Over the next several months, we’re going to be dis-

cussing our upcoming trip to the 77th International Con-

vention, to be held in Pittsburgh. We’ll cover all of the

important information such as our hotel, the contest

venue, and places to eat and enjoy an adult cold bever-

age and some activities other than singing. We want

you to arrive in Pittsburgh next July well-prepared and

ready to have a great time. So here we go.

This will be the third time that the International has vis-

ited Pittsburgh. The first visit was in 1982, with Classic

Collection winning gold in the quartet competition and

the Vocal Majority taking the top place in the chorus

contest for the third time. The Pride of Indy, as Cir-

cle City Sound was known at the time, finished 12th.

The next trip to Pittsburgh in 1994 had the Jokers Wild

and Vocal Majority winning the gold.

Pittsburgh goes by several nicknames. The first, “Steel

City,” is in recognition of the numerous steel related

businesses that have called Pittsburgh home. You’ll also

hear it called the “City of Bridges” because of the 440+

bridges that cross its rivers.

(Continued on page 2)

News and views from the Greater Indianapolis Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society November 2014

Vol. 45, Issue 11

Our chapter mission: To enhance lives by performing with excellence and encouraging singing within our community.

In This Issue

CCS Christmas Show

Thankfulness

The Christmas Songs

We Sing, part 2

Circle City Sound, Toronto, July 2013—seventh place International chorus

Winner, PROBE International Bulletin Contest, 2011 and 2014

Pittsburgh, we’re on our way back! by Greg Roembke, Chapter President-elect

Page 2 November 2014 THE BEAT

Jerry E. Troxel, Editor Member, PROBE (Public Relations

Officers and Bulletin Editors)

129 Yorkshire Blvd. E Indianapolis, IN 46229

317 891-1634 jerry@troxels.com

The BEAT is published monthly by the Greater Indianapolis, Indiana,

Chapter of the Barber-shop Harmony Society, a proud member of the Cardinal District.

Chapter Leadership 2014

President Skipp Kropp

VP Chapter Development Scott Beverley

VP Music & Performance Kyle Kitzmiller

VP PR & Marketing Larry Anthony

VP Operations Jeff Boyd

Secretary Bruce Bellen

Treasurer Paul Gabriel

Board Members at Large Jason Best,

David Meade, David Sanders

Immediate Past President Gary Garitson

Director Garry Texeira

Assistant Directors Theo Hicks, David Zimmerman

Circle City Sound meets every

Monday at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church

345 N. Kitley Indianapolis, Indiana 46219

Secure the future of Barbershop harmony through

your generous gifts to the Harmony Foundation. Pro-

vide additional support to your chapter and district

with the Donor’s Choice option.

www.harmonyfoundation.org

And if you are a long time Colts fan, it could also be called “Heartbreak City.”

For it was here on January 14, 1995 that a Jim Harbaugh “Hail Mary” pass to

Aaron Bailey just rolled off Bailey’s chest ending the Colts run to the Super

Bowl.

But I digress.

Whatever name you choose to use, Pittsburgh is home to approximately

300,000 people with over 2.7 million in the surrounding areas. Over the past

30 years it has changed from a gritty industrial town to one of the most beauti-

ful cities in the country. Areas along the river that once housed steel mills are

now parks and green places. It is a recognized leader in building environmental

friendly or “green” buildings, including their convention center.

The beautiful hills that sur-

round the city also provide

ample opportunities for

sightseeing and exercise.

There are over 720 sets of

public pedestrian stairs that

rise 25,000 vertical feet!

Many of the steep streets

have stairs instead of side-

walks. A less stressful way

of reaching the top is to

ride one of the two remain-

ing inclined railways, the Duquesne or the Monongahela. At one time, 17 of

these inclines climbed the hills in Pittsburgh.

And of course we’ll be there for the hottest temperatures of the year. The nor-

mal high for July is in the upper 80s and lower 90s, along with high humidity.

So if you’re going to take on all of those steps, be sure to drink a lot of water.

We’ll have much more about Pittsburgh and information on the convention and

contest in future issues. Later this month, representatives from all the compet-

ing choruses will join the International staff in Pittsburgh for a trip to the con-

test venue and hotels that will be used next July. David Sanders will be rep-

resenting CCS. We will soon be learning from him more about our “home away

from home” and more.

So be sure to follow along as Circle City Sound starts once again on the road to

Pittsburgh.

Duquesne Incline Railway

November 2014 Page 3 THE BEAT

Thirty Three Years Ago (1981)

When the Speed Capital Chorus became the Pride of Indy in 1979 [then

Circle City Sound in 2003], one of the goals was to “sing a little bit better at

each chorus rehearsal.” The Pride staved off a tremendous challenge from

South Bend-Mishawaka who had 63 men on stage compared to 59 from Indy

and won the privilege of representing the Cardinal District in the summer of

1982 at the International Convention in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Pride scored 981 points, an “A” level score in the four judging categories—

Sound, Interpretation, Stage Presence, and Arrangement—at the contest in

Terre Haute. The consensus among chapter members was that two factors

contributed most to this win: the establishment of attendance rules at practice

and the work of the music team hammering away at vowel and tone production,

concentrating on pitch and balance, with chorus director Bob Weiss focusing

on interpretation and smoothness.

With 930 points, South Bend-Mishawaka was the runner up to Indy, Lake Coun-

ty with 872 points was in third place, Greenwood was in fourth place with 737,

and fifth place went to Western Kentucky with 729 points. Other convention

highlights: the Logopedics Auction at Terre Haute was a big winner with $3,431,

while a quilt raffle brought in $900 and the $100-bill raffle took in $600.

George Houk and his helpers from The Pride took in a grand total of $4931.

Present CCS members who performed with The Pride were: Scott Beverley,

Steve Cline, George Houk, Greg Roembke, and Jim Sauder. The favor-

ites for the upcoming International in Pittsburgh in 1982 included Vocal Major-

ity, Dallas, Texas; Southern Gateway, Cincinnati, Ohio; Harmonizers, Alex-

andria, Virginia; and the Peninsulaires, Peninsula, California. (Material taken

from Speed Notes, Vol. 12. No. 4, Fall 1981, Chuck McKenzie, editor).

Calendar

of Events

CCS Performance at

Holiday Mart Wednesday, Nov. 12 (evening)

Marsh Blue Ribbon Pavilion

Indiana State Fairgrounds

CCS Christmas Party and

BOTY Banquet Friday, December 5, 6:00 pm

Heartland Crossing, Camby

CCS Christmas Show Sat., December 13, 2:00 pm

Pike Performing Arts Center

Indianapolis

Cardinal District

Leadership Academy Saturday, February 7, 2015

Clarion Hotel and Conf. Center

Columbus, Indiana

Singing Valentines February 13-14, 2015

Indy metro area

Cardinal District Spring

Convention and Contests March 20-21, 2015

Tentatively planned for

Terre Haute, Indiana

For detailed information on all chapter performances check your Yahoo! Group emails

or go to: www.circlecitysound.org

and visit the

Members Only section

The deadline for the December issue of The BEAT is

Wednesday, November 26. Send articles to:

jerry@troxels.com

The preferred cleaners

of Circle City Sound

Recent Guests

Don Fuson - BHS Executive VP, guest of Skipp Kropp

Bill Turk - guest of Don Fuson Michael Southern - Iroquois Valley Harmonizers

Matthew Hougland - guest of Drew Stainbrook Scott Crist - guest of Steve McPherson

Nate Smith - guest of Steve McPherson Harold Rightor - past member, guest of Terry Silke

Monte Drake - from business card

Daniel Chamberlin - guest of Skipp Kropp Matthew Ross - guest of Frank Bynum

Jeffery Spires - guest of Theo Hicks Jason Spires - guest of Theo Hicks

Members of the Tech High School Choral Department

Strolling down memory lane A monthly look back at our chapter’s history

By Lew Gillespie, Chapter Historian

Page 4 November 2014 THE BEAT

Here are a few more of the Christmas songs we sing, with the story behind the songs. Understanding

the true meaning of our songs helps us to sing with the proper vocal expression and the correct mood.

“Coventry Carol”

This song dates back to a 16th century play entitled “The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors” that

told of King Herod’s attempt to kill the newborn Christ child by ordering the death of all male infants in

Bethlehem. This play was traditionally performed in the village of Coventry, England, which gave the

song its name.

When it was put to music, it was written as a haunting lullaby as sung by the mothers of the doomed

children. The beautiful music and painful lyrics serve to remind us of this tragic event, as the mothers

say goodbye to their young sons.

“Mary Did You Know”

This relativity new Christmas song was introduced in 1984 when

Mark Lowry was asked by his pastor to write some lines for their

church’s annual “Living Christmas Tree” program. He took a dif-

ferent approach and wondered if Mary had any idea that her baby

was born to save the world.

The simple yet powerful questions put a whole new meaning to

the story of the birth of the Christ child, and how a seemingly in-

nocent newborn could have such an impact on the world. When

those lyrics were put to music by Buddy Greene in 1991, the

combination only enhanced the powerful message.

It has quickly become one of those Christmas songs that seems to resonate with people of all faiths.

“Hallelujah”

Another song that was released in 1984, “Hallelujah” was not intended as a Christmas song at all.

It took songwriter Leonard Cohen many years to complete the song, and it has been said that he

wrote more than 80 verses before selecting the final lines. His thought was that there are many differ-

ent Hallelujahs in life. He based a few of the verses upon biblical references. The music is reminiscent

of a slow waltz with the message always ending with a Hallelujah.

This was one of those songs that everyone enjoyed listening to and seemed to fit in wherever it was

used. In 2012, Vocal Majority director Jim Clancy wrote a verse that celebrated “one starry night” in

Bethlehem, and the song then became a beautiful Christmas carol. The opening and second verses

took on new meaning as well, and it seemed to confirm Cohen’s vision that there are Hallelujahs every-

where we choose to look.

The Christmas Songs we sing, part 2

by Greg Roembke

November 2014 Page 5 THE BEAT

What a beautiful time of year. The trees

are showing all the beauty of nature as the

greens for virtually every tree change to

their own individual color. We are now see-

ing reds, yellows, browns and many other

colors. Although of differing shapes, just a

month ago each tree looked the same as

all the others. The same goes for barber-

shop choruses.

There are times to some of our listeners

that most choruses sound the same. There

are of course some choruses that stand

out. Their hard work has resulted in the

changing of their colors. The Vocal Majority, Great

Northern Union, Northern Lights, and many, many

more have changed their colors so that they are highly

entertaining and stand above almost everyone else. How

do you see the tree we call Circle City Sound?

There have been times in the past where non-

barbershop people looked at CCS as just another barber-

shop chorus—a bunch of guys getting up and being kind

of entertaining but definitely different. It was during

those times that it was a challenge to get shows, sell

tickets, sell ads, and get new members to join our ranks.

You could say we were a green tree in a green forest.

CCS has been going through change for the last several

years. The members got tired of being just another

green tree in the barbershop forest and wanted to start

showing our real colors. The change involved not only

changing directors but also changing the venues we

chose to do our annual show. It involved not only

changing the music we sang but also the way we sang

those songs. It involved the way we carried ourselves on

and off stage. It also involved how we communicated

ourselves to the outside public. That outside public in-

cluded our friends, people we were offering tickets to

(notice I said offering instead of selling), the people we

were giving the opportunity to advertise in our pro-

grams, and the people we were convincing to come and

sing with us. (A quick note on why I said “offering” tick-

ets: I didn’t mean that we were giving away tickets but

that we were giving them the chance to come and hear

some beautiful music.)

With the help of Garry Texeira and the entire music

team, we are changing our colors into something that is

really beautiful and a joy to share. Dave Coleman sent

a recent email describing the feeling he got when he

listened to the tracks for ”Mary Did You Know” and “I’ll

Be Home for Christmas.” He said that these arrange-

ments by our Assistant Director Theo Hicks gave him

chills. We’ve had people who have known CCS for years

commenting on the “new” CCS. This was especially true

after they heard us sing “You and I,” arranged by our

Music VP Kyle Kitzmiller. Theo, Kyle, and another of

our Assistant Directors, Dave Zimmerman, are leading

us through new segments of CCS University. They are

helping us change our colors. Dave Coleman also wrote

that the thing that he loves about CCS now is that it is

about the music. The music is the spectrum of colors we

are now producing.

I thoroughly believe that CCS is changing its colors and

a lot of people are noticing the change. Have you no-

ticed the change? Have you told others either in idle

conversation or in promoting our shows how much fun it

is to sing with CCS? If not, then just do it. Let’s keep the

vibrant CCS colors showing, and let everyone know what

they are missing! GO CCS!

The changing colors By Larry Anthony, VP PR and Marketing

Page 6 November 2014 THE BEAT

I love moments

with music that

get burned in my

brain. It very rare-

ly happens that I

am totally over-

come with emo-

tion that I have to

stop singing or

playing. It is really

rare for me to

even get goose

bumps or have the

hair stand up on

the back of my

neck.

I have sung at my mother’s funeral, my mother-in-law’s

funeral, my father-in-law’s funeral and also at my

daughter’s wedding—each time with people I know and

love letting their tears flow.

Each time I was somehow able to put myself in the right

frame of mind to get through it, knowing that it was the

best for everyone. There is nothing like someone singing

a cappella to help people let go and cry. It is good to

cry.

At a concert at Pike High School our newly-elected chap-

ter president Greg Roembke had tears falling down his

cheeks while he was singing. I remember our late broth-

er in harmony Keith Leavell singing a solo at last year’s

Christmas show and having to stop for a second to re-

group, then the group of us singing at his funeral a few

short months later and trying to hold those long notes

without coughing as our eyes welled up.

Well, a few weeks ago at our rehearsal, it hit me. We

were down to fourth on the director depth chart with

Kyle Kitzmiller. We had maybe 50 people show up to

sing this night. From the first note, something was dif-

ferent. Maybe it was the correct number of people in

each section with

the right mix of

voice types with a

sprinkle of guest

participation. The

sound just got bet-

ter and better. Kyle

was animated and

energetic, saying

all the right things.

He was waving his

arms making plen-

ty of jokes, and the

chorus made an

equal number of

jokes back.

We were going through our Christmas set, and I was

just singing along, relaxed, loving the sounds and antics.

I am not sure what Christmas tune it was, but suddenly

I was overcome with emotion. I had to literally stop and

regroup. “Whoa, what was that?” I said to myself. It was

like someone punched me in the stomach or knocked me

on the head. (Maybe someone did.)

This chorus not only sounds good but has enough emo-

tional juice to bring any house down. Unleashing that

power in a controlled, consistent, and effective manner

is what we are trying to achieve—and we are doing it!

This ride continues, gentlemen, all the way to Interna-

tional. I am sure we will bring the house down even if

we have to follow Ambassadors of Harmony, West-

minster or any of the other absolutely great choruses

ranked higher than us.

I believe this chorus is unique enough to reach down

with both hands and grab the hearts of the judges and

anyone who happens to be in the audience. Let the love

(and the tears) flow.

A first time for everything... By Tim Dalton, CCS member

November 2014 Page 7 THE BEAT

A very thankful Circle City Sound! by Scott “Frosty” Beverley, VP Membership/Chapter Development

As Thanksgiving is just around the

corner, it is the ideal time to reflect

on 2014 and be thankful for Circle

City Sound’s accomplishments.

Most importantly we have made

great strides in becoming brothers in

harmony. One of the things that has

helped us to accomplish this is the

creation of CCS University where as

brothers in harmony we have togeth-

er learned to sing better. While we

have many accomplishments to be

thankful for, the following are just a

few highlights.

Circle City Sound is very thankful to

have a best-in-class music team, who serve as our

teachers. We also are very thankful that we have had

many guests this year, who have come to us in many

different ways. Continue extending invitations to friends

and acquaintances to visit Circle City Sound to see if this

hobby is for them. Our guests have found us via the

internet, through local CCS performances, and just being

in the right place at the right time. Most recently, we

had a chapter meeting with 16 guests where we heard

our guests from Tech High School’s men choir sing for

us. With the guests we have had in the past and will

have in the future, it is critical to demonstrate our com-

mitment to being brothers in harmony. Brothers, we are

well on our way of adding 25+ new

members to the risers for the 2015

International competition.

The things that we have learned

from CCS University about our sing-

ing technique and by all of us not

wanting to let our brothers down

have led to many successes to be

thankful for. Those successes in-

clude a very successful annual

show, qualifying for the 2015 Inter-

national competition in Pittsburgh,

and a very well-received perfor-

mance at Pike High School. Let’s

continue that commitment at our

upcoming Christmas Show, which should be very enter-

taining for our audience. These are just a few of the

many things that Circle City Sound is very thankful for.

While this month we do not have any new members to

announce, many recent guests expressed interest in

learning more about our hobby. It is very important

that we make our guests feel like brothers in harmony

as we continue to introduce our hobby to people we

come into contact with. Keep up the good work!

Wishing all Circle City Sound’s brothers in harmony and

their families a Happy Thanksgiving!

11/4 Kevin Cline

11/5 Kurt Vogel

11/6 Jerry Troxel

11/8 Bob Kendall

11/13 John Hicks

11/20 Jim Beehler

11/21 Geno Newcombe

11/23 Jim Patterson

November Birthdays

Chapter statistics as of November 1, 2014

Chapter members: 107

Average member age: 56

Average years of service: 20

Number of active chorus members: 71 (66%)

Page 8 November 2014 THE BEAT

President—Greg Roembke

VP Chapter Development—Scott Beverley

VP Music & Performance—Kyle Kitzmiller

VP PR & Marketing—Larry Anthony

VP Operations—Steve Cline

VP Program—Don Brown

Secretary—Frank Bynum

Treasurer—Jerry Troxel

Members at Large—

Jason Best, Norman Dew, David Sanders

Immediate Past President—Skipp Kropp

President—Greg Busch (Columbus/Greenwood)

Executive VP—Don Green (South Bend/

Mishawaka)

Secretary—Jim Rosenau (Greater Indianapolis)

Treasurer—Paul Gabriel (Greater Indianapolis)

Member at Large—Roger Ford (Fort Wayne)

Member at Large—Eric Hunstiger (Louisville)

Immediate Past President—Jerry Troxel (Greater

Indianapolis)

Chapter and District Officers for 2015

November 2014 Page 9 THE BEAT