The Pitch Pipe - January 2009 - (Page 26) By Joni Bescos, Rich-Tone Chorus, Region 25, with opening and closing words by Peggy Gram, International President Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performance. Our mission statement is not only words. We live it. Everything we do supports our educational directive. The Master Faculty level of the International Faculty Program was designed to recognize those few program members who attain a singularly high stature in their educational development. The women who achieve this level are true masters in the field of education. Not only are they a wealth of knowledge, but also they have the rare ability to impart their knowledge to others. They serve as role models not only for other faculty members but also for all Sweet Adelines. This year, Joni Bescos achieved her 50th year with the organization and also was advanced to the Master Faculty level in the International Faculty Program. While we could write a novel listing Joni’s accomplishments, her own words exemplify her commitment to the organization and its educational goals. We know you will enjoy her reminiscing about the strides we have made during her 50 years as a member. On the anniversary of my 50th year of membership I’ve been asked to compare then to now, and to comment on changes I’ve observed. In the words of one of the songs performed by our 1958 Queens of Harmony, the SWEET AND LOWS, “Come take a trip down to memory lane ” In the summer of 1958 I was a 22year-old mother with two boys, one twoand-one-half years old and one 10 months old. We had moved from a remote, newly developed area of Los Angeles County to La Crescenta, a suburb of Glendale, where my husband had been raised. The move brought us within a mile of one of his childhood friends, Buford Strange, who at the time was the lead in a district champion quartet. Bufe’s wife, Ruth, was a charter member of Verdugo Hills Chorus. My husband worked an erratic shift that involved nights, and he felt I needed something to do when he was working, so he and Ruth decided I should go with her to “the group.” I don’t think he realized I would keep going when he wasn’t working nights, but that’s another story! Today’s Sweet Adeline would not recognize yesterday’s chorus rehearsal. Only twelve members were required to charter a chorus, so there was always the strong possibility that a given rehearsal would lack one of the four parts. A few large choruses in the area had 35-40 members. Risers, I would learn, were something we used at competition. At rehearsal we sat in chairs and –cough, cough– smoked. In the late 1960s or early 1970s Ann Gooch brought to Sweet Adelines the concept that strategic riser positioning could enhance overall sound. In 1959 the method was very scientific, at least in Verdugo Hills. With fewer than 20 members, only two rows were necessary; short people in the front row, taller people in the back row. We also stood in sections with the tenors stage right, then leads, then baritones, then basses. There were no qualifications for the front row because there was no choreography … well maybe an occasional hand out, but even I could do that! My first chorus costume was a vision of drabness. We wore a sleeveless, navy blue sheath dress made of a dull, gabardine-like fabric (this was before polyester!). To dress it up a little we added an overskirt of navy blue net — that stiff fabric they use to make today’s shower scrubbies. The accessories were a small white corsage, artificial of course, and short white gloves. I don’t remember the shoes. “Chorus position” was that ballet posture where the heel of one foot is jammed against the instep of the other. Years later we would learn that this stance was a hindrance to proper vocal production! There was little music available in 1958. Each issue of The Pitch Pipe contained an arrangement, and one folio, 26 January 2009
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