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October 2009 InCider Press Page 3 |
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This was my first time going to competition, and I must say that I learned quite a bit. I learned that Steve Fisher can sprint 5 city blocks to bring the car back before you can even sit down to eat anything. I learned that I am not even close to where I thought I was musically, and lastly, I found out that as long as you had fun, you can take the rest of the constructive criticism and run with it to better yourself. First, I personally thought we did very good as a contest chorus. To quote a very knowledgeable person (Me), “We didn’t lose, we just showed up when there were lot of very good choruses there!” I thought that the way we practiced, we would have scored higher, and I actually hit every choreographed move on time (For once), and I thought all the dynamics that we had practiced were there. I felt great, I had a smile on, Eyebrows up, and I just simply felt the part. From what I could see of everyone else and the audience’s reaction, regardless of score, I think we did good. Second. When the judges filed through, everything they said was like a checklist that we were marking off. I would like to personally apologize to Ken, our wonderful director, because nearly every point that the judges brought up was exactly in line with what Ken has been telling us all along. So Ken, don’t feel as though as director it all falls on you. We are a team, and as a team we didn’t bring our “A” game and do all the things you told us. Maybe it will be driven home now that we heard it from the judges. Ken, you need a bigger hammer!!! Lastly, I just want to say that even though we did not |
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win, and we won’t be taking down “The Ambassadors of Harmony” anytime soon, I do believe that we did put our best foot forward. For what we have practiced, I believe that we did as well as could be expected, maybe not what we hoped for, but as well as could be expected. Some of the things that I noticed from the other choruses that were after us was that: #1. They moved as a unit. When their director turned around as if on cue they all leaned towards the middle, and when the director gave them their first note, they were in the ballgame; #2. Regardless of age or wisdom, all the moves were executed on time and fully. One of the choruses did this little arm wave moving from one side of the chorus to the other and back and it was simply flawless. It was as though they were a puppet on a string right then. There was no stiffness in their moves, no “Stoic” stances, they were just all about very fluid motion; #3. Their entire chorus was involved in making the presentation. They didn’t rely on just the front row, or just a few people, the entire chorus made it work. The “Spread” that the one chorus executed was awesome! That is exactly what Ken has been harping on us for two years about! Get into it! Own that move! Make it your own in your little space of the risers! In closing, I would just like to say that I learned a lot from the judges, our other chorus members, and from the other choruses. I also learned a lot about our chorus members. I had a lot of good conversation with some, and I absolutely had a wonderful time. What’s that old saying? “Better luck next time!” Well I would like to change that a little and say “Let’s practice hard, be meaningful, own our space, and for God’s sake, let’s start listening to Ken, and then we can make our own luck. Had a great time! In Summary----I had Fun! ♪ |
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News from the front! By Steve Thompson |
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As we drove north to Lincoln on Friday, we frequently commented on the beauty of this area. It was a beautiful fall day, and we were on our way to our very first competition as barbershoppers. We easily found our hotel, thanks to our GPS, and checked in. After spending about 5 minutes in our room, we headed out in the direction of the Lied Center for the quartet semifinals. It was really fun to cheer on our group. We joined friends for dinner and then went back to the |
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auditorium for more singing. What can I say. The quartets were wonderful, and it was fun comparing them with each other. Our guys were especially great. On Saturday morning, bright and early, after breakfast and helping out in the makeup room, I was off in the rain and snow to hear the choruses perform. What fun! Our group did a wonderful job of entertaining the audience, and I cheered right along with them. My first time at a competition was great. I loved being with the other barbershoppers and their wives. It was so exciting to see our chorus on stage and to cheer them on. Lincoln is a great city, and they did a great job of hosting the event. Would I go along for the ride again? You bet! Count me in! ♪ |
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I would go again By Jean Beatty |
