We had SO MUCH fun with Rob Mance this week! He spent time with the chorus, with quartets, and with individuals, helping us find ways to sing better and more efficiently. We all came away with practical advice for ways we can improve. Also, we laughed -- who knew you could have quite so much fun learning?
Here's bass Steve stabilizing his vocal instrument with the floor:
Here's our awesome lineup of basses, going through Rob's placement analysis:
After two years with no in-person element, the Folklife Festival was back this year, and not even a late-May rainstorm could keep the SeaChordsmen from singing! We were happy to be back to teach tags, perform a few songs, and sing through Heart of My Heart with the participant-audience. One tag we taught was Cry; here are a few audience members who came up to sing it:
The Four Ever Young quartet was happy to be asked to perform in honor of Kim Turner at a meeting of the Queen Anne Historical Society, when Kim received an honor for his decades of service. The quartet performance was a surprise, and the audience got a chance to hear the quartet, and a quintet, as Kim couldn't help but join in the singing. Here they all are singing Goodbye My Coney Island Baby:
Congratulations to Kim on the well-deserved honor!
To hear more, check out these videos:
We've been trying out a bunch of new songs for our upcoming Road Show. Here's a clip of one.
Guest bass Topher joined us for rehearsal and afterglow -- this photo also includes our newest official member Nick, making his afterglow debut. It was a great night!
Here's Topher's first quartet tag -- well done, Topher!
The middle of our SeaChordsmen rehearsals is when we stop and take a break from rehearsing as a full chorus, and practice our quartet singing. At that point, our directors take a much-deserved breather while Drew leads us in a quartetting activity. Check out the video and photo footage:
Was it really only a year ago we were singing in our cars? Except for those standing beside them, that is!
It's volunteer appreciation week, so cheers to the all the work done on behalf of the chorus by its members! Here's a shot of the SeaChordsmen Board of Directors at a recent monthly board meeting. Does it look like everyone's having a great time? It's not your imagination. Come to a rehearsal and join in the fun! Tuesdays, 7-9 at the Queen Anne Baptist Church.
Last week, the SeaChordsmen were incredibly lucky to have Rob Mance join us for some vocal coaching. Rob is highly sought after in the barbershop world because of two things: his skill in finding low-hanging fruit for each chorus member to work towards becoming the best singer they can possibly be, and his warmth and kindness in doing so. We were spellbound as Rob talked about a variety of challenges singers face -- breath support, alignment, vibrato, etc. It was a clinic in how to help singers learn and enjoy themselves doing it. We got so much out of the evening that we're planning to have Rob back soon. If you've ever thought about joining us for a rehearsal, now's the time! Then, a couple of months down the road, you, too, can reap the rewards of Rob's incredible coaching.
Why yes, that IS the Seattle SeaChordsmen you see in this month's Harmonizer magazine. We're proud to sing in Figgy Pudding each year -- and we're happy to be featured!
