From: Marva Hughes
The first IES was a great success, and of course, I loved it! It was like Region 25's SMC on a bigger scale, and I highly recommend this barbershop experience to everyone who can possibly go next year!

I was enrolled in the Regional Leaders' Track and attended required classes geared to communications, negotiation skills, management, facilitation, PR and marketing, resources, and breakout sessions with Marketing/Membership Coordinators from other regions around the world (these are always good!). If I had to choose a favorite of the administrative classes, it would probably be Karen Breidert's class on Presentation Skills. She is such an effective speaker herself, and her class was so interesting, well prepared and full of usable information.

The greatest challenge came in choosing electives--so MANY good ones were offered! I ended up with How To Lead Your Section (Mary Ellen Stepanich), How to Be a Great Baritone (Sue Beck), Tune In To In Tune (Dixie Dahlke), Sell the Song and Energizing Your Sound, (both by Jean Barford). These were all very good, but my favorites here were (1) Energizing Your Sound, an awesome class-participation session with Jean demonstrating how posture, stance and expression actually affect the sound (the time FLEW in this one!), and (2) Tune In To In Tune, Dixie's demonstration class with the incredible Rumors quartet. What a listening exercise this was!

The show on Saturday night was GREAT, and the Rising Star Quartet Contest on Friday evening, in which all contestants had to be age 25 or under, was DELIGHTFUL! Three of the quartets were from the United Kingdom, one of which came in second--dressed in matching pajamas and fuzzy house shoes and carrying Teddy Bears--singing a song called "Teddy Bear," to the tune of "Baby Face!" They were wonderful!

My brain is still on overload, but I'm hoping to be able to retrieve at least some of the information when I need it! This is INDEED an educational organization!

Have a good day!
Marva Hughes - Prairie Winds Chorus