What's New; 349; Tucson Boys' Choir

What's new, series number 12, A -2110, Tucson Boys Choir, recorded 11, 16, 68, 29 minutes length. And round about. Here, there, and everywhere. What's new?

Hi, that's about 1 -100th of the Star Spangled Banner, or for that matter, a very small portion of any number of songs you might care to mention. My problem is that I have the world's worst musical instrument here to try to play the songs on. Actually, although the intent of this little item is musical, it isn't an instrument at all. It's a pitch pipe, and as you know, pitch pipes are used for piping the pitch, as in... Carle directors use them. Music directors do. And as a matter of fact, for a number of years, we had our authentic, what's new, pitch pipe band, which finally dissolved when we discover that we could really only play one song together, and that one rather badly. We were in pitch, though. Our story today does have to do with pitch pipes, also in part with this term, acapella, which is

also spelled this way. You can mull that over for a while, what acapella means exactly, and also join us as we hit the road with Mr. Jeff Haskell and the Tucson Boys Choirs. For 53 days, this bus and its occupants have been traveling the United States and Canada, from Arizona to Alberta, from Texas to Maine, this group of 26 boys has covered the country, performing almost nightly for thousands of people. The boys set this trip as one of their primary goals.

The idea behind the chorus is to teach each boy to reach the goal he wants. A start toward the goal of traveling with the chorus begins with a boy's desire to become a member. He may want to join for a variety of reasons. All, of course, have a love of music. To join is a big decision. It means almost all of his free time will be spent on two things, his homework and rehearsals. Can I hear it? Any? Same. Auditions are held for each boy, with the chorus director and his assistants taking part. The chorus director, Jeff Haskell, generally works with the boys, while Tom Patrick,

director of the junior group, and Rudy Thompson, director of the intermediate group, listen, making notes for later discussion. You know, it's really hard to choose boys for the chorus. The auditions last such a short period of time, like 10 or 15 minutes. And in such a short period of time, you can always be sure that you've made a good or right decision. You hope for the best. I try to decide which 20 % of the boys who audition will be the most valuable of the chorus. And to try to choose those boys who will get the most out of chorus life. Here in rehearsal, the boys experience what many times is their first contact with a tightly disciplined group. You know, a

great voice means absolutely nothing, if a boy can't get along well with others. Within two or three months from the time we get the boys, I think they all know this. The boy has to have a sense of acting within the group and for the group. I mean, he can't be a show off of any nature. He has to understand, has to know how to work with other people. So before I choose a boy to go on tour, I have to know that he can handle himself well when he's away from home. This is why every August we spend two weeks with the boys at a ranch outside of Tucson. The ranch is really important to us. Here we have a completely different atmosphere being generated with a small change of climate and generally a change of living. Here the boys are away from home for a period of 14 days and they have no one but myself and older members of the chorus to look after them. At the ranch they learn very quickly I think about the chorus life and consequently I can learn about them more

quickly than I can in about nine months of regular rehearsal classes. In group activities a boy becomes aware both of his group and of individual persons. Together they learn to rope, ride, shoot bows and arrows and of course to sing. The final choice for boys who will go on the tour is not made at the ranch. What Jeff Haskell learns about the boys is helpful in making that choice. The young singers are always given the chance during their rehearsals to make friends but their big opportunity to show how well they can get along comes when they spend the two weeks together at the ranch.

Some of the skills the boys learn at the ranch such as roping and making coyote calls are often adapted for use when they sing western songs. Though it's summertime and the boys are on vacation rehearsals aren't forgotten even at the ranch every day the boys practice. Song such as this make the Tucson Arizona boys chorus a unique organization for centuries Europe has had boys choir groups but they have been slow to develop in this country. It took an Englishman to actually start this group a long time dream of its founder Eduardo Caso the first chorus in 1939 had

only eight boys and depended on two girls to complete the vocal effects needed. The early years were difficult the chorus was small and so were the audiences mostly friends and families came to the concerts but as the years passed they acquired a small following then a sponsor then many sponsors. Since the time they began their concert tours across the United States Europe and Australia and on radio and television the singing cowboys have been called the finest walking advertisement a city ever had. But at Wardo Caso's goal for the chorus was not only to present professional music concerts before he died in 1965 he had made another goal an important part of chorus life one of the members remembers at Wardo Caso as an influence. I remember Mr. Caso used to tell us that singing was only part of the training we got in the chorus he used to tell us that it

was important to have a goal to work for. I guess our biggest goal while we're in the chorus was to go on tour but once I went on tour I started to think about my future I think that's what he was working towards. He wanted the chorus to be kind of training ground to make us think about the important things in life. After two weeks at the ranch the boys will head back for Tucson school and rehearsals will take over most of their time from now to

early winter. Since the boys will be gone through most of the spring we have to arrange through the various boards of education in Tucson to have the boys attend special classes. We hire tutors on our own and look for places in town which can supply us classrooms. The teachers are fully accredited then they cooperate very well. By the time January comes tension will have built to a fever pitch. Finally about 25 boys will be chosen and the tour will be ready to go. Jeffrey Haskell came to the chorus in 1965. A week before his death Eduardo Caso had asked a young man working on his doctorate music at the University of Arizona to play for a rehearsal. Mr Haskell's musical abilities got him a job

he wasn't sure he wanted. I didn't feel close to the chorus at first. I was working on my doctorate at the U of A and reluctant to leave my studies. But I think the scene has changed now because I feel involved with the chorus and what it stands for. The chorus takes a boy and molds him into the chorus image so that he can become more aware of how things are in the world. I should have put on my card can you need a lot of love? That's a gift. That's just one of the things they give. Sometimes the problems and episodes can be less than pleasant, such as with bad weather or a mistake in motel reservations. Two people who have helped over the past years to make these problems more bearable and sometimes even fun are the driver Ed Zettiger, whom the boys fondly call Z and the boys tour mother Mrs. Clara Montgomery. Okay, let's give them some water. Go!

Bye! Bye! Look at that play. Bye! I'd like to ride my beautiful balloon. I'd like to ride my beautiful balloon. In ten weeks the chorus performs in about 45 concerts in Canada and across the United States. Most of the days are spent on the bus with every night in a different town.

Boys busy themselves during the travel time on the bus and they gain a certain closeness unknown to most boys their ages. They talk with each other play cards and games, what not. Basically they can sit down and think what they're growing up into. And I hope that they can see and decide for themselves exactly what they gain from a tour of this type. Clara Montgomery is a wonderful substitute mother. She can turn a seven boy who maybe got up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning into a loving person by noon. On a high powered tour like this one, there is not much time for rest stops. Picnic lunches

are good excuses for stretching cramped legs. And an impromptu football game before lunch provides some exercise. Hey you guys, let's go get up here. Come on. Come on, let's go. Yeah, we're starting off a distance. Yeah, I have to have the bottom. Come on. This is so good. I can't wait to go out and play football again. You guys want milk, you better get it now. Football team is the greatest. Oh, here's something right here. Every week or so, recreation and sightseeing stops are scheduled. While in Kansas City, they had a chance to visit the local zoo. That's like the same. At

the Kansas City stockyards, the boys hear a kind of music very different from their own, the cry of the auctioneer. As the farmers and ranchers bid for the animals, the auctioneer repeats what they offer and the boys try to understand him. 3030. Being a chorus member includes taking responsibility while on tour. Each boy is given a certain duty, and it's his job to see that it gets done. A good chorus member also

means standing patiently in motel lobbies waiting for the clerk to check reservations. Tired and hungry from a long bus ride, the boys nevertheless have their chores to do before performance. Whether it's sound equipment, scenery, or lighting, they each are relied on. One chore is the job of doing the laundry. Generally done each week, the boys have to work on a tight schedule. Under the supervision of Mom Montgomery, the boys handle the job of sorting, washing, and drying clothes for the entire group. On a good day, they can do it in two and a half hours. Generally, there's time for a cold shower and a hot dinner afterward. At our table, Lord,

be here and everywhere, Lord. This must be the last week. Let's try again on the side of the speed. There is time to eat, rest a little, set things up at the

auditorium, and then sing. But things don't always go this well. For instance, in February, the bus broke down in a blizzard not far from the Canadian border. Through prearrangement, we had to be across the Canadian border at a certain time. Our driver, Ed Zettaker, hitched a ride, called another bus in a tow truck in the state police. By the time we broke down at 4 p .m. until the time we got out, a period of about six hours had elapsed. Finally, we got into Canada and bedded down at 4 p .m. and then got up at 7 p .m. We sang two concerts that day. What town do we stand about? Lincoln, Nebraska? That's a pretty big town, isn't it? It's a pretty big town, so you won't have to find a laundry man. Who's going to do it? When possible,

Jeff Haskell rehearses the chorus before a performance. After the equipment has been set up, the props in place, lights and microphones checked. The only things left to worry about are the voices. The boys handle their responsibilities very well. This is where they learn how to be show people. And this again is where they have to be right up there with the professionals. One source that helps to pay for the tour is from the sale of tickets, record albums and program booklets. Here also the boys are in

charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight. As the audience arrives, the rehearsal is ended and the boys go backstage to the dressing room. One of the problems of traveling on a tour like this is trying to keep the costumes straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place. Excitement in the dressing room is common before a performance. Even though weeks of performance are behind them, the question of how they will do tonight is always present. Waiting is generally the worst part. None of the boys really gets used to that. And if ever there is a moment when any of the boys wish they were back home, this is probably it. The

boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition. The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place. The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place.

The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place. The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place. The

boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place. The applause from an audience is always welcome. The boys are in charge and

are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place. Every performance comes to an end, however, as the tour itself will end in a few weeks. For many of the boys, it will mark their last association with the chorus. The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the accounts straight and in good condition with all the buttons in place. The

boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the buttons in place. The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the buttons in place. The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the buttons in place. The boys are in charge and are responsible for keeping all the buttons in place.