June Reflections

This month was an opportunity to come together after convention, reflect on what we achieved and think about what’s coming up! We spent some time during rehearsal discussing our experiences at convention, forming small groups to identify what we enjoyed and learnt when: 1. performing during the contest, 2. watching our performance video and 3. listening to the performance. We also thought about how we want rehearsals for the rest of 2025 to look, feel and sound.

We then shared the thoughts and ideas from all small groups, with the help of our "speaking tiara", which moved around the room so everyone had a turn at being the spokesperson! It’s always fun to add some sparkle to rehearsal!   It was super valuable to take the time to reflect and think about what we want for our chorus for the months ahead. 

We also had a rainbow rehearsal this month, as June is Pride Month! Pride Month is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community to society, and to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion.

This was not only a chance to make our rehearsal bright and colourful, but also an opportunity to discuss the origins of Pride Month and the importance of queer visibility and ally visibility. At Blue Sky Harmony, we are inclusive and celebrate diversity. We choose our music thoughtfully, and tailor it so that as many people as possible can connect with our performances. We are very flexible with costumes so all our members feel comfortable and confident on stage. We encourage open communication and are always learning.

Membership of our chorus is open to women, including trans women, and also non-binary folks. We love all of our members, as everyone brings their individuality to the chorus and helps shape our culture.

Speaking of culture, one of the very important people in helping shape our chorus’s culture is Nat G, who has now reached 20 years of membership of Sweet Adelines International! Nat is a founding member of Blue Sky Harmony and was integral in getting the chorus up and running. She was our inaugural Team Coordinator and continues to play an important role in chorus operations via the finance team. She also is a favourite host of our visiting coaches!

As well as these roles, Nat is an ever-reliable chorus member, who attends nearly every rehearsal and performance and is always ready to help out when needed. Our chorus would not be the same without her beautiful lead voice, which she also shares with Luminous Quartet. Nat is a wonderful representative of our chorus and organisation and we're so lucky to have her as a Blue Skyer. We presented Nat with a 20-year membership pin at convention, where she also crossed the stage with other people achieving longevity milestones, to receive a commemorative certificate.

June was jam-packed – as well as all of the above, we welcomed keen singers from the community to our Open Rehearsal! Some of our guests are now in the audition process to become members – so exciting! For those who don’t return to audition, we hope we’ve sparked your enthusiasm for singing and that you find an avenue to enjoy this passion. There is a choir out there to suit everyone’s musical interests, availability and skillsets!