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Goals Status cont. from page 1

thrive. I personally met with our chapter advisor, Steve Wyszomierski, to seek some guidance. More on that later! Steve and many others would hate to see the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, the offspring of the first chapter chartered in Pennsylvania, dissolve.

Our goal of support for new members has not been a great success. There were offers of individual singing lessons which received very little response, so were dropped. Members have received learning CD's but the extent of their use is very questionable, which brings us back to personal commitment and motivation. The recent introduction of the Barberpole Cat program is intended to help the singing of each member through involvement in quartet singing. Time will tell if this program has its desired effect. Other programs are on the drawing board awaiting approval of the Music and Performance Committee.

The presentation of awards to members for various achievements was not met with much enthusiasm or support, so we have decided to only continue with two annual awards; Barbershopper of the Year and the Hall of Fame award. Both of these awards will be presented at the Ladies Night Out (Christmas Party) on December 18 at the Churchill Valley Country Club.

In my estimation, discipline (better defined as cooperation) has improved. There is less interruption at meetings, and when it occurs, it quickly dies away. Making the Tuesday night meeting/rehearsal more interesting and motivational is a big challenge. We need input from all members on how to accomplish this daunting task.

On a positive note, we have increased the amount of show ticket sales, program ads and singing valentines. Our treasury is in the black, and we are doing more chorus performances than we have for quite a while. There is a group of women (Silent Notes) who have an interest in us and helping us succeed. Let's encourage their involvement and give them all the support we can. We have a full slate of officers and board members to start the coming year. Believe me, it is easy to sit back and express a negative attitude toward the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, but we must fight that negative attitude, adopt a positive outlook and move on! Remember the old expression, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem!"

Remember... Membership starts with ME!


Performances & Saturday Sessions - Tom Koch

As I edited president Bob Parker's column on "Status of Chapter Goals," I couldn't help but feel his frustration in facing an age old problem... lack of participation in chorus performances. Previous presidents, and also directors, have grieved over this phenomenon. Why do members bother to rehearse, learn new music and try to improve their singing, and then fail to participate in the joy of exhibiting and sharing their craft with an appreciative public? To quote Bob, "I don't know!"

Chorus manager, Jay Garber, has done a lot of work in lining up a healthy and interesting assortment of chorus performances throughout the balance of this year. Lets all try to squash this old, strange practice by turning out in record numbers. This is not only your chance to "shine" before an audience, but you may also help us toward another goal; namely, membership. Many men were first attracted to our Society when they first heard and witnessed a barbershop performance and then thought, "now there is something I think I would like to do." So put on your best "show face," loosen up those vocal chords and get out there with the rest of the chorus and help us make others want to join us in this great hobby.

It was encouraging to see some chapter participation in two recent "Saturday sessions." While attendance was not as great as hoped for, at least this was a move in the right direction.

On Saturday Sept 11, 22 chapter members attended a training session directed by Jeff Gehm, director of the Penn Ohio Singers. Please refer to the "A Saturday Well Spent" photo montage on page 6 with text by George Kosak and photos by Fred Donofrio.

Then on Saturday Oct 2 , the chapter sponsored a session of CDWI-2, Chorus Director Workshop Intensive #2. This is a Society wide program aimed at honing the skills of chorus directors. Directors in attendance included Joe Veltre (Greater Pittsburgh), Ken Williams (South Hills), Karl Chapple (North Hills), Ed "Skipp" Kropp (Greater Kanawha Valley) and Steve Patrick (Greater Kanawha Valley). The trainers were John DeVine and Tom Hawkins. Sorry... we have no photos of this session.

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