Harmony, Incorporated HI Note: December 2021 Issue #2

President's Message: Celebrating and focusing

Celebrating the season and focusing on possibilities
By Linda Brehaut, International President

2021 is coming to an end (I think many of us may have been responsible for wishing the year away!) I had this weird idea that 2022 would be closer to what we “remembered” as the norm, but now I’m not so certain where 2022 will take us. What I do know is that we will do whatever it takes to honor our commitment to the organization and make the best out of whatever it throws at us!

Live Events
When the IBOD announced that we would return to in-person events in 2022, there were resounding sounds of joy from some members, while others expressed their concern that the time is not yet right. Our strongest feedback was from those who did not support the requirement to be fully vaccinated at all in-person events. While some of these messages may have been seen as angry and challenging to read, I reminded myself that rarely do people get upset about something they don’t care about – these members truly care about Harmony, Inc., and their ability to participate – their passion in being a member of this organization was expressed through letters of frustration.

We read all your letters and the comments in the survey that was distributed by the COVID-19 Protocol Task Force. The Task Force has filed their findings and recommendations with the IBOD and over the next week you can expect to see an email from us with the full protocol. We will be holding town halls in each of the 6 Areas in late January to answer any remaining questions that you might have. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Yes, we desperately want everyone to be together as much as you want to be there, but for some members the time might not be right just yet – please do what you need to do to keep yourself and others as safe as you can (that includes reducing stress!) even if that means waiting one more year before you comfortably attend an in-person event. We hope 2022 will give us a clearer picture of what it might look like to “live with COVID-19!”

Reflecting on 2021, I hope we all take a moment to look back at how flexible and resilient we were. Let’s look to 2022 and focus on the possibilities before us!

While this time of year is, for some, a wonderful celebration of faith, for others it is a time simply to celebrate family, friends (and food!) For some of you, I know that this can also be a very difficult time of year. While many around you are celebrating, you are struggling to get through the day, because some of you have a piece of your heart missing. While there are no words to make this grief and sadness go away, please know that we are here with you. Feel the love of your Harmony family as we bring an end to 2021 and step into the New Year with a commitment to look for possibilities!

I wish you all health, happiness, and harmony!

Sugartones LIVE!

Sugartones max live holiday performances

By Judy Breckles, HI Note Reporter

Sugartones have eight community performances booked this Holiday Season! Thoroughly enjoying singing together again, the chorus loves hamming it up to entertain the local communities in South Central Ontario, about an hour northwest of Toronto. Members from far and wide travel to rehearse in the town of New Tecumseth and to entertain in many surrounding communities.

As with other choruses, the pandemic forced the Sugartones into Zoom rehearsals. They learned and recorded a number of songs from home, recorded a Valentines fundraising song, and used a Sing Canada grant to offer Personalized Voice Instruction (with Amy Patterson) to members on Zoom. They also offered a special Sing Along With Sugartones event on Zoom in November 2019, attracting two new members among the many community folks (men and women) who participated in recording Christmas carols. The newbies are now very actively involved learning all the 2021 holiday repertoire.

Although the chapter lost (hopefully temporarily) a few rural members with poor internet access, it is still strong and actively seeking new members. The upcoming membership drive in January 2022 includes another Sing Along With Sugartones opportunity.

Safety protocols
The Board of Directors, which includes a nurse, has liaised with the local Health Unit to ensure a safe return to singing together, developing a thorough COVID-19 safety plan. The “safety officers,” a nurse and a school vice-principal, are tasked with ensuring vaccination status and compliance with the protocols. In August and September, the chorus rehearsed at an outdoor pavilion — complete with traffic noise and spotty acoustics. They then moved rehearsals indoors (with modifications) in October.

On with the show!
Director Jan-Åke Westin captured the singers' feelings. “We have been working so hard and waited so long to get back to some form of normalcy. Normalcy for us means singing together, and sharing our gift of music with our community.”

And the community came knocking at the door when it became known that the chorus was rehearsing together again. The first request came to do an October sing-along (including ukulele players) for the seniors in the chorus' rehearsal hall, which is a space in a retirement home. (They are the only outside group allowed in their building, so far.) Then requests came to entertain at four community holiday street festivals and tree lightings and to record their usual cable TV Holiday special. Then along came three holiday indoor events, including a performance and sing-along for the seniors again. And who can say no to the mayor when he personally requests you entertain at events?

Were you counting along? That makes eight performances!

Sugartones observed all safety precautions recommended by the Health Unit and hope, with COVID-19 numbers rising again, that they can continue to accept the requests to entertain in 2022.

Says a chorus representative, "We sure do love singing together again! Even in singers’ masks!"

Quartet Corner

New quartets from around the globe!
By Jessica Jones, Quartet Development Coordinator

Let’s give a warm, Harmony, Inc. welcome to two of our newest quartets: Continental Crush and Escapade!

CONTINENTAL CRUSH - Tracey Larder, Tenor; Claire McMartin, Lead; Stacy Hugman, Baritone; Anne-Miek De Nijs, Bass

Representing Areas 1, 5, and our Expansion Pack, spanning from Canada to the Netherlands (yes, you read that right!), here’s Continental Crush!

For years, Stacy and Claire had talked about wanting to sing together. The opportunity arose when the quartet that Stacy and Tracey were in disbanded. Anne-Miek and Stacy have sung together since 2019 in a mixed quartet, Double on the Rocks, with their husbands, so naturally they always dreamt of being in a women’s quartet with each other.

After spending just four days together – and meeting each other for the first time – they felt the universe shift. There was an instant, magical connection among the four of them. Perhaps it was because they’re all in the same stage of life? Perhaps it’s the fact they all have the same drive, work ethic, and insane desire to sing anywhere?! Maybe it’s because they all have marriages with super supportive husbands? Or, maybe it’s just the simple fact that they all have so much in common. Who can say? But they completed their first four-day retreat feeling like they’ve known each other for years. The only minor difficulty they face is the 3500+ miles that separate them . . . and how to shop for costumes!

Although it will be difficult to perform “locally” as Anne-Miek lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Claire is in Sudbury, Ontario, Stacy lives in Johnstown, Ontario, and Tracey hails from St. Lazare, Quebec, their goal is to entertain in their respective towns whenever they are together, as well as compete annually.

The “North American continent members” get together every other week via Zoom. A live Facebook page is running the entire time as well as a secondary Zoom, so Anne-Miek can chime in, record, and watch simultaneously. They also find sharing recordings in Dropbox very useful.

Although Stacy, Tracey, and Claire have been Harmony, Inc. members for years, Anne-Miek is brand new to our organization and this quartet is excited for you all to meet her and for her to see why Harmony, Inc. is so special!

ESCAPADE - Carol Zeffiro, Bari; Barb Yendall, Lead; Betsy Fay Walits, Bass; Julianne Yendall, Tenor.

Hailing from Area 3 with representation from Niagara Frontier Chord Authority, it’s Escapade! With the exception of Betsy, all members live in the Buffalo, NY area. You’ll recognize Carol and Barb as 2017 Harmony Queens from Charisma. Carol also holds that title with Mystique and “Images” quartets. Julianne is an Associate member, an accomplished singer during her high school and college days, Barb's daughter, and – fun fact – is the only one who can remember that far back!

In the summer of 2021, Betsy wondered out loud if the others could tolerate a long distance relationship (mainly Betsy) and surprisingly, the answer was yes! None of Escapade’s members have participated in a long distance quartet before, so the name seemed to fit with all the additional traveling involved. They’re trying to treat this new experience as an exciting adventure.

Escapade attempts a weekly virtual rehearsal; sometimes it devolves into a showing of dog and horse pictures. Betsy travels whenever she can to the Buffalo area. They look forward to competing in Area 3 with all of their pals!

Of special note: the members noticed their names end in W, Y, and Z, so if there’s a coach named Xavier out there, hit ‘em up! Welcome, Escapade.

Are you thinking of making your new quartet dreams a reality? Allow me to shine the Harmony, Inc. limelight glow upon you! I’m here to help with all of your quartet-related endeavors and inquiries. Email quartets@harmonyinc.org any time. Happy Holidays, Harmony friends!

Area Contest Dates

Area Contest dates
Area 1: June 2-5, 2022
Area 2: April 21-24, 2022
Area 3: April 29-May 1, 2022
Area 4: June 10-12, 2022
Area 5: May 27-29, 2022
Area 6: March 31-April 3, 2022

Equity, Diversity, and Me!

Equity, Diversity & Me: Inclusive Language
By Gillian C. Nichol, Island A Cappella, Area 1
Katie Taylor, Northern Blend, Area 3

Here is a great question which followed a E&D Chapters Roundtable.

Question from Gillian Nichol:
Have you undertaken policy revisions with your own chorus to incorporate gender-neutral language, and how have you addressed it?

Reply from Katie Taylor:
Hi, Gillian!
As for Northern Blend, we have definitely made efforts to do this, and it has not been difficult. The music team has been conscious of language in our repertoire for quite some time now. We make all the language in our music gender-neutral, or we pick songs that can be sung that way with an easy lyric change if needed, meaning changing “he” to “they” or things like that. I also use language up front, as director, that is inclusive. Instead of saying “ladies,” I say things like “my friends, my loves, amazing humans, awesome singers, peeps, etc.” Am I perfect? No, but I would say that I’m pretty successful at using neutral terms.

We do have some songs that use terms like “sisters,” and as of right now, I do not believe it has offended anyone. Our chapter doesn’t have any members who identify non-binary, but if we were to have a guest that walked through the door that did, I think that they would feel welcomed and seen.

When we held our Zoom meetings, I always used my pronouns next to my name, as did many of our members. I am also a music teacher, and the advisor for the GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) at my school, and I have numerous students who are transgender or non-binary. I am very accustomed to using gender-neutral language. Another thing that I do at school is to refer to voice part when talking to the kids in a group, rather than saying “ladies” for the sopranos and altos and “gentlemen” for the baritones. I did it that way for years, but now that I have students who do not present as a binary gender, across various voice parts, I find ways to make sure they do not feel left out or like they don’t belong in a section.

As for the official "policy revisions," I spoke to my chorus, and since that interaction, Northern Blend has adopted its contract and bylaw language using gender-neutral terms.

In addition, Harmony, Inc.’s International Board of Directors has taken steps to make the corporate manual gender-neutral, for example, changing any place that mentions “chairman” to read “chair”.

As for adapting to gender-neutral language, people tend to feel overwhelmed or think it would be a big change to be gender inclusive, but it’s really not anything too difficult, nor do I feel is it too much to ask, since we want to make sure all people feel welcome in our organization. The hardest part is just remembering to do so. It will become very natural, but just give it some time!

Thank you for asking!

Katie

If you are interested in joining us in our monthly Equity & Diversity Chapters Roundtables, please email edc@harmonyinc.org

Your 2021 Equality and Diversity Committee members include:
AREA 1: Bonita Hester, Chair, and Linda Brehaut, HI President
AREA 2: Jessie Caynon and Kathy Pomer
AREA 3: Anita Prather Harvell, Katie Taylor and Nancy Weisbein
AREA 5: Emily Parsons
AREA 6: Lindsay Fontana

Harmony Notes

Condolences from the Membership

To Belinda Thompson (Harmony Falls, Area 3) on the death of her wife, Kathy Bambrick.
To Ellen Chapados (Nickel City Sound, Area 5) on the death of her sister, Barbara Hulko.
To Rhoda Fortier (Nickel City Sound, Area 5) on the death of her sister-in-law, Suzanne Forget.

Your donations to the For Love of Harmony program enable you to identify individuals or groups to receive special recognition, while at the same time providing a monetary gift to Harmony, Inc.

❤From Mary Ann Wert in memory of Chuck Wert. Always in my heart!

❤ From Harmony Falls Chorus in memory of Kathy Bambrick, wife of Belinda Thompson.

Deadlines approaching!

DECEMBER 31: Deadline for Youth Joining Youth free dues program
JANUARY 31, 2022: Honorary Membership nomination forms due
MAY 1, 2022: Applications/nominations for International Board of Directors due

The next issue of the HI Note comes to your inbox January 5. What would YOU like to read about in that issue? Share your thoughts with editor@harmonyinc.org by December 28.

Copyright © 2021 Harmony, Inc., All rights reserved.