Thursday, April 1, 2010

Looking Back on the March 30th Chapter Meeting

At the magic 7 o’clock hour, AGAIN there were 84 guys on the risers (including some slugs who are not current singers). Director Joe is holding out for over 85 before he spills the beans on his big secret about 2011!! He wouldn’t count himself nor Sam and Randy who arrived at 7:02 or so. As promised Tom Griffith got a chant started to get everyone on the risers about 6:58.

So we wait another week.

YeEd did hear some guys sharing details of how they got there on time. TJ Jones had to arrange for a co-worker to cover for his being on-call Tuesday nite. Len Dornberger, who drives from DE normally, flew into DC from his Midwest vacation. He was a new guy at the pre-rehearsal dinner gathering that happens every Tuesday nite at Hard Times on King Street. Some of us gather there starting at 5. The place saves a couple booths for our regulars. Come join us.

(In regards to the challenge from Cindy about walking: many of the fellas who come eat at Hard Times on Tuesdays, park first at Durant and walk back and forth. Just an idea.)

New guy Steve Lingo has volunteered to organize bringing in some pizza for those guys who must come right from work and know that even stopping for fast food will make them 15-20 minutes later. Watch for an email from Steve. The FRIENDS group continues to sell cold drinks for 75 cents too. We are getting the coffee pot on earlier now too so that is also an option. Thanks to those who brought in some goodies to share.

Assistant Director Will Cox conducted a thorough and successful vocal warm up and used some of the exercises we used to use every week. From 6-6:30 there was loud music coming from the stage and the visual warm up class. That music helped the guys who did the risers and ALL the other stuff we set up each week to make our chapter meeting and rehearsal run smoothly.

Fist singing was on “ObLaDi/ObLaDa” and then Director Joe invited guests in the audience section to come to the risers and pick out some one to bring down front. Those chosen were the nucleus of an octet to sing the song again. Cheers for the guys who did it. “Expect more of that next week,” Joe says.

Special guest tonite and our coach, Cindy Hansen, was with us to help us go further with our visual plan for the uptune. She expressed her pride and joy for all the work the chorus has done (and acknowledged the in-house crew of Chuck McKeever and Scipio Garling for the training). She offered “enHANSENments” for our package and especially added some great new focal points for the uptune for the front row as well as for the riser singers. She also complimented the front row for rising to the challenge of such an aggressive package.

Cindy issued a couple challenges in the two hours or so she worked with Joe and the chorus: everyone walk the 150 it would take to get to Philly, or about 3 miles a day; download the to-be-prepared-by-the-music-team three repeats of the package and do your moves to those recordings.

About 9:30 the guys got a 5-minute break. Many picked up the nifty new Harmo apparel items they had ordered. Thanks to Chris Buechler for handling that.

We had just one guest, Lou back again from Ontario. Skip Coburn was visiting us this week and former member, Roy Hare, was in the audience. Next time you go by the guest sign-in cabinet, take a look at the nifty new guest books Librarian Bob Mattes has created. The have tabs, a color-index, etc. Nice work Bob.

Birthdays this week also include our coach Geri Geis.

Before the meeting ended, secretary Buechler presented a 25-year pin to Ken Ives and a 30-year pin to Dean Rust.

Before she took us out with KTWWS, Cindy thanked the chapter again for hosting her and she thanked Joe for allowing her to take the chorus on this obvious bump up the ladder visually.

The crew got things stashed away and many were off to the afterglow at the 815 on S. Washington St.

Until next time – editorjack!

(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. —Ye Ed.)