The Orange Spiel Page 1 July 2017

Volume 37 Issue 7 July 2017 We meet at 7:30 most Thursdays at Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran, 7860 Southside Blvd, Jacksonville, FL Guests always welcome Call 355-SING No Experience Necessary

WHAT'S INSIDE ANNUAL SHOW A GREAT SUCCESS by John Alexander Title Page Annual Show A Great Success 1,3-4 On Saturday, 3 June, we put on a killer show. Everybody Editorial 2 who saw and heard it loved it. Barbershopper Of The Month 4 Magic Choral Trick #364 5 Barbershop History Questions 40 5 Free Your Voice 6 Free Singing Tips 6 Difficulty Staying Focused In The 7-8 Mike Rowe Honorary Life Member 9 Barbershop History Answers 40 9 Why You Think You Can’t Sing 10-11 Singers, Are You Out Of Breath? 12 33 Most Effective Singing Tips 12 Quartet Corner 13 Chapter Member Stats 13 Board Minute Summary 14 One Of Our Own Heads The Cast 14 Upcoming Schedules 15 Birthdays / Guests / New Members 15 Directing Team / Other Leaders 16 Chapter Officers / Music Team 17

Our headline quartet was “Simple Life”

(Continued on page 3) The Orange Spiel Page 2 July 2017

2017 Board of Directors Committees EDITORIAL President: Show Chairman: by John Alexander Terry Ezell Jason Dearing As the Gipper has often told us, we need three Music VP: Chorus Manager: things to be successful: Men, Music, and Money. John Alexander Vacant We seem to have a pretty good handle on the Mu- sic (although getting better is always a goal). VP Membership: Chorus Contact: Phil Warmanen Vacant More men are needed. Are you bringing guests? Are you ready with your “elevator speech” to be VP Performance & PR: Webmaster: more than just, “So, where do you like to sing?” Jason Dearing Frank Nosalek Are there places we could appear where there are men who don’t know who we are and what we do VP Marketing: Youth In Harmony: (and might catch the bug to do it with us)? Frank Nosalek Dave Parker More money is needed. Selling show tickets is Secretary: Music Team good. Selling ads for the program is good. Work- Don Messler ing at BigOBucks events is good. Corporate spon- Music Director: sorships are good. Grants are good. Private do- Treasurer: Vacant nations are good. Suggestions for additional per- Steve Mullens formances (hopefully paid gigs) are good. Other Associate Directors: ideas you may have might be good. VP Multimedia: George Gipp Robert Reeves Dr Tim Workman Do you have some skills or talents (other than singing) that could help the chapter? There are Members at Large: Director Emeritus: many things needing to be done to keep this ma- Mike Sobolewski Chuck Griffith chine running. Having the same few guys doing Ken Tureski everything until they burn out is a recipe for disas- Eric Grimes Section Leaders: ter. Terry Ezell Tenor Big O Bucks Robert Reeves Lead Steve Mullens Lead Coordinator: Jeff Packer Bari Mike Sobolewski Jason Dearing Bari John Alexander Bass Bookkeeper: Rick Morin Learning Materials: Daniel Proctor

The Orange Spiel is published monthly and is the official publication of the Jacksonville Big O Chapter of the Sunshine District of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the home of the Big Orange Chorus. The chapter and chorus meet most Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm at the Shepherd of the Woods, 7860 South- side Blvd. For more information visit our website, http://www.bigorangechorus.com. Articles, pictures and address corrections may be sent to the editor.

John Alexander, Editor For more detailed, 2429 Southern Links Dr timely information Orange Park FL 32003 see my weekly [email protected] publication: 904-278-3987 Orange Zest The Orange Spiel Page 3 July 2017

ANNUAL SHOW A GREAT SUCCESS Our chapter quartet “Slice” (continued)

(Continued from page 1) Our guest quartet was “Uncharted”

Our chapter quartet “Chapter 11”

Our special guest was “Bridges Of Harmony”

Our featured chapter quartet was “On Point” The chorus in action

(Continued on page 4) The Orange Spiel Page 4 July 2017

ANNUAL SHOW A GREAT SUCCESS BARBERSHOPPER OF THE MONTH (continued)

(Continued from page 3)

Jason Dearing Congratulations and a tip of the Big O hat to our lat- est Barbershopper of the Month, Jason Dearing.

Jason does a lot for the chapter. He is the Vice President of Performance and Public Relations. He is the Show Chairman. He is the acting Uniform Manager (until somebody else steps up). He is ac- tive in the chorus (assistant baritone section leader) and in an active chapter quartet (Slice). He is probably doing some other stuff even I don’t know about. We should have more Jason’s.

Jason is being honored this month for his tireless efforts in putting together our Annual Spring Show.

Jason was unanimously chosen by the Board of Di- rectors as the Big Orange Chorus Barbershopper of the Month.

Congratulations Jason!

The Orange Spiel Page 5 July 2017

MAGIC CHORAL TRICK #364 not enunciated. WORD SOUNDS by Janet Kidd from betterchoirs.wordpress.com

’ve written before about the concept of getting rid of, de-emphasizing or Imumbling unimportant words or syl- lables – but when my chorus was being coached by music judge Kathy Greason, she had an eloquent term for describing this.

Word Sounds. She asked my chorus members to just sing word sounds rather than enunciating the BARBERSHOP HISTORY actual words, or the syllables that make up those words. QUIZ 40 by Mark Axelrod Our listening understanding of Word Sounds is from probeweb.org rather like those texts we see on Facebook – where the words are printed upside down or back- 1 - What is unusual about the chorus that represented wards, but we still have no problem reading them. the Northeastern District in the 1962 Internationals?

When we listen analytically to natural speech pat- 2 - How close was the score between the champs and terns, most of what we hear is just Word Sounds. the #2 chorus in the 1990 Internationals? In fact, when we hear someone speaking and enunciating everything really clearly, it comes 3 - Who was the oldest singer from a 1st place quartet across as not only unnatural, but also as slightly at the time of his death? condescending or judgmental. We get so caught up in listening to every syllable that we tend to 4 - Who was the youngest singer from a 1st place miss the meaning of what’s being said. quartet at the time of his death?

Most of the songs we sing were written to be im- Answers on page 9 mediately accessible, in the language and cadence of our times. Meticulous enunciation is not only un- necessary, but can be an emotional barrier for the audience. If they are being distracted by the accen- tuation of syllables that would normally be swal- lowed in speech, it takes a moment for the brain to discount their emotional usefulness.

If the songwriting is good, the music matches the flow of a natural delivery of the lyrics.

Strong song delivery finds the most meaningful Newsletter word or syllable of the phrase and communicates that one thing very clearly – while allowing the rest Input of the lyrics to flow in such a way that they point to that meaningful word or syllable. From

By the way – just as a rule of thumb, I say that all The articles, prepositions and any words or syllables on a pick up beat need to be just Word Sounds, and Membership The Orange Spiel Page 6 July 2017

FREE YOUR VOICE FREE SINGING TIPS by John Newell, Lead, Realtime by Yvonne DeBandi from “Let It Out” Vocal Performance from a2z-singing-tips.com Coaching Facebook page Q = Quit smoking. Quit talking too Find YOUR song. loudly. Quit talking too much.

Words and notes just aren't enough. If that's all we learn, then all we do is sing someone else's song. FREE SINGING TIPS Sorry, singers, but we have to be actors. Good by Nicole LeGault actors, I mean. Just like actors, we must find a from a2z-singing-tips.com little piece of ourselves in the story and the music, and likewise a little piece of the story and music in ourselves. In other words, we need the courage to Q is for Quench. When I’m recognized in public as a tell our true emotions, true experiences and true vocal coach, a lot of people ask first: “What should I characters through the music and lyrics. That is drink”? I tell them that if they’re singing how words and notes come off the page and properly, it doesn’t matter much what they come to life. drink. I prefer to avoid caffeine, because I don’t like the crash that follows the artificial Digging into real experiences and emotions is per- stimulation. Avoid hard liquor, it burns go- haps the scariest part for many singers. There is ing down and the fumes may irritate. Avoid great fear of not being accepted. And there is dairy products, they may help generate phlegm. great fear of ourselves and our innermost feel- Other than that, just try to remain hydrated and fu- ings. That's life in the arts, though. No courage, eled – I like to drink spring water and fruit juice. no achievement. Sorry to be blunt here, but that's When consuming carbonated beverages, be sure how it is. If you won't take the risk, there are thou- that you can keep your burping under control! It can sands out there who will. be embarrassing, especially during ballads.

If I can't find a piece of myself in the music and lyrics (i.e. if it doesn't immediately "speak to me"), I won't start learning it. Going through the motions is a waste of time and an exercise in singing FREE SINGING TIPS someone else's song. I want to sing MY song. by Mick Walsh from a2z-singing-tips.com

FREE SINGING TIPS Q. Quiet time. I always start my classes with quite, diaphragmatic breathing. Gen- by Teri Danz tly winding down from all the stresses of from a2z-singing-tips.com the day. Focus on getting your breath down from the chest and into the dia- Q = Quit Pushing -- Feeling powerful in phragm area. If you have a puppy or a kitten watch singing and being powerful in singing how they breathe. Their tummies’ rise and fall gen- are two entirely different things. While tly, with no stress or pressure. Breath in for a count efforting -- pushing chest, singing louder of 7 then out for 11, This fools the body into becom- to hit pitches, creating and pushing ing very relaxed, very quickly. This is a great tech- sound from the throat -- may feel powerful, it actu- nique to try if you are waiting for an interview or an ally sounds worse. It's easy to go off pitch, sound exam. Don’t do this when driving though as it can strident (even painful), hurt your voice, crack etc... lower blood pressure and increase your vehicle in- when you sing in this way. surance should you crash!! The Orange Spiel Page 7 July 2017

ing, planning, and reflecting, not how good the person DIFFICULTY STAYING in the next room over sounds, or what that last alert on FOCUSED IN THE our phone might have been about.

PRACTICE ROOM? WHY And while tuning out things like traffic noise is not a big deal, there’s something qualitatively different about our “AIRPLANE MODE” MAY phone. NOT BE ENOUGH Our phone is more than just a phone by Dr Noa Kageyama from bulletproofmusician.com Studies have found that our phones have become such an integral part of our lives, that we react to it in rom as early an age as I can much the same way that we do to our name – like remember, there were al- when we’re talking with a friend at a party, but sud- F ways two main challenges denly overhear our name being mentioned in a differ- with practicing. ent conversation behind us.

One, was simply getting started. The other, was Because it’s not just a phone. It’s our connection to a staying engaged and focused once I got going. huge, exciting world of news, information, friends, work, and a life outside the practice room. Staying focused in the practice room can be dif- ficult for lots of reasons, but I saw an article re- So there are two major ways in which our phones can cently which suggested that our phones might thus undermine our efforts to get the most out of our play a role in this too. practice time.

Which initially struck me as being almost a little 1. Orientation of attention: The most obvious way is cliché, and besides, good luck getting me to when they ring, buzz, or vibrate. This shifts our atten- give up my smartphone for a phone that only tion away from thoughts about the phrase you’re prac- makes phone calls. ticing to thoughts about other parts of your life, and what you might be missing out on. But there’s an easy But then again…you know how we all like to fix – airplane mode! think that we can drive perfectly well while talk- ing on the phone? But anytime you see some- 2. Allocation of attention: The second way phones can one being an idiot at a 4-way stop, you look, degrade our focus is actually more subtle – and more and almost invariably, they’re on the phone? interesting. Our brain’s tendency is to perk up when something interesting (like a phone) is nearby. And Is it possible that our phones are having a apparently, it takes cognitive resources to inhibit that greater effect on our efforts in the practice room automatic attention. In other words, it may not matter if than we realize? our phone is on airplane mode. It’s mere presence could be diverting some of our brainpower away from Limited cognitive resources the task of figuring out a better fingering or bowing.

Have you ever found yourself turning down the A test of attention radio in the car when you’re lost, and GPS is being less than helpful? To see if this theory has any merit, a team of research- ers at the University of Texas recruited 520 undergrad As illustrated by moments like this, our atten- students, and asked them to complete two challenging tional resources are limited. We are constantly mental tasks. surrounded by way more information than our brain can process. One involved completing a series of math problems while updating and remembering a random sequence Typically, that’s not such a big deal, because of letters. The other was a set of puzzles that required most of what’s around us isn’t related to what completing a pattern. Both tasks were designed to be we’re doing. And the most important thing in the cognitively demanding, so that the scores would be practice room is that we be focused on listen- (Continued on page 8) The Orange Spiel Page 8 July 2017

DIFFICULTY STAYING FOCUSED violinist Frank Almond makes a point of in this in- (continued) terview).

(Continued from page 7) So while I don’t know that I can say it’s absolutely sensitive to how fully a participant was able to fo- critical to put your phone in a different room while cus on the task at hand. practicing, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to experiment with. And airplane mode seems like a no-brainer. To see what sort of impact phones would have on performance, one group was asked to leave their Because when you think about it, what do you phone and belongings in the waiting area. Another really have to gain from keeping your phone within group brought all their belongings into the testing arm’s reach? And isn’t it perhaps a good thing to room, but kept their phone wherever they normally disconnect from the outside world on occasion? would (about half kept their phone in their pocket, the other half in their bag). A third group was asked Can you imagine going to a martial arts class, for to put their phones on the desk in front of them, instance, and seeing students stop during training face down, with all sound/vibration alerts turned to answer a call or check their email? I had an in- off. structor who once admonished a student for being late, not because it was an issue of respect, but Out of sight, out of mind because of how important it is to have a few mo- ments before class to transition away from one’s As expected, those who left their phones in the life, and get into the right mindset for training. To waiting area performed the best. By a statistically leave behind work, family, etc., and focus on being significant margin over those who had the phone open and present. He emphasized that those who sitting on their desk. show up late, get dressed in a rush, and can’t make this transition, not only learn less, but are But despite the difference in performance, the vast more likely to get injured too. majority of participants (~86%) didn’t believe that the location of their phone during the experiment Though perhaps a bit idealistic, wouldn’t it be inter- had any influence on their scores. Which suggests esting if we could approach practicing in a similar that we may not be aware of the impact our phone way? As a quiet escape from our busy, chaotic is having on our ability to concentrate. lives, as opposed to just another part of our day in which we allow interruptions to disrupt our experi- As summed up by the lead researcher, “…as the ence of whatever is actually in front of us at the smartphone becomes more noticeable, partici- moment? pants’ available cognitive capacity decreases. Your conscious mind isn’t thinking about your smart- And if you think you may have a phone, but that process – the process of requiring smartphone dependence issue… yourself to not think about something – uses up some of your limited cognitive resources.” A follow-up study by the same authors factored smartphone dependence (the degree to which par- Takeaways ticipants felt they would have trouble getting through a day without their phone) into the equa- When you think about it, there’s actually quite a lot tion. They found that the greater the participants’ on our plates in the practice room. On one hand, dependence on the phone, the worse they per- you’re improving your physical execution and coor- formed on the challenge tasks when their phone dination, your ears, problem-solving skills, and was readily accessible. deepening your understanding of the score and the musical and technical aspects of your craft. Which So if you tend to be pretty dependent on your requires as much of your cognitive resources as phone, you may find it particularly beneficial to you can get. keep your phone out of sight when practicing.

But ideally, you’re also strengthening your ability to focus intently on the task at hand, past distractions of all kinds. A skill that is essential in performance, and must be developed in the practice room (as The Orange Spiel Page 9 July 2017

MIKE ROWE NAMED HONORARY LIFE MEMBER OF BARBERSHOP HARMONY SOCIETY posted by Brian Lynch from barbershophq.com

xecutive producer and TV host Mike Rowe has been named an Honorary Life Member Eof the Barbershop Harmony Society. Rowe will receive the award on Saturday, July 8, at the Society’s international convention in Las Vegas.

A barbershop singer and fan, Mike credits his show business career in part to the influence of his high school choir director, Fred King, who also happened to be a world champion barbershop quartet singer. (Read Mike’s touching memorial tribute to Fred, or lis- ten to him tell the story.) Under Fred’s encourage- ment, Mike became a Barbershopper, later sang in the Baltimore Opera, and eventually earned his title as “the dirtiest man on television” (Dirty Jobs, Some- body’s Gotta Do It,) narrator (The Deadliest Catch) and podcaster (The Way I Heard It.)

As CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, Rowe speaks regularly about the country’s dysfunctional re- lationship with work and challenges the persistent be- lief that a four-year degree is the best path for the BARBERSHOP HISTORY most people. His foundation works hard to debunk ANSWERS 40 myths about the skilled trades and help close the skills gap. by Mark Axelrod from probeweb.org Honorary Life Members of the Barbershop Harmony Society are performers and leaders who make an im- Answers to this month's history/knowledge quiz: pact on the world through their passion and influence on close harmony and singing for everyone. Recent 1 - No chorus represented the NED in the 1962 In- honorees have included: ternationals. My source, most irritatingly, did not say why. If you know, please enlighten me and I'll stick it • Grammy Award winning gospel quartet The Fair- in a future quiz. field Four • Deke Sharon, a cappella godfather 2 - Incredibly, it was a dead heat! The Masters of • Lynn Abbott, researcher into African-American Harmony and the Thoroughbreds had the identical foundations of barbershop harmony score. The tie was broken by the score of the sound category in which the Masters had a six point ad- • The Nylons, pioneer a cappella pop stars vantage. How's that for a cliffhanger! • The Oak Ridge Boys, country megastars

• Bill Gaither, gospel music legend 3 - Roy Frisby, the lead of the 1942 champs the • Gordon Lightfoot, folk/pop superstar Elastic Four, passed on in 2000 at the age of 94. • Dick Van Dyke, Grammy/Emmy/Tony Award win- ning actor and singer 4 - Mike Senter, the bass of the 1972 champs the Golden Staters, sadly died at the age of 39, in 1979. (See full list at http://www.barbershop.org/about-us/ honorary-members/ ) The Orange Spiel Page 10 July 2017

artists sound like any other famous singer? Abso- WHY YOU THINK lutely not. In fact, it is their own unique style of YOU CAN’T SING singing that sets them apart from other artists mak- ing them popular and successful. by Audrey Hunt from hubpages.com Then why do we try so hard to sound like our fa- vorite singers? Should our goal be to duplicate y voice is terrible," "I don't them in every way? We even try to use the same like my singing voice," "I genuflecting. (Body and arm/hand movements.) "M hate the way I sound." If I had a dollar for the many I want you to stop doing this. I want you to 'find' times I have heard these words... your own individual, unique sound when you sing. Once you find this singing sound - keep it. As a vocal instructor for 40 years I have learned that there are three reasons that keep you from singing. I Oh sure, you want to practice correct singing tech- will list each of these reasons, giving you insight into niques because this is the only way to improve on each one. My hope is that through discovering why your present voice. But don't duplicate someone you reject your singing, you will be more inclined to else's singing. Keep trying to discover your own accept your voice. unique sound.

You are certainly not alone in not liking your singing. Consider how you first learn a new song. I often ask new singers during their vocal lesson whether or not they like their singing voice. Would • You listen to the song over and over again. you believe that over 95% answer "no?" Surveys • You learn both the lyrics and the melody this also indicate that most people, even hate the sound way. of their singing. • You also learn the rhythm, and copy the singer's phrasing and inflection. And - you are "I would rather die than let anyone hear me sing," is duplicating the artists style (or at least you are a phrase spoken by way too trying to.) many people. And here's an- other one that's been passed Is it any wonder that you end up trying to sound around for years, "I can't carry like the original artist of a song? a tune in a bucket." Reason #2 Why is this? And can any- Negative Childhood Experiences thing be done about the way we sound when we sing? A young boy entered a school talent show. He Does a person either have a loved to sing, so he signed up to sing his favorite good voice or not? Is there any hope for those who song. During his few minutes before the classroom want to sing but are afraid they will never sound bet- and as he was singing, some of his class mates ter? started to giggle. He was devastated and could barely finish his song. He was certain that they The answer is a big resounding "yes", and I'm here were laughing at the way he sounded. He vowed to to encourage and help you. Let's take a look at the never sing again. three main factors that cause us to hate our own singing. Once we learn the answer to this question, Has this happened to you? What a terrible mes- your negative inner-dialogue just may change. sage this is for the poor singer. This image is sometimes carried throughout the person's life. Reason # 1 The message is, "I can't sing at all. My voice Comparing Your Singing To Another Person sounds funny to others." "I don't want this to hap- pen again so I won't sing anymore." Why would you do this to yourself? Why would you think that unless you sound exactly like Mariah Cary Oh, how sad this is. You parents must be very or Blake Shelton you can't sing. (Just using these singers an example.) Do either of these recording (Continued on page 11) The Orange Spiel Page 11 July 2017

WHY YOU THINK YOU CAN’T SING Happy Birthday at a party. No judgement takes (continued) place. We don't know that we can't sing until someone tells us we can't. (Continued from page 10) careful in the way you react to your children's singing. Here are some ways you will stifle your child's voice for years to come:

• "Stop that noise - I'm trying to concentrate." • "Go outside and sing." • "I'm too busy to listen right now." • "Your brother (sister or friend) has such a beauti- ful voice. Maybe you should learn the piano." • "Don't sing so loud." • "That's not how the song goes." "Oh, you can't sing on key." •

You Were Born Singing - Summary Reason # 3

You Were Told You Can't Sing You were born singing. Singing is your birthright.

Singing is part of you just as your talking voice is. Now here's a reason that makes no sense at all. Con- Both your singing and speaking voice can be sider this analogy. If someone walked up to you and changed and improved upon. But if you decide to after hearing you speak, told you that you can't talk, get some help and seek out a qualified teacher, you'd laugh right? "Of course I can speak" you'd tell do it for the right reason. yourself.

Don't try to imitate anyone else unless it's to You wouldn't buy into this ridiculous claim. How ab- magnify a proper vocal technique or learn how surd. You've been talking for years and it's com- the song goes. Some people think that if we don't pletely natural. Well, so is singing. In fact you were sound like a carbon copy of the original recording singing long before you learned how to form words. artist, we can't sing. This is where your own

unique singing style must shine. Sing with such Singing is our birthright. The first sound we ever conviction that you will 'carry the listener away.' made was in the form of a cry. Singing is 'sustained sound.' And we certainly sustained our first sound as I always tell my vocal students, "If you're going to we let out a howl using correct singing technique. sing a mistake - sing the mistake with confi-

dence." This way, people are not sure whether • Our breath came from the diaphragmatic area. you did something wrong or not. (Just watch a baby or animal sleep. The abdomi- nal wall inflates with each breath.) This is the The Three Reasons That Keep You From Sing- foundation for singing. ing has little to do with your actual voice. It has • We opened our mouth wide. This is an important more to do with ego. factor in singing. • Our posture was perfect, keeping the back Think more about how singing feels than the way straight. your singing sounds. • We cried with an unlimited range of sound. • Our voice resonated through correct chambers Your voice is your musical instrument. Use is causing the sound to project just as we do in proudly and freely to celebrate, meditate and to singing. pray. • We had no fear. All self-judgement had not devel- oped. "Don't worry if you're not good enough for anyone else to hear ~ We think we can't sing because we are taught that we can't. How sad this is. There isn't a child alive that Just sing - sing a song." buys into this lie. Just watch these little ones sing The Orange Spiel Page 12 July 2017

resonance will improve because we will be starting SINGERS, ARE YOU our next sung phrases from more free, open, and OUT OF BREATH? less “muscled” (tense) places. This is the foundation of freedom from which good singing technique is by Arden Kaywin built. I’ve seen it work time and again. from backstage.com Practical experiment: Blow all the air out of your o you feel like you never seem lungs. Get rid of it entirely. Then, all at once release to have enough breath when your ribs, throat, jaw, and mouth, and soften your Dyou sing? Are you constantly belly to let the air come in. You will feel the air flood grabbing bigger and bigger into the space you have created. Notice that you breaths only to run out of air on the same have received plenty of air without having to physi- beat each time? If so, the problem may be that your cally take it, pull it, or draw it into your body in any breath quality is affecting your air quantity. way. This is the sensation of “letting a breath come in,” which creates a good quality of breath. All you Many singers unknowingly approach breathing for have to do is release to create the space for your singing as a fast manipulation to pull as much air into breath and plenty of air quantity will follow. the body as possible in the shortest amount of time. They think the only way they’ll be able to get enough air to make it through the phrase is if they actively 33 MOST EFFECTIVE grab, take, pull, suck, force, or “tank up” as much air as possible into their lungs before they sing. What SINGING TIPS these singers don’t realize is that a breath of this from how2improvesinging.com quality creates tension (in the ribs, in the muscles of the abdomen, in the muscles of the neck and throat, #24 by Sonia Jones and in the jaw), and this tension negatively affects Find Your Natural Instrument the quantity of air they are receiving. The very thing they are doing in an effort to draw in more breath is actually causing them to receive less. If there is any “When coaching a beginner I find the tension in the body during a breath, a singer will most important focus has to be making bring in much less air than they would if their body the singing voice feel familiar and acces- were free, open, soft, and released on the inhale. sible to the student. For me this begins with the primitive voice, connecting safe, Instead of trying to force more air into your lungs on organic sounds in a way that feel ‘natural’ to the stu- the inhale, try focusing on releasing your body to a dent. The most useful piece of advice I feel my stu- more open and free place to receive the air. We ac- dents respond to, is the fact that the ‘singing’ voice tually have the laws of physics on our side to help us could be considered to be more ‘natural’ than the with this, so don’t worry about trying to pull more air speaking voice. Everyday we respond to emotive into your lungs. Instead, allow equilibrium to do that triggers by crying, whimpering, calling out, these are for you. When our lungs are empty and it’s time to safe sounds we make from the day we are born. inhale, the air pressure inside our lungs is different Singing should be an extension of these sounds and from the air pressure outside our body. When we ap- unfortunately can often be negatively affected by the ply the principles of equilibrium, we find that we do stresses and expectations of the world we live in to- not have to do a thing to help fill our lungs with air. day. As a singing teacher my key aim is to unpack The air will arrive in our lungs on its own because the and reveal a reliable, free and emotive instrument.” difference in air pressure wants it to be in there. All we have to do is release some space for the air to travel through. When we physically do something to help pull the air into our bodies because we are fo- cused on breath quantity, we create tension that gets in the way of this efficient mechanism. If we focus instead on having a peaceful breath quality, we can release our ribs, our bellies, our throats, our jaws, and our mouths to let the air come in freely on its own. We will receive much more air this way and our The Orange Spiel Page 13 July 2017

CHAPTER MEMBER STATS

he following are our current membership statistics: T

Regular Members (RG) 38 Senior 50-Year (S5) 6 Senior Legacy (SL) 3 Senior Members (SN) 9 Youth Members (Y2) 7 QUARTET CORNER by John Alexander Total Membership 63

On Point and Slice sang on our chapter show. A new quartet, which may be named Chapter 11, also sang on the show. PAST DUE MEMBERS What is YOUR quartet doing? Don’t have one? Find three other guys and start one! Can’t find a he following members are listed separately match? Drop me a line and I’ll run a list of guys on the BHS website as past due. They vary looking to quartet up here in the bulletin. It’s one of T from 1 days overdue to 178 days overdue. those really fun things that you don’t fully under- They will automatically be removed from the stand until you’ve done it. society roll at 180 days overdue.

Men who have indicated interest in forming quartets Robert Breedon (entertain, compete, or both) include: Ryan Hastie Frank Nosalek John Alexander Howdy Russell III Jason Boddie Don Hartsfield Brian Kerr Brian Moore Ken Moyer COMING DUE MEMBERS Bob Thau

he following members are coming due in ...and hopefully the next 60 days. more who have- n’t contacted me T yet. John Banks George Gipp Brian Kerr The Orange Spiel Page 14 July 2017

BOARD MINUTE SUMMARY ONE OF OUR OWN by John Alexander HEADS THE CAST

The board met at 6:00 pm on 22 June at The Loop. by John Alexander Present were: John Alexander, Jason Dearing, Terry Ezell, Eric Grimes, Don Messler, Steve radition, change, and love are but a few Mullens, Mike Sobolewski, Ken Tureski, and Phil themes that resound in the musical pro- Warmanen. T duction of Fiddler On The Roof (book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Sheldon Harrick, The minutes for the last meeting were approved. music by Jerry Bock) at Amelia Musical Playhouse. (from the News Leader) The treasurer reported current balance. The husband and wife Tevya and Golde are played Show financials are still coming in, but it looks like we by husband and wife Jeff Packer and Jane Sand- roughly broke even. We need to sell more tickets. haus-Packer. The program booklet paid for itself. More ads would be pure profit.

A draft of a letter for corporate sponsorship of the chorus was discussed at length.

With BigOBucks having fundraising opportunities at Daily’s Place (as well as the Stadium for Jags games), and several of those possibilities being on Thursdays, and those Thursdays being during the runup for fall contest, we discussed several plans of action. We could just miss those guys working on our behalf on those Thursdays, we could move rehearsal night for just a month or so to another night (Tuesday or maybe Monday, depending on what is available). Or perhaps something else. We’ll be gathering data.

We discussed some preliminary plans for the Christ- Congratulations and well done to our own Jeff mas show. Packer.

A Barbershopper Of The Month was chosen.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for 27 July at The Loop. All members are invited to attend.

They played to many sold-out performances. The Orange Spiel Page 15 July 2017

REHEARSAL SCHEDULE BIRTHDAYS

Thu 06 Jul Cancelled (International) Dave Parker 04 July Thu 13 Jul Shepherd of the Woods Keith Starks 22 July Thu 20 Jul Cancelled (Special Weekend) Jeff Packer 26 July Fri 21 Jul Shepherd of the Woods Bob Stump 29 July Sat 22 Jul Special Session with Jay Eric Grimes 30 July Thu 27 Jul Board Meeting (Loop) Thu 27 Jul Shepherd of the Woods RECENT GUESTS Thu 03 Aug Shepherd of the Woods Thu 10 Aug Shepherd of the Woods Jim Akers Marquize Brown Thu 17 Aug Shepherd of the Woods Jason Boddie Rick Chapman Thu 24 Aug Shepherd of the Woods Scott Copeland James Crawford Thu 31 Aug Board Meeting (Loop) Daniel Harrell Aaron Hastie Thu 31 Aug Shepherd of the Woods Joe Howington Josh Howl Jerry Johnson John Kerr SPECIAL SESSIONS Jake Koebrich Dan Kulik Joseph Mendum Scott Neumann 7/22 Weekend with Jay Brian Poore Joseph Redmond 9/30 Weekend with Jay Daniel Rigano Hugh Smith TBD Skype with Jay Kaleb Tinker Doug Torrence ...more to come Drew Williams Ray Wilson PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Sat 01 Jul Inspirational/Patriotic show WELCOME Sun 02 Jul Inspirational/Patriotic show Sat 27 Oct Fall Contest Sat 16 Dec Christmas Show NEWEST MEMBERS

Rick Ard May { Big O Buck$ } Mark Roblez April Mark Graham March Gavin Andrews February BIG O BUCKS SCHEDULE Tom Sanders October Daniel Pesante September

Brian Moore August Sat 01 Jul Chicago & Doobie Bros Alexander Burney June Mon 10 Jul Incubus Timothy Keatley June Thu 13 Jul Dierks Bentley Thu 20 Jul United We Rock Tour Sat 22 Jul Meek Mill & Yo Getti Ask yourself: Wed 26 Jul Journey Thu 27 Jul Lady Antebellum Wed 02 Aug Straight No Chaser What kind of a chapter Thu 03 Aug Foreigner ...more to come would my chapter BE DISTRICT SCHEDULE If all of its members Fri-Mon 1-4 Sep Labor Day Jamboree Fri-Sun 26-28 Oct Fall Convention were just like ME? The Orange Spiel Page 16 July 2017

DIRECTING TEAM

Vacant George Gipp Dr Tim Workman Chuck Griffith Front Line Associate Associate Director Director Director Director Emeritus

OTHER CHAPTER LEADERS

Vacant Vacant Jason Dearing Dave Parker Uniform Chorus Show Youth In Harmony Manager Manager Chairman Coordinator

Frank Nosalek Mike Sobolewski Rick Morin John Alexander Webmaster Big O Bucks Big O Bucks Bulletin Technology Coordinator Bookkeeper Editor

EDITOR’S NOTE Print off two copies

Article and column submissions are solicited. of this newsletter Help make this a better bulletin. Send me stuff! The deadline for August is 26 July. to share - one with Items without a byline are from the Editor. your family and The Orange Spiel John Alexander, Editor one with someone 2429 Southern Links Dr Orange Park FL 32003 you are bringing to a chapter meeting. Back issues are available online at: www.bigorangechorus.com/newsarchive.htm Let them know they More specific and timely performance information is in my weekly sheet, Orange Zest. belong here! The Orange Spiel Page 17 July 2017

2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Terry John Jason Dearing Don Messler Steve Mullens Phil Ezell Alexander VP PR & Chapter Chapter Warmanen President VP Music Performance Secretary Treasurer VP Membership

Frank Robert Eric Mike Ken Nosalek Reeves Grimes Sobolewski Tureski VP Marketing VP Multimedia At Large At Large At Large

MUSIC TEAM

John Terry Ezell Robert Reeves Steve Mullens Jeff Packer Alexander Tenor Lead Lead Bari VP Music Sec Ldr Sec Ldr Asst Sec Ldr Sec Ldr

Jason Dearing John Alexander Mike Sobolewski Daniel Proctor Bari Bass Presentation Learning Materials Asst Sec Ldr Sec Ldr Coordinator Coordinator

Imagine 80 men on the risers Be a singer-bringer

John Alexander, Editor 2429 Southern Links Dr Orange Park FL 32003

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