When I joined Sweet Adelines in 1965, I was a college graduate with a B.A. degree in Psychology. Even though I came from a very musical family and sang and performed with my family and sang in musical groups in grade school and high school, I had never had a voice lesson or individual vocal training of any kind. The chorus that I joined didn't have a director with any voice background either. And yet I loved the experience at that chorus because I fell in love with the barbershop style and eventually got into a quartet as a bass with my sister as the lead. My quartet, The Penna-Fores, had coaching with members of The Society and Sweet Adelines for several years but none of those people who worked with us had any background inteaching voice. The Penna-Fores placed as high as 7th in the International Competition before
we made the commitment to fly a vocal coach to us and go for the gold. Jarmela Speta agreed
to help us and in the next two International competitions we place fourth and first. The other coaches who worked with us before Jarmela told us everything they knew to help us get better. And we did get better in spite of the fact that a few people told us things that created incorrect vocal production. In those early days of our quartet career, barbershop singers were striving to have a "white" sound. The goal was to have no vibrato and many times tension producing techniques were encouraged because they helped to keep the tone "straight". Singing vowels with a tight, puckered mouth shape was also in vogue in those days to help the singers match vowels. The process of matching voices for a unit sound meant trying to sound like the person next to you which involved vocal manipulation. Jarmela taught us correct vocal production in the quartet. We encouraged our regional leaders to have Jarmela come to our region and teach vocal production to our chorus directors and musical leaders. When I became DMA of Region #19, I brought Mary Dick to our region to teach our DMA Faculty correct vocal production. I had become an avid believer. My quartet won in 1980 and by 1983 I was back in school studying Voice. There were other Sweet Adelines at that time going back to school for the same reason. Several of them went back to school after they'd won their crowns, as I did, and I hope they'll share their stories too.
Joining Sweet Adelines and a quartet revolutionized my life. Becoming an International Quartet Champion brought me so much more than a gold medal and a crown!!!! It seemed to permanently alter my DNA. Good singing became my passion, my avocation and eventually my career. No matter how much I volunteer my time and knowledge to Sweet Adelines as a judge, faculty member, committee member, Queens' College faculty and/or coach, I'll never be able to give back more than I've received from being a member of Sweet Adelines and the Coronet Club.
we made the commitment to fly a vocal coach to us and go for the gold. Jarmela Speta agreed
to help us and in the next two International competitions we place fourth and first. The other coaches who worked with us before Jarmela told us everything they knew to help us get better. And we did get better in spite of the fact that a few people told us things that created incorrect vocal production. In those early days of our quartet career, barbershop singers were striving to have a "white" sound. The goal was to have no vibrato and many times tension producing techniques were encouraged because they helped to keep the tone "straight". Singing vowels with a tight, puckered mouth shape was also in vogue in those days to help the singers match vowels. The process of matching voices for a unit sound meant trying to sound like the person next to you which involved vocal manipulation. Jarmela taught us correct vocal production in the quartet. We encouraged our regional leaders to have Jarmela come to our region and teach vocal production to our chorus directors and musical leaders. When I became DMA of Region #19, I brought Mary Dick to our region to teach our DMA Faculty correct vocal production. I had become an avid believer. My quartet won in 1980 and by 1983 I was back in school studying Voice. There were other Sweet Adelines at that time going back to school for the same reason. Several of them went back to school after they'd won their crowns, as I did, and I hope they'll share their stories too.
Joining Sweet Adelines and a quartet revolutionized my life. Becoming an International Quartet Champion brought me so much more than a gold medal and a crown!!!! It seemed to permanently alter my DNA. Good singing became my passion, my avocation and eventually my career. No matter how much I volunteer my time and knowledge to Sweet Adelines as a judge, faculty member, committee member, Queens' College faculty and/or coach, I'll never be able to give back more than I've received from being a member of Sweet Adelines and the Coronet Club.
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