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November 2005 InCider Press Page 5 |
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The Manhattan Music Machine came out of mothballs to sing at the Ft. Riley/Junction City Military Appreciation Awards Ceremony. Over 600 people were in attendance at the Convention Center where Senator Pat Roberts, Congressman Jerry Moran and other dignitaries were recognized for their efforts to keep Ft. Riley an active post and bringing the Big Red One back to Fort Riley. The Manhattan Music Machine sang the Star Spangled Banner to open the program, then sang other songs at the end of the program. It was great to be singing again, and by reports from those in attendance, we did touch a few hearts as we asked the audience to sing "God Bless America" with us.
Don Thomson Tenor Manhattan Music Machine |
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Manhattan Music Machine |
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MMM Back at it |
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These rights are to:
PREPARE derivative works based upon the copyrighted work;
REPRODUCE the copyrighted work in copies or recordings;
DISTRIBUTE copies;
PERFORM the work publicly
DISPLAY the work publicly. We are most concerned with the first four rights
REMEMBER: A member may use a tape recorder to record, and not duplicate, a practice song sung by the chorus or one of the chapter’s quartets. Also, he may use only the chapter’s purchased sheet music.
Harvey L. Kiser, VP, Marketing and Public Affairs |
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My Mother played piano and sang to us kids. With her butter and egg money, she saw to it that my older brother and sister had music lessons. It was my misfortune to be a depression baby, so no lessons except those absorbed from my elder sibs; voice from my brother who was constantly practicing, either for voice contest or pieces for his one-man-band gigs. Many of our older barbershop songs I recall from his singing.
My introduction to reading music came at Sunday school and church. Myself and a couple of buddy's would sit at the back church pew and read hymn titles then add "under the bed" or "between the sheets" (try it some time). By age 12, I was singing with the church choir as a tenor; in the 9th grade it was acapella choir. With an abrupt voice change, I became a bass. The high light of my high school singing was meeting "the new girl" who transferred in during my sophomore year, (my wife, Marilyn).
It seems I've always been singing in church choirs. While in the USAF, I sang with chapel choirs, the Kessler All Male choir, and in Germany, we organized a small group at the Airman's Club, led by a Staff Sgt., and won an USAF-Europe contest. This, of course, won us instant recognition from the base commander who assigned us an Officer as our leader. Fortunately he designated our Sgt. as director and we became "Singing Ambassadors" for many local functions.
Then came marriage, children, college degrees and Biology teaching in California and finally in the US territory of Guam and, of course, church choirs wherever we were. On Guam I was introduced to symphonic choral music and sang in two musicals.
About 16 years ago we retired from teaching for the Government of Guam and returned to Manhattan, KS. I rediscovered Barbershop singing, continued church choir and am a charter member of the Flint Hills Masterworks Chorale sponsored through Manhattan Christian College.
I have a car bumper sticker with the barbershop saying "Singing is Life....The Rest is Details". My singing developed a good set of lungs. Since I survived a ruptured appendix, two operations and a few weeks in the hospital where it was expected I would not survive, I'll testify: SINGING IS LIFE!
by Bill Bunyan Treasurer
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My musical background |
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Meeting Member Bill Bunyan |
