Page 7 - PowerPoint Presentation

Tags and Swipes, Winter 2022

Chorus Lines

Acappella Sounds Chorus

Bring it on!!

This has turned out to be our motto since January 2021, nearly 10 months after the pandemic had begun.
Until then, we had been in survival mode, having lost members due to many challenges such as transitioning
to online rehearsals, or like myself, trying to find new sources of income during a lockdown!

In hindsight, our chorus owes a debt of gratitude to our fearless Team Coordinator, Leslie Macdonald, for
cobbling together Zoom rehearsals. Not an easy task, where there was no precedent to follow! The new
catchphrase turned out to be “You’re on mute!” As it turned out, I soon realized that the rehearsals, though
every second week, brought a sense of regularity and meaning to the chaotic state of affairs we were all
experiencing at the time.

Our Zoom rehearsals were very well structured. We would begin with 10 minutes of social time followed by
physical warm-ups and vocal warm-ups (Bel Canto technique with Debra Lynn videos). Then off to break-
out rooms for sectionals, and then back to plenary for repertoire singing (on mute, of course, singing along
with the learning tracks). We welcomed guests and coaches such as Debra Lynn, Corinna Garriock, and
Karen Sweeters. We also created ‘’how-to” instructions to help members navigate our social media
platforms and Zoom.

In addition, we played ‘flashback’ videos, reminding us of better times in the past and making us look
forward to better times to come. The final section was the much anticipated ‘Story Time’, where members
had the opportunity to share current challenges, as well as the funnier side of life stories. To lighten things
up, we held a ‘Prom’ night where we dressed up, danced, and were entertained. The festivities culminated
with the handing out of the much-appreciated longevity awards.

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North Atlantic Region 1 Sweet Adelines