S G atisfy nspire urture row Sep/Oct 2010 - Seneca Landsenecaland.org/archives/smoke_signals/ss2010/10_jul-aug.pdf · Bob Fuest has supplied us with a few cool pictures of Seneca

Visit httpsldsmokesignalsorg for all the latest Seneca Land news updates and information

Volume 38 3 Satisfy Inspire Nurture Grow SepOct 2010

Wow what a convention and the competition fierce It was a complete shoot out in both the chorus and quartet contests With the incoming favorites (based upon qualifying scores) coming in second But rather than give you my opinion of the contests Irsquod rather talk about the important people Seneca Landers We had two collegiate quartets representing us this year (thatrsquos right two one quartet qualified in MAD because their schedule didnrsquot allow them to attend our convention) The quartets were Quiet Hours from Cornell University Mark Eric Brian and Ian (expect to see and hear more from these guys ndash wow) and our very own Lake Effect with Michael Matthew David and Ryan (again I expect to hear more from these guys too so look out) There was also another Seneca Lander participating in the collegiate contest his name Dave Scott Jr and his quartetrsquos name was Next Stop and they represented the Mid-Atlantic District Every one of the aforementioned quartets did an awesome job and I am very proud that they represented Seneca Land Speaking of representing Seneca Land representing us in the chorus competition our very own Vocal Agenda did a superb job with their renditions of Irsquoll Get By (As Long As I Have You) and Yes Sir Thatrsquos My Baby under the direction of Ron Mason Gentlemen I salute you for

your dedication and passion may it forever burn You make great music and do your District proud And finally our District Representatives in the Quartet Competition Breakout comprised of Mike Kevin Dave and Jerry They sang with heart passion and love what more could an

audience ask for To me gentlemen you are Champions Seneca Land District Champions Stick with it and yoursquoll prove to the Society what your District already knows that you are true Champs Other happenings at convention on Tuesday night at 10 pm Seneca Land District held its first District Pep Rally in years A time for Seneca Landers to come together party sing and show their support and love for our representatives Over 120 Seneca Landers participated noise makers were passed out singing occurred our representatives sang for us and I

believe a good time was had by all Which is all anyone could ever ask for Bob Fuest has supplied us with a few cool pictures of Seneca Landers enjoying themselves at the Pep Rally Thanks Bob Yours Pete C

WHATrsquoS INSIDE New Editor pg 2 Agents of Fun pg 7 Slam News pg 13 Presidentrsquos Word pg 3 Directorrsquos Video pg 8 Important SING Dates pg 13 Fall Convention pg 3 Measuring a Chapter pg 8 Harmony Explosion pg 14 SatisfyInspire articles pg 4-5 Chapter Score Sheet pg 9 BHS Keynote Speech pg 15-17 We sing to Feed Them pg 6 Sing Festival pg 10 Picture Page pg 18 Nurture Members pg 7 ldquoNews from Around the Distrdquo pg 10-12 FALL REGISTRATION FORM pg 19

Page 2 Smoke Signals Visit httpsldsmokesignalsorg for all the latest Seneca Land news updates and information

SepOct 2010 Volume 38 Issue 3

copy 2007 SMOKE SIGNALS is the official publication of the Seneca Land District Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America Inc dba Barbershop Harmony Society It is published bi-monthly appearing online at httpsldsmokesignalsorg and printed mailed to members

New Editorrsquos Thoughts Greetings all As you may have already heard I have been asked to take on editorship of the Smoke Signals What a great honor this is Although I am not an English Major poet comedian photographer or writer by training I do seem to do fairly well by going with what

sounds and looks good to the average person Being a fairly new member of Barbershop (but a lifelong fan) I have accomplished a lot in the last two years of membership I wonrsquot bore you with the details of that here but if you are interested in my story you may find it in the ldquoSharps amp Flats archiverdquo section on the Olean web site- wwwoleanbarbershopchorusorg This is where my bulletin experience began about a year and half ago The previous editor was having health issues and needed to pass the torch to someone he thought could handle the job and he thought of me Being flattered I hesitantly accepted with the understanding that ldquoIf I fail it will be because I tried If I succeed it will be because I triedrdquo This was the same answer I gave to Pete when he asked me to take on the Smoke Signals I passed on the opportunity to join SPEBSQA thirty years ago after a meeting or two because I thought it was too hard and I would never be good enough I didnrsquot try to reconnect until a little over two years ago As with most Barbershoppers I regret not having joined sooner but

now I am jumping in with both feet I am trying to make up for everything that I had missed over the last thirty years I canrsquot be sure but I now believe that I may be the largest Barbershop nerd in the district If I am not maybe we should have a contest to see who comes close I bring this up because I feel that I have a somewhat unique perspective about the passion we call Barbershopping I now have the maturity in life to express my feelings and needs about being the ldquonew guyrdquo to the Society This helps me to remind the more senior guys to think back to what it feels like to be the new guy to make sure they treat members in a very special way For instance to make sure the new guy is made to feel welcome to get them into the right voice part to include them in the quartet and tag activities the make sure that they understand all of the activities to have all the information needed and know the terms used around them and most importantly to make sure they know how and when to come back It is from this perspective that I enjoy the power of the press to share my enthusiasm about the new and exciting changes coming to our district I have the great pleasure to be a member of three chapters and work closely with a fourth all within a very short period of time Each chapter has given me a unique experience and education that I shall utilize and cherish forever It is the hope of the President that we increase the frequency of the Smoke Signals to provide more timely and useful information This will be the first of the new bi-monthly issues covering SepOct 2010 In order to get each issue out to the members by the first few days of every other month I will need to set new deadlines for submissions Please feel free to send any material at anytime to editorsldsmokesignalsorg and I will do my best to get your message to our members and even out to the Society I have a few followers from other Districts that like to share articles and information I will post the newest issue on httpsldsmokesignalsorg at the same time I send it to the printers so you may be able to see it online sooner The advertisements due to be printed will resume in the next issue as details of commitments are being sought out at this time Please accept our apologies for any interruptions of this service Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and I will do my best to find the answers I would like to ask for your patience and understanding while I settle into this task I suppose it is at this point that I turn into the nagging editor and remind everyone to write something and send it in Everyone has something interesting to say so why not share it You donrsquot have to send it perfectly composed because I can work with what you send I look forward to serving the Members of Seneca Land District In Harmony Pat Close Editor

Send comments inquiries or submissions to Seneca Land District Bulletin

Smoke Signals Editor - Pat Close

5 Fourth Ave Franklinville NY 14737 716-912-4795 editorsldsmokesignalsorg

ADVERTISING RATES Business Card (4 issues) $25 Quarter Page $35 Half Page $50 Full Page $75 Back Cover (12 page) $100 Centerfold $135

SMOKE SIGNALS DEADLINE DATES

SS ISSU = DEADLINE JAN FEB = DEC 01 MARAPR = FEB 01 MAYJUN = APR 01 JULAUG = JUN 01 SEP OCT = JUL 01 NOVDEC = SEP01

Smoke Signals Page 3 Visit httpsldsmokesignalsorg for all the latest Seneca Land news updates and information

A word from the President

Sing Satisfy Inspire Nurture Grow

The above acronym has been the

foundation and articulation of my beliefs and the platform with which to rebuild our District Satisfy the memberrsquos need for singing fun Inspire the member to new heights Nurture the memberrsquos personal development Grow in membership

But it just occurred to me that there is one very important ingredient or element missing A mantra that Seneca Landers can understand repeat and rally behind ishellipare you ready Itrsquos a powerful phrase one that just might become a way of life for Seneca Land Barbershoppers and itrsquos so simple that yoursquoll say ldquowell no Duhrdquo But actually by living it and living up to it Oh the joy and sweet pleasure I know yoursquore saying hurry up tell us tell us Okay here goeshellip Just SING Thatrsquos right ldquoJust Singrdquo a phrase so simple yet so powerful Anything else is talking or silence When we get together ldquoJust Singrdquo there should be more singing than talking There should be more singing than listening Remember the words from the Joe Raposo song arranged by Seneca Landrsquos Joe Browne ldquoDonrsquot worry if yoursquore not good enough for anyone

else to hear Just SING sing a song JUST SING Sing a Song

Just Sing Seneca Land Just Sing

Fall District Convention Get ready to SING at this years Fall Convention which will be held in Rochester NY at the Radisson Convention center downtown Our convention will be under one roof as

promised Oh the singing fun youll have Friday afternoon Fun-shop (Tag class Gang Singing Woodshedding and watching American Harmony the Movie) An unbelievable Chorditorium experience on Friday night The return of the SING Festival on Saturday afternoon (Special guest quartet- Cornerstone) Each chapter should be receiving communication from the hotel this week for room registration Fall 2010 Convention Facility profile

Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside 120 East Main Street Rochester NY 14604 Conveniently located along the Genesee River in downtown the Radisson Hotel Rochester New York offers comfortable accommodations and exceptional service Directly adjacent to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center our Rochester hotels accommodations feature spacious rooms and suites ideal for single travelers and families Our guests enjoy a heated outdoor pool sauna Fitness Center and complimentary wireless Internet access With quality amenities and stylish rooms the Radisson Rochester New York hotel has all the qualities you need to experience a memorable and rewarding stay (This hotel is PET FRIENDLY) Taken from httpwwwradissoncomrochesterny_riverside

Rochester Riverside Convention Center 123 E Main St Rochester NY 14604-1619

Conveniently located in the heart of Rochester New York the Rochester Riverside Convention Center enjoys a scenic setting on the Genesee River plus enclosed walkway connections to major hotels and parking garages

Taken from httpwwwrrcccom

Riverside Parking If you enter the garage from the Stone St entrance please proceed

through the garage and follow the signs directing you to parking for the Convention Center If your parking is validated please take your ticket to your destination where it will be validated for you When exiting you have

the option to pay at the exit using VisaMasterCard If paying cash you must take your ticket to the payment kiosk located on level 3 just over the skybridge on the Convention Center side Upon leaving signs will direct you to the Stone St South Ave and Broad St exits The maximum vehicle height for this garage is 7 feet any vehicles over 7 feet tall need to call the garage ahead of time to make special parking arrangements

Edrsquos note If you would more information about these facilities please go to their web sites listed above

I Need

You

To help

SING Satisfy Inspire NurtureGrow Call 315-489-7318 to volunteer

Many positions available Be a Part of the Future Today

Call and let us know what you like to do Irsquom sure therersquos a job to fit your skills and likes


Satisfy the Membersrsquo Need for Singing FUN By Pete Carentz

Websterrsquos defines satisfy as 1 to make happy 2 to pay what is due to or on Interesting I have spoken before of the underpinning truth or belief why a man joins the Society and that is to satisfy his need for singing fun My original intent or meaning of the word satisfy is the definition of the word ldquoto make happyrdquo But in a serendipitous moment I can also see that to be happy you must also pay what is due to What do I mean Well how does a barbershopper pay for his singing fun Belong to the Society a District a chapter maybe even a quartet A man must know his music or part attend quartet rehearsals chapter meetings sing-outs and District functions Or a better way to think of it is that in order to Satisfy the memberrsquos need for singing fun the member has to participate and be prepared to have fun Do you participate Are you ready to have FUN Because on September 24

th

25th

and 26th

your District Seneca Land will host its 122nd

convention If you want to have your share of Singing Fun then you need to attend your convention Thatrsquos right YOUR Convention As a member of the District the convention belongs to you and itrsquos your responsibility to take part in it and have fun How are you going to have any fun if you donrsquot attend Oh I hear someone muttering well what kind of fun can I have Irsquom glad that yoursquove asked and herersquos my answerhellip For the first time in a very long time our convention will take place under one roof Thatrsquos right you can park on Friday afternoon and not have to leave the premises until Sunday No more trekking to some remote school to watch the competition now you can use that newly found time to sing eat whatever you want Where on earth could this magical place that can accommodate us under one roof possibly be The answer is Rochester downtown Rochester at the Radisson hotel connected to the Convention Center Wow sweet I know Don Stothard and Todd Horton have done a great job turning a dream into reality Thanks guys

Okay but I still havenrsquot told you about the Fun yet

Well on Friday afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm there will be four or five fun activities for you to participate in 1) Woodshedding (learn how practice have fun harmonizing) 2) Gang Singing (the Pole Cat Book and the Strictly Barbershop

book) 3) Learn ten new tags (made available for this convention) 4) Watch the American Harmony Movie (Yoursquove heard about it

now see it) 5) Wine Tasting (for discerning adults)

The Barbershop Shop or Jackrsquos Barbershop Emporium Quartet prelims for the District Quartet Championship and for our

Senior Quartet Championship and right to represent SLD in the International Seniors contest

An incredible Chorditorium Friday Night (Hawaiian themed party ndash

wear your Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt) any quartet or chorus is invited to perform We will also have a pick up quartet contest gang singing and stump the EMCEE game (Todd Horton is the Emcee)

Saturday morning the chorus competition for the right to represent SLD at the 2011 International Convention in Kansas City next July

Saturday afternoon back by popular demand the SING Festival

with special guest appearances by Cornerstone 1997 SLD Quartet Champions and the Seneca Land District 1995 International Senior medalist quartet AARP Angels

Saturday dinner for the very first time the District will host a

benefit buffet for all Seneca Landers with featured performances by SLAM and a couple of surprise guests There will be raffles and prizes to benefit the Seneca Land District Young Men in Harmony Program Itrsquos a great way to have fun get a little nourishment and support A GREAT CAUSE (You will need to declare your participation in the buffet as we must supply the hotel with a head count one week prior to the actual buffet Instructions on how to sign up for the buffet will be sent by an Email from the SLD President)

Saturday night the District Quartet finals followed by hospitality

rooms and singing fun Sunday morning Barbershop Church service House of Delegates Meeting

If that schedule doesnrsquot make you just want to come participate I donrsquot know what will People ask me all the time whatrsquos wrong with our hobby Why is there so much apathy Itrsquos not like the good old days The only real answer Irsquove found is that there isnrsquot any apathy Wersquove just found that attending participating isnrsquot fun or satisfying Wersquove fallen into the two song syndrome at our chapter meetings (some call them rehearsals ndash those are the guys that lead the way to the death of fun) and the idea that we need to compete to win or beat someone at convention (this became so prevalent in our thinking that we started to call convention contest because that was all there was another toll of the bell of doom) So Irsquom asking you please help me break this death spiral Take back your singing fun attend this yearrsquos Fall convention in Rochester under one roof with lotrsquos to do Satisfy not just your need for singing fun but the need for participating as a group so that everyone has fun Pete


Inspire the Member to New Heights

By Pete Carentz

SING Satisfy Inspire Nurture Grow

Here is an idea to ldquoInspire the Member to new heightsrdquo As with every idea there is a story behind it

Part 1 On December 1st

2009 I traveled to Denver CO to attend a sales training Seminar I landed at the Denver airport around 6 pm picked up my rental car and headed to the Marriott City Center downtown Denver As I neared my destination I witnessed a multitude of people in the street My first thought was ldquothere must be a concert or sporting event going onrdquo I continued up the street and found the event to be a place the Denver Rescue Mission I was stunned All of the people men women and children standing in line were in needing something to eat I had chills and felt emptiness in my heart The feeling and sight of this remain in my mind to this day

Part 2 I was preparing for my first DARE to SING forum on

January 8th

in Buffalo with 32 Seneca Land District Leaders As I was thinking through the Inspiring and Service portion of my presentation I reviewed old issues of Smoke Signals and was amazed at the power and energy that came from chapters serving the community I recalled my night in Denver and then thought of the old theme song of our service project the Institute of Logopedics We sing that they shall speak transformed into We sing that they shall eat I took a stab at writing the lyrics and shared them with a couple of friends Larry Brennan and Dr Bill Billingham who made a few excellent recommendations in regards to tweaking the lyrics We then experimented on our Chapter At a rehearsal I explained the premise for this song my personal experience and what ldquowerdquo might be able to accomplish We sang through the song once wow pretty solid everyone remembers this very singable arrangement We did this one more time with Dave Bender reading the narration I got goose bumps We finished the song and took a break The whole chapter was buzzing with positive energy Comments like ldquoI know the Director of the Food Bank of Central NY What about the Food Pantry Catholic Charities the Soup Kitchen ideas for singouts shows publicity partnering with radio stationsrdquo Holy Cow this feels right on the mark I then took this idea on the road as part my DARE to SING Divisional Meetings Once again the idea was met with overwhelming enthusiasm by Barbershoppers from across our

District One more test share the idea with some of my barbershop heroes (men I hold in reverence for their accomplishments knowledge and love of this hobby) One such barbershopper talked me through a few barriers to success

The first barrier I was told is that The Barbershop Harmony

Society currently has a service project ldquoThe Harmony Foundationrdquo and can we support two projects My answer is yes and I spent an hour and a half discussing this with Clark Caldwell Ev Nau Ed Watson and Rick Spencer I believe in supporting the future of Barbershop and I encourage and challenge every Seneca Land Chapter to donate what they can Check out the new ldquoDirect Connectrdquo option for chapter donations The Barbershop Harmony Foundation supports Youth Festivals and with our declining membership actually underwrites some of the Societyrsquos operating expenses In other words itrsquos important for today and tomorrowrsquos Barbershop activities But I also believe that we need a connection with our communities When someone asks what do Barbershoppers do What a wonderful statement to say Barbershoppers perpetuate their singing art form and support hungry families in our community Theyrsquore the guys that sing so others may enjoy a warm meal On April 12

th the first barrier was

officially cleared with an e-mail from Rick Spencer authorizing our use of the Society arrangement ldquoWe Sing That They Shall Speakrdquo for their support in this I am grateful and overjoyed

The second barrier ldquoDoes this program resonate with Joe Barbershopperrdquo My reply was an emphatic YES I spoke of the positive energy faces and sheer motivation from my chapter experiment and the overwhelming response from Chapters during my Divisional meetings There is a feeling of joy in helping others Itrsquos another way for guys to be proud of being a barbershopper

The third barrier to success according to my barbershopper consultant ldquothe words lyrics even the title are crass and harsh The word ldquoeatrdquo is a harsh word and the lyric seems a bit forced and was not uplifting and motivating This barbershopper told me that this idea was a noble and just endeavor that my enthusiasm and vision had moved him during our discussion and that he would take a shot at writing lyrics for me with one stipulation that the credit for anything he gave me be attributed to a caring anonymous barbershopper Within thirty minutes of our discussion I received this a new title ldquoWe Sing to Feed Them Allrdquo

Lyrics We sing to feed them all the family in need We sing to answer evrsquory prayer a mother cannot heed We sing to touch the noble heart and raise the sirenrsquos call We sing to feed each hungry

child We sing to feed them all

This service project allows a chapter to partner with any organization in their community that ldquoSeeks to Feed Them Allrdquo Your District Marketing and PR Team will be creating a community engagement tool kit around this big idea stay tuned My dream is that our Barbershop chapters are positively recognized in every community as those wonderful caring men who love to Sing to Feed them All We not only become a recognized giving organization in the community but the marketing and membership opportunities are endless This program will deliver on the promise of ldquoInspiring Members to New Heightsrdquo

Pete Carentz (See sheet music next page)

ldquoAt the beginning of any task more than anything

else your attitude will affect its successful

outcomerdquo

-Jeffrey Gitomer


NARRATION

This narration was especially written to go with the song We Sing To Feed Them All The song should be sung through twice The second time through sing the words up to measure 2 then hum until (XX) in measure 14 The narration is spoken over the humming background Within our community here in (Insert TownCity) is (Insert Charity Name) A refuge of hope where each day a battle is being fought against the hunger that inflicts our fellow citizens The (Insert Chapter Name) and other Chapters in Seneca Land District part of the Barbershop Harmony Society 25000 members strong are proud to adopt Charities that feed our citizens as our Unified Service Project Across the length and breadth of Upstate New York and Western Pennsylvania our voices are raised in song


Nurture the Memberrsquos personal development past and future

By Pete Carentz

What Past Well Pow-Wow is over Itrsquos in the history books as the first Pow-Wow in three years Thatrsquos right we havenrsquot had a full Pow-Wow in three years It was canceled completely in 2008 and in 2009 everything but the quartet portion of the school was canceled I donrsquot bring that to your attention to make anyone feel bad No I bring it to your attention so you celebrate with me and congratulate the great job Matt Clancy accomplished in putting our school back on track

We had five quartets and a chorus East Aurora receive some outstanding coaching while many a Joe Barbershopper nurtured such skills as Vocal Techniques Caring for the Senior voice they learned about Music Theory Arranging How to put on a Top Notch Show How to conduct a successful Singing Valentines program How to Woodshed and were able to ask The Happiness Emporium (1975 International Quartet Champs) all kinds of questions In total there were 61 attendees at Pow-Wow (not including faculty) Matt with the help of Jerry Knickerbocker assembled a top notch faculty Dr Don Campbell Rob Hopkins Don Stothard Joe Browne Ron Knickerbocker the Happiness Emporium quartet Bob Rod Jim and Rick James Estes Pete Avery Mike Ebbers and Susan Berenguer

The students of this yearrsquos Pow-Wow were treated to a Saturday night Pow-Wow WOW Show at the Geneva High School And it lived up to its billing the Harmony Explosion Camp Kids sang a total of seven numbers performances from Catrsquos Meow Canal Street Bradbury Four MMBRrsquos quartets The Friends of Harmony under the direction of Rob Hopkins (The Friends of Harmony Director Mac Sabol couldnrsquot be there and Rob subbed for them) Fusion a Sweet Adeline Quartet and the Happiness Emporium closed the show bringing down the house with their fine singing and show package They had the kids in stitches (doing such funny things as the Bee Gees ldquoStaying Aliverdquo poking fun at how old they are) Then on Sunday morning the Good News Quartet (AKA Happiness Emporium) sang an impressive offering to our Lord It was fantastic and heartwarming

My sincere thanks to all of the gifted and talented faculty members for sharing their time and talents with us and on a personal note Thank you to the Friends of Harmony for supporting this yearrsquos Pow-Wow you guys made the school an event Okay one last big Thank You to Matt Clancy You did it

Now on to the Future COTS Chapter Officer Training You havenrsquot heard that in a while have you No we replaced it with Leadership Academy Huh What Well it may just be semantics but wersquore going back to exactly what it is Chapter Officer Training A few years ago the Society decided that they couldnrsquot fund this endeavor and put the responsibility on the Districts that responsibility being not only financial but curriculum and trainersfaculty You might recall that in days gone by there were Society trained Judges and Society trained COTS Faculty (Pretty Important) All gone well at least COTS Faculty is gone We canrsquot go back but we can go forward acknowledge the BIG opportunity and seize it That is why I asked Eric Saile to accept the Position of VP of Chapter Development and I am thankful that he did You may not know this about Eric but he has served every Chapter office except membership And he has every training manual he was ever given plus a bunch he has borrowed from other Barbershoppers (Another Eric factoid hersquos a librarian by profession) Ericrsquos mission build a top notch curriculum for our Chapter Officer Training A curriculum that gives officers the education they need to be successful in the upcoming year Oh and throw in some FUN and wrap it with a little attitude and overall leadership and team work discussions and finally

allow time for these Chapter officers to get together and actually plan next yearrsquos success story All this requires change If you want to change your outcome change your thinking The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results Or thinking if we shorten the learning make the school shorter in length then theyrsquoll come Well I havenrsquot seen that work yet I believe people will come if the value is there We just havenrsquot given you the value equation yet In Sales we call this referring to Radio Station WIIFM (or Whatrsquos In It For Me) Well between this article and our upcoming COTS in January (Thatrsquos right we want to move it to January Get it out of the way of hunting season the holidays and any other logical excuse) wersquore going to do our best to convince you that you need to have your entire chapter board attend COTS Our challenge is to make it affordable and desirable for you to attend Consider it an investment in the future of your chapter Imagine every chapter officer understanding their job being energized by new ideas and new thinking having time to work together building your chapterrsquos 2011 plan with real COTS instructors facilitating and helping them get to where they want to be Imagine five to ten guys returning to your chapter energized with a can do attitude Well thatrsquos our promise Start planning to attend COTS this January 14

th and 15

th make it part of

your officer selection discussion Wersquod like you to serve as our chapter officer but you have to attend COTS in January Itrsquos one of those nurturing things that seems like you can do without it until suddenly you realize how much trouble yoursquore in Canrsquot afford to do it Canrsquot afford not to Donrsquot forget to nurture your garden invest in the future Registration costs available at our Fall Conventionrsquos House of Delegates meeting

Calling all Agentshellip Agents of FUN that is Larry Brennan our new Vice President of FUN is currently working on creating a Top Secret cache of Weapons of Mass Singing Fun Such devices as

TAGS ndash Together All Gentlemen Sing INTER Chapter Night or Inclusive ndash Nice ndash Time ndash Everybody ndash Remembers ndash Chapter Night PICK UP Quartet ndash People ndash In ndash Chorus ndash Know ndash U ndash Probably ndash Quartet Larry will be assembling and training these Special Agents of Fun and dispatch them across Seneca Land with the goal of creating a special Fun night at your Chapter Meeting Stay tuned to the Smoke Signals for future updates Our goal is to launch the program in October 2010


Director Videos at Convention By Louis Petroni VP-Chorus Director Development

As leader of the newly formed Chorus Director

Development (CDD) team I was charged with the

task of looking into recording our directors during the

convention As it turns out I believe there are only

two other districts that do this service for their

directors After contacting all the district CDD guys

only two districts are doing this sort of thing (at least

only two owned up to it) they are Johnny Appleseed

District and Ontario District

Brad Scott from JAD has been most helpful with helping to get this task

down to a possibility for our district Not only does he run the program

for JAD but he is a retired broadcast TV engineer From our own

district I have been able to tap the talent and brains of Bob Statt and

Brian Moore Both have been extremely helpful with their ideas and

input

Is this a done deal By no stretch of the imagination is that an easy

thing to do if it were I suppose every district would already have a

program like it up and running I am finding out that it is a

technological not to mention logistical minefield of hurdles I started

out thinking I knew quite a bit about cameras and recording only to find

out (as usual) I know next to nothing I wonrsquot bore you with all the

technical details but suffice it to say we hope to attach a camera about 5

feet above the riser railings (so if you see a strange apparition attached

to the risers yoursquoll know) run some wires for power and video add an

extra microphone to the front of the stage and it all goes to a DVD

recorder somewhere back stage or in the case of this fall convention

maybe side stage since the stage is part of the ballroom A camera

remote a mixer and a video monitor are other requirements to pull this

off and then ipso-facto we have individual DVD recordings for each

director to take home

Thatrsquos the plan At this writing we have about one month to obtain all

the equipment needed and wires etc and to test them out and get it all in

working order Once all that is achieved the real critical piece is if we

can get a camera fixed about 5 or 6 feet above the risers No one will

know until I actually get to the site to try it

If you have any comments or suggestions please keep them to yourself

No just kidding actually you can contact me or contact any one of the

CDD team members If you regularly see any of these fellows then your

input would be easy to convey

They are

Don Connell (Grove City Chapter) Alleghany Division

Barney Johnson (Oswego Valley Chapter) Appalachian

Division

Jerry Schmidt (Binghamton Chapter) Catskill Division

Mac Sabo (East Aurora Chapter) Ontario Division

See you all at convention

ndash Submitted by Louis Petroni ndash Chorus Director Development

Our Community Service Column By Pete Carentz

What is Community Service you ask Well our Barbershop forefathers included this column in every

issue of the Smoke Signals It was a place for Chapters to brag about the activities they performed in their communities You know sing-outs performances Fund Raisers Shows any community involvement And oh the involvement reported those many years ago So I ask that your Chapter designate a person Perhaps the Chapter Secretary with the job of communicating your Chapterrsquos community services to the Smoke Signals bi-monthly Then sit back and read about all of the wonderful Barbershop ldquoGold Momentsrdquo that are occurring across Seneca Land in every community Herersquos an example The Harmony Lovers Chapter performed at the Shopping town Mall on January 6

th before an audience of 300 This was a community fund

raiser for the Salvation Army We also performed at the Holy Cross Assisted living Center on January 20

th the audience enjoyed our

harmony immensely

Measuring a Chapterrsquos level of SING By Pete Carentz

THE SING CHALLANGE Just how Satisfied Inspired Nurtured and Growing are they

The health and happiness of an organization is so important its survival But how can you measure health and happiness We could take a poll But would people honestly answer We could measure activities that are known to be satisfying inspiring nurturing and lead to growth Hey that might be a good idea What I have in mind is a friendly little competition that every chapter can take part in Every Chapter that participates is automatically classified as a winner Theyrsquore classified a winner because theyrsquore working positive activities that satisfy inspire nurture and grow our membership How can any chapter working at such a noble endeavor not be a winner What are the activities being measured Well here are a few ( see score sheet on next page) weekly Chapter attendance Chapter sing-outs Chapter quartets Quartet performances and a whole bunch of other things (Irsquom sure wersquove missed some and can build on this program for next year) So herersquos my request that your chapter participate in the SING challenge by submitting your score Jan 1

st through July 31

st 2010

(submit score to Larry Brennan by September 15th

2010 there is a downloadable score sheet available on the District website) Every Chapter that enters will receive a certificate of participation with their 2010 score at the spring 2011 HOD meeting One Chapter from each division will be acknowledged as that divisionrsquos top SING scorer during the 2011 Spring Conventionrsquos SING Festival One Chapter will be acknowledged as the District top SING Scorer during 2011 Spring Conventionrsquos Saturday Night show of shows Itrsquos a fun way to build good habits as a chapter and reinforce your chapterrsquos commitment to the SING Planks Satisfy the memberrsquos need for singing fun Inspire the member to new heights Nurture the memberrsquos personal growth and Grow in membership (We suggest that the Chapter secretary be in charge of the scoring and reporting of the SING challenge Editorrsquos note We will be publishing Chapter scores in upcoming issues of the Smoke Signals so get your scores in every month Chapter score sheet on next page



SING Festival - Spring 2010 By Susan Berenguer- Sing Festival Co-Chairperson

Seneca Land District has a long and proud history of having Conventions like no other I found this out many years ago when I was traveling a lot for my job People would ask if we still had the famous ldquoafterglowsrdquo and all the other activities I grew up with (Theyrsquod ask if the Chautauqua Serenade was as spectacular as they had been told also) Maybe because Barber-Teens Barber-Tots Ladiesrsquo Hospitality Room Friday Night Chorditorium and all were part of my Barbershop vernacular Irsquod missed the fact that other districts didnrsquot celebrate their conventions the way WE do My dad was a ldquoJoe Barbershopperrdquo in the Buffalo Queen City Chordsmen Convention weekend was a treat to go to with my parents Irsquod sit in the audience with anticipation for each and every group that crossed the stage It was a celebration ldquohooplardquo a ldquocoming homerdquo One year there was a parade with a band another year the Massed Sing was directed from a theater marquee You just never knew what delight would break out Skiprsquos dad was a District Medalist and Representative to International but Skip didnrsquot get to attend convention until he was an adult Nonetheless he remembered the antics and also the quartets driving out to very small motels in the equally small hours to visit a chapterrsquos hospitality room This barbershop stuff is ingrained in us both our ldquochosen sportrdquo Last January Pete Carentz asked Skip and me to try out an idea he had We were asked to create something new where the emphasis was not on COMPETITION but on HAVING FUN BARBERSHOP STYLE

And so the planning began - Lists of people to contact - What to sayhow to say it - Response list - Emcee to invite - Bios to gather - Show blocking

The list went on for pages and many emails and phone calls later after the Chorus Competition on April 10 2010 the first ever Seneca Land SING festival had its opening curtain We had our fair share of obstacles to say the least We needed to put on a show while half of the performers andor audience was still in their Performance Evaluations Skip no sooner sent out the invitations to perform (from HIS computer on HIS account in HIS office) than he got called out of town Oh the timing conflicts we worked out Not the least of which was the fact that our Emcee was singing in his OWN districtrsquos Convention with his quartet When all was said and done however I really felt as though we had done justice to the premise of Petersquos original idea a show where everyone could sing for the joy of performance (thankfully made easier by our outstanding Backstage Team Take another bow Nancy and Bob) Many have had a part in the success of that first SING festival but the credit for performing and for attending to witness it goes to you Seneca Land and your mighty spirit Now we are in the planning stages of the first annual Fall SING festival Yoursquoll get further details about it in email blasts and the like but you need to start planning on attending andor performing for the love of the sport From a Barbershop-Brat-turned-Barbershop-Bride and the Lead-turned-Bari-turned-Bass she married Susan amp Skip Berenguer

Olean Chapter Hosts Directorrsquos Workshop By Pat Close Olean Sharps amp Flats Editor

The Seneca Land District Chorus Directors Workshop Intensive (CDWI) was hosted by the Olean chapter and Louis Petroni on June 19th 2010 Two

instructors (seated L-R) Jerry Schmidt of Binghamton NY chapter and David Gelb of Vincennes IN chapter were brought in to help four chorus directors hone their skills Five directors were scheduled to attend but two had to drop out and one was on standby that then got a chance to join in The directors were (standing L-R) Jason Weitz of Rochester Scott Ventura of Rochester Bruce Cornelius of Dubois and Chris Keir of Coudersport After morning classes and following lunch each director took a turn with the chorus to practice things they had learned in the class room during the morning session After each director took a turn with the chorus they went in to the class room and debriefed their performance with one instructor They repeated this again so each one had a second chance to work out their routines This took almost two hours (with ample breaks in between) and the chorus seemed to enjoy every minute of it It was extremely interesting to see the many and varied styles of directors with each one being just as effective as the next One of the most challenging tasks given to the directors was to direct with their head and eyes only and keeping their arms absolutely still This illustrated that direction ideas are conveyed from the head and eyes and that can be used in conjunction with the arms and hands There was much discussion as to who had learned more the directors or the chorus The instructors asked the chorus members to fill out a short survey form expressing their feelings about the experience and all members complied happily Once the surveys were compiled David Gelb said ldquohellipthat for all of the years I have been doing this this was the first time that no one had said anything negative regardinghellip the length of the session not enough breaks feeling unappreciated etchelliprdquo Many times during the chorus session the instructors thanked the chorus members for their attention and patience and did their best to keep the atmosphere light and fun Louis Petroni should be thanked for the great work he has done to make this event happen Louis arranged the space provided the coffee and donuts ordered lunch for the instructors and directors and then accompanied the instructors to dinner on Friday night Pat Close had the great privilege of accompanying them to dinner on Saturday night It was all very insightful The Olean chorus should be proud of themselves for hosting another great event Great job Olean Chapter

One of the best ways to

cultivate a possibility mind

set is to prompt yourself to

dream one size bigger than

you normally do


POW WOW By Mike Ebbers SLD DEC

For Barbershopping aficionados the district summer Harmony Education program is always an enjoyable way to spend a weekend The Seneca Land Districts mini-HEP is called Pow Wow This year it was held on July 17-18 at the Hobart amp William Smith college campus in scenic Geneva NY The college rolled out the red carpet by offering air-conditioned dorm rooms and delicious meals While the teens had their separate Harmony Explosion program the adults could choose from these classes The Road to Better Singing - Vocal Techniques What are Those Spots Before My Eyes - Intro to Music Theory They Love Their PartnersYou Love the Income - Singing Valentines Its Time to Express your Thoughts ndash Arranging On With The ShowTHIS IS IT - Successful Show Operations Gold Medal Class - Happiness Emporium 1975 International Champions I Can Sing Forever - Caring for the Senior Voice To Tag or Not to Tag Master tag Class How Do They Do It - Follow a Coach Quartet Coaching Chorus Coaching The Roots of Barbershop Singing Woodshedding Woodshedding is ear-singing as foursomes used to do before there were written arrangements It offers four singers the challenge and enjoyment of ringing chords to new tunes It is a great way to experience barbershop fellowship and teamwork The Woodshedding class was offered in all five class sessions and about two dozen Barbershoppers attended a few at a time It was facilitated by Mike Ebbers (Binghamton chapter) and Ted Norton (Olean chapter) Between the two those who dropped by to explore Woodshedding experienced a range of activities from just do it Woodshedding of new tunes to chord theory and progression Although 60-80 minutes per session is not long enough to learn all there is about Woodshedding it was long enough for each of the attendee to obtain some tips and woodshed one or more parts to several tunes By the end of each session the chapel had echoed with ringing barbershop chords In the last session several other experienced woodshedders showed up so they were able to give an impromptu unrehearsed demonstration After that other attendees were offered a chance to step in and give it a try All in all it was a good day for Woodshedding in SLD Ted is a retired music professor (born in 1928 you do the math) with 37 years of teaching experience so he is well qualified to pass on his knowledge of chord structure using well-organized handouts He is also able to just do it and woodshed all four parts (not at the same time) He has a website that contains vocal tips httpwwwmusicedtedinfo Mike is a little younger (born in 1951) and has sung barbershop since 1976 He brought along CDs and Woodshedding books that are available from the Barbershop Harmony (BHS) society to supplement the just do it experience Mike is the current SLD education coordinator (DEC) for the Ancient Harmonious Society of Woodshedders (AHSOW httpwwwahsoworg) He follows a long line of SLD DECs who are enthusiastic Barbershoppers in chapters throughout the district Woodshedding sessions are offered at the spring and fall district conventions as well as the Pow Wow In addition if you would like to include a Woodshedding segment in your chapter meeting contact Mike at mikeebbyahoocom He can suggest helpful materials and will visit your chapter if desired

Alleghany Division Show wrap up By Louis Petroni Enchanted Mountain Chorus Director

Hey Folks It was a great division show this past weekend (May 8 2010) A huge thank you to all of you who participated We tried some different things this year and in this message to you all I will attempt to point out those differences and give you my opinion of how they worked Maybe you can forward this e-mail message around to your chapter guys and perhaps discuss your opinions about how things worked could be better and so on

As you know we had an extra rehearsal two weeks before the show At my count we had about 35 guys at that rehearsal and again at my best estimated we had about 55 guys on the risers at the show I think the extra rehearsal helped a lot and took some of the anxious edge off of the rehearsal on Saturday

One new feature was that we had two completely new songs on the show this year Sound Celebration and Ill Walk With God Because of the new songs we ended up using music and black folders for those two pieces In my opinion we did well with those two songs considering the short time to develop them From the point of view of the audience I think 2 songs like we did even using the music (for some of the guys) was more rewarding that singing a medley of nine Polecats as in previous years From the chorus point of view I think those two new songs made it more interesting for you the singer and maybe some chapter will decide to adopt one of those songs Now that they have been broken in they could be used in the next division show Another big departure from past shows is the use of four chapter choruses In my opinion I think it is a real treat for the audience to get to see a total of 5 choruses sing in one evening For many of you who have attended conventions you probably dont think twice about seeing several choruses but for the general non barbershop public I think it is a rare treat So four participating choruses got to hone two of their songs in front of an audience and the audience got to experience four different chapters not to mention the mega chorus win - win This show did not follow the patent layout chorus in the first half and quartets in the second half The mega chorus had four songs at the beginning and four at the end In the previous years the mega chorus sang about seven songs in the first half plus several Polecats and then usually a one or two song finale In this show less was more We maximized the impact of the mega chorus

From the point of view of the non barbershop patron the impact of the large chorus at first is wow We left them wanting more after just four songs and gave them a little bit more at the end with our final four In the meantime we peppered them with five great quartets again not all bunched together but interspersed with the four chapter choruses The really neat part is that we did all of this with an intermission in just under 2 hours That was perfect timing Speaking personally no matter how good a show is even on Broadway after 2 hours Im looking at my watch So that is the meat of it Even looking over the program in the


aftermath I cant really see how to significantly improve it given the limitations of time and distance My suggestions for the future is try to keep an extra rehearsal to take some of the pressure off of the Saturday do or die type rehearsal and break up the mass chorus and if at all possible feature at least a couple of chapter choruses We were so fortunate this year to have four choruses perform Also try to add at least one new song a year so the repertoire doesnt get stale (Stay away from songs with 20 versions) This year we had about 100 in the audience which is a little better than the best Ive seen in the last several years In my opinion I would recommend that tickets be priced at $800 and sell them pre-sale for $500 Even if we made the same money but had twice as many people attend that would be another win-win Everyone loves a full house This year our chapter hosting the event donated our 13rd share of the ticket money to a local charity (Olean Food Pantry) This is a great way to generate interest in the show and get people to come who wouldnt normally but I think it would work better with cheaper tickets as who wouldnt plunk down 5 bucks for a good cause even if they know they cant attend on the date Well I think Ive said enough hopefully you guys will talk it over and some of your great ideas can be used in future division shows

Thanks for a great show - Louis Petroni

SPEBSQSA- What the ldquoPrdquo stands for By Pat Close Olean NY chapter bulletin editor and archivist

Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It (Author disputed) Most of the acronym SPEBSQA is self explanatory but it is extremely important to understand what one part in particular means It is the ldquoPrdquo that I would like to talk about That would be preservation in several sub sections Preservation of the craft This is the main focus of preservation that we as Barbershoppers understand By keeping true to the definition of absolute Barbershop Harmony we are protecting an explicit style of music that will not be ldquowatered downrdquo into any other style and will maintain the highest standards of the Barbershop style Most of our preservation attention is focused on the established rules and regulations already set in place for practicing this style This seems to be very effective and should only need monitoring in the future Preservation of the people There are thousands of photographs and newspaper articles out there of chapter members families and audiences that

have no names or dates associated with them This is probably the largest injustice we are doing to our selves In dealing with my own chapter archive (being bags and cardboard boxes but now are in proper containers) I have come across hundreds of photos of people from our chapter the district and around the Society

These photos are of quartets choruses individuals and miscellaneous candid shots Some have names some have dates fewer have names and dates but for the most part they have no details at all It is a huge shame to allow those to fade into the nameless ether Preservation of the stories This part is a cultural ritual that we must pay more attention to We all know people that love to reminisce about the ldquogood ole daysrdquo but sometimes we donrsquot actually listen or more regrettably we do not document what they have to say about our rich history We must admit (although regrettably) that our members are getting older and fading away from us so it is imperative that we listen to what they say and write down their stories Preservation of documentation This category may be the least considered category of our archive responsibilities but it could be one of the easiest to archive This would include chapter division district bulletins plaques certificates awards board minutes charter documentation member rosters show programs posters patches pins buttons and any memorabilia that we should be proud to show to our descendants Suggested steps to ensure complete archives

As soon as you print the picture write the names and dates on the back

Get members to go back thru photos now before we lose them

Host a ldquoHistory Partyrdquo at your chapter and invite members past and present along with their spouses to get together socialize and document trips down memory lane

Districts could have an ldquoarchive roomrdquo at convention to allow and encourage members to browse and hopefully provide information about the photos or stories brought from each chapter

Save at least one issue of board minutes show programs chapter district bulletins etc for the archive

Prompt the more senior members to possibly write out their memories or even ldquotape recordrdquo them

When the time comes to clean out chapter halls and storage spaces you should think twice about every item that you are about to throw away Stop and ask yourself

ldquoWould anyone like grandchildren or future generations want or need to see these itemsrdquo

ldquoWill any of this help the bulletin editor write storiesrdquo (this authors favorite question)

ldquoWill any of this help our chapter district Society make use of this information for statistical purposesrdquo

ldquoIs there anything in my chapterrsquos archive that another chapter should have an original or copy ofrdquo

In this day and age with the technology we have we can still scan our paper items THEN purge our clutter but we should do this wisely Our future depends on how well we handle our past The lessons learned comparison of problems amp solutions and innovative ideas should have a comfortable home in our archives Letrsquos pitch in and make it happen This is the Barbershop Harmony Societyrsquos legacy


SLAM News by Bob Coant SLD VP Youth

Greetings Seneca Landers There is some news on SLAM and things happening so quickly you really need to pay attention With the relocation of Richard Lewellen (SLAMrsquos first musical director) Mike Spencer was asked to step in Because of some very important business decisions Mike has asked to be replaced as SLAM musical director Although we are saddened by Mikersquos departure I am very excited to announce that a replacement has been secured and SLAM is again gearing up for the chance of representing Seneca Land at the Youth Festival Chorus contest this January in Las Vegas NV Please help me officially welcome the new director of SLAM 3-time district quartet champion and chorus champion director Keith Langdon Keith expressed an interest and I along with District President Pete Carentzrsquos blessings appointed Keith as new musical director after a nice long talk at Pow-WowHX Camp in July Keith will bring a great deal of experience to this position District President Pete Carentz and I travelled to Geneva on Sunday August 15

th to be with

Keith and SLAM for their first meeting together Keith and his wife Dawn hosted this get together and even had a cookout ready for the chorus and guests The attendance was small but in fairness it was short notice The guys that showed up immediately began singing tags and songs in fact we had a tough getting them to stop singing long enough to have a chat Nice problem right Pete and I both offered our thoughts and commitments on district support In summary SLAM is in great hands and I look forward to continued success and an even greater level of musicality from this group Seneca Land has a lot to be proud of in these guys My special thanks to Keith and Dawn Langdon for their hospitality and their willingness to share themselves with our SLAM

Upcoming Important SING Dates

2010 Fall Convention Radisson Hotel amp

Convention Center Downtown

Rochester September 24 25 26 ndash

2010 Can- Am Night October 30th

2011 COTS Leadership Academy Hobart

and Williamrsquos Smith Colleges Geneva

January 14th

15th

2011 Spring Convention (working on Erie)-

April 8th

9th

10th

2011 Harmony Explosion Camp Hobart and

Williamrsquos Smith Colleges Geneva -

July 21st

22nd

23rd

2011 Pow-Wow Hobart and Williamrsquos Smith

Colleges Geneva - July 22nd

23rd

24th

2011 Chautauqua ndash August 21st

2011 Fall Convention ndash (TBD) September

23rd

24th

25th

Item Barbershop harmony really begins at the

end and works backwards If a quartet is well

equipped with wicked endings the body of the

song may be fairly conventional It is the close that

leaves the final fragrance of the barbershop and if

this be beautifully flavored with a nostalgic aroma

it matters little what has gone before The most

obvious harmonies are forgotten in a really subtle

finish

(Source Barbershop Ballads and How to Sing

Them Dr Sigmund Spaeth 1925) Taken from Probmoter

Item The music to Take Me Out To The Ball

Game 1908 was written by Albert Von Tilzer

brother of Harry Von Tilzer who gave us many

barbershop songs When Albert wrote the music

he had never seen a baseball game

(Source PBS radio broadcast) Taken from Probmoter

Humor Me ACCORDING TO JACK (Now You Know JACK)

GENERAL EQUATIONS amp STATISTICS A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend

A successful woman is one who can find such a manhellip


SLD Harmony Explosion Camp Another Success by Bob Coant SLD VP Youth

July 15-18 was the date and Hobart amp William Smith College (Geneva NY) was the site for the 2010 Seneca Land District Harmony Explosion Camp Attendance was about the same as last year (65 students and 5 music educators) but down a bit from previous years Still in all the attendees had a fantastic camp

(Harmony Explosion Camp Joint Chorus)

Actually I believe we did a great job in that this was the first year at Hobart College and we got a very late start due to the venue change We were proud to again have Pow-Wow in conjunction with the youth camp Both events really belong together and has been very successful when run together Yes there were a few challenges being the first year with the new venue but nothing that we couldnrsquot handle I feel (as does the Pow-Wow people) we have found a ldquonew homerdquo with Hobart

This college has all the flavor and intimacy of our old friend Alfred University The two best things about Hobart College are the costs and the staff we work with Erica Cooney-Conner is the gal that makes things happen and she was absolutely fantastic to work with Again shades of the days with our old friend Bill Emrick of Alfred University Having a great relationship is vital to the success of our youth camp and Pow-Wow and many people do not realize the coordination it takes from running one event much less bringing two separate schools simultaneously Erica pulled this off her very time working with SLD with the expertise of a veteran and I can tell you that we have found a perfect match for SLD While Irsquom on the subject Irsquod like to congratulate Matt Clancy on running his first Pow-Wow I can tell you (from PLENTY of experience) Matt did an outstanding job on his first school I also know that he learned a ton and got plenty of surprises on his first school as we all do Congrats Matt ( S L A M ) Our staff included clinicians Katie Taylor and Adam Scott and teaching quartets Fusion 3

rd place International Medalists Harmony Inc and a SLD

district champmedalist quartet with Pete Frank Barney Johnson Keith Langdon and Todd Horton The clinicians set some lofty goals this year asking that each chorus (boysrsquo and girlsrsquo) learn three songs each as well as a joint song We all get better as each year passes at making a successful camp I did make the schedule a little less hectic by giving more free time to the students and staff and with the temperatures being in the 90rsquos this sure helped out For the first time ever we had to have the Saturday Night Show off campus which made things a little more hectic It required us to hire transportation and wouldnrsquot you know the weather was perfect all weekend long until 30 minutes before the busses arrived to take us to the school Again just one of those little things that come up but nothing we couldnrsquot handle The show was a smashing success which allowed the studentrsquos parents to see and hear what they had accomplished all weekend long In addition to Fusion our 1975 International Quartet Champions The Happiness Emporium did an awesome show package with good solid barbershop from start to finish My goodness they are still singing up a storm some 35 years after taking the gold

(Fusion and Happiness Emporium)

Special thanks to all of our chaperones and especially to Todd Horton for securing Hobart College and the high school for our use As always this youth camp would not happen without my dear friend and right-hand man Steve Feldman Steve you are the greatest and I love Ya Irsquod like to ask all SLD chapters to please keep our youth efforts in mind when you do your budget planning for 2011 We plan to double the size of the camp next year

ldquoMost people live and die with their music still unplayed They never dare to tryrdquo ndash Mary Kay Ash


BHS Keynote Speech at Midwinter 2009 By Kirk Roose Director Lorain and Akron OH chapters SLD Presidentrsquos note this is a long read but a very important message [Introduction] Thank you for the chance to talk about our urgent situation There is still time to reshape and rebuild the chapters and the Society It is time to examine some of the changes made by the Society in the past few decades I agree that big changes are needed but in a different direction Toward chapters simplicity spontaneity and fun [Whoops] In the exciting early days of our Society chapters and Society leaders shaped the ldquoproductrdquo to welcome newcomers It worked But then a lot of well-meaning Barbershoppers including me fundamentally changed that product It doesnrsquot sell so well any more We refined barbershop instead of building it Conventions contests and schools began to replace chapter meetings in our priorities [Three cheers for our chapters] So welcome back the era of the chapter Hail the hundreds of back-slapping chord ringing joke-telling coffee-drinking birthday-celebrating tag-fixing gang-singing pitchpipe fumbling chapters from sea to shining sea When they are healthy the Society is healthy I donrsquot think our Society can survive if most of the chapters die I donrsquot think we can succeed as a holding company for copyrights schools contests and conventions The Society started and flourished as chapters for a reason Logic and history tell us that our Society should move its functions as close to the chapter level as possible [Fun bubbling up from average guys in average chapters] To go back to a chapter-centered Society we need to define a different purpose model and governance We have tried working our expert agenda on average chapters but it hasnrsquot worked Instead we need to nurture the fun energy and creativity bubbling up from the chapters The era of pursuing ldquoexcellencerdquo and ldquoimprovementrdquo ndash itrsquos over And not a moment too soon As noble as that agenda sounded it has become counterproductive for average chapters and average singers More on that later Back to the positive To rebuild chapters we have to add many men most of average talent and motivation Thatrsquos how a large organization was built eclipsing the more selective more regimented and less fraternal forms of male singing Stands to reason There are a lot more men with average talent than with superior All bring their gifts however average or superior The man who cannot pass some chapterrsquos audition may be a great barbershopper with leadership creativity or friendliness to spare Fortunately barbershop can make an extraordinary sound from ordinary voices Most chapters in my experience sound nice on ldquoMy Wild Irish Roserdquo or ldquoWhat a Wonderful Worldrdquo Not so nice on what we try to sing today I am not a KIBBER Let me repeat that I am not a Keep-It-Barbershop guy I am a KISSER For the sake of our average and below-average chapters and quartets we should ldquoKeep it Simplerdquo Whatever era the music make sure it is singable by most Barbershoppers Can we grow by criticizing other peoplersquos singing (ldquoimprovingrdquo them)+ I joined to sing not to improve Most guys do Even our competitive chapters are learning that there are more ldquolosersrdquo than winners in the race to establish a pecking order

in barbershop Our energy should be going outward to attract more members but a huge amount of energy is still going inward toward the culture of ldquoachievementrdquo You know the drill auditions qualifications taping more challenging music learning CDs homework riser discipline the two-song syndrome Some still hold it as an article of faith that in order to increase their membership chapters must work hard to improve their singing Gentlemen we have tried this for decades The harder we try the worse it gets In my experience most chapter leaders who try to ldquoraise the barrdquo end up frustrated Not all but most And I see alternatives Many chapters quietly succeed and grow by focusing on other goals What could be wrong with striving for improvement Think about it There is a hidden reminder within the ldquoimprovementrdquo goal ldquoYou need to improve You are not good enoughrdquo This inescapable subtext undermines the fun of barbershop especially for less gifted less intense or less experienced members ldquoFailurerdquo becomes a possibility in their hobby [True confessions] I confess I was part of the ldquoimprovementrdquo push in the Society Although I did not join to improve my singing I soon became part of the group of aspiring competitors coaches arrangers directors and donrsquot forget the judges We had our vocabulary ldquorehearsalrdquo ldquoart formrdquo (I loved that as an arranger) ldquoartistryrdquo ldquoexcellencerdquo ldquocommitmentrdquo I truly came to believe that there was a ldquocorrect wayrdquo to sing barbershop that we were making progress toward it and that the men who could sing better should separate themselves into achievement-oriented choruses I finally had to change because I saw the downside of the ldquoachievementrdquo philosophy in myself and in the Society ldquoFunrdquo+ When you talk about ldquofun singingrdquo these days you sometimes get negative reactions Some members who are heavily invested in the ldquoimprovementrdquo viewpoint say that ldquofunrdquo singing is just bad singing like the chapter that meets down the road from theirs Others will say that they enjoy standing on the risers for three hours polishing a phrase ndash so ldquofunrdquo is different for each member How did fun get such a bad name or get so hard to define [Our 1938 start] Check out the letter of invitation to the first meeting at the Roof Garden of the Tulsa Club in 1938 signed by our founders Rupert Hall and OC Cash Note the simplicity and attractiveness of its concept It was a ldquosongfestrdquo not a rehearsal and the attendees sang down the list of songs from top to bottom letting the chips fall where they may It started at 630 pm and a ldquoDutch lunchrdquo was served The letter spoke of the freedom of singing the romance of a summer infatuation It sounded like fun Where did these ideas come from Spaethrsquos idea of funndashthe original recipe] Then I discovered that the book has already been written on fun singing and its relationship to barbershop harmony ldquoMusic for Funrdquo by Sigmund Spaeth copyright 1939 and 1942 Spaeth who was prominent in the formation and growth of the Society was a broad gauge and talented musician a

PhD in musicology with a national weekly radio program about music and several popular books to his credit Spaeth laid out a concept of music for the masses not just the talented the experts or the professionals Music for everyone Spaeth celebrated the fun of amateur music as contrasted with the drudgery he said was experienced by professional musicians and their wannabes Spaeth related close harmonizing to spontaneity and to freedom as OC Cash and Rupert Hall had in their invitation letter to the first meeting in Tulsa ldquoBefore a spontaneous close harmony session+ ends the lsquoquartetrsquo may have a dozen or more members of whom only one or two are willing to stick to the melody while the rest disagree violently as to the proper harmoniesrdquo (Music for Fun page 101) Spaeth had a particular fondness for barbershop singing He had written another important book in 1925 thirteen years before the Society started in 1938 and then he re-issued it in 1940 It was called ldquoBarber Shop Ballads And How To Sing Themrdquo This book laid out a concept of barbershop singing for recreation He identified the aspects of barbershop singing that would make it an attractive hobby for many men Let me quote directly from page two of the 1940 edition of Spaethrsquos ldquoBarber Shop Balladsrdquo as this woke me up about how far we have changed the original successful idea ldquoBarber shop harmony contains the elements of folk music particularly in its improvisational character Its technique is of the naive and spontaneous typerdquo Wow Roots music [The hams that cannot be cured] Spaeth in 1940 also clearly identified the light-hearted nature of the barbershop society that he had helped invent ldquoThe humorous angle is still present and it is hoped will never be eliminated Barber shop harmonizers know they are being funny but they keep as straight a face over their hobby as the most ardent stamp collectorrdquo (Barber Shop Ballads page vii) Note that the new Society with its funny name and tongue-in-cheek writing and publicity followed Spaethrsquos advice Meredith Willson sensed this later when he wrote the barbershop quartet into ldquoMusic Manrdquo as lovable shtick The school board sings ldquoice creamrdquo The parts gyrate A good time is had by all [The thinking behind the Society] I had always wondered how a tax lawyer and an investment banker were so lucky as to make so many good decisions in starting the Society It turns out I believe that the intellectual work had been done by Spaeth and others as they spent more than ten years trying to see how the fun of barbershop harmony could be preserved and encouraged for average singers Not all of the early decisions were good ones The Society was whites-only The Society chose to follow the OklahomaMidwest path rather than the New York City racially-integrated path For more on this and a brilliant scholarly analysis of the origins of barbershop harmony and the Society see ldquoFour Parts No Waitingrdquo by Professor Gage Averill Oxford University Press US Founders consciously chose against ldquoseriousrdquo barbershop] Another mistake of mine was thinking that the early Society leaders just didnrsquot know any


better -- that they were beginners But there was already a strong tradition of professional quartets college glee clubs and quartets and menrsquos choruses The Peerless Quartet popular superstars of their day sang until 1928 and their records were of course widely available ten years later Spaeth himself was steeped in the college glee club and menrsquos chorus tradition Other early members of the Society included Geoffrey OrsquoHara a professional singer composer and songwriter (ldquoK-K-K-Katyrdquo ldquoThe Old Songsrdquo) In Tulsa where the first meeting was held in 1938 there was already a rich community tradition of menrsquos glee clubs and choruses Good examples of professional and semi-professional ldquoseriousrdquo male singing were available to our founders But with the advice of recognized musicians like Sigmund Spaeth they rejected the professional academic serious oute in favor of a joyous amateurism Barbershop as a recreation quickly reached thousands of men [Explosive success of the original product] In its first twelve years the Society grew from 0 to 27000 members presumably mostly of rather average talent 1938 to 1950 was our golden period of growth Does the 1950 membership number of 27000 sound familiar That is a little bigger than our membership today [Membership loss and our changes] After the explosive growth years there was slow growth of another 11000 members during the next 33 years until our peak membership of about 38000 in the year 1983 Then a slow decline in the past few years Note that the population has more than doubled since 1950 so that our membership as a percentage of population has dropped sharply Wersquove lost about one-third of our membership but about two-thirds of our market per capita Note also that in the 33 years from 1950 until 1983 the period of slow growth the population grew faster than the Society so we were actually losing ground The stark truth the only period of ldquorealrdquo growth was the first twelve years from 1938 until 1950 We are clearly in a serious membership decline despite the seeming paradox that our top performers are more expert than ever How do you explain this paradox The Society has changed since those heady years of rapid membership growth Letrsquos list some of the things that changed as we moved away from improvisational spontaneous joyful amateurism [Harder music] The music we try is harder The songs and arrangements we publish now are quite a bit harder than those published when I joined the Society in the 1960rsquos and much harder than what was sung in the growth period of 1938-50 The quartets in the early years apparently sang the songs in lower keys such as G or Ab allowing more men to sing tenor comfortably There seem to have been no ldquorulesrdquo against doubling the root in a barbershop seventh chord or in a quick diminished seventh chord so that parts were easier to hear and sing More simple call-and-response songs like ldquoSweet Adelinerdquo were sung [More dedication required] The hobby is now more time-consuming Choruses rehearse every week There is an expectation in achievement-oriented chapters that members will spend time between meetings doing homework learning their music and ldquovocalizingrdquo This increase in time demand seems to be counterproductive Americans have less leisure time today The Society commissioned a marketing

study about six years ago by Harris Interactive Although I believe the study was flawed in some respects some truths stood out The primary reason prospects gave for not joining the Society was ldquonot enough timerdquo So why have we not experimented with less time-consuming models of the hobby Two other related ideas took hold after the days of the barbershop boom First there was the work ethic also known as riser discipline or no pain no gain Second the attitude that there is a right way to sing barbershop and our leadership will teach it through rehearsals schools coaching sessions and contests Letrsquos zoom in on that one The ldquoright wayrdquo+ If there is one change in my thinking that I pinpoint as fundamental it is this one I no longer believe that there is a ldquoright wayrdquo to sing barbershop In the words of Sigmund Spaeth ldquomost quartet music can be sung in half a dozen ways without breaking any laws or violating tradition Such improvised harmony should not be bound by rules in any case If the quartet itself is satisfied that is the main point Let the listener take it or leave itrdquo [Professionalism] Professionalism has increased in the Society Professional musicians are relied upon Some members have become professional Barbershoppers The longstanding ethical prohibition on using onersquos membership in the Society for financial gain seems quaint [Hand-picked choruses and the rise of elite chapters] Hand-picking means excluding singers Not even lip service is now given to the longstanding Society policies against hand-picked choruses raiding of members and forming new chapters that might harm existing chapters Most of our members will be surprised to learn that these policies ever existed Actually the policy against hand-picked choruses disappeared from the Societyrsquos written policies recently without fanfare or public discussion [How present policies would have affected the early Society] Letrsquos look again at the very first 1938 meeting in Tulsa What would have happened if that first invitation had promised auditions voice lessons a music teacher the goal of being as good as glee clubs if professional quartets and their arrangements had been held up as models or if the better singers had decided to meet separately I doubt that the Society would have gotten off the ground The early product certainly seems to have been tailored for growth No rejection of members no frustratingly hard music no homework no ldquocorrect wayrdquo no inferiority complex about professional quartets and singers no every-week grind no ldquoriser disciplinerdquo no ldquodo it my wayrdquo no proliferation of committees and chieftains [Spontaneity and fun as official Society suggestions] Three years after our founding at the 1941 Midwinter convention the Society Board published a packet with recommendations for chapter meetings (this is from Val Hicks ed ldquoHeritage of Harmonyrdquo 1988 SPEBSQSA Inc p 26) There was still a remarkable similarity to the first meeting in 1938 The Society recommended that chapters meet about twice per month There was still at least a half hour of gang-singing by ear then quartet singing joke telling and ldquotail-twistingrdquo whatever that was There was a big emphasis on bringing guests and local ldquomusical celebritiesrdquo There were no chorus directors and there was still no hint that improvement was the goal

[Enduring lessons from historyndashfun fellowship and creativity] For renewal I suggest that chapters focus on three elements fun singing social bonding and creativity I believe that even the most competitive chapters should provide a full measure of these lifeblood elements From time to time the Harmonizer publishes articles about making singing more fun at chapter meetings (use a stopwatch to measure singing time use music that is easily sung by the men re-establish the function of chapter Program Vice President) Social bonding should be given thought and attention as well (increase laughter hold chapter visits build in teamwork opportunities) Of the three creativity has been analyzed the least [Hamming it up the creativity list] Letrsquos consider creativity AKA spontaneity or hamming it up In my experience creativity is the key to improving our meetings and appealing to todayrsquos prospects Not just the creativity of the director coach or arranger but the creativity of each member at every meeting Every aspect of the meeting Exercising our spontaneous creativity at whatever level we are able is very engaging and fun for most of us A big side benefit is that practicing our improvisation makes us better performers I made a list bull Singing is more creative than listening bull Singing in a quartet or a solo is more creative than singing in a chorus bull Directing is more creative than being directed bull Arranging is more creative than following an arrangement bull Ear-singing is more creative than a known arrangement bull Coaching is more creative than being coached bullInventing spoken introductions to songs is more creative than reading somebody elsersquos bull Problem-solving in a small group is more creative than being taught [Joe Barbershopper used to get more creative minutes] Using the creativity list it looks like the early chapter meetings allowed the members many more minutes of creativespontaneous time than our meetings today do Thus the appeal to freedom in Spaeth and the 1938 invitation Too many of our meetings say ldquodo as we tell yourdquo Chapter meetings should provide healthy doses of fun singing social bonding and creativity for each member and visitor Chorus rehearsals do not usually allow many creative minutes for the guys The chorus director is a key to this transformation The directorrsquos new job is helping the singers have fun and be creative not to teach or correct them The director should have the skills and attitudes of a social director on a ship a recreation director and a music therapist [What do our prospects want] Some say that social trends have left us high and dry I donrsquot think so Letrsquos look again at the recent Harris Interactive study that I mentioned in connection with time demands Why not try some of the other ideas suggested in that study The study suggests that older men are much more likely to want to join This key finding should not scare us I would love to see thousands of men age 55-65 join every year With todayrsquos health advances such new members have at least 10-15 good vigorous singing years left which is longer than the average member stays Why are we turning our backs on the baby boom as it reaches retirement


age What a great retirement hobby Research is showing that singing together is a healthy activity for older people Why not have doctors prescribe a recreational chapter Shouldnrsquot we have gerontologists and geriatric recreation specialists advising us The study suggests that more prospects think they would enjoy solo singing than singing harmony Why not add another point of fun to our meetings allowing men to take turns singing the melody while the group hums as a background Why not add instruments to some activities if members play them The study suggests that ldquoall agesrdquo is a feature of barbershop singing that our prospects like Why not market an inter-generational experience instead of spending so much money time and energy teaching youth to sing barbershop outside the chapter structure The study suggests that self-improvement and competition are not strong motivators for most of our prospects All the more reason to reorient away from these goals The study suggests that our prospects are satisfied with the traditional variety of barbershop music It is our existing members who ask for more recent music The study suggests that two specific groups bowlers and African-Americans are more likely to join Have we tried marketing to African-American bowlers

Better yet older ones Is there an older African-American bowling league in your city Donrsquot split the Society more+ The prevailing wisdom seems to be that we can help average chapters without changing the environment for achievement chapters Many are saying ldquolet each chapter define its own funrdquo From my experience on both sides I am afraid that these are code words for ldquopreserve the preferences we give to the few achievement-oriented chapters and to the top competitorsrdquo There are at least three reasons why we cannot have two Societies First historically our founders created one Society the better singers did not go to a different hotel Second the lionrsquos share of Society resources and prestige go for the improvementachievement chapters and quartets even though probably 80 of our chapters and quartets are not in this category Third the tastes doctrines institutions and procedures that have been designed to motivate the achievement groups actually undermine the others Remember the subtext ldquoyou donrsquot sing well enoughrdquo Remember chapters eating other chapters [In closing] So I say hello average chapters Beginners and recreational singers we love you We cannot afford to operate on principles that put down most of our members We need to reclaim our

heritage of informal fun-loving spontaneous harmonizing Heeding the lessons of our past we can grow our hobby past 50000 men most with only ordinary levels of available time talent and dedication What would happen if all chapters tried a two-year vacation from working to refine barbershop and turned back toward fun and growth I know we could do it [Kirk Roose Director Lorain and Akron OH chapters former director 5th-place 1981 International medalist Cherry Hill NJ Pine Barons Wilmington DE Manhattan NY Bryn Mawr PA Elyria OH and Independence OH chapters JAD director of the year 1994 2005 Quartets since 1960 including Continental Four (M-AD 1967) Yesteryear (founding member arranger coach) Over Easy (current 6th-place senior quartet) JAD novice quartet champs with sons Carl (1995) and Kevin (2002) published arrangements ldquoIrsquom All Thatrsquos Left of that Old Quartetrdquo ldquoBad Buncha Boysrdquo ldquoLet the Rest of the World Go Byrdquo ldquoAm I Wasting My Timerdquo ldquoWersquoll Meet Againrdquo ldquoM-O-T-H-E-Rrdquo winning tag ldquoLetrsquos Get Involvedrdquo member AHSOW instructor at district schools in arranging quartet singing chorus directing and coaching]


Bill Farewell Syracuse Chapter Teaching a tag to students and staff of Harmony University 2010 (in memory of a dear friend)

SLD Members at Harmony University 2010 As Students and staff

L to R Front Row Bob Statt Michael Ho Scott Ventura Bill Farewell Al Weitz Back Row Pat Close Barney Johnson Dr Rob Hopkins and Dr Dick Wissler

SLDrsquoS PHILLY HOSPITALITY ROOM MEET amp GREET FOLKS

Bill Farewell Syracuse Chapter Teaching a tag to students and staff of Harmony University

(in memory of a dear friend)

SLD PRESIDENT MAKING THE ROUNDS IN THE HOSPITALITY ROOM

AT PHILLY


SLD FALL CONVENTION ndash Rochester Radisson Hotel amp Riverside Convention Center - Sept 24-26 2010 Date _____________ Chapter Name (only 1)____________________________________ _________Member______ _______

(Print first name as you would like it to appear on your badge)

First Name (only 1) ________________________________________ Last Name ________________________________________ Voice Part (only 1) Tenor_____ Lead _____ Bari _____ Bass _____ PH_________________(day) ________________ (eve) (If there is no part checked you will be assigned a ldquoLeadrdquo badge)

E-Mail Address_________________________________ SpouseGuest Name(s)_______________________________________________________________________________________ (Print name as you would like it to appear on badge) If you need more space write names with required information on separate piece of paper

Mail this form with your check payable to SLD FALL CONVENTION George Jarrell PO Box 423 Chautauqua NY 14722-0423 Registrations may be transferred to another person of the same chapter but they are not refundable

DEADLINE FOR EARLY REGISTRATION Sept 10 2010 (Postmark) Family registration (Barbershopper Spouse and Youth under 26) After postmark deadline regular rates apply

Note When making copies do not reduce or enlarge

(PLEASE USE YOUR BEST PENMENSHIP WHEN FILLING OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM THANK YOU)

Quantity Type RegularampEarly Rates Total Adult $3500 $ 00 Youth $2000 $ 00 Family $9000 $ 00 (Early) Adult $2500 $ 00 (Early) Youth $1500 $ 00 (Early) Family $6500 $ 00

TOTAL $ 00

For office use only Date _____________ Check____________ Amount __________ Other

Beat the deadline and nter the drawing for a FREE Fall 2009 registration (Drawing will be during the

Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________

Harmony Explosion Girlrsquos Chorus Trying to be stay cool

Tagging in the pool

ldquoHappiness Emporiumrdquo Hobart College ldquoFusionrdquo


Seneca Land District SPEBSQSA 44 Keyel Dr Rochester NY 14625-1324 httpsldsmokesignalsorg editorsldsmokesignalsorg

Non-profit Org US Postage Paid

Rochester NY 14692 Permit 1634

Seneca Land District Board District President---------------------------------------------------Pete Carentz Executive Vice‐ President----------------------------------------Jim Barickman District Secretary---------------------------------------------------Tom Jones District Treasurer---------------------------------------------------John Howe Board Member at Large-------------------------------------------Bob Weekley Board Member at Large-------------------------------------------Brian Moore Immediate Past President----------------------------------------Robert Hopkins VP Marketing amp PR-------------------------------------------------Eric Van Druff VP Membership-----------------------------------------------------Pete Frank VP Contest amp Judging----------------------------------------------Don Stothard VP Events-------------------------------------------------------------Todd Horton VP Youth Outreach-------------------------------------------------Bob Coant VP Director Development----------------------------------------Louis Petroni VP Music amp Performance-----------------------------------------Matt Clancy VP Chapter Support and Leadership Training---------------Eric Saile VP FUN----------------------------------------------------------------Larry Brennan VP Finance-----------------------------------------------------------Warren Capenos

Committees Chairman of Awards Committees-------------------------------Bill McCormick Chairman of Archives Committee------------------------------Bob Coant Chairman of Chautauqua Committee--------------------------George Jarrell Chairman of Convention Team----------------------------------Don Stothard Chairman of Ethics Committee----------------------------------Fred Burne Chairman of Hall of Fame Committee-------------------------Ron Mason Chairman of Standing Ovation Team--------------------------Barney Johnson Chairman of Nominating Committee--------------------------Andy Nazzaro Chairman of the Endowment Committee---------------------Chaz Zellows Chairman of the Governance and By‐Laws Committee---Andy Nazzaro Chairman of Harmony Marketplace----------------------------Jack Ernise Chairman of SING Festival ----------------------------------------Skip Berenguer District Historian-----------------------------------------------------Carl Smith District Webmaster-------------------------------------------------Bob Weekley Smoke Signals Editor-----------------------------------------------Pat Close Directory Editor------------------------------------------------------Jim Barickman Chairman of Seneca Land District Quartet Champions-----Glenn Jewell


SepOct 2010 Volume 38 Issue 3

copy 2007 SMOKE SIGNALS is the official publication of the Seneca Land District Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America Inc dba Barbershop Harmony Society It is published bi-monthly appearing online at httpsldsmokesignalsorg and printed mailed to members

New Editorrsquos Thoughts Greetings all As you may have already heard I have been asked to take on editorship of the Smoke Signals What a great honor this is Although I am not an English Major poet comedian photographer or writer by training I do seem to do fairly well by going with what

sounds and looks good to the average person Being a fairly new member of Barbershop (but a lifelong fan) I have accomplished a lot in the last two years of membership I wonrsquot bore you with the details of that here but if you are interested in my story you may find it in the ldquoSharps amp Flats archiverdquo section on the Olean web site- wwwoleanbarbershopchorusorg This is where my bulletin experience began about a year and half ago The previous editor was having health issues and needed to pass the torch to someone he thought could handle the job and he thought of me Being flattered I hesitantly accepted with the understanding that ldquoIf I fail it will be because I tried If I succeed it will be because I triedrdquo This was the same answer I gave to Pete when he asked me to take on the Smoke Signals I passed on the opportunity to join SPEBSQA thirty years ago after a meeting or two because I thought it was too hard and I would never be good enough I didnrsquot try to reconnect until a little over two years ago As with most Barbershoppers I regret not having joined sooner but

now I am jumping in with both feet I am trying to make up for everything that I had missed over the last thirty years I canrsquot be sure but I now believe that I may be the largest Barbershop nerd in the district If I am not maybe we should have a contest to see who comes close I bring this up because I feel that I have a somewhat unique perspective about the passion we call Barbershopping I now have the maturity in life to express my feelings and needs about being the ldquonew guyrdquo to the Society This helps me to remind the more senior guys to think back to what it feels like to be the new guy to make sure they treat members in a very special way For instance to make sure the new guy is made to feel welcome to get them into the right voice part to include them in the quartet and tag activities the make sure that they understand all of the activities to have all the information needed and know the terms used around them and most importantly to make sure they know how and when to come back It is from this perspective that I enjoy the power of the press to share my enthusiasm about the new and exciting changes coming to our district I have the great pleasure to be a member of three chapters and work closely with a fourth all within a very short period of time Each chapter has given me a unique experience and education that I shall utilize and cherish forever It is the hope of the President that we increase the frequency of the Smoke Signals to provide more timely and useful information This will be the first of the new bi-monthly issues covering SepOct 2010 In order to get each issue out to the members by the first few days of every other month I will need to set new deadlines for submissions Please feel free to send any material at anytime to editorsldsmokesignalsorg and I will do my best to get your message to our members and even out to the Society I have a few followers from other Districts that like to share articles and information I will post the newest issue on httpsldsmokesignalsorg at the same time I send it to the printers so you may be able to see it online sooner The advertisements due to be printed will resume in the next issue as details of commitments are being sought out at this time Please accept our apologies for any interruptions of this service Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and I will do my best to find the answers I would like to ask for your patience and understanding while I settle into this task I suppose it is at this point that I turn into the nagging editor and remind everyone to write something and send it in Everyone has something interesting to say so why not share it You donrsquot have to send it perfectly composed because I can work with what you send I look forward to serving the Members of Seneca Land District In Harmony Pat Close Editor

Send comments inquiries or submissions to Seneca Land District Bulletin

Smoke Signals Editor - Pat Close

5 Fourth Ave Franklinville NY 14737 716-912-4795 editorsldsmokesignalsorg

ADVERTISING RATES Business Card (4 issues) $25 Quarter Page $35 Half Page $50 Full Page $75 Back Cover (12 page) $100 Centerfold $135

SMOKE SIGNALS DEADLINE DATES

SS ISSU = DEADLINE JAN FEB = DEC 01 MARAPR = FEB 01 MAYJUN = APR 01 JULAUG = JUN 01 SEP OCT = JUL 01 NOVDEC = SEP01



















I Need

You

To help







th

25th

and 26th





















By Pete Carentz






January 8th















outcomerdquo

-Jeffrey Gitomer


NARRATION




By Pete Carentz







th and 15

th make it part of




















input

























They are



Division











harmony immensely




st through July 31

st 2010
















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool


























I Need

You

To help







th

25th

and 26th





















By Pete Carentz






January 8th















outcomerdquo

-Jeffrey Gitomer


NARRATION




By Pete Carentz







th and 15

th make it part of




















input

























They are



Division











harmony immensely




st through July 31

st 2010
















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool











th

25th

and 26th





















By Pete Carentz






January 8th















outcomerdquo

-Jeffrey Gitomer


NARRATION




By Pete Carentz







th and 15

th make it part of




















input

























They are



Division











harmony immensely




st through July 31

st 2010
















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool










By Pete Carentz






January 8th















outcomerdquo

-Jeffrey Gitomer


NARRATION




By Pete Carentz







th and 15

th make it part of




















input

























They are



Division











harmony immensely




st through July 31

st 2010
















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool









NARRATION




By Pete Carentz







th and 15

th make it part of




















input

























They are



Division











harmony immensely




st through July 31

st 2010
















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool










By Pete Carentz







th and 15

th make it part of




















input

























They are



Division











harmony immensely




st through July 31

st 2010
















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool
























input

























They are



Division











harmony immensely




st through July 31

st 2010
















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool





















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool




















you normally do































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool






































th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool






























th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool











th to be with









January 14th

15th


April 8th

9th

10th



July 21st

22nd

23rd



23rd

24th



23rd

24th

25th









finish













































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool







































AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool




























AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool
























AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool




















AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool
















AT PHILLY











TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool


















TOTAL $ 00



Saturday Night Show

September 27 2008)

Name ______________


Tagging in the pool














Documents

S G atisfy nspire urture row Sep/Oct 2010 - Seneca Landsenecaland.org/archives/smoke_signals/ss2010/10_jul-aug.pdf · Bob Fuest has supplied us with a few cool pictures of Seneca