Patriotic Pops

Today was amazing. The RichTones sang with The Plano Symphony for the Fourth of July Patriotic Pops. It is so inspiring to sit behind the orchestra and watch them perform up close and personal. Regardless of your political beliefs and opinions, it's impossible to listen to patriotic music and not feel a sense of pride at being an American.

The best part was singing the Armed Forces Medley with songs for the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines. As each part was sung, a member in uniform of that particular branch came onto the stage and everyone in the audience who was in the military stood when their song was sung. By the end, nearly everyone was standing. It was quite moving.

It's so easy to complain about all the things that are wrong with our country and the world but a day like today reminds us of just how much we have to be thankful for. So I want to say a big THANK YOU to all those who serve our country, protect our freedoms and keep us safe every day of our lives.

Summer Music Camp

WOW! Summer Music Camp (SMC) for Region 25 was incredible. I've been in Sweet Adelines for over 5 years and this is the first time I've been able to attend SMC. How sorry I am that I've missed out for all these years. I can't believe how much I learned.

The first morning general session on Friday was delivered by Vickie Dennis, the director of Region 10's Houston Horizon. She taught us some breathing exercises that isolated muscles that I obviously hadn't used in a while, as evidenced by my soreness the next day. My first morning class was Vickie's Beginning Music Theory and I can't say enough great things about it. She has an amazing amount of knowledge in addition to her beautiful voice. Personally, I have struggled with music theory for a long time but just like my study of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, I refuse to give up until I have it mastered. As so often is the case, I learn something new with each exposure I have to a subject, so I take advantage of every opportunity I have to increase my understanding, even an onion skin more. Sadly, the older I get, the less quickly my mind assimilates information. But I just keep plugging along.

Stay tuned for more info about SMC!

Rehearsal Night

I just got back from rehearsal and as always, it was exhilarating. We reviewed what we learned on Saturday and we've definitely upped the bar on our skills. We also got to hear 2 new songs that we will learning soon. They're really wonderful and I can't wait to learn them. I won't tell what they are but I will say, come to our Fall Show in Dallas on August 23rd and you'll be in for a treat!

As it turns out, I'll be going to Summer Music Camp (SMC) this weekend in Denton, TX. I've never been, so I'm really looking forward to it. I don't know what could possibly top the last two coaching sessions we had but there is so much to learn and there are so many amazing women who are always willing to share their knowledge I know it will be incredible. I'll write all about it.

Welcome

Hi All! I assume most of the folks who read this blog are either fully indoctrinated into the cult we call Barbershop (BBS) - in my case Sweet Adeline's - or are considering venturing into this crazy, wonderful world.

Let me start by telling you a brief bit about my Sweet Adeline's life. I live in Dallas, Texas and have been a member of The RichTone Chorus for over 5 years (since February 2003). Some of you may be amazed by what I am about to tell you but I stumbled into this incredible chorus by stupid luck. Back in 2002 I was a single mom and my children were getting older. My son was in his senior year of high school and my daughter was in her last year of middle school. It was time for me to do something for myself.

Since I love to sing, it seemed reasonable for me to visit a group I had heard about from a friend of mine. It was October and they just happened to be offering an opportunity to sing as a guest on their upcoming Holiday Show. I went to a rehearsal, voice placed, and found myself on the risers with a holiday music binder in my hands. For those of you who know BBS, I was placed as a Lead. Also for those of you who know this world well, you may be surprised by my ignorance. I had no idea who the RichTones were or what it meant to be a Sweet Adeline. When I was a teenager, one of my dearest friend's fathers sang in a barbershop quartet and I had always loved the 4-part harmony a capella sound they created. So, silly me, I thought it would be kind of fun to sing barbershop.

After the Holiday Show I was hooked and kept going back as a guest, too timid to go through an audition process. Believe it or not, I was still clueless who the RichTones really were. I was finally talked into committing to an audition so with packet in hand, I went home to learn the music. It wasn't until the night of my audition 2 weeks later when I was talking to another auditioner that I began to get a hint of what the RichTones were all about. She went on and on about the chorus and how she had wanted to be a RichTone for the longest time but she had been afraid to audition since she knew it was so hard to get in. It was then I started to panic. What was I doing... what was I thinking? Too late now though, I was committed. So in I went.

I'm happy to say that I passed the audition process (unfortunately for her, she didn't) and quickly learned about the reputation of the RichTones in the Sweet Adeline world. I'm humbled to this day, in wonderment that I made it. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss. If I had had a clue what I was attempting back then, I don't know that I would have even tried. Perhaps it was God working one of His miracles in my life because being in The RichTone chorus has definitely been a life-altering experience. The story doesn't end here so come back for more.