Video created to play along the Idaho song!
One of the nicest moments I experienced in our in-person meetings at our Boise Downtown Rotary each week is the singing of the Idaho song. . We are one of the few Rotary clubs that sing.
 
In addition to America the Beautiful we always sing the chorus of Idaho Song. 
Our piano impresario is the inimitable Jerry Schroeder and he leads us in the singing of this song.
 
As the only artist in our club, I was always amazed that the image projected on our screen were either the lyrics (understandable) or a map.  A map has no charm, no heart and in my opinion no business being attached to the song itself.
 
So I undertook the task of putting visuals to the lyrics. I decided to enlist the help of some of Idaho’s most prominent and noted landscape painters. I reached out to the following artists with an ask that wanted permission to use 1-2 of their images for the purpose to visualize our song.  I emphasized that this was not a commercial endeavor, no monies would result from this video.
 
Not surpassingly all of them agreed and were helpful in getting me the files necessary to meet my needs.
I needed 8-9 beautiful images of Idaho. As a former art director, I chose not to use “well known scenes” as a criteria. Instead, I  chose as my motive the paintings that: worked with the lyrics, showed a diversity of Idaho scenes and in my own terms, knocked me out visually.
 
As they were being collected, I asked Todd Fischer to record the piano accompaniment done by Jerry Schroeder, and I used that recording aa the sound track for the video. With most of the elements in place I set about editing the visuals, the music and the lyrics in the hope to create  a harmonious blend for the video.
 
To date I have submitted the video to our club president Beth Markley in the hope it can be incorporated into our Zoom and in person meetings. In addition I am hopeful that other Rotary clubs would like to use it as well.
 
As a non- Idahoan and a member of Boise Downtown Rotary for 8 years, I joined for business reasons but wound up getting friends instead.
Often times being in Rotary means being of service to those in need. This time I was proud to be of service to Rotary.
 
 
 
Contributing artists:
Carl Rowe
Bonnie Griffith,
Fred Choate
Tom Siebert
Mark Davis
Rachel Teannalach