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August 2009 InCider Press Page 3 |
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I started directing a Barbershop Chorus in 1966 when I served as assistant director of the Wamego Chorus. When Don McGuire, Wamego High School band director and the founder and director of the chorus, took some time off, I became director. Then Greg Lyne moved to Wamego to attend Kansas State University, and soon we installed him as director and again I was the assistant. We must have taught Greg well, because he later earned four gold medals for directing the West Towns Chorus of Lombard, IL and the Masters of Harmony of Santa Fe Springs, CA to international championships before becoming Director of Music Education and Services for SPEBSQSA! Next, the chorus re-organized and moved to Manhattan to become the Tuttleaires with Don McGuire as director, and once again I was the assistant. After a few months, Don resigned and I moved up to be director. When the Manhattan Chapter chartered in 1977, the name of the chorus was Quad-County Chorus. I was the director of that chorus up to and including charter night, when we also sang in our first competition. My term was up in 1978, and then the assistant director Ken Lang (imagine that!) took over. Long about 1983, Ken took a hiatus for a few months, and I was one of the co-directors until Ken made a most welcome return. I was in and out so many times that I really don’t know how long I was a full-fledged director. But it was fun all the way! ♪ |
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A bit of LAC History By Tom Hart (as edited by Carol Hanson) |
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Even though our annual show is still eight months away, many people are already diligently working on our 2010 Spring Show. As you know, the title of our show will be RAGTIME COWBOY SHOW II, and the theme of our show will be Cowboy or Western (not to be confused with “country”). The creative committee met for the first time and has discussed many exciting ideas for the presentation. We have had our first meeting with the McCain technical people, and you are going to be impressed with the special effects they will help us with. Pat and Paula Caffey are already making plans for some of the staging and scenery. Loren Alexander is busy making learning discs with many of the songs on them, and you should have them shortly. And, most importantly, you have most of the music we will sing on the show already, including “O What a Beautiful Morning”, “Ragtime Cowboy Joe”, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”, “Home on the Range”, “Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie”, and “TA-RA-RA BOOM-DE-AY”. Ken Lang, as you can tell, has already been working hard to learn the songs (remember he has to learn all four parts of every song!). And it is not too early for you to start putting these songs to memory. Then, it is also not too early for you to start putting your costume together. Again this year, we want to portray the real “old west”. Hopefully some of us can come up with some chaps; several of us can find authentic hats; many of us have dreamed about one day owning a pair of cowboy boots; and there are many other accessories that we can start to put together and maybe even put on our Christmas lists (spurs, bandanas, ropes, etc.). We will be asking some of our gals to help us in the assembling and presentation process again this year. Shortly, probably after District contest, you will receive more information on how the 2010 show will be laid out. For now, our main job is to be diligent in learning the songs (above) and be off the music as quickly as possible. Our secondary job is to talk to our family, friends, and neighbors to promote the show, and see if we might interest some other guys who may want to sing some good old western/cowboy songs with us. I really expect that we will have more fun producing this show than any we have performed. It would be wonderful to have 60 (or more) guys on stage in April! ♪ |
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Plans for Fall and 2010 By Don Thomson, Associate Director |
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A step back in time as Tom Hart once again directs the Little Apple Chorus. |
