Interactive with Bill Bates | ||
|
Thanks for viewing this page! Add your comment, PLEASE! 
Click hereto: Enter (or remove) Your Email Address for Email Notification of Updates Back to Interactive With Bill Bates |
"Grass Roots" AMCA: I would like to encourage the attitude that the material/information on the web site is the RESPONSIBILITY of those people that USE the web site (like YOU since you are here). Please help!! If you are a chorus member that just happened to click in here, YOU can enter information here. YOU ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF AMCA and are VERY IMPORTANT to AMCA! YOU do not have to wait for an official Chorus Officer or District Officer or International Officer to enter information here. Your ideas and thoughts are just as important to the rest of us. PLEASE go ahead! Thanks very much. | |
|
Archived Entries/Comments/Discussion by Subject Copyright and Performance Fees Memorization of Music Chorister - Online or Not! Sinning Our Way To Lansing Topic: Highlights Comments: An additional piece of information that has been sent me by the LanSing organizing committee: as of the end of November only slightly more than half of our membership have committed to participating in AMCA's International Sing. One would hope that this is not an indication of the final numbers planning to attend otherwise it will end up as a financial disaster for the organizers. This event was announced five years ago and here we are only with five MONTHS before the date of the Sing and choruses still have not indicated their intentions. Difficult to comprehend, eh? Bill Bates <(Email Address Not Printed)> 12/03/02 11:36 Topic: Re: Jailhouse Inn Comments: I do hope that readers were aware that this article was published around April 1st and intended as my "April Fool's" contribution for your amusement. Obviously George Pecor got the humor, but since he was the only person to comment, I'm not sure that the rest of my readers did? You will be interested to know that the Lindsay and District Historical Society has made application for ownership of the building as soon as it is no longer used as a jail. Guess I'm quirky, but I think my idea is more imaginative! Bill Bates 05/02/02 16:36 Topic: Lindsay Prison Comments: Is it true that your chorus have bought prison garb to offer entertainment to the guests that search this type of vacation? Maybe we're all prisioners and don't realize it. Interesting perspective. George George <(Email Address Not Printed)> 04/27/02 14:26 Topic: bursaries or scholarships Comments: Do you offer bursaries or scholarships to college students in financial need in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada? How would I obtain an application form, what are the qualifications, and application deadline? Thank you for your help. Joyce Trynchuk e-mail jotry@telusplanet.net Joyce Trynchuk <(Email Address Not Printed)> 04/16/02 22:19 Topic: bursaries or scholarships Comments: Do you offer bursaries or scholarships to college students in financial need in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada? How would I obtain an application form, what are the qualifications, and application deadline? Thank you for your help. Joyce Trynchuk e-mail jotry@telusplanet.net Joyce Trynchuk <(Email Address Not Printed)> 04/16/02 22:18 Topic: Lansing Sing Comments: Bill, I won't have answers till after Rhinelander District Sing but will be forwarding info to Lansing and you after that. Milwaukee will go if we have enough singers and we have the Marquette High chorus looking at joining the AMCA as a student chorus and also attending. More later. George George <(Email Address Not Printed)> 03/01/02 16:45 Topic: Access Comments: as an affiliate member do I have the rights to access areas requiring a password? If so, how does one obtain a password? John Oosterink Director: Men of Praise John Oosterink <(Email Address Not Printed)> 02/25/02 13:42 Topic: District Governor Comments: Bill, I just followed up with my version and hope we both get feedback to continue the positive re-inforcements we are trying to portrait, George George <(Email Address Not Printed)> 02/17/02 15:23 Topic: Roles of Governor Comments: Good article Dont know if I do everything mentioned but I enjoy the job. Roger Roger Caine 02/16/02 10:15 Topic: Communication Comments: I just read your job description for the Govenors position. Over the last five years, since the web site started. I've heard we must communicate, we must talk to each other. We must give each other ideas. Other than a few individuals (like yourself) I haven't seen this happening. I tried to keep people informed, with very little success of a response. ALL AMCA and district officer's positions should be filled by people who have the time and willingness to transfer information from one level to another. There is a "comeradery" missing out off the formula. There are perhaps "personality clashes " existing within the organization. I got a lot out of the 3M guy Glen. He shot straight from the hip. We should look at other large Public Relations people. Their ideas are different than mine. I only see others as friends, neighbours and single customers. They see things as a collective group. Thanks for listening Joe. Joe Love <(Email Address Not Printed)>, (Immediate) International Past President 02/09/02 Topic: District Governor Comments: Assuming the District Governor is a steady, long time, dedicated member of the AMCA, your comments are right on. However, if the office "turns over" as often as the President, then the continuity suffers. I belieive continuity can be be acheived by making sure the offices of President and Governor are overlapping terms. In other words...each elected for a two(or more)year term and never vote for these two offices in the same year. The bottom line, though, is the office is only as effective as the person that holds it. If a person is there because he truly thinks he can make a difference, he will do a good job. If he is holding an office because no one else was willing to take it (as I'm afraid is the case many times) he will go through the motions, but not much else. SEB Steven E. Butz <(Email Address Not Printed)> 02/06/02 18:19 Topic: 12/29 Interactive Comments: Bill, I haven't seen the Interactive column about the Governor as yet because this remains as the last column I received. Still no reply from any member of my committee so confused as to what I need to do to get responses and continue the journey. George <(Email Address Not Printed)> 02/03/02 21:26 Topic: Comments: Hi Bill, Just surfing and thanks for the e - mail back on my first column. Dave already has it on the web site, so we'll see what happens. My move is now set for the 15/16th so my actvities will be impeded a little bit. Back to you soon. George George Pecor <(Email Address Not Printed)> 01/06/02 21:36 Topic: Comments: I need a Bill Bates Dallas football jersey, but cannot find one for sales anywhere. I have searched the internet for hours and hours. Any ideas. I do not need an autographed jersey, just a #40 with the Bates name. But it must be a Bill Bates jersey. Thanks Carolyn Bates <(Email Address Not Printed)> 12/08/01 21:13 Topic: AMCA notable Items Student Chorus Comments: What does the New York Penn district have to do withe the Detroit Michigan Student Chorus that has just joined? Did you mean The Michigan District? Wayne Miller <(Email Address Not Printed)> 11/10/01 18:12 Topic: new music Comments: Dear Bill, I've logged on to your site and found it very interesting. Max Music is a company devoted mainly to choral music,particularly TTBB. If you know of anyone who would like to see our catalogue I'll be happy to send one. Our latest publication is a stirring version of 'Let there be Light'. We also have many excellent test-pieces - works that have been commissioned for the British National Championships. Best wishes, Goff Richards goff richards <(Email Address Not Printed)> 10/18/01 01:42 Topic: Source of New Music Comments: Thanks for your comments Bill. I shall be including them in the October Issue. I think your comments should be a regular feature. I will steal them from the web site (unless you want to write a different piece for the Chorister. I hope to have the e-version out tonight and the mailed version in another week or so. September issue is in the mail. It is interesting how most choruses don't use these pieces. Thanks Dan Dan Plunkett <(Email Address Not Printed)> 10/07/01 17:42 Topic: September 11, 2001 Comments: We musr stand fast with our American friends - the closest friends we have - and let the world know that we cannot abide by the cowardice of terrorism. We must ask our government take whatever steps are necessary to bring the evil people who caused so much pain to justice. I would urge all Ontario Choruses to sing "The Stars and Stripes Forever" and "God Bless America" at all of our concerts for the remainder of the year - whether American Choruses are there or not. God bless America! Dan Plunkett <(Email Address Not Printed)> 09/15/01 22:23 Topic: Support Comments: Good column Bill. Maybe the next step would be a close look at how Chorus America, the SPEBSQSA, the Gay and Lesbian Choral Association and other national choral organiations operate. Some of them seem to be thriving. Hang in there. Dave Sennema Dave Sennema <(Email Address Not Printed)> 09/04/01 10:58 Topic: Community Comments: whay we are going through in our respective communities today, regardless of what we do as members of AMCA or O, we all seem to be pulled in some other direction, by force of Global measures. I mean, really, that we have no way at this point in time to overcome the preasures being put on communities to conform to "Global Thinking" this in itself creates an uncertainty, as to what way our future lies, and as a result, it seems to me, we tend to hold back, and not get too involved, this of course is a negative re-action. What the answer is, I don't know for sure, but my money is on the fact that we have to get off our collective "butts" and try to get more involved, in our communities and pastimes. Just thinking out loud. Regards, Bill. Bill Hine <(Email Address Not Printed)> 09/03/01 20:09 Topic: Generating On-line Participation & Drawing In New Members Comments: Bill: I believe that one issue that gets talked about quite often, but not really acted upon is what makes for a successful singing group. While many groups out there are having difficulty, there are a few who manage to maintain a healthy membership! We as AMCAer's need to identify who those healthy groups are and try to share with each other what those "secrets of success" might be. Is it the Music Director, the rehersal venue, the fellowship, the musical selections, the schedule, the uniforms, the leadership, section balance? These are questions I think we need to ask ourselves and identify what seems to make a group "successful" both musically in membership & functionally. Music is a vital part of our countries heritage and everyones lives. While young people are increasingly drawn away by the media attention given to TV, Movies, video games & computers, etc..., we need to rediscover how to draw them back to participatory singing and the benefits which it brings! The computer of course, is one "tool" we can use for this purpose. Certainly, people like Dave Thomas, you and several others have done a "Yeoman's Job" of of using this form of media to this purpose. Yet, somehow we need to find new ways of recruitment, new ways to draw-in the audiences and members. We can appeal to the older crowd for only so many years, something should be discussed publicly about this. As an organization we sing together, but let us work together so that we all are stronger and healthier! I know, we do help each other out, but let us try to raise awareness and take it a few notches higher. As Always, with a song-in-my-heart, Bruce Bruce McCausland <(Email Address Not Printed)> 07/18/01 11:57 Topic: Membership falling off Comments: Greetings Bill First of all it is nice to see that you are still going strong in the AMCA. I was very surprized to see that membership is going down. But i think it is the times we are living in now as far as most groups are having troubles with the member and their family as far as time goes. today moms and dads both have to work and there is not much time to do other things outside the house. Kids are into everything. I know that i have not sang for the last two years because of my wifes health and i have had a chance to see from the other side as far as guys getting involved in singing. I can only look at Marquette Male Chorus and see how they have strugled. I'M hoping to get back into singing this fall and iknow that is going to be one of the things we are going to have to change as far as getting out in the public again and getting new members in. Thank you for doing such a great job and keep up the good work. Hope to hear from you soon and if there is anything ican do to help feel free to ask. A friend in music Dave Glass Dave Glass <(Email Address Not Printed)> 07/10/01 22:20 Topic: Comments: Bill, just wanted to let you know I will be reveiwing your info. Looks like a lot was accomplished. Will forward additional thoughts. Lock City Glee Club <(Email Address Not Printed)> 07/10/01 19:11 Topic: Grants. Comments: Has the AMCA tax exempt status under 501(c)(3)? If so would our chorus be able to qualify for like status a bit differently under your umbrella? Or could you provide advice on, or answer questions relating to achieving 501(c)(3)status ourselves? Many grants are only available to organizations that have the 501(c)(3)qualification. Thank Walter Wright President Rochester Male Chorus (Minnesota) Walter Wright <(Email Address Not Printed)> 07/06/01 16:20 Topic: Reaction to "Silence" Comments: Dear Bill, First off I would like to thank you for your exhaustive efforts in keeping our organization going. Without time and effort being given by people like you we would be extinct. I too am surprised and t the same time guilty for not responding sooner to your update of the spring meeting. The officers of the NY-PENN District understand the needs of our members and are trying to make AMCA an organization that supports their membership in their local choruses. We are in the process of presenting awards to our members who have been with us for a long period of time. These awards are going to be presented at our Big Sing in the fall. We have also helped each chorus offset thier expense on new music by providing funds to pay for a new selection of music to be presented as a Massed number at each Big Sing. At each meeting of the NY-PENN district we share our concerns for new membership and raising funds for our choruses. We will keep trying to find that magical answer. Again I want you to know that your work is appreciated. Keep it up! Ed Schwer President or the NY-PENN District Ed Schwer <(Email Address Not Printed)> 07/03/01 12:10 Topic: June 8/9 meetings Comments: What a great opportunity it was to share ideas and opinions in an open forum. I cannot imagine any other mechanism for gathering so much information. Thanks to you for your prompt transcription from all of the flip charts. Jim Egan <(Email Address Not Printed)> 07/02/01 22:01 Any message that you enter on this page will now automatically be sent to me as an email message. Please feel free to use this interractive web page to "feedback" your ideas to me. Note that I have been and will contnue to monitor the web column "Çomments" on a regular weekly basis; however, I check my email daily so you can expect to hear back from me in a more timely fashion. While my comments will be posted on the site for all to read, there may be some occasions when a sidebar directly to you would be desired. Your email address added to the submission would facilitate that. Bill 12/08/00 14:22 Even though there seem to be a significant number of visitors to "Interactive with Bill Bates", Bill has been a little disappointed with the "Interactive" part of his page. He would like to hear directly from more AMCAers and he would like for some "dialogue/discussion" to develop on material that he presents so I thought I'd provide a convenient tool for a viewer response. Give Bill a "boost" or a "comment" for his ideas, devotion, humor, organization, and/or excellent work for AMCA. Please click ADD YOUR COMMENT above and let Bill (and other AMCAers) know your ideas and interests! David Thomas (Web Manager) 09/26/00
| ||