YRCC Rehearsal Review 28-Mar-2022

 A big reminder that next week we move to Tuesdays! 

Monday was choir night for so long, it's going to be strange. But, the days of the week are all strange still for me, and I think there's so much transition happening for most people that it will not be a big deal. Put it on your calendars, set your alarms, do what you have to do to remember and to let your people know that Tuesday is now choir night. 

Small Group: Good Morning Starshine

We had our first small group rehearsal this week. Good Morning Starshine is adorable, but not super-easy. We made a few changes to get the melody more like we remember it. We discovered that the door opens at 6:30 sharp, so we'll meet at 6:45 and aim to start at 7:00 next week. It was way too cold to have to wait outside for the door to unlock! Brrrr!

I forgot to mention that we discovered last week that the doors were unlocking at 6:30 and locking at 7:30. So, we need to arrive punctually. Lauren is looking into having the doors open a little longer, but it's good that they lock after we get in. For security, it is best if we are downstairs with the doors upstairs locked. Let someone know if you need to be late so we can look out for you and open a door if necessary. 

1.     On Eagle’s Wings

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand

So we will shine our lights while being held in care, or maybe because we are held and carried and raised up by each other and given the time and space to shine. You raise me up to more than I can be.

We reviewed all the  "Make you to shine like the sun" they are all a bit different from one another, especially in the Alto parts. This is a well-known and well-loved song, but our arrangement is special and impressive. Even if we don't get it perfect, it will sound great and feel wonderful. We missed the other Tenors and Basses tonight because they get so much melody and their part is really strong in this. Blair is a trooper, and I would give him a hundred gold stars if that was my thing ;-)

Blair found our arrangement on the Alfred.com site. They've got an orchestra, and they sing it too schmaltzy for me, but have a listen:

https://www.alfred.com/on-eagles-wings/p/00-16104/

2.     I Can See Clearly Now

We learned the section at the Segno @25, which is where the blue skies are. Love this section! We sang all the way through, trying to remember last week's stuff and sight reading the rest. Not bad, but we'll be working on this for a while. No worries, but I'd love to be able to share this with seniors, and maybe at an outdoor public performance this year. 

Here's a recording on the Alfred.com website. It's in SATB and with a band, so a little different but it's our arrangement. 

https://www.alfred.com/i-can-see-clearly-now/p/00-41695/

3.     Sunshine Medley

We started the Don’t You Worry section building backwards with melody at 65=69. It went well. This line is pretty cool and not too hard. We sang through the whole thing, remembering and sight reading. I think it's going to be great! I'd like to save this one for December, but we'll keep singing it. 

4.     You’ll Never Walk Alone

Walk on and on and on through the wind, through the rain, dreams tossed and blown

This is one of our favourites and also a fan favourite. We've got this, but we can clean it up a bit too. We've been letting a couple things go. For example, the second sopranos have a few special bits that we've been ignoring. @31 dreams for second sopranos (yes, you get those 8th notes), also second sopranos @41/42 and again @63/64 have the G and the special A onbeat 2 (easier here because it comes out of a divided S1-S2 part). The audience would never miss these bits. Our arrangement is so special and impressive! We have recorded parts of this song if you want to hear this, however, I remember the recordings having some issues. I'll take a listen. (when I figure out how to get access to them- they seem to be gone)

 5.     We Rise Again 

As sure as the sunrise, as sure as the tides and the seasons, we rise again and again- In the voices of our songs.

Marlene is back from the visit with her beautiful new grandson- with pictures (thank you!)

Like You'll Never Walk Alone, this song is forgiving. We sang it without reviewing the parts to see how it felt and sounded, and sure enough it was good. We need a good soloist, which we have, and the first sopranos have to be together, and the rest is oohs that are background and not really listened to carefully, and the melody that everyone wants to hear. Great arrangement, super sound from our little choir! We'll keep working on this, getting it better every time, but it's not a worry.

We have/should have recordings for each part for this song on the website, but there is something wrong. I'm looking into that.

Other News:

Jane has been busy contacting seniors' residences and she's getting us bookings for June! We'll be performing for seniors this spring on Tuesday evenings. Since we're a smallish group, we should all be able to go to each performance, but we'll confirm this as the dates get closer. We do have to be prepared for things to change, as things have been doing for the last 2 years. 

For a concert, we'll look into getting a park in Newmarket and/or Aurora for an afternoon, maybe a Saturday afternoon or even a Saturday morning during market time? Still need to work on that. 

Carol also shared a baby picture- her new great niece who is named after Carol's mom and born on English Mother's Day. Edie/Edith is beautiful and Great-Aunt Carol is beautifully beaming. 

Next week, Tuesday, April 5th, 2022

6:45 / 7:00 Small Group: Good Morning Starshine

1. This Little Light of Mine
2. I Can See Clearly Now
3. Sunshine Medley
4. You'll Never Walk Alone
5. Somewhere Out There