Harmony, Incorporated HI Note: July 2022 Issue #1

President's Message: Energy & Joy

Energy and joy abound

Linda Brehaut

By Linda Brehaut, International President

As our AC&C season ends, I am encouraged by the energy returning participants brought to both the stage and the audience. The joy was palpable! By now, all contest entry forms should have been submitted for participation on the contest stage in Verona, NY.

I am thrilled to share with you that Kelly Mullaly has accepted an appointment to serve a one-year term as Area 1 Director. Kelly is a member of Island A Cappella in Prince Edward Island, Area 1. Welcome to the IBOD, Kelly. We’re looking forward to working with you!

I have been encouraging everyone to consider “no meetings in the month of July". So far, I have only one meeting booked and that one is tentative. I am not sure what I’ll do with myself and the extra time. The COVID-19 Task Force will be meeting in early August and the IBOD will be meeting August 19-20. An announcement will be made following this meeting regarding any changes to the existing COVID-19 policy, particularly how they will apply to IC&C.

Thank you to those who have sent your comments regarding the proposed Mission, Vision, and Values that were distributed to everyone for review. I encourage each of you to do your best to stay informed. An informed member is an invested member, and invested members make for a stronger organization. We look forward to hearing our members' ideas and thoughts. I can’t guarantee they will all be acted on, but I can guarantee they will be listened to and seriously considered during our discussions.

Please, breathe in that fresh air, soak up the sun, and celebrate life; even the rough patches have value.

Convention Corner: IC&C in Verona, NY

Together again in Verona!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT IC&C

CONGRATULATIONS to all Areas on your successful - and safe - Area conventions. How exciting to see photos of everyone together again! And that was only the beginning. As of today, we have 30 choruses and 48 quartets registered for IC&C. So you can bet it is going to be the best contest, EVER!

We are working feverishly to come up with the best schedule that will accommodate so many contestants and still allow us to host some of our other favorite activities. Once we finalize everything, we will share it with you, along with an FAQ document to help answer all of your questions.

In the meantime, be thinking about your travel plans. On July 15 we will launch IC&C registration as well as the hotel room request instructions, so be sure to watch your email for that information.

Some important things to know about booking your hotel rooms:

Our room block includes deluxe kings & doubles in the Hotel and Tower buildings at a group rate of $164 + 13.75% (all rooms are in the same building as the event center).
We also have a handful of Tower Jr. suites available for $244 + 13.75% tax.
If you are sharing a room, designate one person to make the reservation for the group.
You will be charged one full night as a deposit when booking your room.
Please be sure to have your credit card number, billing address, and names of your roommates with you when you make your reservation.
The hotel cannot split your room charges, so one person will have to pay the entire bill and anyone sharing the room will need to make repayment arrangements.
There is a $10 per-person fee for adding a 3rd or 4th person to your room.
Cancellation policy is 48 hours before arrival date for full refund of your deposit.
Smoking at the property is limited to designated areas within the casino. At no time will you have to walk by or through a smoking area to access the event center and any ICC activities.
To help cover the costs of IC&C expenses and meet our contractual obligations, all members of Harmony, Inc. are required to stay at the convention hotel or pay the Fair Share Assessment Fee - the equivalent of one night’s stay at the hotel (including taxes).
Turning Stone resort is conveniently located 30 miles east of Syracuse at NYS Thruway Exit 33. The closest airport is Syracuse Hancock International.
The hotel is offering our group rate three days pre- and post- conference (based on availability) if you are interested in extending your stay. There is a TON of stuff to do at the Turning Stone Resort, from golf, shopping, casino, shows, and nightlife. For more information, visit the Turning Stone website. Visit https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g48775-Verona_New_York-Vacations.html for a list of things to do in the surrounding area.
The last date to make your hotel room reservation is October 12, 2022.

Be sure to check out the IC&C website page, https://www.harmonyinc.org/icc2022/ for all deadlines, forms, and venue information.

We can’t wait to be together again in Verona!

IC&C BIG SCREEN ADS
If you are interested in promoting your chorus or quartet, or want to offer well wishes, you can order a Big Screen Ad for this year’s IC&C for $35 USD. These ads will play on the screens in the event center during the breaks at contest time. For more information or to order your ad, visit https://www.harmonyinc.org/har-092-icc-big-screen-ad-contract/

HARMONY MALL
Now is the time to book a table in the Harmony Mall at 2022 International Convention & Contests in Verona, NY. This is a great opportunity to sell your wares and raise money for your chapter. Follow this link https://www.harmonyinc.org/har-124-icc-member-sales-reservation/ to complete the form and reserve your spot.

In addition, Harmony would like to provide an opportunity for outside vendors to sell their wares in the Harmony Mall. If you know of vendors who would like to display and sell their products to those in attendance (over 800 people), please send their contact information to ICCOnsiteManager@harmonyinc.org

2022 International Chorus
By Sara Stone, Director Programs (Music and Education)

Information about the International Chorus will be sent to chapters and associates later in July. Jordan Travis, the director of A Cappella Showcase, will be directing the International Chorus again this year. The great news is that we will be IN PERSON! Once song and part information is available, chapters and associates will be emailed pertinent information.

Coaching Scholarship Awarded

Scarborough Harmony Chorus (Area 5) was recently awarded a scholarship for coaching,

under a program initiated by A Cappella Showcase

Helping Hands
A Cappella Showcase presents a scholarship to aid other Area 5 choruses
By Angie Morton-Locke, Chapter President

Do you have a favorite coach who has taught you at least one long-lasting piece of information? A coach that has helped your chorus sound better or look better? A coach that has given you a better understanding of the music itself?

A Cappella Showcase has amazing leadership in Director Jordan Travis and Assistant Director Amy Patterson. Every week we have both out in front, giving us great coaching and encouragement. I recently had the privilege of watching Amy coach a quartet and even though I see her every week, it was amazing to listen to her words of wisdom and to hear the difference those words made. When you are in the chorus hearing the sound, you don’t always recognize the change as much as an outside ear does.

A Cappella Showcase knows that we are incredibly lucky to have both Jordan and Amy, as well as the top-notch coaches we bring in to help us achieve what we do. With that in mind, we decided that we wanted other choruses in Area 5 to have the same opportunities. So we created a scholarship that any chorus in Area 5 could apply for.

We sent out a notice to all the choruses in Area 5 with a scholarship application seeking the following information:

Who was the coach they were looking at bringing in and when?
What did they want to accomplish with the coaching?
What would the financial burden for the chorus would be?
Why should they be chosen for the scholarship?
We also asked that each applicant let us know if they were an ACC or ICC participant and whether they also participate in education and community sing outs and shows.

We wanted to select a chorus who had the financial burden but also was a part of the Harmony, Inc. community as well as their own community. In other words, we sought a well-rounded chorus that had the desire to improve.

We received two applications this year, which our Board of Directors reviewed, and at this past Area 5 ACC we were very honored to present the scholarship to a well deserving chorus:

Congratulations to Scarborough Harmony Chorus on being awarded this scholarship!

Quartet Corner: Susan C. Trenchard Award

Nomination call for

Jess Jones

Susan C. Trenchard Quartet Service Award
By Jess Jones, Quartet Development Coordinator

When you think of a group that embodies Harmony’s creed and unselfishly gives their time and energy to serve all of our membership, which quartet comes to mind?

In honor of Images quartet’s late member, Susan C. Trenchard, this quartet service award recognizes significant contributions made by a quartet to Harmony, Inc. and their community. Eligible quartets are not required to have competed, but must have been registered for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Past recipients ineligible for the 2022 award are: Aged to Perfection (2020), Life’s a Pitch (2019), Tonic! (2018), Heart ‘n Soul (2017) and FUSION (2016).

Harmony, Inc. has many deserving quartets, so please consider nominating one today!

Use the online form HAR-126 and submit by August 1. https://www.harmonyinc.org/har-136-susan-c-trenchard-service-award/

Questions? Contact Jess.

Elections Update

Area 1 Director appointed

Kelly Mullaly
Incoming
Area 1 Director

By Sandra Dunlop, Elections Chair

It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Kelly Mullaly as Area 1 Director.

Kelly has been a Harmony, Inc. member since 2014. As a member of Island A Cappella, she has held the positions of Vice-President, President, and Past-President, as well as Education Coordinator for Area 1.

Kelly will assume her role as Area Director and International Board of Director member immediately following our International Convention.
We congratulate Kelly and thank her for her willingness to serve the Area and Harmony, Inc. in this important way. It is indeed a great honor to serve on the International Board of an organization such as ours. The work will be both challenging and rewarding but is appreciated by all Harmony, Inc. members.

Chapter Spotlight: Rochester Rhapsody

Rochester Rhapsody struts their stuff at Fairport Canal Days.

Spreading Harmony
By Sue Vorrasi, Chapter Co-President

Rochester Rhapsody from Area 3 has had a busy month! We sang at Fairport Canal Days, handing out 200 flyers inviting spectators to join us. Thanks to active members seeking opportunities, we also are singing at four assisted living centers - which our chorus loves to do.

Financial Matters: Payment Platform Information

Tax changes affect you!

Donna Clarkson

By Donna Clarkson, Financial Advisor

Beginning in 2022, U.S. reporting thresholds have changed for payment platforms, such as PayPal, Venmo and Stripe. These platforms will now be required to issue 1099K’s to users with transactions >$600.

Why is this important, you ask?

The IRS made this change to find unreported income.

To ensure the correct entity will receive the 1099K’s, and to minimize inappropriate tax burden, your payment platform accounts should be set up as follows:

Chapters: Your payment platforms should be set up as business accounts with the chapter’s TIN and not a member’s social security number.

Chapters may use payment platforms to both receive and make payments. Utilizing the “notes” section in the payment platforms will help to clarify the nature of the receipts and payments. For example, if a chapter uses a payment platform to reimburse members for expenses incurred on the chapter’s behalf, that should be noted in the “notes” field so it is clear it is not income to the person you are reimbursing.

Areas: Your payment platforms should be set up as business accounts. To set up your accounts, you will need to contact the VP Finance.

Areas may use payment platforms to both receive and make payments. Utilizing the “notes” section in the payment platforms will help to clarify the nature of the receipts and payments. For example, if an Area uses a payment platform to reimburse members for expenses incurred on the Area’s behalf, that should be noted in the “notes” field so it is clear it is not income to the person you are reimbursing.

Quartets/Coaches: You should consult a tax advisor to determine the best/proper way to be handling income received from performances and coaching.

The HIVE: Summer of Learning

Can you spare a few hours this summer?
By Anne Colt, Ed. Coordinator and Sara Stone, Dir. Programs (Music & Education)

It's going to be a HOT SUMMER! Why not take some time to stay indoors with air conditioning and take advantage of the number of HIVE classes we have in our extensive library? We have an amazing number of classes on skill building, vocal production, performing, leadership, etc. We'll highlight some topics every month through the summer and into the fall for you to explore. But don't be limited to that. Feel free to check out ALL the classes we have on the HIVE and look to learn something new!

Want to bone up on music theory? We have classes on that...
What about honing your skills on sight singing? We have classes on that...
Ever want to know what Solfege is and how to use it? We have classes on that...
Nervous performing... who you??? We have classes on that...
What about just getting back into singing again...hopefully now that we are in an almost post-COVID world (I did say ALMOST!) We have classes on that...

This is just a short list of what's available on the HIVE from talented instructors within our barbershop community.

The HIVE is found in the Members Only section of our Harmony, Inc. website, https://www.harmonyinc.org/the-hive/

As they say, the world is your oyster and HIVE is part of your world. Explore and enjoy. Carry on, fellow learners!

Harmony, Inc. needs your help

Share your skills!

Gaye LaCasce

By Gaye La Casce, Executive Vice-President

Harmony, Inc. needs YOU. By contributing a few volunteer hours, you'll meet great people, learn new things, and get the "inside scoop" about how your organization works. There is lots of support as you learn these important roles. Contact me at executivevp@harmonyinc.org to learn more about these positions:

PR Coordinator
Copyright and Licensing
IC&C Convention Team (Registration Manager In Training)

Harmony Notes

Condolences from the Membership

-to Marcia Ranger (Nickel City Sound, Area 5) on the death of her stepfather, David Lang, on June 12.

Equity & Diversity Update
Your Equity and Diversity Committee has been busy for several months updating the AREA & CHAPTER HANDBOOK ON PROMOTING AND CELEBRATING DIVERSITY.

We encourage all who are interested in becoming active in cultivating a culture of inclusion within their local chapters or in Harmony, Inc generally, to follow the link below. Please send any feedback to edc@harmonyinc.org.

This handbook is not carved in stone. We hope that members will share their own stories and add to or make changes to it as your experience or humanity in general evolves.

Find it here: https://www.harmonyinc.org/content/uploads/2022/05/Chapter-Handbook-Revision-Apr-8-2022-with-inclusion-statement-2.pdf

Attention all Harmony, Inc. shoppers!
Looking for Harmony, Inc. merchandise? Don’t forget to check out the Harmony Shoppe, where you will find HI drinkware (insulated bottles and cups) and miscellaneous accessories (masks, totes, magnets & stickers).

Click on the Harmony Shoppe logo on the Harmony, Inc. homepage (https://harmonyshoppe.org/en/usd) to enter the Harmony Shoppe. Remember that you can choose to have prices displayed (and make payment) in Canadian or U.S. dollars.

Deadlines approaching!
JULY 15: IC&C room reservations open.
AUGUST 1: Deadline to submit nomination for Sue Trenchard Award.
AUGUST 15: U.S. Chapters file 990-N with IRS.
SEPTEMBER 30: Canadian Chapters file T2 with Revenue Canada.
NOVEMBER 2-6: IC&C, Verona, N.Y.

Copyright © 2022 Harmony, Inc., All rights reserved.