November 10th Singing and Report on the Fall NWA Convention...

November Singing:  The main purpose of each newsletter is to remind everyone that the Shiloh Singers of NW Arkansas will continue their regular series of 2nd Sunday singings on Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 1:30 P.M. in the General Store on the grounds of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale. If you enjoy chicken on Sunday, some of us will informally gather at AQ's Chicken House around noon, and likely find a little post singing refreshment after the singing at 4:00 P.M. The before and after fellowship is optional but you're invited if you'd like to attend.

If you missed the singing school and NWA Fall Singing Convention with Rene Greene, which was a special treat, beginners are always welcome and we have special handouts and loaner songbooks to help you learn more about Sacred Harp singing. You'll be singing in no time.


Photo: Rene Greene, from Alabama, was the instructor at the 10/25/13 NWA singing school.

NW Arkansas Fall Sacred Harp Singing Convention and Singing School:  Officially, the Friday night singing school enjoyed a mix of 13 new and experienced singers - small enough for individual attention and big enough to get a good variety of questions answered. Rene Greene's father was a song writer and a leader among Alabama's Sacred Harp groups and Rene attended her first singing when she was only two weeks old. Rene, like her father and so many others, is carrying on a tradition that's important to our past and a legacy for our future. The Shiloh Singers appreciated Rene's time and effort to help our group.

Photo: The group photo taken at the conclusion of the 2013 NWA Fall Sacred Harp Singing Convention at the Springdale First United Methodist Church on 10/26/13.

Saturday's regional singing convention enjoyed the participation of 26 singers, many from the previous evening, but with more singers filling each section. It's a long list to thank everyone who worked to pull the event together but a few of the highlights include: Bill Caldwell, Fall Convention Chairman; Dan Brittain, Director of Music, Syd Caldwell, Arrangements; Holly Childs, Springdale First United Methodist Church and their staff for the site arrangements; Alexis Walker, Table Decorations; Gail Cowart, Special Signs for the event; Katy Black, Secretary; and all who helped at the registration table and brought their best pot luck recipes, desserts and drinks for lunch and the breaks. Rene Greene and Jimmy Moore, also from Alabama, stayed for the convention. Rene and Dan continued to provide short instructional segments for the new singers and special visitors.

Special visitors? Oh yes. We even enjoyed a special Saturday afternoon visit from 23 members of the Oklahoma Methodist Manor in Tulsa who came to visit the singing and visit the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Thanks to Irene Brown, Life Enrichment Coordinator, who brought the group as part of a "double-header" with the museum. Several of the Oklahoma group were singing along and Irene even led one of the tunes. You can see a shot of the Oklahoma group, as well as the table decorations in the video below.

And finally. a big thanks to all the singers who traveled from Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and all the way from Alabama to help us fill the hall with song and the fellowship that makes each of our spring and fall conventions so special.

 

And one more thing! - The above YouTube video is from the October 26th Fall Singing Convention. Once the YouTube screen appears click on the small box in the lower right hand corner of the control panel below the video for a larger version of the video. You can also click on either photo for a larger version.

I hope you enjoy the sample and can sing with the Shiloh Singers on Sunday, November 10th at the Shiloh Museum.

October is a busy month for the Shiloh Singers...

Finally, the cool mornings and mild afternoons have arrived in the Arkansas mountains. Fall colors will soon follow. October is also an active month for Sacred Harp singing in Northwest Arkansas. The Shiloh Sacred Harp Singer's monthly 2nd Sunday singing is scheduled for October 13th from 1:30 until 4:00 P.M. in the General Store on the grounds of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History located at Springdale, AR.

Rene Greene

Then on Friday evening, October 25th, from 6:30 P.M. until 8:30 P.M. the Shiloh Singers will sponsor a singing school for new singers, or those who want to learn more about shape note singing. We are very fortunate to have a guest instructor, Rene Greene, a veteran singer from Alabama, who will be with us on Friday evening and for the all-day singing that follows on Saturday, October 26th, from 9:30 until 3:00.

Both the school and the NWA Fall Singing Convention will be conducted in the Springdale First United Methodist Church Annex located on the north side of the church complex. The church is also conveniently located just across the street from the Shiloh Museum and is very easy to find. There will also be a pot luck lunch for the singers on Saturday at noon and the usual water and soft drinks will be available during breaks and lunch.

Photo: The front entrance of the First United Methodist Church of Springdale faces south on Johnson Ave. The Friday school and Saturday singing convention will use the north entrance and parking lot along W. Price Ave.

During the 10/13 Sunday singing we'll also take a few minutes of planning time before the break to discuss any remaining loose ends for the Fall singing convention and school. Please keep in mind that everyone - new or old - is also invited to attend the singing school to help the new singers and then hopefully help reinforce what the new singers have learned during the regular Fall Singing Convention the next day. We'll also need to at least start a list of "who can bring what" for the pot luck lunch on Saturday. If you cannot attend the 2nd Sunday singing but plan to attend the Saturday all day singing on 10/26, please call 479-369-0003 or send an email to br.black@cox.net so we can add your name and the dish you plan to bring. We need to make sure all the major food groups - like desserts - are covered.

Recent updates and reminders: The singing school closing time has been adjusted to 8:30 to comply with a request that we start packing up at that time so that everyone exit the building and the church staff can make sure everything is secure by 9:00 P.M. Also keep in mind that the kitchen was not available when the room was booked and cool storage is limited. We'll have the usual ice chests used for drinks, but please plan to insulate or cool your own pot luck items planned for lunch. We'll also plan to send another short reminder after the regular October 13th singing with any further updates.

You can click on the blue text as links to PDF copies of the event flyer and event map that you can print for a friend or a church bulletin board. We hope you will. to share the school and convention information with others. You can also share the links via email.

And one more thing... Don't forget everyone is also invited to the optional before Sunday gatherings at AQ's Chicken House "around noon" (just ask for the singers) and Denny's at I-540 after the singing for those who wish to get a cup of coffee before the drive home. Hope to see you on Sunday.

The "early" September Singing Report

The September's 2nd Sunday singing at the Shiloh Museum was as early in the month as a 2nd Sunday can ever get! The Shiloh Singers of NW Arkansas enjoyed a good turnout on a fine Sunday afternoon on September 8th in the General Store at the Shiloh Museum in Springdale.

The singers also made a joyful noise at the August 11th singing. We had 19 singers and visitors who sang or listened during the August session. You'll also notice in the photo that the boxes used to store our loaner books were just about empty. We opened the doors, turned up the fans, (electric and hand-powered) and really had a good time singing. I hope you can join us and bring a friend or two this Sunday.

Photo: Even with 19 singers and visitors, we still had room for more singers and more visitors. All the parts were well covered. We are in the process of ordering more books for the October 25th Friday evening Singing School and the NWA Fall Singing Convention on Saturday, October 26. We'll try to update everyone on the details on Sunday, but go ahead and mark the events on your October calendar. We'll also post more details on the web page as they become available.

One more thing... We'll also had the usual optional gatherings:  Those who enjoy chicken on Sunday are invited to join us at AQ's Chicken House in Springdale "around noon." Ask the staff at the cashier's desk for the singers and they'll point you in the right direction. The singers who prefer their Sunday dessert after the singing are also invited to join us at the Denny's in Springdale for pie and coffee or ice cream to soothe the throat after a full afternoon of old fashioned singing. Both are opportunities to enjoy the fellowship of other singers, share ideas and catch up on what other singers have been doing. We all enjoy the singing but it's the singers that make our Sunday afternoon singings so very special. All singers and visitors are always invited and we hope your Sunday schedule will allow you to attend one or all of the events

Hope to see you at our next 2nd Sunday singing.