Sat, 15th Nov - Honolulu and Luau

On Friday night we sailed back to Honolulu, and when we woke up on Saturday morning we were back where we started. The ship had a very structured process for getting people disembarked, which involved labelling our suitcases with a purple tag and putting them outside our bedroom door before we went to bed, to be collected during the night.

After a buffet breakfast on Deck 11 we retired to our cabin until it was time to depart. Gwen and her friend from Buffalo Gateway came to say goodbye, and Gwen added a message to this blog. Jo and Deborah spent our last hour aboard in the library reading. Then our colour group was called and we joined the queue to disembark.

On shore our luggage was waiting for us, neatly organised into colour groups. We headed for the taxi rank and found a free shuttle bus that takes people from the port to the Maui Dive Shop. If you're willing to do a tour of the shop, they will then put you on another shuttle box and take you to Ala Moana or Waikiki.

The tour was quite interesting, although it was Saturday and there wasn't much work being done. First we saw a video about how they harvest black and gold and pink coral, and gold from an undersea vent. Then they showed us the various processes in designing and casting and polishing the gold settings, and cutting the coral. Last we saw the jewellry show room. There were some stunningly beautiful pieces, but all way out of our price range.

When we got back downstairs where our luggage was being looked after, Jo realised her backpack was still on the shuttle bus. The staff were very helpful about locating it, and it turned up about ten minutes later when the shuttle bus brought the next load of passengers from the port.

We got dropped off at Ala Moana Hotel and were able to check into our room straight away - on Level 32, with a great view of the marina and the beach. We made a quick trip to Walmart for Deborah to buy a lei and some souveniers (and hoping she could find space in her luggage) and then had lunch one last time at the Food Court.

Back at the hotel, we changed into party clothes and got directions on how to get to the Marriott at Waikiki (where our bus to the luau was leaving from). We caught a Number 8 bus and got out a couple of blocks away from the Marriott. We were looking for a Hilo Hatties, "the store of Hawaii", which sells Hawaiian clothing and gifts and food, but didn't find one. We walked through the International Market, which reminded Deborah of Vietnam: a lot of stalls selling cheap jewellry and clothing and bags, and vendors more persistent than any we'd met so far in Hawaii.

At the Marriott we had time for a cup of tea, and the luau crowded slowly gathered. There were 8 buses going to the luau, and two were allocated to our group. We had a lovely tour guide, Tai, who entertained us all the way there. He talked to everyone on the bus, and remembered their names by associating them with film stars. Deborah was Deborah Kerr, and Jo was Joanne Woodward.

The luau was about 40 minutes away, past the airport, and on the beach. There were long tables set out around a central stage, two bars, and a long buffet table. When the pig was cooked we all gathered around to see the ceremonial removal of the pig from the roasting pit (Imu Ceremony), and then each table in turn visited the buffet. The lady sitting next to us with her friend had white hair and looked very frail. She had been a member of her chorus for 36 years.

The pork was very tender, and there was also fish and chicken as well as salads. Deborah tried a taste of poi (mashed taro root), which tasted like wallpaper paste; Tai says they only make it to feed to tourists.

We think that the entertainers at Germaine's Luau were the same ones who performed at the Showcase on Tuesday night of the Convention. They did dances from all over Polynesia, in various colourful costumes. The bare-chested guys were worth watching, and the girls were gorgeous whether they were shimmying their hips slow or fast. There was a backing band, and a singer who performed traditional Hawaiian songs. They pulled audience members up to dance with them, and awarded prizes. It was fun.

Back on the bus to the Marriott, and we caught a taxi back to our hotel and fell into bed. We set the alarm for 5 am so we could catch the 6 am shuttle bus to the airport. Consequently we were at the airport at 6:30 am, and the Qantas counter didn't open until 7:30 am, which was a bit annoying for the people joining us in the queue. Anyway, we got through all that and through security, and had a look around the airport. We found a food court that served breakfast, and a bookshop where Deborah bought a few more paperbacks to fill in the plane trip, and then explored the shops. There were some lovely dresses and jewellry, but all too expensive for girls used to shopping to Ross's and Walmart. The food court overlooked a garden and a pond with the biggest koi that we've ever seen.

Our flight left at 10:15 am on Sunday morning, and took 10 hours to fly to Sydney. We had lunch and dinner on the plane, and there were four movies. Even so, it was a long flight with a lot of ocean to fly over - 8,000 kilometres of it.

We arrived at Sydney around 5:30 pm on Monday night. Sandy, who is a Customs Officer and Deborah and Pete's friend, was there to greet us. There was no queue at the Immigration desk, and hardly any queue at Quarantine either, so we got through very quickly. Jo went off to find her shuttle to Cherrybrook, and Pete was waiting for Deborah to drive her home (which was lovely, because lugging two very full suitcases on the train at peak hour would not have been much fun at all).

And then we were home.

Friday, 14th Nov - Dinner and the Tag Contest

After the afternoon Q & A session we changed into something a bit dressier and headed down to the Liberty Restaurant for a group dinner. There were 400 of us, counting family and friends as well, and we took over the whole restaurant. Our booking was from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, and service was very quick because the restaurant had other patrons who were coming in later, and we had our tag contest.

There were some brief speeches before dinner from Cindy and from Witte Travel, and Zing and Vocal Spectrum performed. Vocal Spectrum sang Cruella De Vil and Mam'selle, by request.

For the tag contest we went back to the auditorium. Zing and Vocal Spectrum were the judges, and there were about 13 contestants including some very late entries. Prizes (left over group shirts, pitch pipes, CDs) were awarded to all contestants.

Best family group was one of the Zing girls with her husband and son and daughter.
Quietest was two Aussie girls who stood with their backs to the audience. Then one tucked in the dress label of the other and said "that's the end of the tag".
Northern Beaches had a quartet of 8 or so and got the prize for largest quartet.

We didn't take notes and can't remember the other awards, but there was a lot of laughter and itwould be fun to do a tag contest at our next weekend retreat.

Friday, 14th Nov - River boat and show

This might be abbreviated because it's now Saturday morning and we're waiting to disembark (our group is scheduled at 9:30 and it's now 8:15 am) and Sarah's mum, Gwen, is going to drop in to say hello. We'll fill in the details later (and sorry about the lack of photos, James, we have them (and the camera) but just haven't had time.

Since our last blog, we've had the show on Thursday night; and been on a bus and a boat on Friday morning to see the fern grotto; and done some more classes (with Zing, Vocal Spectrum, and Kim and Jan and Rich); and had our farewell dinner and a tag contest.

Note from Gwen:
Just a note to say Aloha! to all you girls in Circular Keys - it has been great to meet some of you in Hawaii and I hope to meet all of you in the not too distant future... I hope you all look after Sarah for me as I am missing her right now - she is a good addition to your Chorus and it has been fantastic to share the risers with her both as her Mum but also as a Chorus member. Did she tell you that GEM Connection got 'Silver' at our onvention? We also get to go to Holland in March to compete! Mahalo for allowing me to share your time.....see you soon...Gwen

Harmony in Hawaii Show:
There were about 240 of us signed up for the Harmony in Hawaii Cruise that Cindy Hansen organised on the Pride of America. On Thursday night we put on a show for everyone else on the cruise - or as many of them as could fit into the Hollywood Theatre on level 6 of the ship. It was impossible to fit all the women on the stage and still be able to see Kim and Jean directing, so we stood at the front of the stage and had a couple of rows on the floor in front. Kim and Jean sat in the middle of the theatre and stood up to direct.

We wore white pants and t shirt under a red, green, yellow or blue shirt, and the guys wore Hawaiian shirts in toning colours. "Street walker" makeup was all that was required, so we didn't bother with false eyelashes.

Glenda from Brindabella Chorus was one of the team doing the pre-show warmup, doing live interviews with people in the audience while the chorus got on stage and the audience filed in. We heard there were queues halfway down the ship, and it was a packed house.

Pride of Pele, the women's chorus, started with That'll Be The Day and Lazy Day. We think we got the notes and words right, and it sounded pretty good, but we certainly didn't remember all the choreo.

Then the women on stage parted in the middle for the men to come on centre stage. They started Lida Rose while we looked on adoringly; and then we took over with Will I Ever Tell You, and then we all sang together with Rich and Kym co-directing. We left the stage, and the guys did one more song on their own. All the Aussies disappeared backstage to change for the Aussie segment while the quartets performed. Glenda's quartet, Synchronicity, did a song but we were backstage and couldn't hear very well.

We changed into red and blue shirts, attached koalas and flags, and came on stage. Four of the girls did a skit on translating Aussie slag which was pretty funny, then we did Waltzing Matilda with appropriate choreo. Jo and Deborah had pretty much learned their parts by then and were able to participate without too many mistakes. With a quick change of pace, one of the girls recited My Country while the rest of us oooohed in the background, and then we went into I Am Australian. Afterwards someone said to us they thought this was the most moving part of the show because we put so much feeling into it.

The show finished with Zing and Vocal Spectrum, and they were great. The tenor of Vocal Spectrum did some extraordinarily high notes in a couple of their songs.

Jo and Deborah went looking for a party and ended up having a cocktail in the John Adams Coffee Bar, then toddled off to bed.

It was a wonderful experience singing with such a large chorus, and over too quickly. We hoped that we might be asked to do a second show on Friday night for everyone that missed out on the first one, but it didn't happen.

Friday - Fern Grotto
On Friday morning we were back on shore to catch a bus and a boat to the Fern Grotto. On the way our driver showed us the old port, which was used for exporting sugar pineapples but was too small and had to be abandoned. We arrived at the river where Smith's Boats have been giving tours upstream to the Fern Grotto since the 1940's. We boarded a big barge with seats running the length of the boat, powered by an engine in a separate smaller barge attached at the back like a trailer. Going upstream we got the commentary and the other barge got the entertainment, and then returning downstream we swopped. We saw a local standing on a surfboard with his dog standing at the front, using a single oar to paddle along the river.

The Fern Grotto is a popular site for weddings. There used to be a large cave where people could get married, but it caved in and now they have weddings on a deck with the waterfall as a background. It's pretty, and the path to the grotto is through a tropical garden with lots of ginger plants. The entertainers sang a song and our hula dancer danced, and then we went back down the river to the souvenier shop, and then home to the boat again.

Q & A Sessions
On Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to ask Zing, Vocal Spectrum and Kim and Rich and Jean questions.

ZING!
- were competing at International but not getting into the top 15, so they agreed to make a serious commitment and invested in a lot of coaching, and then they came 5th, 7th and 7th in the past three comps.
- they've all had some musical training and voice lessons at college, and sung in choirs before joining Sweet Adelines. Susan and Melynnie both recommended taking every opportunity to work with coaches, and watch coaching sessions, and ask questions.
- if you're looking for a vocal teacher, ask your Director to recommend someone; or ask the local music store; or ask a high school music teacher. It doesn't need to be a teacher who knows barbershop, because good vocal technique is the same everywhere.
- Zing do weekend rehearsals once a month (they are about 3 hours apart), and they always have a plan of what they need to prepare and what they're going to work on. They all record their rehearsal sessions so they can review them later.
- when they have coaching, they all take their own notes and then exchange them later to compare perceptions.
- sometimes a quartet outgrows its coach; you need to find the coach that matches your goals (Zing are coached by Darlene and Cindy).
- re music selection, the lead has to like it. Consider the strengths and abilities of the singers, eg Zing all have good ranges so that's not usually a limiting factor.
- the personality of the quartet is confident, well prepared, liking each other.
- when they auditioned for a new member, they knew what they were looking for: they wanted to improve their sound scores.
- the ranking in this year's quartet comp was very similar to last year's comp: all the quartets have worked hard to maintain their position.
- each quartet member has a different admin role
- performance opportunities are the best thing a quartet can do to build confidence, especially on new music (once it's at an acceptable standard for public performance)
- Zing has coached choruses and enjoyed it. They think it's useful to work with Sections separately and then bring them back together. Karen and Susan are both Directors and can coach Directors of choruses.
- quartet members need to be flexible enough to get along, and personality is as important as musical ability.
- listen out for people you might want to sing with one day, and approach them when the time is right
- get out of quartets by being careful how you get in: set up exit rules at the beginning, and agree on goals and rules for how the quartet will operate.

VOCAL SPECTRUM Q & A:
- Tim records all the parts on the learning tracks he produces himself. He has over 600 learning tracks on his website and you can listen to samples. He can change the pitch on request.
- Vocal Spectrum started out at college sharing the same house, which made it easy to rehearse together. Their Director was Jim Henry, who taught and coached them. Their goal was to perform and travel, so they worked really hard and won a college contest, which they hoped would get them more gigs. Winning gave them confidence to enter the International comp but they didn't expect to win the International comp so quickly.
- they sing Cruella De Vil, which they asked David Wright to arrange for them.
- re attracting a younger membership, you need to make it a cool product. It's a slow process. You need to get into schools and host youth festivals. You need to understand the motivation - are they looking for something social or competitive? If you can get a few young people they will bring their friends along.
- it might be better to target middle aged recruits rather than youth initially, to bridge the gap
- invite the local high school choir on your show (but high school students are hard to keep); run an event and bring in younger guest coaches; sponsor a youth quartet to visit schools
- you need to be flexible about attendance to accommodate homework
- it's good to get support from music teachers; if you can get barbershop started in schools, then even if you don't get members now, you'll be able to recruit them several years down the track
- each member of Vocal Spectrum takes on specific admin roles; the lead gets more votes when it comes to music selection
- Brindabella has recruited some new members through their Christmas Chorus
- Vocal Spectrum attribute their success to having good voices and being good friends; having a good time together (it has to be fun); being the best musicians they can be; all being on the same page, eg sharing a work ethic about always getting better; good communication eg giving constructive feedback not harsh criticism, and always reviewing perfomances afterwards
- they expect commitment will be harder as their family responsibilities grow, eg doing 16 weekends in a row; they are as busy as they want to be; they try to do one big trip each year which includes their families
- they live close to each other and rehearse Tuesday nights, 6:30 to 9:30. The first half hour is talking business; then they warm up on an easy song; then pick a couple of songs in the repertoire and refine them; then work on something new. When they can't improve on a song any further, they get coaching.
- their goal after winning is to keep getting better, and ideally 'achieve legend status'; their priority is to entertain the audience; they plan to put out new CDs
- they have about 50 songs in their repertoire, and have a standard set to which they add depending on the occasion. They add some and phase others out over time.
- to deal with vocal fatigue, the emergency (and not recommended) treatment is ibuprofen; a better solution is not to talk or sing. They take two days off from singing each week. For each hour you speak, take 10 minutes of vocal rest.
- websites vocalspectrum.com and timtracks.com.

KIM AND RICH AND JEAN Q&A
- Rich was one of the Gas House Gang who placed first in 1993 in Calgary
- Kim says the hardest part of changing from lead to bass is mentally not being the lead, and she did it for the challenge. She thinks of it as singing lead down low, not as singing bass - "going to the dark side". When you have a big range, decide where you feel most comfortable.
- Kim says San Diego Chorus have separate Section rehearsals, and they do duet rehearsals (two parts together) on a round robin basis on different nights, with Kim and the Assistant Director taking the rehearsals.
- after winning Inernational San Diego lost members who had been putting stuff off until after contest.
- Jean says numbers don't make a difference, it's the quality, eg the Richtones were not the biggest chorus on stage when they won (119 vs 180)
- Kim says there's no advantage in choosing more difficult songs for comp, it's how you sing it that matters. You should pick music that the group can perform well.
- Rich says David Wright arrangements are not easy
- Jean says look at the lead line in an arrangement - is it horizontal or vertical? vertical is harder to lock
- the quartet or chorus has to be willing to work hard on making it sound good
- choruses can sing A level, if they don't know that they can't
- Kim directs male and female choruses, and says they are different. Women are not there to play, where the guys are more fraternal
- there are differences in vocal production: women's voices get louder as they go up and men's voices get louder as they go down, so the men have it easier when creating overtones
- Rich says that Masters of Harmony are preparing for International and their strategy is to 'move the calendar forward': their uptune is already ready to roll, they are stricter on new music from the beginning (vowels, dipthongs)
- Kim says it's important to know the interpretation early on, so that you can teach it the way you want it sung
- Rich says his chorus is doing another David Wright arrangement. David has it mapped out in his head before he puts it on paper. David writes interpretation into the music, eg embellishments.
- Section Leaders are not there to help people learn their notes; people are responsible for learning, and Section Leaders help with nuances and good vocal production
- 3 out of 4 Vocal Spectrum members are Section Leaders for Ambassadors of Harmony, their chorus.
(Deborah's note to clarify relationships: Gas House Gang was Jim Henry, Rob Henry, Kipp Buckner and Rich Knight. Jim Henry now directs Ambassadors of Harmony, and Rich is Lead Section Leader. David Wright is Associate Director).
- Kim says her chorus members have to submit a tape to qualify for performance; they have 8 tape checkers and a weekly roster. The tape checkers for that week collect and check all the tapes handed in that week (regardless of part) so that the load is shared across sections.
- Rich says in his chorus the Section Leaders know who needs to be asked to tape; it's not a blanket policy.
- Tim can create learning tapes with your preferred interpretation - tell him what you want and he'll do it
- Kim moves her chorus around on the risers all the time so they don't get possessive about their spot, and they have learned to adapt (even choreo!)
- learning tracks are sometimes out of date as changes are made to interpretation; they get the original learning track and are asked to tape the song at chorus rehearsal for the most recent version.
- when older chorus members were complaining about choreo that required walking up the risers, a 12 year old member said "what's the big deal, they're just steps" - young ones are fearless and full of energy, and we want that for all members
- Kim says to get new members, sing well and sing out often.
- to handle people who just can't sing, Kim says "it's a singing organisation, you have to have an audition process and use it". You won't attract good singers with bad singers in the chorus. Rich says the women's organisation is much better than the men's organisation at setting standards.
- hire a vocal teacher to work with individuals in the chorus, if necessary

Thurs, 13th Nov - Tubing the Ditch

We set the alarm for 7 am as we have to be on the dock at 7:50 am for today's excursion, which is called Tubing the Ditch.

On the dock we meet our driver, David Sweet, called Sweet for short. It's only a short drive to the warehouse,, and on the way there Sweet gets us all to sign the usual waivers. He points out the mountain, which is normally covered with vog (that's volcanic fog) and says we're lucky as it rains nearly every day here and it's rare to see the mountain not covered with cloud.

At the warehouse we make one last visit to the restroom, and then we are issued with shoes, helmet with light, and gloves. We meet Brooklyn and Eli, our guides, and pile back in the bus for a 20 minute drive through an old sugar plantation. Brooklyn has us introduce ourselves and what superpower we would choose if we could. She tells us about tubing. It turns out that most of our journey will be through tunnels dug through the volcanic rock so that that water can be channelled to the sugar plantation. That's why we need the lights on our helmets. She says the f- and c- words are not permitted (that's 'freezing' and 'cold') as they are bad for PR - we should say 'exhilarating' etc instead.

At the launch site we strip off everything except our bathing suits, and put on our safety gear. Eli demonstrates how to sit in the tube and gives us some safety tips. Then we go down to the ditch and one by one get helped onto our tubes.

The water is clear and very 'exhilarating'. We have no control at all over our tubes and they spin around, bumping into each other and into the clay walls of the ditch. The surrounding scenery is lush and green, with lots of ferns - it's beautiful. Eli takes the lead and Brooklyn follows up behind, and we float down the ditch. There are five tunnels to go through, and they each have their own character. The water is moving quite fast and there are a couple of small drops along the way which add excitement. In total we travel about 2.5 miles, through open stretches and then back into the tunnels.

At the end we dry off, change into dry clothes (which have come with Sweet on the bus), and have crisps and cookies and water. We all agree it was a lot of fun and we'd like to do it again. Then it's back in the bus to the warehouse to drop off the tubes, another opportunity to shop, and then back to the ship.

Jo and Deborah can't decide what's been more fun: the helicopter ride, snorkelling, or tubing. We're very glad we signed up for these excursions. Tomorrow should be more sedate, as we're doing the Wailua River and Fern Grotto.

For now, Jo is having a nap and Deborah's borrowed another book from the ship library to read on the balcony. Tonight at 5:15 we have to be dressed and made up ready for the show, as we're having a technical rehearsal first.

More about the show later!

Wed, 12th November - rehearsal

Last night our ship sailed from Kona to Nawiliwili on Kauai. We were at rehearsal when we left Kona. We started with warm ups, led by Eric from Vocal Spectrum. Then the men's and women's choruses split to rehearse separately. Cindy says the name of the women's chorus is Pele's Pride (Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire, and responsible for creating the islands of Hawaii during a battle with her sister the goddess of the ocean.)

We work on our songs some more. Jean Barford is going to direct That'll Be The Day. She says don't oversing, just keep the resonance big and fat. Don't overenunciate the words, as it slows you down: you don't need a lot of jaw movement, make it all internal. She tells the leads that their job is not to lead the chorus (that's the Director's job); their job, like the baris and tenors, is to reinforce the basses' overtones. in bar 23 ('that some day well') she tells us all to 'goose' the rhythm, which we think means push it along a bit.

Cindy gives us choreo. For That'll Be The Day we start 'free style', individually expressing what the words mean to us. When we get to the chorus, we snap fingers on our outside hand. Verse 1 the Leads have the words, while the rest of us are do dooing, so we direct our attention to the Leads and let them star as they improvise rock and roll moves. Back to snapping fingers for the chorus, and then it's the Basses' turn to star for Verse 2. Back to snapping fingers for the chorus, and at the end of that we bend knees and go lower. On the last bar everyone raises both hands.

Choreo for Lazy Day starts with everybody swaying, starting right. We go freestyle for the verses, and back to swaying for the Lazy Day choruses. On bar 83 everyone claps the rest. At the end, everyone's right hand sweeps to the left across the body in a pre-move, then back right and up and out for the finish. We watch the director to know when to bring our hands down.

Then the guys rejoin us and we run through the package: two songs by the women, men and women together singing Lida Rose (the first time we've done it together and the guy from Vocal Spectrum whose name we've forgotten co-directs with Kim). It sounds good.

The guys do one song on their own. Before they go, Cindy has them introduce themselves and identify who they're married to (they are nearly all husbands and fathers of Sweet Adelines). They go off for some more rehearsal, and we work in sections on the areas our section leaders are still concerned about.

After everyone else goes, Glenda gathers the Aussies together for a run through of our package. We're doing Waltzing Matilda, then a bit of explanation of Aussie slang, then someone is reciting My Country while we ooooh and then we go straight into I Am Australian. Glenda describes the choreo she wants for each verse of Waltzing Matilda and we discuss costumes and props. It should be good.

Jo and Deborah dash off to the Aloha Cafe for a quick bite, as we haven't had dinner yet - they're just starting to close up. Then to bed.

Wed, 12th November - More snorkelliing

We set the alarm clock for 6 am, and it's a good thing Jo brought it with her because we were both sound asleep when it went off. Today our excursion was snorkelling with Captain Zodiac.

The ship can't dock at Kona, so we were transferred to shore in lifeboats (good to know they float). They're called tenders, and each one can take 150 lifeboat passenges or 105 passengers as a shuttle. There was a steady flow of passengers disembarking, and we took our turn in the queue.

Captain Zodiac has two zodiac boats - they have big inflatable tubes around the edge, on which we sit, and a rigid base, and two outboard motors. They go very fast and are very manoeverable (however you spell that) as our captain, Darren, took delight in demonstrating. There were about 16 of us on each boat. We headed out from shore past our ship, and Darren looked for whales and dolphins, but we didn't find any.

Then we went along the coast to the bay where Captain Cook died. Darren told us the story of Cook's death when he went on shore looking for a longboat that had gone missing. There's a memorial, but we weren't allowed to go on shore because it's a protected area. We put on flippers and snorkels and went over the side to swim. When some of us were already in the water, Darren spotted the spout of a hump backed whale in the bay, but we couldn't abandon our swimmers so that was as close as we got to seeing a whale.

We thought snorkelling at Molokini crater was pretty good, but this was better. The water was shallower, and there were amazing colourful fish in all shapes and sizes, and eels and coral and sea urchins. We spent an hour in the water and the time passed very quickly. Both of us want to do more snorkelling when we get home. Great Barrier Reef, here we come!

On the way out of the bay Deborah spotted some dolphins close in to shore - and that's close as we go to dolphins.

Darren took us back along the coastline, pointing out lava tube openings in the cliffs where rock had fallen away and left the tube exposed. He gave us some history about the local Hawaiian people and showed us crabs and shellfish on the rocks. It was an exciting ride back as he liked to head for the cliffs at top speed and then veer off at the last minute, to give us a thrill.

Back to Kona, back to the ship on the tender, a very welcome shower and change, and then lunch. This afternoon Jo is having a nap while Deborah updates the blog. Tonight at 6 pm we have our final rehearsal for the show. We still haven't learned Waltzing Matilda.

Tuesday, 11th November - the Helicopter and the Volcano

Today we had the shore excursion that Jo has been looking forward to the most, because she loves volcanos. We took a 45 minute helicopter flight ove Kilauea, "the earth's most active volcano". It was just a short 8 minute bus ride from the ship to the airport, and there were four helicopters lined up with space for five passengers in each one. Deborah sat in the front seat between the pilot, James, and Gilbert, who is a charter pilot on holiday from Florida, and Jo sat in a window seat in the back, so we all had great views. The pilot records each flight and his commentary so Jo has bought the DVD. At first we flew over the town, and then across farmland where they grow macadamias, zucchini, and orchids (and other crops we can't remember) for export. Then we flew over forest - America's only indigenous tropical forest. They have a huge rainfall this side of the island - about 10 feet a year - so it's all very green. All the hotels and resorts are on the other side of the island where the rainfall is much lower.

And then through the clouds we saw Kilauea, the volcano. First we saw the solidifed lava, in great swirling sheets which have inundated the forest. Then we came closer to the crater, with clouds of white vapour (a mix of steam and carbon monoxide) obscuring the crater itself. There are lava tubes, where the molten magma flows underground through tunnels like pipes, and in places we could see steam emerging from the tubes. In one place we saw a hole with molten lava glowing red inside. The pilot was very good at doing figure of eights so that people on both sides of the helicopter could see and take photos. We followed the lava flow down towards the ocean and saw a whole town subdivision that had been wiped away by the lava a few years ago. There is just one occupied house remaining, a bed and breakfast that can only be reached by helicopter called (I think) "Lava Jack's".

We followed the lava down to the coast line where there was a cloud of white steam rising from the shore. The lava is flowing down the lava tube and hitting the ocean. Our pilot says Hawaii is the size of Connecticut and increasing in size because the lava is adding to the shoreline.

We headed back to the airport and disembarked. Jo bought the DVD of our flight so we can watch it when we get home: the views should be spectacular as there were several cameras mounted on the outside of the helicopter.

The bus took us back to the port, and we went back on board. We had lunch on the deck at the Cadillac Cafe, which was very pleasant. We went to a "Makeover and Skin care" class at the Beauty Spa after lunch, but it was disappointing: really just a plug for their (very expensive) facials. At 3:30 we met Gwen Morrow (Sarah's mum) who is on the cruise with some friends from Buffalo Gateway Chorus (BGC's director Di coached Gwen's chorus, Gem Connections, a while back.) Gwen's chorus has just won 2nd place in the UK Ladies Association of Barbershop Singers so she was wearing her medal very proudly. She looks just like Sarah, but with dark hair. We had a lovely chat. Gwen is very proud of Sarah and the chorus misses her (note to CKC: Sarah has front row experience, choreographer experience and was on the makeup and costume teams).

At 4:30 we went to a lecture on volcanoes by a semi retired geologist from Georgia. He did a great job of explaining Hawaiian volcanoes, but Deborah had trouble staying awake.

Deborah went to her "How to be a Great Bass" class with Melynnie after dinner. She used Dale Syverson's handout from the Rumours workshop as a starting point, so I won't repeat all of that here. Key points:
- if you can be in a quartet, do it: it makes you a better singe (even if you never compete)
- listen to CDs of the great quartets, and sing along with the bass: you will learn how they do it by singing with them
- sing every day and do vocal exercises every day
- extend your range by singing high as well as low
- never think that you know it all
- make sure you understand the rhythm of each song
- set up overtones from the first note: be confident when you take the pitch
- mark up your music, eg octaves, thirds and sevenths
- when learning music, don't just listen to the learning tape: start by looking at the sheet music
- think of the bass part as a melody line
- sing pretty

Melynnie had us do three exercises that Mary McGovern uses; they're also exercises that are on Darlene's CD of vocal exercises:
- slow slide from 1 to 5, then 1 to 8, on each of the vowels, and then repeat a semitone up (and the goal is eventually to slide two octaves, ie 1 to 5, 1 to 8, 1 to 5', 1 to 8')
- oooh on 8, then ah on 1, 1.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 3. 5 8, 5, 3, 1
- gug (gahg for Aussies) 1 3 5 8 8 8 8 5 3 1. We were singing this too far back, and Darlene Rogers (who was sitting in the back of the class) said just brush by the g, and put it in the same place as the vowel - it's a soft g.

Darlene gave some advice for basses as well:
- the volume of basses should be one click more on lower register, and 1 click less in our upper range, than other parts singing the same notes (because of the way we sing)
- re discussion of how to get basses to sing soft, Darlene says think of it not as taking away something, but "giving more soft". She suggested giving the bass section a scale from 1 to 5 for loudness, and then getting them to sing the same phrase at each level of loudness; and then varying loudness within the phrase, eg 2 bars at 5, 2 bars at 4, 2 bars at 3 ... and so on(Deborah says she's done this with Vicki in singing lessons and it's harder than you might think).
- always keep the breath energ and resonance and "put your soft on the back wall". Darlene suggests giving basses visual and kinaesthetic images that might help them.

After the Bass Class the Aussies got together to rehearse their segment of the show. We ended up deciding to do just We Are Australian, and Waltzing Matilda, as there were too many different versions of I Am Australia. We are going to drone the first verse of WAA while someone sings solo. Deborah has recorded the bass of WM and hopes to learn it before the show, otherwise we will just fake it. We also have someone reciting My Country, and someone else explaining Aussie slang, and we're going to wave flags and hand out koalas. It should be fun!

Chorus rehearsal was from 9 to 10:30, but we broke for 30 minutes because the ship sailed past the spot where the lava flows into the ocean and we didn't want to miss the show.

The bari from Vocal Spectrum did warmups with gentle ooohing and eeeeing on scales up and down, 1 to 5. Then we zzzzzed while casting a fishing line, across a pond and then a lake and then the ocean. To loosen up our tongues he had us singing aluminum lending liniment aluminum lending liniment aluminum, getting faster each time, on 1 2 3 4 3 2 1.

We all went out on deck as the ship sailed towards the lava. It was an orange glow on the show, with a plume of steam - same as we'd seen from the helicopter, but more spectacular because of the glow. We didn't get close enough to take good pictures.

Then back to rehearsal. Kim directed the women's chorus and we worked on our three songs some more. Jean Barford was there and coached the chorus (how good is this? KimHulbert directing, Jean Barford coaching, Cindy Hansen choreographing).

Jean told the other parts not to wait for the bass pickups in Lazy Day so that they don't drag the tempo. She asked the basses to be aware when they're coning above the leads. She said the vowel must be on the beat, not the consonant. On the unison note in bar 41 and bar 81 Jean says when the basses and baris have a unison note, the baris are in charge (the basses need to back off). In the coda, from bar 93, Jean says there is an upside down cone and the basses need to lighten up; then the impact when we go back to traditional barbershop is more effective.

From 10:30 to 11:30 we both went to Cindy's class on choreography. Her agenda was basic moves, teaching techniques, and any issues we wanted to ask about. Cindy says choreo should be easy to learn because it is simple, makes sense, and matches what we are singing. If a chorus can't pick up the choreo (Cindy says if they can't learn it in half an hour) then it's too much, or the wrong move, or the wrong person teaching it - unless it's a contest song, of course, where there is more laying required.

Cindy says songs are driven by either:
- tempo eg Lazy Day, We are Family, Joint is Jumpin
- lyrics, eg Red Hot Momma
- musical arrangement eg Bandstand.

Tempo moves:
Which moves you use depends on the song and the tempo eg:
- heel sway (Sweet Adelines step) - big toe is nailed to the floor and the heels move; has a secondary beat (1 and 2)
- sway - feet solid, body sways (beat is 1, 2)
- step touch, step touch
Can then do variations on any of these; Cindy asked us to do a heel sway as if we were wearing a tuxedo and notice how it differed from country hoe down or jazz club - same step, different execution
Can also add variation by, for example, having alternate rows do heel sway in opposite directions

Similarly, can do different tempo moves with hands: snaps, claps, slaps, pops, pushes

Then can add layers - feet plus hands plus body - but don't put too many layers in.

Lyric-driven songs:
Cindy used the example of "good bye" in Tootsie Goodbye; different ways of saying goodbye. We can get chorus members each to do their own variation on goodbye, so that it's a shared concept rather than everyone doing the identical planned move. Another example: a sexy move for Red Hot Momma.

Tempo moves and lyric moves both need a character. Cindy gave us a few names to see how we moved differently for each one: Marilyn Monroe, Bette Midler, Mae West, Betty Boop. It's easier to give the chorus a character to interpret rather than specific detailed moves, and the character will give unity.

Teaching choreography:
- use words that convince the chorus you know what you're doing (Cindy recommends "Words that Sell, by Bryant)
- be definite, not wishy-washy, when giving instructions
- be well-prepared; you have to know what you're doing
- know the song you're choreographing and analyse it - what sort of song? what tempo? what character?
- never let anybody ask questions; move so fast they don't have time to think of questions
- have 2 or 3 ways of teaching the same thing

Issues:
How much is too much choreo? Cindy says if they can't learn it in half an hour, it's too much (unless it's a contest song); it's either the wrong move or the wrong teacher. It should be natural to do the choreo, so that you don't have to think about it.

Where to get ideas? Randy Jackson Dance Crew Show on TV; Dances with the Stars; Cheerleading competitions; Drum corps

People who don't use their faces? Cover them up with costume (coral reef, clown, scarecrow, tree). Do one on one face work, eg in double circles observing each other; rotate rows so everyone has the opportunity to be the front row during rehearsal; use mirrors; tell them to overdo it.

AND THEN TO BED AT MIDNIGHT, AND WE SET THE ALARM FOR 6AM!

Monday, 10th November – second rehearsal

The Diamond Auditorium, where we rehearse, is on Deck 12 at the pointed end of the ship. This means when there are waves, we feel the movement more than when we're on lower levels and in the middle of the ship (where our cabin is). A few people felt seasick last night as we travelled from Maui to Kona, but the rehearsal went on regardless.

We started with simple warmups with Rich from Vocal Spectrum, just humming up and down. Then we split into sections and worked on our three show songs for an hour with our bass section leader, Mellynie from Zing,who reinforced all the good stuff Kim said the night before. Lazy Days is a song Zing performs, so she knows it well. She says when the basses come in on their high Ab in bar 41 it doesn't need to be loud because the baris are also singing it, but it needs to be sung tall (and there's no breath before it). The part is moving down so we need to expand through bars 41 and 42. In bar 63 when the basses sing low Eb they need to lighten up. We need to match vowels on day (and Deborah is still not sure whether Kim wants a as in cat or ah as in cart).

Lida Rose is pretty straight forward. Mellynie says the basses sound heavy and we need to use more air, more forward motion, and remember it's a love song. “dream” should be light and high.

For the last part of the rehearsal Kim came back and directed. Before we started on Lazy Days she pointed out some things about the arrangement (and said we should analyse any song this way before we decide whether to add it to our repertoire).
- the lead is below the bass on occasion (including the first chord), so it requires a lead section that can sing a wider than usual range
- the bass range goes down below C, and most choruses are nly comfortable down to D
- there are lots of 'altered' notes – sharps and flats, eg the first line,
- the tenors go under the lead in places, so the lead has to be able to sound like the tenor, and the tenors have to be able to sound like leads
- it's polyphonic, ie the individual lines are independent of each other in places
All this means that it has a high degree of difficulty. Kim says when she told other directions at Convention we were doing this song, they didn't think we could do it. She's pleased with our progress.

There was a bit of discussion at the beginning because people have two different versions of the score: I liked the way Kim said “let's stop discussion” and got on with the rehearsal.

Other helpful hints about Lazy Day from Kim:
- transitions (eg going from chorus to verse) are dangerous places and we need to watch out when we start a new section
- if you have a moving part when other parts are standing still, the moving part needs to be brought out more
- parts that are moving down also need to be brought out
- when you think your voice isn't going to make it, the natural tendency is to 'go back in', but this is when it's most important to sing forward instead
- don't turn the dipthong on lazy until the end<
- if a breath is marked (a rest) you must take it.

In Lida Rose/Will I Ever Love You, Kim says pronounce “been” as ben to rhyme with then. In bar 50, sing “yes” light and high. Think 'taffy pull' on the repeated notes in bar 55 and get louder.

For That'll be the Day, Kim says:
- there are lots of octaves, esp tenors and basses. As a general principle, the upper note of the octave should be half the volume of the lower note to lock the chord and get the overtone. The basses' job is to be the foundation especially on repeated notes, and we must maintain the pitch. If you're a tenor with a big voice you have to be especially careful on octaves. We should mark all the octaves in our sheet music.
- Well needs more time on the eh and less on the l (Kim says, double the eh and make it one l instead of ll.)
- On the second chord, where the leads move into chopsticks with the tenors, the tenors need to double their volume.Kim comments that barbershop is changing, which is cool: tenors used only to sing thirds and octaves and could just sing high and light all the time; now they get to sing other good stuff, and even the root of the chord, and need to be able to vary how they sing accordingly.
Kim says there are no great leads without great baritones (I think this was in relation to the last note of the song, where the baris need to 'sing ugly').

After this rehearsal the Aussies all get together under Glenda's direction: we are going to do an Aussie segment in the show on Thursday night to replace a quartet that's dropped out. The songs are I Am Australia, We Are Australian, and Waltzing Matilda. Jo and Deborah only know We Are Australian, so we will fake the other two.

Monday, 10th November- Snorkelling at Molokini Crater

Today we got up early again and put on our swimsuits. We had to be down on the dock at 8:20 am for our Molokini Crater Snorkel. Kym Hulbert was on our bus, and said she'd never been snorkelling before. We sang Happy Birthday to someone called DiDi in Chicago.

The bus took us to Ma'alaea Harbor where about 50 of us boarded a catamaran called Ocean Intrigue. We were issued with flippers and snorkels as we boarded, and we both rented wetsuit tops as well, as the water is still quite cold. (No photos were taken, by mutual agreement.) It took 45 minutes to travel south to Molokini Islet, the remains of a volcanic crater. When we got there we both stayed on board for Snorkelling 101, which was a really helpful explanation of how to snorkel for beginners. Then we put everything on, including a float belt, and collected a noodle, and descended the ladder into the ocean.

Although the coral colours weren't as vivid as the Great Barrier Reef, there were lots of colourful fish around, and the next 50 minutes passed too quickly. We were impressed by how safety-conscious the crew were: they counted and recounted to make sure everyone was on board, and they had a 'lifeguard' in a kayak as well as crew on deck watching to make sure we didn't get into trouble.

Then we travelled east back to the coast of Maui to another site where there were green sea turtles. We saw them from the boat, briefly, but didn't stay in the water long enough; other people saw at least four different turtles and were very excited. We handed back our equipment and had lunch as the catamaran headed back to harbour. There was a short stop at the Pacific Whale shop for souvenirs and then the bus took us home (and Deborah slept most of the way).

Back in our cabin, we had to laugh at our windswept reflections - a good thing we didn't take any photos. After a shower, a cup of tea, and a rest on our balcony we felt ready for dinner and went back to the Skyline Restaurant. The ship sailed while we were having dessert (Warm Apple Bread Pudding, and Chocolate Caramel Bombe, if you're interested).

Jo's gone to her "How to be a great lead" class and Deborah is blogging. At 9:30 we have chorus rehearsal again for two hours (and Cindy Hansen is going to teach us choreo for That'll Be The Day in 20 minutes), and then on Tuesday we take the helicopter flight over a live volcano that Jo has been looking forward to for months.

Jo's back from her class and this is what she learned (which is very similar to what Vicki has been telling us all along):
- pulling words out on string for smooth, fast phrases
- keeping chin level, don't drop your jaw so much
- think up when trying to cover break zone
- descending notes get louder
- lean forward to feel it in your mask and then try to keep it there
- touch your nose to help you remember where you want the resonance to be
- the higher notes are tenor notes and you must build up the muscles of the voice to reach them
- assertive lead sound - sing forward like into a catcher's mitt; get past the director, and then get past the judge
- for Lazy Day, sing 'blue' with spin on the lips
- always sing the notes at the top end of the pitch
- all notes that are held must be resonated forward
- sneak breaths in Lida Rose
- higher notes should be sung lighter

Sunday, 9th November – Haleakala Crater, and Harmony In Hawaii

(sorry, beloved readers, this is out of sequence because I didn't publish it when I wrote it).

We booked our shore excursions on line ages ago, when we first got confirmation we had a cabin on the Pride of America. We are doing something every day.

On Sunday we got up early and had breakfast at the Aloha Cafe, which provides a buffet style breakfast. Some restaurants are 'free' and some have a cover charge; we're still working out which is which.

At 8 am we went to the Hollywood Theatre on Level 5, and a nice lady explained the process of going on tours and took each tour group down to the Embarkation point on level 3. We swipe our room cards to get off the ship, and swipe them again (and go through a security check, including x-ray screening of bags, to get back on).

There were lots of tour groups heading to different places, and we joined the group going on a bus tour to Haleakala Crater. Our bus driver was Henry (his middle name; his Hawaiian name is much longer, hard to pronounce, and harder to spell). He drove us from Kahului (where the ship is docked) out along highway 37 and 378 to Haleakala Nationa Park.

Henry talked pretty much all the way there. He was very entertaining and knowledgeable, talking about the history of Hawaii and Maui, local farming (used to be sugar cane and pineapples, but they can't compete on a global market; Hawaii has one of the biggest beef cattle industries in the US; tourism is now most important source of income for Maui), local mythology, and local celebrities (Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Willie Nelson) who have houses here. As we went uphill we saw a lot of cyclists coasting down: they go by bus to the crater for sunrise, and then bicycle downhill all the way home.

The last part of the bus trip goes up very steeply (Haleakala is over 10,000 feet above sea level, and they warn against altitude sickness) through a lot of hairpin bends, and Henry drove expertly. He pointed out Australian eucalpyts planted to prevent soil erosion by the CCC (conservation group) – it made us a little homesick. A lot of the plants we saw were exotic; for example, they grow proteas for cut flowers. In the national park they are trying to restore native vegetation. There are about five distinct zones of vegetation, because of the different altitudes. At the top of the crater (volcano is now extinct, so there's no lava or heat) it looks like a moon landscape – lots of rock, and coarse sand where the rock has eroded. It was cold (because of the altitude and wind) so we spent most of our time sheltering from the wind in a sunny spot, and admiring the view.

At the car park of the visitor centre there was a horse trailer and several horses, which are used by the Park Rangers to travel around the park. There are also horse-riding tours, apparently.

The trip downhill was hair-raising and Henry stopped talking. We saw hang-gliders launching from the side of the road, someone flying model airplanes, and some cyclists going uphill (apparently in training for a cycle race). Once we got to the flatter road Henry quizzed us on what we'd learned and gave out CDs of Hawaiian music as prizes.

We got back to the ship about 1 pm and had a late lunch at the Cadilllac Restaurant (a diner with an Elvis Presley theme). We found the library and borrowed some books (there's a good selection). Deborah played scrabble with Glenda from Brindabella, then updated this blog and Jo found a sun lounge in a sheltered spot (it was very windy) and that took care of the afternoon.

We found the Skyline Restaurant, which is a “free” restaurant with an a la carte menu. It's very popular, but we were able to get a table for two. Deborah had soup and then duck, Jo had scallops and then lobster.

At 8 pm we went to the welcome cocktail party for our Harmony in Hawaii group, next to the swimming pool. They had great cocktails and Cindy Hansen, our tour leader, encouraged us to drink and be merry. We met our faculty (Cindy Hansen, Kim Hulbert, Zing (female quartet) and Vocal Spectrum (male quartet)) and the quartets performed.

At 9 pm we retired to our stateroom for a little rest before our first rehearsal at 9:30. We did warmups together and then split into separate mens' and women's choruses to rehearse. The women's chorus is directed by Kim Hulbert, and we think she's great. She's the bass of Affinity quartet (placed 9^th in this year's comp) and the Director of San Diego, placed 7th. She's very direct and didn't let the chorus get away with anything: made us start over a few times when we started off hesitantly.

One of our show songs is Lazy Day. Here's what she told us in the first rehearsal:

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  breathe in tempo at the beginning




• 
  
  

  repeated notes (eg in the bass part) are like holding a sustained note, and we need to build them

• 
  
  

  when a line descended, the lower notes should build (coning)




• 
  
  

  we need to lift our soft palate (and not any other part of our body) – think out not up




• 
  
  

  lead part covers a wide range and the transitions are important; leads don't need to be loud when singing high notes; when singing low notes that are in bass range, leads should sing like basses




• 
  
  

  exceptional tenors are able to sing pure vowels up high; this is something all tenors should strive for




• 
  
  

  exceptional baris have huge voices but they also blend; also, baris need to pay attention to whether they are above or below the lead




• 
  
  

  basses need to pay attention to rhythm and timing; in this song they provide the instrumental accompaniment, and they need to understand which instrument they are playing at any point.

About That'll Be The Day, Kim said that the style is American rock and roll, and shouldn't be pretty. Tenors need to be cake, not frosting. To help basses get their low notes, Kim had us do vocal frieze (low phonation, no pitch) and then sing the note. It did help.

At the end she had everyone say their name and where they're from. There are a big mob (about 23) from Brindabella Chorus and a good mix from all over everywhere else.

The blokes came back in, Zing and Vocal Spectrum performed, and that was the end – we got to bed around midnight and slept like logs.

Saturday, 8th Nov - Chorus finals

Jo and Deborah are on the Pride of America, which has just set sail (well, not literally - started the motors, really) and departed Honolulu. On Sunday morning we arrive in Maui and go on a volcano excursion.

Today we packed, went to a music ed class with Harborlites, saw the chorus finals (very exciting and entertaining) and embarked on our ship.

Education Class with Harborlites - Buried Treasure
Handouts from this class will be on their website in a week or two (wwwharborliteschorus.org), so we won't go into detail here. Here are the key points:
- vocal skills are essential in all judging categories - their goal is to be the best singers they can possibly be - they have a Vocal Gold program that includes compulsory workshops, vocal skill building at every rehearsal (Vicki does this with CKC), individual attention through PVIs and riser tape feedback. It is relentless, constant, reinforcement of basic skills, and takes a lot of time.
- Pam then did some breathing exercises with us.
- directing skills include musical selection, musical plan creation, using artistic vocabulary with the chorus, vocal modelling and body language (these last three were demonstrated by Pam and Harborlites).
- the judging categories talk about creating on stage magic; how do we achieve this? Erin Howden works with Harborlites as a visual coach and for this seminar she recorded an interview about her approach to creating a physically enhanced visual plan. She says mind, body and emotion can't be compartmentalised, they all have to work together. The level of physicality depends on the song (the music must call for the movement); chorus size and level of vocal skills.
- Harborlites demonstrated Bring Him Home first without planned choreo, then with.
- how to be physical and maintain good vocal production? posture is important, moving up and out of the floor, travellling across the floor on skates, keeping movements fluid and low; also singing in phrases and thoughts not words; singng from power centre regardless of what your limbs are doing to keep the sound constant; understanding the purpose and meaning of movements; increasing physical stamina
- summing up, challenge yourself, take risks, and grow (quote from Peter Sellers about vocal music)
- Visual Gold program includes an all day workshop for new members (and old members, at least once a year) working on showmanship, small group exercises, You Be The Judge (watching yourself on video), stamina building, practising artistic movements
- example of Sweet Georgia Brown - the difference between sexy and flirty; the difference in performance between chorus members making their own interpretation of her character, and how much more unified when they all do "sexy and flirty"; and then adding choreographed moves to that.

After the Music Ed class Deborah and Jo checked out of the hotel and handed their luggage over to a Witte Travel person to be delivered to their cabin on the Pride of America. Then it was off to the Chorus Finals.

Chorus Finals
Once again, we're just commenting on the stand-out performances. From our point of view, musically they were all great and we're glad we didn't have to judge.

Pacific Empire Chorus were the mic testers. They were dressed as bell boys (purple striped pants and vest, with bell boy hats tied under the chin). The scene was the Grand Hotel, about to close because there was no money for repairs, and there was a bit of dialogue along these lines to link the four songs they did.

Skyline were the first contestant. They had some very funny dialogue about the abbreviations used in text messages, which had to be translated into English. A daughter is upset about her wedding day arrangements going wrong, and her mother gives her good advice. At one point the front row is down on their knees, scrubbing the floor, and then lying full length on the floor. At another point the front row is pushed and falls like dominoes.

North Metro were next. They were stunning in black velvet with a vivid green underskirt, and their theme was Irish (Great Day for the Irish; Tooralooraloo) and included a lot of Irish dancing by the front row, brilliantly done. There wasn't much dialogue, apart from a chorus member speaking the Irish Blessing' and they ended with Arise Arise (which we're told was sung in 8 parts). It was a moving performance.

Song of Atlanta had a pirate theme, with the pirate ship about to be repossessed, so they enter a "Pirates Got Talent" contest but Razzcals quartet beat them (and appear as themselves).

The Melodeers theme is about Jim Arns being a music theory geek and turning his chorus into geeks as well. The chorus start off in a red and black pinafore sort of thing that didn't look very spectacular, but then they pull off the pinafore to reveal geeky black skirt, white top and braces. The Circle of Fifths becomes a prop. Jim crawls behind the legs of the front row. All through this they are producing great sound. It's very cute and very clever.

Ronninge are wearing black tunics with a silver diamond on the chest, and black headbands and black boots. They have a Mission Impossible theme: "your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find out how to win the competition". They mimic the performance styles of some other well-known choruses.

Scottsdale perform four songs, without any theme or dialogue. They sound great too, but aren't as entertaining as some of the others.

San Diego are a smaller chorus, but still produce a big sound. They tell a story about being a dancer at different ages - all done with the frame of a mirror - it made Deborah cry (again). For the first song the front row wear leotards and a short fringed skirt - looked great as they tap-dance! Then they go off stage to change into the same costume as the rest of the chorus.

Pride of Portland do a set about capturing Molly Member, and finish with Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. They use some very clever chorus formations to form the walls, with other chorus members marching around them.

Spirit of the Gulf have got us all wondering what their costume is - and then the lights come up and they are nearly all dogs (in full dog costume) with a few handlers and a kennel owner (director). There is a dog show. Songs include Beautiful Dog,How Much Is That Doggie, Will It Be Me This Time, We are the Champions, Nothing you can say will take me away from My Dog, We are Family.
Jokes include asking dogs what is on top of a house (roof) and what is sandpaper (ruff); there is mention of Jean BARKford, Airedal Syverson, Joni BISCUIT; and Betty Clipman is the HOUND Judge. So clever!

Last competitor is Buffalo Gateway, who tell the story of Frosty the
Snowman in Hawaii. Susie Snowflake is jealous of the other girls; she takes him home when he begins to melt.

While we're waiting for the results we're entertained by the Family Chorus (very cute, with some little girls sitting on beach balls). Peggy Gram presents Marge Bailey with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Moxxy Ladies perform. Then the Directors and Team Coordinators of the finalists come on stage and the results are announced:

Audience choice: Spirit of the Gulf
10th - Buffalo Gateway 2543
9th - Pride of Portland 2606
8th - Spirit of the Gulf 2646
7th - San Diego 2657
6th - Song of Atlanta 2663
5th - Ronninge Show Chorus 2769
4th - Skyline 2788
3rd - Scottsdale 2815
2nd - North Metro - 2837
1st - Melodeers - 3023 (and there's a great roar as the score is announced, as this is the first time ever a chorus has scored over 3000; the perfect score is 3280).

We sing Send Your Love (badly, because of the time delay between the front and the back of the auditorium and because we don't know it); the Winners Song (also badly because we don't know it); and Harmonize the World - but people are already streaming out of the auditorium. And that's the end of our first International Convention.

The Cruise
Deborah and Jo head for the Witte Travel bus to the ship, and we're redirected to the other side of the Convention Centre because there are so many buses picking people up. Then we're off. We get our passports and tickets ready to be checked. There's a security check to go through, then we show our tickets and credit cards so we could be issued with ship cards, then we board. We found our way to level 10 and our cabin. It's tiny compared with our hotel room, and we struggle to get our suitcases past the first bed. We unpack, put our half-empty cases under the bed, and go looking for food because at this stage it's 8 pm and we haven't eaten since lunch time.

We find the Aloha Cafe, which has a huge buffet. Food is included in the cruise price, but drinks are extra, and a glass of wine is about $7 USD. The nice barman tells Deborah the wine bar has a happy hour with half price drinks each evening.

After dinner we explore a bit, and find the Harmony in HawaII registration desk where we pick up an updated class schedule and extra info. Then we come back to our room, because we're tired. The beds are small but with very soft mattresses. The toilet makes a very loud farting noise when flushed. Deborah pays $100 for 280 minutes of internet time and updates the blog. Jo sits on the balcony with a cup of tea until the ship leaves port around 10 pm, and then we go to bed.

Friday, 7th Nov - Quartet finals

We did so much today it's hard to know where to start: Beach, Mass Sing, Quartet finals, and then the Coronet Club. And now it's 11:30 and we're waiting for a load of washing to finish so we can go party with the girls.

There was nothing on the program until 11:15 am today, so Jo and Deborah walked to the beach at the Holiday Inn Waikiki (where Kerry usually stays, except that it's being renovated). It's a proper holiday resort, right on the beach, with lots of bars and swimming pools and waterfalls and orchids. The water was colder than we expected but pleasant after a while. The sand is good, but the waves are very small this side of the island, not like Sydney beaches, and there's not much left of the tropical island paradise - it's all hotels along the beach. Even the lagoon has been 'restored' - lined with plastic and covered with carefully raked sand.

Deborah went to the mass sing which was at the rooftop garden on top of the Convention Centre, led by a lady called Chris who apparently does it every year. We need to brush up on our mass songs before Nashville: they sang Tuxedo Junction, Send Your Love, That's What Friends are For. Deborah has shopped at the SAI stall and bought a book of Mass Songs, and a learning CD for herself. Pride of Portland sang Aloha Oe, the song they commissioned and gave to SAI, and one of their members danced an Hawaiian dance.

The quartet finals started with a plug for the Young Singers Foundation, which supports some wonderful music ed and music therapy projects. The 2008 Rising Start Champions, Whole Lotta Harmony, performed in support.

All the quartet finalists were amazing, to our inexperienced eyes, but there were some standout moments. In the finals the quartets can pretty much do anything they like within the time limit, so there's more scope for fun stuff, and that's what stands out in our memory.

The 11th place quartet, Shimmer, were the mic testers, and they did a really funny parody about a fundraising idea: phone 1800 Find A Key when you need to blow the pitch and don't know what key. Like any good automated call centre, the operator continually misinterpreted, and said "please lift your soft palate and repeat your request".

Jackpot also did a parody about costumes being too tight and having to diet and exercise; their final solution was to buy a bigger size.

Capri dressed up in sumo suits with grass skirts and coconut bras painted on for part of one song.

Moxie Ladies, who came first, did a wonderful rendition of one of Deborah's favorite songs, My Man (Sophie Tucker sang it).

While we were waiting for the results the Four Bettys performed, and the National Association of Music Education Sweet Adelines award was made to Jennifer Edwards, who is also the lead in Moxie Ladies. then all the quartet finalists were applauded as they came on stage.

Finals results:

Capri was the audience choice (based on a random sample of 100 audience members)
10th place - Sparks - 2493 points
9th place - Affinity - 2516
8th place - Martini - 2551
7th place - Zing - 2578
6th place - Mojo - 2617
5th place - Capri - 2631
4th place - Maxx Factor - 2662
3rd place - Razzcals - 2695
2nd place - jackpot - 2698
1st place - Moxxy Ladies - 2754.

After all that, we all went down to the Food Court for dinner, and then back to the hotel to change for the Coronet Club Show. The Coronet Club is all the previous first place quartets (Queens) and during convention they all wear their crowns, which are different each year (but all sparkly). This year was special because it was the 50th Anniversary of the Coronet Club, and also because their Show was dedicated to Renee Craig, who had directed every show since they started doing shows, and this was her last show. The Coronet Club Chorus is made up of all the Queens at convention, and they performed a couple of times. Other performers were the Four Bettys, Salt, Spotlight, The Buzz, Swinglish Mix, 4-Star Collection, and Rumors. Vocal Spectrum, the Barbershop Harmony Society 2006 champions, were special guests and did one song with The Buzz. At the end, various men belonging to the Queens (called the Queens' Men) joined them and sang with them.

The Queens are a lot of fun - and quite earthy in their humour. Liz, the occasional MC, wandered in wearing an inflatable rubber duckie aroud her waist and a grass skirt, and made suggestive remarks about the snorkel.

We didn't take notes or photos, and Jo and Deborah were sitting behind a couple of very tall Swedes, so we couldn't see all that well, but here are some of the memorable moments from the Show.

Rumours were singing a song about torturing a doll, wearing wigs and with Dale in a pinafore over her sequins. Dale says one of the things her brothers taught her was that once you've got a boogie out of your nose, you can't get it back in. Charla belches (in key) on command during the song.

Vocal Spectrum's tenor sang a song from Les Mis (they're faculty on our cruise).

Damn! It's a quarter to 2 in the morning (we did go up to Vicki and Vicki's room to party for a while) and we can't remember all the good stuff from the Show. Note to selves: must tell CKC girls going to Nashville to order Coronet Club tickets!

Thursday 6th Nov - Chorus Semifinals

We're back in our room after a full day at the chorus semi-finals. There was a bomb threat below us while we were having breakfast on the balcony, with sirens and flashing lights, but they didn't evacuate the hotel so we didn't worry too much about it. It turned out to be a hoax.

The chorus semifinals started at 10:45 am with Harborlites (2008 champions) as mic testers. They performed Georgia Brown and Danny Boy and had great energy and dynamics and expressive faces (especially in Danny Boy). We've dutifully been recording all the costumes in our Keepin' Score books but we won't comment on those here unless they're exceptional. These are the choruses that stood out, for one reason or another

St Louis Harmony, from Region 5 (Missouri), were the second chorus to compete. They did two songs CKC know (If I Give My Heart, and This Joint Is Jumpin) and had someone doing cartwheels during THIJ, and a young girl performing with them.

San Diego from Region 21(California) had about 99 singers on stage, and did amazing softs and louds. They are in the finals.

Harmony on the Sound from Region 1 (Connecticut) had fighting as part of the choreo for Give My Regards to Broadway, including someone's pants being pulled down (intentionally, we think).

Our own Perth Harmony did a fine job, looked and sounded good with only 6 tenors in their 78 singers on stage. We saw Cathy Rainey in the lift tonight and she said Perth had come 16th and were very pleased.

Sound of the Heartland wore a gorgeous red velvet dress with fascinating frills made from velvet strips (like our purpe and green, but wider).








Scottsdale (Region 21) had a big sound and moved like a single organism in their ballad (What'll I Do). They move on every breath, and looked fabulous in a simple black velvet pants and top with cutouts on the sleeves and silver edging (see picture). They're in the final.

Ronninge Show Chorus did a cute parody called Inge's Back in Town, dressed in black leather with long blonde plaits. From the time they came on stage they were moving and waving. Fabulous faces, and at one point I think they all threw G-strings in the air; certainly later on they threw their wigs on the floor before performing If I Give My Heart to You. They're in the finals.

We had a 40 minute intermission for lunch and then started again. Deborah went to Harmony Bazaar and picked up some good stuff from the SAI stall. Then she tried on a hair piece and bought it (a bargain - only $59 US - no more bad hair on competition day, if only she can remember how to attach it).

Back to the comp:

Spirit of the Gulf had a great sound and dynamics. Their front row used up the whole floor space. They're in the finals.

Song of Atlanta did a great crescendo (according to our notes, which are illegible in places) and were very energetic. They're in the finals.

Then we got to see the Melodeers, directed by Jim Arns. Dynamics! Slides! Clever vocal effects! At one point the front row were rowing an (imaginary) boat. Of course they're in the finals.

We saw North Metro use suitcases as props during I'm Going Down to Dixieland, and the front row was rolling on the ground. During their ballad (If I Ruled the World) the front row knelt for quite a lot of it.

We had another break, for 45 minutes, and dashed down to the Food Court for Thai (Di's recommendation). Some of managed to fit in a little more shopping before the last round of the finals, but Deborah got back in time to see OK City do a comedy routine in which the Director tries to hypnotise the judges, and hypnotises the chorus instead. He wakes them with a clap, and puts them back to sleep with another clap. During their performance whenever he claps they change from being energised to being in a trance. At the end, when the audience applauds, the chorus is no longer hypnotised, and when the chorus clap, their director (Jim Massey) falls asleep instead. It was very cleverly done, and very entertaining, but they didn't make it into the finals.

Pride of Portland had some beautiful sustained softs, and are in the finals.

We cheered loudly for River Blenders, Di Huber's chorus (they're the girls we're performing with in St Louis next year). They did There Goes My Heart, but with a different interpretation than CKC's. Unfortunately they weren't in the top 10.

Buffalo Gateway were the last chorus to compete. They modified the words of Red Red Robin to "judges listen for hours and hours", and they're also in the finals.

Di and Ros went to meet some of the River Blenders during the next short break. They're very enthusiastic about having us come and sing with them.

While we were waiting for the chorus finalists to be announced, Harborlites entertained us brilliantly. They sang a tribute to the Directors of all the competing choruses; and then Bring Him Home (Les Mis) with slow, ballet-like choreo in the front row; and then I Have Been Changed (Wicked) recognising how being involved in Sweet Adelines changes our lives (made Deborah cry, but that's not hard), and then that song they do from Phantom of the Opera. They got a standing ovation.

So, the final draw, in order of appearance:
Mic Testers (No 11) - Pacific Empire
1 - Skyline
2 - North Metro
3 - Song of Atlanta
4 - Melodeers
5 - Ronninge Show Chorus
6 - Scottsdale
7 - San Diego
8 - Pride of Portland
9 - Spirit of the Gulf
10 - Buffalo Gateway.

Watching International competition is a whole different standard from our Regional competition, and now we appreciate how much more work we need to do to earn our place on the international stage.

We all retired to our rooms (it's now only 10.30 pm) exhausted. Kerry leaves at 7 am tomorrow morning to fly home because she has a gig on Saturday night with the band. The rest of us will be going to the mass sing at 11:15 am on the roof of the convention centre, and then watching the quartet finals. Tomorrow night we have the Coronet Club show. And then it's only one more sleep until the chorus finals on Saturday, and Deborah and Jo's cruise; and on Sunday most of the rest of us will fly home.

Celebration Party

There are 13 of us in the Vickis' hotel room celebrating Accolade being placed 29th in the Quartet semi-Finals. There were screams of joy when we got the news, and the nice ladies next door had to come by in their pyjamas to ask us to stop (because they're competing in the chorus comp tomorrow), so now we're being excited in a muted kind of way with lots of ssssshing. Vicki says Accolade's score is the best of any Australian quartet, and they are all very happy with their performance and where they were places. Photos to follow.

James and Sarah had the news before we did, I think, because the scores were published on the SING group (All the quartets had to wait around for the scores to be tabulated and Accolade decided not to hang about as they wanted to party). Vicki S and Amanda made speeches, and thanked us for our support. They said it made a big difference to hear us in the audience chanting Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy. Vicki D is drinking vodka and declines to be quoted at this time. She has been laughing wickedly. since they got the news.

I think the girls are waiting unti they're alone to read the score sheets so I'm signing off for now. We are so proud of our girls.

Quartet Semi Finals Pt 2

We're back from the Quartet Semi Finals and it's 11:20 pm, Wednesday night. We had to wait around a while to find out which ten quartets are in the finals on Friday. Here are the results so far:

15th place - Luminous
14th place- Ice!
13th place -Remix
12th place - Cabaret
11th place - (and Mic Testing quartet) Shimmer.

The top ten quartets (or maybe it's the top 15) excluding 1st place get to compete at the 2009 Nashville Comp without having to requalify.

The finalists are, in order of performance:
1 Jackpot
2 Affinity
3 Martini
4 Zing
5 Razzcals
6 Capri
7 Maxx Factor
8 Moxy Ladies
9 Sparks
10 Mojo.

Accolade weren't in the top 15 and we're waiting to hear what their score was; we're gathering in Vicki and Vicki's room shortly. Admittedly we're biased, but we thought they performed as well as they ever had, and sounded wonderful. When they came off stage there was a bunch of Aussies as well as Vicki's friends from Bay Area Showcase and Pat Levezu and Ase Hagemann lined up to congratulate them.

We're heading off to party now. Chorus comp tomorrow, so we can't be too late up or too drunk.

Wednesday, 5th Nov - Quartet Semis Part 1

We were on our way out this morning to buy groceries when we ran into Wendy on level 2, waiting for the rest of Accolade so they could buy a new set of earrings (Wendy had lost hers). So Jo and I went off to look, while they went to breakfast. We found some sparkly dangly ones at Harmony Bazaar and delivered them before the quartet semi-final started. Jo had a rest this morning, and did the washing, while Deborah went off to the comp.

The auditorium had a lot of vacant seats when she arrived. (See picture: that blue rectangle in the distance is the stage, and the squares with the Sweet Adeline logo are the screens).

Betty and Di and Ros and Tiana (Wendy's daughter) were sitting across the aisle so Deborah sat with them, and Jo joined them all later on when she arrived after lunch. It's more fun sitting with friends so we can talk about the performances in the breaks.

Jo and Deborah bought the Keepin' Score book which lists all the quartets and choruses and has space to write down what they sang, what they wore and what we thought they should score. Deborah found scoring too hard, but we pretty much all agreed that the stand-out performers were:
Affinity (Region 21, from San Diego and Scottsdale Choruses) who did a great rendition of Danny Boy;
Ice! (from Region 6, City of Lakes Chorus, Vallee de Croix Chorus);
Moxie Ladies from Regions 17 and 4 (Scioto Valley Chorus and Chapter at Large)
Martini (Regions 26 3, 24 - Lions Gate Chorus, Melodeers, Pride of Portland Chorus)
Jackpot (Region 9 - Toast of Tampa Show Chorus and Chapter at Large).

Costumes were interesting: some looked great, and some not. There was a gorgeous young quartet called Luminous that looked beautiful in strapless long dresses in shades of green, aquamarine and blue; and we also liked an older quartet, Celebrate, who wore red pants and red top, layered on an angle - flattering to all sizes and shapes, we think.

It's now intermission, and we go back for the second half at 5:15 pm. More later, on how our girls do.

Tuesday, 4th November

What a day! We registered CKC for Nashville in 2009, collected our own tickets for this year's Convention, explored Harmony Bazaar, watched Perth Harmony rehearse, and now we're off to the Showcase.

The Convention Centre is only 5 minutes walk from our hotel, so we (Di and Betty and Ros and Jo and I) were there before the Ticket Office opened at 9 am. There was a queue, but only a short one, and it quickly resolved into people registering their choruses for Nashville and people collecting their Hawaii Convention tickets. Di and I had no problems at all registering CKC, so we're now official.

Picking up Convention tickets was equally easy, and then we collected our Convention program. As we were going down the escalator we saw a quartet wearing crowns going up - our first Queens! Later there were more quartets around, able to be spotted because they dress identically.

As Harmony Bazaar didn't open until 11 am we took the girls down to Ross's and Walmart to shop. Deborah didn't buy anything, but the others did.

We had lunch and then attacked Harmony Bazaar. First thing we saw was the Four Betty's (international quartet champions) singing. Jo had her photo taken with them - lovely, friendly ladies (but not wearing their crowns). Apparently Harmony Bazaar this year is much smaller because of the cost of freight from the mainland, but it was big enough for us. There is lots of shiny stuff - earrings, pendants, bracelets, watches, Christmas ornaments. Deborah and Jo bought sparkly name badges. Also shoes with detachable uppers (so you can carry one pair of shoes and match them to your outfits when travelling); amazing purses into which you can fit a whole lot; a pumice-based depilatory gadget (three of us bought it, but we won't tell you which three); sparkly costumes; inner soles filled with a silicon gel; and CDs (and more).

At 1 pm we went to one of Perth Harmony's rehearsals with their coach, Mo Field (a Canadian based in Sweden). They sounded great to start with, and even better after two hours with Mo. She mostly coached them on communicating a pure message to their audience. Here's what Deborah wrote down:
- wring power and meaning out of each single word
- don't blink and breathe at the same time; breathe through your eyes, make them shine
- the only difference between nervous and excited is your attitude; it's only adrenalin - embrace it!
- use the big muscles; the big muscles win (sound familiar?)
- people hear what they see - let them see your joy (re Red Red Robin) - invite the audience to come and play with you.

After coaching on a song, Mo asked the chorus to close their eyes, pinch the bridge of their nose, and review the choices they will make when performing the song.

At one point she asked them to say "Me", "I", "We" and then "Me", "Us", "The Song" - each one expanding.

For the final performance of their competition set she had the chorus run around the risers twice, and then perform. Afterwards we saw some Perth girls with ear plugs: they use them to simulate what the contest stage will sound like.

At half time in Perth's rehearsal Linda Wareham handed out purple supporter ribbons for all the Aussie supporters to wear, and Accolade performed their two comp songs.

After Perth's rehearsal we did another round of the bazaar, then back to the hotel, dinner at the Ala Moana Food Court, and then met at 7:30 pm to walk down to the Showcase.

The Showcase - and the competition - is in one of the exhibition halls of the Hawaii Convention Centre, so it's basically a big concrete box. Most of the chairs are on flat concrete, not raked seating, but there are five large projection screens so people at the back can see. The Hall wasn't full for Showcase so we all had good seats; but for the competition I think we're going to be sitting way up the back.

Showcase started with the Young Women in Harmony chorus. They had a workshop which culminated with performing on Showcase. It was a small group of about 15, and they performed three songs including One Voice (with Rising Star champions, Whole Lotta Harmony) and Straighten Up and Fly Right, complete with choreo.

They were followed by the Japanese chorus, made up of members of the five Japanese choruses (one chartered and four prospective). They looked great and did brilliantly - as the MC said, imagine if we had to sing Japanese songs in Japan to a Japanese audience. One of their songs was We are Family.

Then we had Salt, who were great fun. I heard the woman next to me say 'it's not barbershop'; but they were very entertaining. At one point two of them were playing ping pong because the bass insisted on singing a solo. They did a Stevie Wonder number (Isn't she beautiful) about their babies and they did the set where they sing barbershop songs in different styles - plainsong; country and western, heavy metal.

Harborlites are the 2008 champion chorus and there are a lot of them; it took a while to get them on stage. They were wearing lime green outfits, each slightly different in style, decorated with bright coloured abstract designs. They sounded amazing and finished with their Phantom of the Opera set from last year's comp.

After interval we came back for a Polynesian spectacular featuring dances and music from Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, New Zealand and Hawaii. The girls were slender and gorgeous with long black hair, and the boys were muscular and gorgeous - Jo took photos and says she didn't just photograph the men. The show ended with a fire dance, twirling burning batons.

Now we're back in the hotel and it's 11:30 pm. It will be a big day tomorrow, with quartet semi-finals from 10:45 am to 9:45 pm. Pity the poor judges who have to concentrate through 52 quartets. Accolade are number 42. We'll all be there cheering loudly.