Word of Mouth

Choir, I wanted to share this email with you:

Philip,

This is Cissy Johnson at Berry Middle School in Hoover. I got an email from my father today. He is a music educator and church musician in Morristown, Tennessee. I just wanted to share something one of his colleagues said to him:

"Kathy Bowen said that ACDA was great. She was particularly impressed with the UAB Choir. She said they were awesome."

Of course, those of us in B'ham know that. But, I think UAB Music is a well kept secret in some parts.

Congratulations!!

I'm always glad to go from unknown . . . to . . . awesome. Isn't that a wonderful note? I greatly appreciate her sending it my way.

The Proposal

Lauren called me from Atlanta tonight, right before she got on the plane for Chile.

She told me Rebekah Smith just got engaged. Congrats to Rebeka!

And thanks to Lauren, who, even in Chile, finds a way to help me with life.

Don't miss this.

Hilarious.

Holly Sawardecker: Incredible Face

Always watch the director

MartinBusted
Originally uploaded by philipco.

Looks like Patrick busted Martin with this pic. Moral of the story: Always Keep Your Eyes on This Director.

Camera Captures Essence of Carlee

IMG_0242
Originally uploaded by philipco.

Blazing the Stage and Chris Carter

Patrick took some wonderful pictures of our performance at ACDA. This is one of my favorites.

Other ACDA news: a student at the University of Georgia sent me an email complimenting our performance, our faces while singing, and especially Chris Carter's. Here is her email--she gave me permission to share it with you:

Dr. Copeland,
I'm a member of the UGA Women's Glee Club, and was privileged to watch your performance at ACDA on Thursday morning. I just wanted to tell you, and your choir, how much we all enjoyed your performance! Your pieces were beautiful, the soloist in the last piece sang wonderfully, and the stage presence was amazing! I wanted to try and speak to your group back at the hotel, but we never crossed paths. I was especially impressed with one of your basses (I think it was a bass) in the middle of the third row, with short blonde hair- he has the best facial expressions I have seen in a college group! The entire performance, he had a huge smile on his face and just made the music that much more enjoyable! A few of the other girls and I agreed, it felt like he was singing to us, like there was no one else in the hall! I just wanted to tell you how impressed I was with your performance, and I'm sorry that an "exchange concert" was unable to be arranged. Once again, it was a pleasure hearing your choir perform and I hope to hear you again!

Sincerely,
Celia Jenkins

Lauren Loves Gospel Singing

And we love Lauren. And we'll miss her.

A portion of her review of the trip here from her blog:

It was a wonderful 10 hour bus ride up and 10 more wonderful hours back - a ride which included everything from naps and movies, to religious discussions and truth or dare. oh yeah and who can forget that lovely southern gospel blasting from the front with added bass slides which got pretty mundane after hearing them for the umpteenth time.

Lauren travels to Chile on Monday. We will miss her incredible voice in choir--but we'll miss her wonderful spirit more. Bon voyage, girl, and be safe.

Charleston, WV Weather

Here's the forecast.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Calm wind.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high around 52. Calm wind becoming west between 15 and 18 mph. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. West wind between 9 and 13 mph.

Friday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 47.

Isn't that a great pose from Claire?

Sunday, February 19, 2006 (8)
Originally uploaded by philipco.

Birth order again.

Love that look from Claire. And Caroline looks a little devilish. Catherine? Sleepy.
A larger size here.

It's been awhile

Sunday, February 19, 2006
Originally uploaded by philipco.

It's been awhile since I've shared pictures of the triplets. And I love sharing these very special girls. They are in birth order here: Catherine, Caroline, Claire.

Here's a larger size.

Chili's Menu--for a little over $10

Chili’s Special Menu for Philip Copeland Group

There are two options for eating on Wednesday evening of the trip. The first choice is from the menu listed below. Choosing one of the sandwiches, chips, and a drink from the below choices will cost 10.11 (tip is on your own).

If you want something else, you can order off the regular menu and I'll call it in. Here is the menu with prices (pdf file).

Look it over and make a decision. We'll take the orders in class on Tuesday.

Entrees
Bacon Cheeseburger
BBQ Ranch Burger
Chipotle Blue Cheeseburger
Cajun Chicken Sandwich
Grill Chicken Sandwich
Chili’s Cheesesteak Sandwich

Beverages
Coke
Diet Coke
Sprite
Dr. Pepper
Lemonade
Tea (Sweet & Unsweet)

Each sandwich comes w/ fries for $6.99
Beverage 2.09
Chips .46 ($2.29/5)
$9.54
Tax: .57

Total: $10.11 per guest

Itinerary for ACDA Trip

Link to pdf of Itinerary.

Wednesday, February 22
Driver: Barry Yarborough (probably)

4:30 a.m. Bus Arrives
5:00 a.m. Bus leaves (Travel time 4: 00 hours)
10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) Lunch: Knoxville
11:00 a.m. Depart Knoxville (travel time 5:00 hours)
4:00 p.m. Arrive Charleston, West Virginia
4:30 p.m. Chili's
Charleston S-101 Charleston Town Ctr.
Charleston, WV 25389
Phone: 304-346-7275
5:30 p.m. Arrive Clay Center
6:00 p.m. Dress Rehearsal
6:30 p.m. Depart Clay Center, Travel to Hotel
7:00 p.m. Arrive at
Holiday Inn-Charleston House
600 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25301
304.344.4092

10:00 p.m. In rooms, lights out at 10:30

Thursday, February 23

7:00 Wake up calls (section leaders will confirm)
8:30 Travel to Clay Center-Upon arrival, to holding room
9:30 Warm-up room (20-25 minutes)
10:00 PERFORMANCE
11:00 Choir will return to the hotel, no official plans for the rest of the day.

4:30 Opportunity to hear other choirs perform @ Clay Center:
Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Choir
Florida State University Singers
12:00 midnight (room check)

Friday, February 24
8:30 Opportunity to hear other choirs perform @ Clay Center:
Pebblebrook High School Performing Arts Chamber Choir
University of Mississippi Concert Singers
East Carolina University Chamber Singers
Winthrop University Jazz Voices
12:00 p.m. DEPART FOR BIRMINGHAM
5:00 p.m. Meal in Knoxville, TN
10:00 p.m. Arrive in Birmingham

The Empire Strikes Back? Or Revenge of the Nerds?

You decide.

My favorite:

5. Any comments on our flags artistry will not be tolerated. It was done by a Bassian child because, unlike Baritonians and Sopranians, we like children.

Upate: Nick creates Fatherland.

Quarter = 69?

overhill
Originally uploaded by philipco.

The composer marks it at 69 beats per minute. Do you agree? Check your perfect tempo for the piece here.

Clay's Influence Felt Across the World

Clay's influential creation of Baritonia is reverberating across the choir world. How do I know? Because I've sung baritone before.

Nick and MBV have given us a taste of their on creativity . . . Nick with the flag to the left and a rather small list of why it's great to be a tenor. Nick's best contribution? The homophobic name of the country: United Straights of Tenor.

MBV has not provided a flag (yet) but gives a wonderful response to Clay with her "reasons why sopranos are better." My favorite? The one about Sigmund Freud (a baritone) . . . but I won't quote that here in the interest of good taste . . . but it is very funny.

My other favorites in a list full of creative jabs:

Sopranos can resurrect the dead. They choose not to, however, because the dead sound like baritones after they've been in the ground for a while. The world is fortunate that Sopranos are also merciful.

When we get tired of singing the melody, we sing the descant.

Sopranos can impregnate men with their voices. The baritones still think they've just been developing beer bellies.

Learning from Last Night

Choir,

Great job at the concert. I'm sure there is much to learn from last night's concert but I haven't put my mind to it yet.

Overall, I was quite pleased with the performance. Great energy, great concentration. I don't think that it was perfect and I believe we can improve on much, but I feel good about where we are right now.

There were several area choral directors in attendance: Megan Wicks (Vestavia HS director), Robert Wright (Univ. Montevallo), Terry Johnson (Vestavia Baptist), Jim Dorroh (St. Luke's Episcopal), Patricia Corbin (Jacksonville St.) and I'm sure a few others that I can't remember. It was an important concert and you did well.

I was interested to find this blog from a Samford student this morning upon awakening. Gotta love tools like Technorati. Interesting comments, and see my response.

Directions to Mountain Brook Baptist

Remember, park at the Jr. High.

From Red Mountain Expressway (Highway 280 East)

Exit at the Zoo Exit.
At the second traffic light (Montevallo Road), turn left.
Continue straight. The church is on the right at the corner of Montevallo Road and Overbrook Road.

From I-20 East/Eastwood Mall Area

Exit at the Montevallo Road Exit.
Turn right onto Montevallo Road and continue several miles past several shopping areas.
Continue to the traffice light at Overbrook Road.
The church is on the left at the corner of Montevallo Road and Overbrook Road.

From Brookwood Mall/Lakeshore Drive

Travel under Highway 280 on Lakeshore Drive.
Continue approximately one mile to the traffic light at the Overbrook Road intersection. Turn left onto Overbrook Road.
The church is approximately one half mile on the left.

Greatest. Post. Ever.

Congrats to Clay and
his list of why it's awesome to be a baritone.
It has to be one of the greatest choir posts ever. My favorite:

3. As a baritone, I can raise and lower my cholesterol at will. Why would I want to raise my cholesterol? So I can lower it.

In other news, a certain soprano likes quasi-semi-beards.

James?

Upate: Somehow, Baritonia acquired a national flag. I was obligated to feature it in the post, for I have sung baritone in the past and tasted its glory. (thanks to james for the error notification. it's is now its. I'm sorry that it cost him a letter grade.)

Special Visitor Tomorrow

We have a special guest tomorrow, Dr. Gregory Fuller from the University of Southern Mississippi.

He asked to visit and talk to our students about the graduate programs at USM.

I met him when I was still in Mississippi and he is one of the nicest and funniest guys I've ever known in this profession. I don't laugh out loud very much but this guy had me doubled over one day--I don't even remember why.

Anyway, he's got a great choir that sang at last year's National ACDA convention. Please give him all the respect you give me.

On second thought, give him more.