1. Notes for this week

• A different kind of rehearsal was held last Monday evening: sectionals with Lead and Bass, then Lead and Bari, then Lead and Tenor. Good progress was made in locking intervals and chord basics.
  • Followed by a good Afterglow at The Corner Tavern. 
• Jan 20: Oak City Sound Annual Banquet, aka Installation Banquet. 6pm at Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church; 100 S Judd Pkwy SE, Fuquay Varina, NC  27526. Contact Gary Thorn to attend.
  • Followed by an Afterglow, location TBA.
• Jan 21: Carolinas District Leadership Academy (aka COTS School). A very good program for improving your Chorus leadership and administration knowledge and skills. It's a zoom call. Registration is free.. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nsc-virtual-leadership-academy-2023-registration-499002789777
• Jan 23 - Next Chorus meeting, at our regular location Searstone Retirement Community. 7pm to 9:30pm. Special Information:
  • We will be recording our Chorus Singing Valentines video.
  • Our song set will be "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "Story of the Rose". Please brush up on these.
  • Dress code: chorus jeans and shoes, and solid polo/golf shirts in a mix of red, white, pink, and purple/lavender.
  • If you have a cellphone stand, please bring it!
  • Come early and help set up the risers.
  • Agenda for the evening:
    • Story of the Rose
    • Let Me Call You Sweetheart
    • Almost Like Being in Love
    • Ova the Rainbow
    • Desperado
    • You've Got a Friend in Me
    • Here Comes the Sun
    • Ride the Chariot
• New Music: Ready for download from the web site:
  • The revised sheet music in the right key (Eb) for "You've Got a Friend in Me", so we now have sheet music to match the tracks. Please discard your previous Ab version immediately..

2. Carol's Korner

• Keep building on the great, round, full supported sound we all enjoyed on Monday night!
• Don't worry about singing too loud, as long as you continue listening for the voices around you.
• Never sing louder than beautiful!

3. Ben's Buzz

10 Steps to a Note,

Step 1 - Hear a Pitch. Covered on Nov 25. Click here

Step 2 - Find Your Note. Covered on Nov 30. Click here

Step 3 - Part 1: Check Your Posture, Basic Stance. Covered on Dec 7. Click here. 

Step 3 - Part 2: Check Your Posture, Balance. Covered on Dec 14. Click here. 

This week ....

Step 3 - Part 3: Check Your Posture 

• It’s important that your back be straight and your spine vertical. No slouching!
• Your chest will be high and your shoulders back.
• The best way to test this is to first bend over and touch your toes, at least the best you can, then slowly, on a 10-count, roll your back into an upright position, placing one vertebra on top of the one below, one at a time. Take a good cleansing breathe when you’re done with that.
• Next, stretch both arms over your head and slowly lower them sideways down beside your body, leaving your shoulders in place and your chest lifted.
• Bend your elbows about 40 degrees allowing your hands to comfortably position in front of your hips. This will allow for more free movement while you sing (as will those bent knees).
• Double-check the lower half of your body and the angle of your chin.
• You’re all set. Of course, you won't have time to do all those steps and do all those motions on the risers during a concert, so you need to practice and get to know the feeling of good posture, then bring it to the concert. That whole process is step 3 of the 10-steps to a note,

4. Future Notes

• Still working with Cambridge Village Retirement Center in Apex to schedule a concert sometime between Feb - April. Stay tuned.
• February 12 to 14 - plan to run Singing Valentines again this year. February 14 is a Tuesday, so we'll look for opportunities on the previous weekend.
  • Think about how maybe you can help out in the planning and management of this little enterprise!
• March 10 and 11, 2023: Carolinas District Spring Convention in Spartanburg, SC. 
  • Our contest song set: Almost Like Being in Love and Ova the Rainbow.
  • As of Jan 18, registration web site is not yet open.

5. Long Range

• March 20 - Our next guest night. Our focus will be on reaching out to the Hispanic community. 
• August 4 to 6, 2023. At Clemson University Campus in Clemson, SC. The Carolinas District is now partnering with the Dixie District to run a single Harmony Education Program ("HEP") in the summer for both NSC and DIX districts. This tot fab educational weekend will be held at Clemson University in Clemson, SC. Absolutely top-tier faculty is assembled for this training event. I can personally attest that this is a GREAT weekend of singing education, for individual singers, quartets, entire choruses, and chorus directors. Pencil this weekend into your calendar for now. Over the winter, we as a chorus will develop plans, as appropriate and beneficial, to attend this, if possible.
• October 2023 - Carolinas District leadership has decided to permanently eliminate the Fall Convention and Contest, going forward. 

6. Champagne Room

• At last weekend's North Carolina Harmony Brigade, our own Sean Li was voted by the participants as the one that all most enjoyed singing with.  Thus, Sean captured the premier honor at Brigade, even though it was his first ever Brigade. Congratulations Sean!