1. Our next rehearsal is WEDNESDAY, May 31 at NTHS. Early choreo at 6:30!

2. Chorus line up for Indy will take place on June 5. Be there!!

3. Full Dress Rehearsal Monday, June 26. Bring friends & family!

5. Coaching Schedule - Rob Hopkins, 6/5 & Rick LaRosa, 6/12

BACSTERS!

1. Wonderful work last night on LOVE ME! With only a few men shy of the full complement that we'll be bringing to Indianapolis, we elevated this killer song to a new level. Our Covens of Excellence and Minyans of Musicality stood tall and really demonstrated complete mastery of this piece. Well Done to our group leaders, and to our in-house vocal coach RON MEIXSELL for getting us there.

2. The new tag to ELVIS got an extra kick last night as we added a half tone modulation to the run up. Please review the work we did before next week.

3. Please address any uniform issues directly to JIM STEINER. He can be reached via email at Jimsie22@AOL.com. Obviously, we'll be wearing the Elvis outfit in Indy. Anyone needing INFORMAL uniform shirts should speak to JON AYERS. Remember, we have TWO informal shirts....the black long sleeve shirt, and the short sleeve Hawaiian style shirt that we introduced in Salt Lake City last year.

4. Last night we "auditioned" for a group from Milford, CT. JON AYERS has been negotiating with them for a MAJOR paid performance in December. That's why we were asked to crank out a piece from our Holiday repertoire. Nice remembering on Jingle Bell Rock!! Talk about curve balls!! :-) No one was expecting that, but we sang it well. We'll have their decision shortly.

5. In case you were wondering, here are the known International Convention sites for the next few years - 2007 Denver; 2008 Nashville; 2009 Anaheim; 2010 Philadelphia; 2011 Kansas City; 2012 TBA; 2013 TBA; 2014 Nashville.

6. Please continue to observe proper pitch taking technique. We couldn't help but notice last night that there was some "slippage" back to bad habits. Remember, DO NOT HUM THE PITCH after the pipe is blown. Sing it in your head only.

7. As we are all celebrating the Memorial Day weekend with friends and family, please take a minute to remember the reason behind this most solemn of US holidays. What we now know as Memorial Day was originally called Armistice Day, to commemorate the end of World War I, a conflict that was optimistically and prematurely subtitled "The War to End All Wars"! It was later expanded to honor the young men and women who, throughout the history of our nation, lost their lives in the service of their county, and the holiday was re-named Memorial Day.

Irrespective of one's individual political perspective, it is altogether fitting that we pause to honor the memory of those who simply did their duty, and made the supreme sacrifice. They were mostly kids who responded when they were called, and went where they were told to go. They died in places like Bunker Hill and Gettysburg, in Verdun and Normandy, in Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, in Korea and in Viet Nam, and, more recently, in Afghanistan, the Arabian Peninsula, and in Iraq. They served proudly in conflicts that were not always "popular". And, they sanctified the soil they fought on with their blood.

In honoring their memory, we honor ourselves. Take a moment to remember them this weekend, and to remember that without their willingness to serve, America would be a much different place today. At the same time, we can say a prayer that this kind of sacrifice will never again be necessary.

Have an enjoyable Holiday. We'll see you all next Wednesday!

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