Harmony, Incorporated HI Note: April 2023, Issue #2

President's Message

And the fun has begun!
Congratulations to Area 6 for last weekend's outstanding convention, and
Best wishes to Area 2 contestants who begin their convention today
By Linda Brehaut, International President

I can only imagine the energy and excitement that is coming from those venues. I especially enjoy the vision I have of Sunday morning at check out. Despite being exhausted, many still take the time to chat, to hug, to congratulate, and to wish everyone well till the next time they get together. Hearts are beating a little stronger that morning! Regardless of the scores on stage, we celebrate each of you for sharing your story in song with us.

Harmony is special
In the last HI Note, I mentioned that something would be happening in Area 6 that once again expresses the special culture of Harmony. The order-of-appearance draw placed the three newest chapters in positions 1, 2 and 3! We know that this meant that, with all other choruses behind them in the pattern, they would be performing for a very small audience. Following the draw, the Council (less those three chapter presidents) asked if they could insert a break after the first three performers, so the other choruses would have time to be in the audience to support these new choruses and then get back into the pattern. The appropriate individuals were consulted, and permission was granted. What a surprise they would have had when the curtain opened, and what a testament to the culture of Harmony. I am so proud of the members of this organization!

Volunteers found
I have more exciting news to share with you! One of the things that I have come to appreciate so much is that when we need something done, it is important to ask our members. Most often we get a response. We posted that we would be saying thank you to Jess Leigh for serving as our Quartet Coordinator. Jess will be leaving her position in May. Two individuals put their names forward for the position, and after some discussion, we offered Rachael Storey-Chase and Donna Gronemeyer the opportunity to share the position, and they agreed. Thank you, Rachael and Donna, for stepping forward to serve Harmony, Inc. in this important role.

Area Conventions and Contests

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the next several issues of the HI Note, we will feature reports and highlights of the six Area conventions. We begin in this issue with a couple of quick outtakes from Area 6's convention, as reported on Facebook. Official contest results are posted on the website.

Growing and Grooving
By Angie Beatty, Area 6 Director

It was a weekend of so many blessings. New friends and old raised their voices in song. Eight choruses qualified for IC&C! Last year we didn’t even have eight choruses.

Six quartets are heading to IC&C, one of which is Daphodyls, the first recipient of the Major Minor Youth Quartet award!

Sun-Cerely won the first Area 6 Golden Girl award to support the new senior quartet award on the International level.

By the numbers
If the scores aren’t enough…114 first timers to Area 6, of which, 82 were first timers to Harmony, Inc.! 174 singers crossed the stage with their choruses to compete. There were two MBHA quartets with us who had so much fun, they want to bring a chorus next year.

Special moments
Most important are the special moments:

Singing What a Dream Can Do all together, while hanging off our balconies
Seeing the joy on every person's face as they crossed the stage
Meeting new friends in elevators, food court, and anywhere else

And finally, ending the convention in a packed ballroom singing We’re Harmony, We’re Strong!

We are Harmony and we are STRONG!

Music City Sound celebrates a successful first contest.

Pandemic-founded chorus finds warm welcome at Area 6 convention
By Jennifer Cooke, Chorus Director

Hey, friends!
So, I have a story.

During the pandemic, I had an idea for a chorus that meets primarily on Zoom, including people from any geographic area, that has high expectations around learning music, singing solo for each other, and growing together as musicians.

This chorus grew into Serendipity Chorus, which includes anyone who wants to sing with us and sings a variety of genres, including choral, barbershop, and modern a cappella.

Within Serendipity, Music City Sound, a Harmony, Inc. chorus, was born. MCS has members from all over, including one section leader who faithfully Zooms in from Australia before she leaves for work in the morning.

Last weekend, twelve members of Music City Sound competed in the Area 6 Harmony, Inc. chorus contest. We were welcomed so sincerely by this Area, and we felt incredibly supported and loved.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, I learned bass last week and sang with the chorus, rather than direct them. They didn't skip a beat. They performed beautifully, with so much heart. These confident and talented musicians worked together to create magic, and we were THRILLED to earn a high enough score to be able to compete in the International competition this coming November.

Watching this group laugh together, encourage each other, and give their hearts away on stage was, quite simply, amazing.

Our journey is just beginning.

North Port High School students participate in their first Area 6 Convention.

Celebrate good times!

We love our youth in Area 6! Here are brand new young women from North Port High School, experiencing the Black & White Ball and barbershop for the first time.

They got to sing with Unaccompanied Minors Chorus, attend evals and participate in rehearsals and contest prep with Coastal Voices Chorus - Area 6, Harmony, Inc.

They sang all the way home and just had the best time! We think they will fit right in with Area 6's wackiness. Thank you, Harmony, Incorporated, for supporting Youth Outreach in Area 6!

At the Black and White Ball . . .

Angie Dolber reports: The Judges - Theresa Weatherbee, Diane Patterson, Wendy McCoole, Adele Merritt, Jacquie Jensen, Susan Wood, Susan Ives, Angie Dolber, and John Ward - in keeping with the theme of the Black and White Ball, donned stripes and performed a parody of Jailhouse Rock.

You Might Be A Good Administrative Judge

By Linda Briggs, Administrative Judge

Do you enjoy working on projects that have a beginning, a middle and an end? Are your organizational and communication skills what often lead you to be put in charge of projects like that? If so, the Administrative Judge category might be for you!

I always assumed that all the judges were responsible for scoring a performance, and I just knew I could never do that.

Me, be a judge? Ha!

Then I took on the role of Area Contest & Judging Chair and found myself working closely with the Administrative Judges leading up to and during AC&C. To my surprise, I found not only did they not assign scores; we also had a lot in common. However, I still wasn’t convinced judging was for me, so I started volunteering to help with evaluations so I could hang out with them and learn more. The more I learned, the more excited I got about the possibility.

I put my name in to enter the program as an applicant, and attended my first Category School. The category specialist, certified judges, and our mentor were patient with me as I asked question after question, trying to understand and soak up as much as I could. At the end of the weekend, my laptop had a new program on it and my head was full of details: learning how to set up the computer program that tallies all the scores, pre-contest responsibilities, contest responsibilities, post contest tasks, the list seemed to go on and on. How was I ever going to remember it all? But I was hooked, and had succeeded in graduating to candidate status.

As a candidate, you get to practice in real time at AC&C and IC&C contests - from the beginning, through the middle and to the end of each one. And every time you practice, the category specialist and the other certified judges you work with encourage you to take on more responsibility, and evaluate your efforts along the way. Over time, you find organizational tricks that work best for you, and you even manage to get all the reports to print out correctly at the end of the contest, not 24 hours later as I did my first year out!

It has been a rewarding journey and I am so glad to have taken it. If there is a little voice in your head saying, “I might want to embark on a journey of my own,” and you want to know more, please reach out to me or any other Administrative Judge to learn more about our category. Maybe you could volunteer to help with evaluations at your AC&C. You never know where it might lead!

End Of Fiscal Year Reporting Requirements

By Jan DelVecchio, VP Finance

Most Harmony, Inc. chapters operate with a fiscal year of April 1 – March 31. This will require U.S. Chapters to file an electronic postcard 990-N with the IRS by August 15, 2023. Canadian Chapters are required to file a T2 with CRA by September 20, 2023.

Additionally, all Chapters are reminded that they are required to send to the VP Finance a copy of the notice that they receive from their respective tax agency advising that their filing has been received. You will receive this notice by email if you filed electronically or by ground mail if that is how you filed.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

Equity, Diversity, and Me!

By Bonita Hester, EDC Chair

It’s been a while since we’ve shared an article in the HI Note, but we have continued to work for all of you - answering questions, advising the IBOD and other groups, and continuing our learning of developments in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

What I really want to share today is some exciting news that you may not have heard. For about a year and a half, we have been holding monthly Equity and Diversity Roundtables, which are safe venues where we can discuss topics relating to inclusivity. Rather than have E&D committee members choose topics to cover, we encourage the Roundtable members to contribute thoughts or questions, which are then open to all the participants to consider. We hope to empower everyone to bring their learning and experience into the discussion and then to carry the dialogue back to each of their choruses, quartets, and spaces, with the intended outcome of creating areas of safe expression throughout HI.

Kathy Pomer facilitates the discussion, but we recognize that it is the input of the team that ensures our topics are current and meaningful. Some items raised within the Roundtable have been approved of by the IBOD, and have benefited all of us in Harmony, Inc. You may have questions such as:

How can we accommodate members to make sure that they get full enjoyment in singing with us?
Can we foster an atmosphere where people are comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and still have a sense of belonging and community?
Should increasing racial and ethnic (or gender, or age, or socio-economic status, or neurodiversity, or other) diversity be a priority for every chorus?

All are welcome to the Roundtables, even if you are a not a member of an Equity and Diversity Committee or don’t have such a committee in your organization. Just bring your curiosity (and perhaps a friend!) The next meeting is at 6 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, April 26. To become a part of this amazing group, you need only send an email to me at edc@harmonyinc.org.

For The Love Of Harmony

Your donations to the For Love of Harmony program enable you to identify individuals or groups to receive special recognition, while at the same time providing a monetary gift to Harmony, Inc.
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From Atlanta Harmony Celebration! In memory Richard Melick and Larry Haag, brothers of Marie Ross.

Condolences From The Membership

Those we cherish will always live on in memory.

to Lois Lundsted of Surround Sound (Area 2) on the loss of her husband, Steve Lundsted
to Nellie Benjamin of Surround Sound (Area 2) on the loss of her husband, Dennis Benjamin

Need to post a condolence notice? Please have the information sent to the Corporate Office to be recorded. Thank you.

Deadlines Approaching

30 APRIL - Deadline to apply for Directors First scholarship to Harmony U. Even if you have attended in a previous year, you may qualify!

1 MAY - Nominations forms for IBOD and Area Directors due to Elections Committee

Intent to Compete/IC&C Contest Entry Forms
Area 6 – May 1
Area 2 - May 8
Area 3 - May 22
Area 5 - June 12
Area 1 - June 19
Area 4 - June 26

13 MAY - IBOD Mid-Year meeting, 9 am-5 pm ET, via Zoom

15 JULY - IC&C hotel room block opens

15 AUGUST - U.S. Chapters file 990-N with IRS,

16 AUGUST - IBOD Q3 meeting, 6-10 pm ET, via Zoom.

1 SEPTEMBER - End of late entries for IC&C. End of early bird AEP pricing for IC&C.

30 SEPTEMBER - Canadian Chapters file T2 with Revenue Canada.

1 OCTOBER - Big Screen Ads cutoff

3 NOVEMBER - End of Online IC&C registration. Tickets may still be purchased at the door.

5-8 NOVEMBER - IBOD Annual Meeting, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Contest entry forms are available online using the links below.

Official Area Chorus Contest Entry Form
Official Area Quartet Contest Entry Form.

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

See you in a couple weeks!