Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Msg #19: A dozen songs, more or less

Let's Cover The Basics For The Rally

Please read this email quickly but carefully - It is a list of what you should have done, or what you need to do soon.

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By now you should have already filled out your housing and meal survey  and your supplementary requests.

If you are traveling and need a ride from the airport or to the airport click the links.

If you can offer a ride, please do.  If you are using other transit, send me an email.

We hope it is not necessary, but click if you have to withdraw.

Please consider becoming a checker - the more we have, the better things will go.  I'm volunteering for my first time ever this year, and if I can do it, so can you!  Volunteer to Ted Blank via email.

If you want to join the singout opportunities before the rally on Friday please email either Noah Morrison or Lee Daum.

There will be a members meeting - look for the agenda to be mailed to members-only very soon.  There are some important topics on the agenda.

We are trying to arrange a Sing With The Champs opportunity with our guest quartet OC Times - stay tuned for more information.

Most of your most critical information is here.

If you are a NEHB veteran or a veteran of other previous year brigades, it's a good idea to brush off some of the previous songs.

I want to repeat the "Tips For Quartets At Brigades" - it's especially a good time to look at #3.
And, at the bottom of this, where many of you won't see it... let me take a minute to thank all our volunteers, staff and my fellow Board Members.  When Daniel Schwartz asked me if I would step up to help, I was unsure what I was getting myself into.  But Daniel is worth trusting, so I did.  I appreciate every one of them, and the opportunity to serve has been an abiding joy.

The many wonderful people who help produce this event personify the best of barbershop.  Honest, true, hard-working - motivated by the music and their love of their fellow singers.  Some of them aren't even able to attend this year, but have put in hours and hours for their love of what we do.

When you get to the Rally, please thank them for their service.  These are really fine folks.

Speaking for myself (but probably for many others) - I simply can't wait to sing with each and every one of you.  
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Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Msg #18: Are you excited yet? (T minus 4)

URGENT IMPORTANT LINKS

  1. You must fill out your housing and meal survey before August 15.
  2. You should fill out your supplementary requests if you have guests or require a longer stay.
  3. Tickets are on sale for our show, and are very limited.

FRIENDS WHO ARE TRAVELING

If you have not made your travel plans yet, now is the time.

 If you haven't filled out the ride information (offered and needed) please see the links at the bottom of the page.

SINGOUT OPPORTUNITIES

Noah Morrison and Lee Daum are arranging opportunities to perform for the public before (and maybe after) the Rally.  If interested, please email either or both of them.  (Email in lieu of the survey I promised last week.)

UNIFORM CLARIFICATION

Clarification on the show uniform from last week - the shirt must be:
  • solid white
  • button down
  • no pattern
  • long sleeve
  • cleaned and pressed
The tie is a regular knotted tie, not a bow tie.

MEMBERSHIP REALLY DOES HAVE PRIVILEGES

Anyone in good standing and who meets minimal requirements, and who is attending the second of two consecutive New England Harmony Brigade rallies may become a member of the New England Harmony Brigade.  Beyond fancy badge holders, members drive the future of the Brigade.  They may sponsor new singers, they are consulted on important matters during the year - and at the annual members meeting they help decide important matters related to future plans for the Brigade.

Once you are a member, you get earlier registration and guaranteed early acceptance to future New England Harmony Brigades, your membership is considered if you apply to other Harmony Brigades, and you are eligible to be on the Board of Directors.  To keep your membership all you must do is attend New England Harmony Brigade every other year (at least).

To apply - if this is your second New England Harmony Brigade in a row, listen for the announcements of the two audition songs for this year.  Make a recording of each, and submit them to the music team after the rally is over.  There are no extra fees or applications beyond the songs. (This status does not apply to people who attend as staff.)

ATTENDING OTHER BRIGADES

New England Harmony Brigade is a member of The Association of Extreme Quartetting Harmony Brigades (AXQHB), an umbrella group for worldwide harmony brigades.  If you enjoy our Brigade, you are encouraged to visit another - in the US or around the world.  (See the list on their web site, or their calendar.)  To learn more about the history of AXQHB, click here.

AXQHB is the home of "the core 8".  Each year their music team picks 8 songs that all Harmony Brigades will share.  (The many smaller brigade-like programs each year mostly use some of the core 8 as well.)  If you meet a fellow Harmony Brigade singer, you have some songs in common from the years you attended.  Every Harmony Brigade picks their own unique four songs - and if some future Core 8 includes one of those, it is guaranteed to be the same arrangement.

This year the core 8 are:
  1. No, No, Nora
  2. The Bear Necessities
  3. Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring
  4. I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby
  5. Cheek To Cheek
  6. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  7. When She Loved Me
  8. I'm Feelin' Fine

Useful Links


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Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Msg #17: Polish and practice (T minus 5)

URGENT IMPORTANT LINKS

  1. You must fill out your housing and meal survey before August 15.
  2. You should fill out your supplementary requests if you have guests or require a longer stay.
  3. Tickets are on sale for our show, and are very limited.

SINGOUT OPPORTUNITIES COMING

As in previous years, we will have some quartet performance opportunities on Friday morning (and perhaps other times as well.)  Thanks to Lee Daum and Noah Morrison.

There will be a survey distributed soon.

I do it every year - what's better than more singing?  More singing plus making audiences happy!

UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS

We keep the dress code simple - wear whatever you want. With two exceptions:
  1. For singouts the uniform is a Hawaiian shirt.
  2. For the Saturday Night chorus performance it's simple:
    1. Solid long sleeve, white dress shirt, clean and pressed, not yellowed, not patterned.
    2. Black dress pants, shoes, socks, belt. Not black jeans, not sneakers.
    3. No suspenders unless necessary, solid simple colors like black, red, white.
    4. A solid color tie.
If this represents a hardship for anyone, please let me know privately and I will see what we can do for you.  (For example, if the only black shoes you have are orthotic sneakers, wear them.)

If you can, bring spares of things - we want everyone on the risers any way we can.

Reunion Rooms

Since Harmony Brigades and Platoons (smaller, one-day rallies with shorter song lists) have become so popular, whenever you travel to a convention or other gathering - look for Brigade reunion rooms.  Brush up on your core 8 songs (and others from previous years) and have a blast.  If the event you are attending doesn't have a reunion room for AXQ brigaders, why not see if you can organize one?


Useful Links


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Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Msg #16: Final Prep Work Time (T minus 6)

THREE NEW IMPORTANT LINKS

  1. You must fill out your housing and meal survey before August 15.
  2. You should fill out your supplementary requests if you have guests or require a longer stay.
  3. Tickets are on sale for our show, and are very limited.
Of course, please register for rides if you need them, or can offer them (see the bottom of this note for links.)

WE ARE ONLY SIX WEEKS AWAY


We are about 6 weeks away from the rally.  At this point you should be able to sing most every song off paper (but not necessarily perfectly).  If you are a veteran Brigade attendee, you might also be dusting off some of your old favorites from previous rallies.

I know many attendees who have at least one or two rough songs.  That's expected.  If you are more than four songs behind, now is the time to get help.

There is a LOT we can do for you, but only if you ask.  Everyone wants to help you succeed, please ask!

Rehearsing Tool

At run throughs people keep looking at the notes that I keep. (I'd mentioned them in another weekly letter.)  I'm sharing a link to them - feel free to make a copy and keep your own records.

Tramp and Supertramp

One of the fun activities at the rally is to earn a "Barbershop Tramp Award".  To do so, you need to sing (and collect a sticker from) everyone outside your own part.  We caution people not to "sing and run" but to enjoy the rally and the singing, and not just collect all the stamps as fast as possible.

The truly dedicated make the effort to learn another part on at least one song, and try to sing with EVERYONE.  This is popularly called the Supertramp award.

This is our biggest and most successful rally ever, so earning Tramp and Supertramp will be quite a challenge.  Enjoy!  These awards are given at the closing meeting on Sunday.

Useful Links



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Thursday, August 2, 2018

Msg #15: 7 Weeks To Go!

Useful Links Are At The End Of This Message


Welcome to August!  Now is a good time to polish your final preparations.  Make it to at least one run-through or sing with your sponsor.  If you don't live locally to other singers, make a video-chat appointment with someone on your part and sing for them, and let them check you.

 As always - if you need help, ask for it!  Everyone wants everyone else to succeed, together.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

  • People who are driving to Brigade - please volunteer to make an airport run for people flying in.
  • For people who are flying - links at the bottom of each message will help you find a ride to/from the airport.
  • Some parts of the rally are in danger, without your volunteer help.
    • Thursday night dinner organization
    • Friday singouts
  • The Rooming form is coming soon - when it becomes available please fill it out promptly.
  • Daniel recently sent out a list of open Board positions - 2019 Needs You!

General Schedule For The Rally

The schedule's highlights in broad outline:
Friday:
  1. Afternoon arrival
  2. Checkers pass the checking process
  3. All attendees pass the checking process
  4. Dinner and quartet contest assignment
  5. Quartet competition
  6. Sing until you want to sleep.
Saturday:
  1. Breakfast
  2. General meeting and a members-only meeting
  3. Singing for fun (finish checking)
  4. Lunch
  5. Chorus rehearsal
  6. Singing for fun
  7. Dinner
  8. Big show
  9. Quartet competition and results
  10. Sing until you can't sing any more
Sunday:
  1. Breakfast
  2. Closing meeting
  3. If you can still sing, sing until the hotel makes you leave. :-)

The Quartet Contest

If this is your first Harmony Brigade Rally, you may not know how the quartet contest works.  Even if it is NOT your first rally - did you know you have song options?  Read on!
Caveat: This competition is not about winning, this is about fun.  It's also about your skill in making your quartet sing to its potential.  Only one quartet will win: but every quartet can be glad it sang together.  Be the person other people WANT to sing with.
After Friday night dinner, every attendee will be assigned to a random quartet (sometimes to two quartets, if our parts don't evenly balance).  Each quartet will be randomly assigned 1 of the 12 songs.  Each quartet will have to quickly choose a name for itself.  (It's good to come with an idea or two.)

There will be a short period of time before the show to rehearse.  (For quartets sharing a singer, you will be a trio for some of that time.)  Get together and sing!  See my advice from earlier this summer on that rehearsal time. (Maybe even print and bring it with you.)

Friday night all the quartets perform, and the top ten quartets will move on to the Saturday night show.  But do not despair: maybe you will sing Saturday anyway.... I'll describe that below.

This probably won't happen - but if one of your singers is truly not prepared on your assigned song, you have two options.  One is to notify the contest admins, and ask for another singer: which you should only do if your singer is truly unprepared.  The other thing you can do is substitute another song.  If you do that, the contest admin will quietly disqualify you from the Saturday night show, and no one needs to know.

Quartets which advance to Saturday night will get their second song Saturday afternoon, usually after the chorus rehearsal.

It's good to come prepared with ideas for interpretation, props, alternative lyrics or chords, or anything that strikes your fancy.  This is all for fun, so be creative!

After the Friday night phase of the competition, two new random quartets are formed by the contest admins, choosing from among the quartets that did not advance.  They will be announced at the same time the songs for Saturday are given to the competing quartets. Those quartets will perform TWO songs randomly chosen for Saturday night.  After the competition, First, Second and Third places are announced.  No scores are revealed - this was all for fun, right?

Useful Links


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