HAVOC have been very busy recently but one particular HAVOC booking will be one we will definitely remember for a long time. We were very honoured to be booked to sing at a cor- porate event on Brunel s famous S.S. Great Britain: the great flagship that has her home in Bristol docks.

When she was originally launched from Bristol in 1843, she was the largest ocean vessel afloat and the world s first great DEADLINES 2008 ocean liner. She has recently been restored to her original 25 July September issue 9 November December issue

Advertising rates: NB Payment to £50 for a full page be sent with £25 for a half page copy £15 for a quarter page £10 for a small ad.

Send all copy to: Jean Lewis, Email: [email protected]

The editor reserves the right to edit any material in the interests of clarity, accuracy, suitability and to fit the space available. The deci- sion of the editor as to the publication of any material is final.

Ali, Linda, Donna & Jo at S.S. Great Britain Contributors are responsible for the opinions and facts contained in the material they submit and the views so expressed are not necessarily those of the editor, or LABBS. Printed by Pixel Beach, Reading www.pixelbeach.co.uk