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Regional Management Team
Communications Coordinator
Director's Coordinator
Education Coordinator
Events Coordinator
Marketing Coordinator
Membership Coordinator
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Lake Michigan Region 3 of Sweet Adelines International is dedicated to the advancement of four-part harmony, barbershop-style, for women of all ages, through education and performance. |
Region 3 Website
Sweet Adelines International
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Dear Sherry,
Sewing machine's are buzzing on overdrive, rehearsal night sweating has replaced chatter, checking accounts are depleating, frantic directors are reaching for last minute suggestions to help you remember to lift your phrases, and all-in-one's are getting hauled out to help lift everything else. Ahh..the signs of contest...
Right now your new members are getting anxious. They are spending lots of money, taking time off work, preparing to sing on stage under bright, hot lights and thrusting themselves into an experience that only seasoned members understand. They are getting whacked in the head with constant reminders to turn diphthongs that they didn't even know existed, they are getting stuffed into costumes that would make a drag queen jealous, and the rehearsal they have learned to understand has turned into some sort of crazy military bootcamp that sets off hot flashes wild enough to make them wonder if they accidently put an open wat
er bottle in their underpants.
New Members expect help resolving all their concerns before hand so that they can enjoy the excitement of competing with your Chorus. This brief newsletter is designed to help you bring your new members through contest with the ease that every seasoned member in your chorus experiences. So read on. Following these few steps will help ALL your members get on that stage do what you know they can do...SHINE!
SEE YA THERE!
Penny Hock
Region 3 Membership Coordinator |
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Face to Face
 New Members appreciate the 5 inch stack of industrially stapled paper we call a contest guide.. I'm quite sure. After all, it's a sign of being an official member and it justifies the hundreds of dollars we're spending on contest...doesn't it? Hmmm.. maybe not. Make it a point to meet with your new members face to face to answer questions designed specifically around contest. Help them understand why the director has turned into a lunatic and why they now know how many fillings the choreo team has. |
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Replace Hibernation with Communication
 Oh sure, it's easy to just come and go to rehearsal and clap each time a guest or new member is announced, then cheer them on and sing a song welcoming them. But what if you actually spoke to a new member? GASP!!! I know, it's not your MO, it's too hard, you're too shy, you're too busy, you don't have time, you don't know them, you having nothing to talk about (hello?), you umm...uhh..umm... WHATEVER! You think it's easy for them? This your turf...go say hello and offer your phone number if they have any questions about contest. You never know.. you might actually become friends... GASP!! |
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Are You Training Private Detectives?
 Ok, if your new members are having to search around trying to locate information that should be obvious, there is a problem. If your new member is feeling bad for asking question after question after question...there is a problem. If you're not auditioning for the role of Inspector Clouseau, step in and make sure your new members have every piece of the contest puzzle. Here are some items that are frequently overlooked:
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A map of the hotel with arrowed points of interest including registration locations and the boutique.
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Membership Coordinators, arrange to gather with your new members and take them on a 15 minute tour of the hotel. Be sure to take them outside the hotel so they can admire the architecture and get their bearings.
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A map to the hotel with multiple directions. Construction is heavy in Michigan, don't leave them in a lurch.
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Instructions in how to check in to the hotel as well as at the member registration table. This is crucial!!!
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Advice on parking and ideas for tipping.
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If they are not on the Voices mailing list, they have missed tons of information. Make sure they have the most recent Voices and No Sweat newsletters.
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A checklist of every possible item they will need. Most travelers don't have eye lash glue on their checklist.
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Do you know how to put on false eyelashes? Offer some help!
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A history of Region 3 contest and what to expect this year.
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Protocol for watching contest including photography, audio, and chatterbox restrictions.
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To each new member, assign a contest buddy who will call them early in the weekend and provide them with their room number, call them contest day morning to make sure they're doing ok, and buy them a drink at dinner time.
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Hey, did you know you can watch the entire contest on your TV in your room? They probably don't.. TELL THEM! |
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Keep The Spotlight On Them All Weekend
 Your new members have acheived the same accomplishment as your seasoned members in less than a year's time. Do you know how significant that is? They are the celebrities in your chorus because they have worked the hardest, learned the most and been the most courageous. Keep the spotlight on them the whole weekend by showing your appreciation for them and what it means to you to have them on your team. Here are some ideas to keep the spotlight on your new members.
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Remember this is their first convention, give them a survivors basket with typical goodies that you KNOW they wouldn't think to bring.
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Honor your new members at your chorus breakfast, or dinner by presenting them with a token of the weekend like an SAI pin, a part pin or a certificate to the boutique.
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Recognize all your competing new members during your pre-contest rehearsal
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Membership coordinator make it a point to call your new member on the morning of contest to say thank you and break a leg. | |
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We ALL have had our FIRST convention weekend and while we have had different experiences, the common denominator is that we were finally able to see what the hullabaloo is all about. Your new members will be star struck, excited, overwhelmed, nervous and at times unsure.
If none of these ideas strike a chord with you, do something that's more up your alley. Just remember, these women that we call new members are the future of our chorus, they are our friends, our sisters and they too will have the privilege of helping a new member in following years. What you do for them, will help establish the foundation for the character of the singer who not only represents your chorus, but the organization we love, we support, and we honor each time we step through our rehearsal doors.
Break a leg each of you, and remember if you have a spare hand at contest, reach out to a new member. Chances are she probably needs an extra one. |
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