HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-03-22, Page 19sijkes
They never told me it would be that
good:,
The jokes, dirty little stories in the
washrooms and feigned hearty laugh,
when you really didn't understand,
were all part of the learning process.
But I never realized it was actually
good for me. Not until now.
.The subject I'rn subtley hinting at is
well... you.know...there's us guys and
then you got the other kind with bumps
inth.eir.sweaters...er, girls, that's it and
it's got something to do with bees and
Hewers, I think.
That's right you guessed, it, SEX.
Excuse me, not so loud, sex.
Now not that I am an authority or
tend to expound on the subject of..•you
know...very often but• I learned some
neat things this week.
Ah, fooling arou...no forget I said
that, I meant engaging in ...( my god
this is embarassing) being romantic
with the little woman is good for you.
That's right? Sex beats jogging, any
time. •
tne,1
Although J.B. Herdman says he chose a music career "by fdree of c
cumstances", the choice has led him to a number of interesting jobs a ' an
organist and choir director at churches in England, Scotland, Prince
Edward Island and Ontario. He is presently the organist and choir director
at St. George's Anglican Church In Goderich where he has remained for
almost six years now. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
132—YEAR 12
•u
Now if you're -looking to. trim a few
excess fleshy bits off the frame, sex is
better than dlieting. One tittle
smackeroo can burn up 125 calories but
if leave one lingering on the mate's lips
for a bit it could dispose of a whopping
300 calories.
Sure beats the hell out of strapping
on the North Stars for a few- trips
around the block.
Now the average small peck or even
just a graze across the cheeck as you
leave for work, eats up an average of
nine calories. Now if you and the mate
are taken to engaging or indulging in
such activity, say three times a day (
disgusting) it would burn up 9,855
calories per year.
And you'd never have to go outdoors.
These stunning stats were supplied
through the Environmental Nuitrition
newsletter and they claim that two
romantic interludes per week ( I will
leave that one to your imagination) at
212 calories per, disposes of 22,100
calories in a year.
Now if you and the life partner are
somewhat more romantically inclined
than two nights per week or are given
in to wrestling matches or chasing one
another about the house, double those
figures.
One year off such activity would
result in a nine pound loss, depepdjng
of course upon the nature and
frequency of the activity.
And if the slimming prospects
weren't enough td tempt the shy and
bashful, smooching can also prevent
tooth decay. I give you my word.
A dentist claims that kissing helps'
stimulate saliva which neutralizes the
acid that causes tooth decay, Isn't.
science wonderful.
It's important for readers to
scrutinize this valuable, information
thoroughly so as not to confuse the
facts.
So don't be engaging in romantic
interludes if you're looking for a bright,
white smile. And don't over indulge in
smooching if its excess pounds that
require a trimming. Unless of course
the smooching leads to baseball or
running.
Which only leads to the logical
duduction that if you know any skinny
guys with a great set of bicuspids...well
you know, he's getting a lot of exercise
and usually sports a large grin.
- I only wish this inermation had been
available before. I mean if my parents
would have dealt out the straight facts,
they could have saved a fortune in
dentist bills.
All I ever heard was that an apple a
day kept the doctor away. Well it didn't
work. I still made the occassional visit.
But doctors know. They're always the -
skinny guys with great looking teeth.
I will just have to make sure my kids
know the facts. I don't want dentist
bills piling up.
I'm usually not one to boast but this
correspondent is a bit on the slight side.
Do you think it could be because....nah,
it couldn't be.
lGNAL STA
The Music Man
THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 1972
He didn't plan it this way
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
For someone who
claims he took up a music
career "by force of
circumstances"., J.B.
Herdman, organist and
choir leader at • St.
George's Anglican
Church in Goderich for
the past five years, has
certainly led a varied and
interesting life revolving
around this career.
At present, Mr. Her-
dman is preparing the
Goderich Concert Choir
for its part in the "Sounds
of Goderich" concert to
be held at G.D.C.I. on
Friday evening, March
30. He is the leader of this
choir which he founded in
1977, Goderich's Jubilee 3
year. At the Goderich
Arts Council meetings
that ar, Mr. Herdman
t earing people
suggest that the town
bring in talent • to per-
form. He suggested in-
stead that the town utilize
the talent it already had.
He formed the Goderich
Concert Choir based upon
that idea. • .
Mr. Herdman was born
in Harrington, Cum-
berland, England just
below the Scottish border
but moved at a very.
young age to Mossley,
Lancans•hire• where' he
grew up and attended
school. He started
studying music there
with a local teacher at the
tender age of nine. He
learned to play the organ
when he was so small that
he couldn't reach the
pedal board, he recalls.
By the time he was 14, he
was the accompanist for
a choir formed by the
local teacher and
travelled all over the
north of England with
this choir.
PLUNGED IN
Mr. Herdman's father
was a music lover and it
was his wish that one of
his three sons have a
chance to enter some
aspect of the music
profession. He was killed
in World War I however
and would never know
that his eldest son did in
fact embark upon a
career in music.
As the •eldest, Mr.
Herdman says his
father's wishes sort of fell
. to hi-rn. Of the three boys,
he was the most likely to
take up music anyway, he
explains. Still, he says, he
can think of other things
he would much rather
have done in life. He
would like to have tried a
career in journalism, for
instance. But one can't do
everything one wants to
do in a life time, he says
philosophically and he
wouldn't have missed his
music experiences for
anything.
He claims he "plunged
into (music) with a
handful of pupils (to
teach) .and an organ
appointment" at Old Hall
Congregational Church in
Dukinfield, .Cheshire,
England at the age of 16.
He was still studying
music with the local
teacher at Mossley and
The Goderich Concert Choir, under the direction of J.B. Herdman, is shown
here practising for the "Sounds of Goderich" concert to be perfromed at
G.D.C.I. on March 30. The choir, which was founded by Mr. Herdman in
1977, has a core of about 24 people. Mr. Herdman would like to see it build up_
to about 70 voices in order to become balanced. He feels the choir has
progressed quite well though considering fits' small size and the lack of
places It has to perform. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
working in an athletic leader and, organist at
outfitters business when Christ Church Anglican
he decided that he was a Church from 1956 to 1958.
"misfit in business". He Next he moved.. to
saw his "quickest way Waterloo where he acted
out" as a career in music as choir director and
since he was. already . a leader of St. John's
church organist anyway, Evangelical Lutheran places to perform. He
Once he- Tirade -the- .church •untri•1 •1.962 Then• 'would really like to see
- decision to take up music he went to Midtand-where""""'the c—hoir--grow--inta--tire --
sort of choir his first
teacher had. In those
days there were choirs in
almost every small town
and suburb.
Mr. Herdman finds that
training and directing a
choir is a real challenge.
There's more to con-
ducting than just waving
one's arms around. It's
difficult to learn con-
ducting. One needs a
certain cast of mind, a
certain approach to it, he
says. ' Orchestra and
choral conducting are
two completely different
things.
Mr. Herdman says he
used to go to as many
Scottish National
Orchestra concerts as he
could and sit behind the
orchestra to see what the
conductor was doing.
There is a bit of mistique
about -conducting, he
says.
Mr. Herdman would
modestly ,dismiss his
music career as just "a
tremendous number of
appointments both here
and in England", if not
pressed for' details. He
says he could tell "all
sorts of things"' about his
career "but it gets to be a
bit of a•bore".
He says he is fortunate
in having had training in
both the organ and choral
work because this has
opened the doors to many
different jobs for him.
His work is a constant
alternation between the,
two extremes . of
frustration and
satisfaction, he says.
Mr. Herdman enjoys a
wide spectrum of music
and has written some of
his own --perhaps some
day he will have enough
nerve to publish
something., .he says.
Meanwhile he is enjoying
his work in Goderich.
1
SECOND SECTION
amateurs, seems to go in
cycles, he says.
The Goderich Concert
Choir has progressed
quickly though, says Mr.
Herdman, considering it
is small and has few
professionally, ,he
enrolled in the South
Manchester School of
Music where he spent the
next four and a half years
until the second •World
War broke out. He then
spent five and a half
years in the British army
and was demobilized in
1946 while in Glasgow,
Scotland. He began
studying music as a
private pupil .with an
organist at Glasgow
University then and
landed his first job in
Glasgow as choir leader
and _-organist with Hill
Head Congregational
Church. He stayed there
for about a year.
Meanwhile he studied
harmony, counterpoint
and composition with a'
well-known composer by
the name of Purcell J.
Mansfield as a private
pupil and friend at
Glasgow University.
His next appointment
as a choir leader and
organist in Glasgow was
at Orchard Hill. Parish
Church in Giffnock where
he stayed for seven and a
half years. While in
Glasgow, Mr. Herdman
reformed and conducted
the Cathcart Choral
Society as well as con-
ducting the well-known
S..C.W.S. Male Voice.
Choir and the Bute Choral
Union,
TO CANADA
he worked at St. Paul's
United Church until 1964.
TO MARITIMES
Mr. Herdman left
Ontario for Prince
Edward Island in 1964
where he worked at
Trinity United Church
until 1967.. Ther, he went
to work at the First
United Church in Truro,
Nova Scotia. While there
he formed a choral group
that, to his knowledge, is
still in existence.
He went back to P.E.I.
in 1970 where he taught
music in a school for two
years just for the ex-
perience of teaching in a
school. The rule on the
island, he says, seemed to
be "avoid culture at all ,
costs" so teaching music
there was quite an ex-
perience indeed.
Having finished his
"Maritime travels", he
headed back to Ontario.
He became choir leader
and organist at Strat-
ford's Knox Presbyterian
Church for a' year and
then came to St. George's
Anglican Church in
Goderich where he has
remained ever since. As
well as being the choir
leader and organist at the
church, he gives private
.music lessons in piano,
organ, theory, harmony,
etc. His wife, who he
married just before
World War II, is also a
music teacher.
One day, Mr. Herd- Mr. Herdman likes
man's composer friend, Goderich. He prefers a
Purcell Mansfield, called small town as a rule if he
and told him there was a is kept busy enough. He
church in Calgary looking says he is not exactly
for a choir director and overworked here. With
organist. Mr.• Herdman the Goderich Concert
asked him where Calgary Choir he likes to think
was. He wrote for the job that he is following in the
but didn't get it, footsteps of his first
However, it stuck in his music teacher who for -
mind that he would like to med a flourishing choir in
move and travel, he says. a town, not unlike
He began applying for Goderich.
other music jobs he heard The Goderich Concert
about in Canada and Choir has a core of about
eventually he landed one 24 people, only two of
with All Saints Anglican them tenors. Mr. Her -
Church in Ottawa in 1953. dman feels the choir
He stayed there for three needs to grow to about 70
years as choir director members in order to
and organist. While there become balanced. He
he also conducted the doesn't know if this will
Ottawa Choral Union and be possible with so many
the Orpheus Operatic varied interests in town.
Society. The idea of people getting
From Ottawa he went together to sing or play in
to Belleville as the choira musical group as°"
0
Jeff Seddon will
be back next week