After the big show: "down" time

Hey, Everyone,

Do you feel like I do after the big show? A little down?

It was fantastic. We were wonderful. The audience was wonderful. They loved us. A standing ovation! (I told you so. Glad we had the encore ready.) The second standing ovation, we bow again and say our thank-yous, and clean up.

And it's over.

For the next few days there's relief, but also a sadness.

We worked really hard and gave our all, and the joy is intense, but so short-lived!

It's got a name, this feeling: Post-Show Depression. Really. Some people get hit really bad.

We're so lucky to have the seniors' visits lined up so that we can continue to perform our music for a while, so all is not lost. And, we know we'll be back in rehearsals in September. But, the big show is over. And, it makes most people feel at least some sense of loss.

Rest assured, it's normal and most of us were affected in one way or another.

Even if the thrill is fleeting, it's totally worth it, isn't it?!!

Yours in harmony, 
Renate 

Performance. You're on stage!

How we love being up on the stage! It is a dream we all share.

Or, so we sing in Regards to Broadway. For some of us, it's more of a nightmare.

I know that there are some people in the choir who would be quite happy if we just sang together every week in our rehearsal room in the Administrative Centre, and never set foot on a stage.

Don't worry. Performing on stage is anxiety-provoking, stage fright is fairly common. But, we're not giving a speech, being judged or graded, there are no spotlights, and you don't have to wear stage make-up. We're all dressed the same in black and white, like zebras, so that predators can't pick out individuals to attack. (remember to also wear black shoes and socks/hose)

Performing in a choir is awesome! You get the big adrenalin rush, the excitement of being on stage and the thrill of the applause and you're up there surrounded by your friends and not singled out for inspection. You worked hard to learn all kinds of music in 2, 3 and 4 part harmony. Now it's time to show off to our friends and family and neighbours.

You should relax and have fun, but there are some things to remember when the choir is on stage in front of an audience.

• Blend in -like the zebras. Don't draw attention to yourself, unless you're doing a solo at the microphone. That's true for your voice and for your posture.
• Hold your binders closed in your left arm, when you're not singing. So, that's also when we're walking on to the stage and off of the stage.
• When you're not singing, look at the conductor or the soloist. Glance at the audience. Smile and look engaged in the performance. Pay attention to whatever else is happening on stage. Do not look at your shoes, drink, pick your teeth, frown...
• When you're singing, smile with your mouth and your eyes. Look at the conductor. Glance at your music and at the audience. 
• If you make a mistake, chances are nobody can tell. Don't make a face. Keep smiling, keep going.
• When the audience applauds, look at them and smile. We will take a bow before we leave the stage.

There will be times during the show when you can sit down off stage. This is when you can have a drink of water, or glance at your shoes. But, while you are sitting down during the small group and solo performances, you must be excellent supporters of your choir friends and examples of good audience behaviour. Pay attention to the performance. You are still in front of the audience. 

If you feel stressed, that's ok. This is good stress. You'll get energy. If you're feeling yucky, breathe. You'll be surprised how much it helps to just take a good deep breath and let it out, phewwww. Think positive thoughts. 

Avoid coffee and alcohol before a concert. They not only mess with your stress, but also are bad for your voice. Water is important. Keep hydrated. There are also lots of ideas about what kinds of food to avoid, but the most important thing is to eat something. Don't overeat, but you will need lots of energy. Rest and sleep are also important. 

Women can tuck your white shirts or blouses in or wear them out- whatever makes you feel more comfortable. Notice in the picture above that it looks fine to have them out. Black pants or skirts should go down to your feet, or be worn with black pantyhose. We don't want to draw attention away from our faces. Trix will make sure we all have scarves or ties. Help your friends tie their scarves like Girl Guides. 

We're a great group and have fun together. It shows when we sing. People love that! We always have praise from our audiences about how we appear to be having a good time when we sing. We do have a good time. We enjoy ourselves. We love singing, we love music and we're going to share that with our audiences. 

They are going to love us. 

Dances with seniors

Hello Everyone!

The YRCC had fun last night at Sunrise Senior Living in Aurora. We were upstairs on the third floor with the folks that can’t usually make it to a concert downstairs.  

The music moved her

Some of them were very lively, though. Several of us danced with one of the seniors! She had a great time. I like it when our music moves our audience so much and they feel comfortable enough that they get up and dance. It happens. I can totally relate. I love moving to music and can’t always control myself.

Sit down

Others were not so happy about her getting up and moving. They asked her to sit down. I understand their point of view too. It’s a bit distracting having someone dancing. But, I wanted to say to them, “Get up and join her. Dance while you still can. And if you can’t, at least be happy for someone who still can.” You’d think that seniors would get that. I hoped that they could see that we were fine with it so they could relax too.

We like our seniors’ performances to be casual and fun. We interact with the audience, talk to them and include half an hour of sing-alongs.  Some of our music is pretty impressive and we look great with our black bottoms, white tops and pretty red scarves. Maybe that’s a signal to some people to sit and behave. Or, maybe they want to look at us. If someone is standing, they can’t see.

Distraction

We do hear some funny comments about how we look. Last night, someone pointed out to me that Michael wasn’t wearing a red scarf a couple of times (until I put one on him) and another pointed out that she could see lots of toes (-it was hot). I always tell the choir that they can be more relaxed at the seniors’ homes, and wear short sleeves, short pants or skirts and have bare legs because it’s hot and we’re trying to be informal.

For our public shows, we’re fussy. We have our pretty red scarves with gold music notes. We wear white shirts with long sleeves and black pants or skirts with black hose and shoes. We don’t want anyone distracted by our clothing or shoes. One pair of white socks, or bare legs, and that’s all some people will see.  We work really hard on our music. We want them to focus on that.

Appreciation

When an audience is sitting and listening and then they clap, it’s good. When they are moving and clapping and singing along, and then shout out at the end, it’s heavenly. Yesterday, several people spoke to me after the concert to tell me how much they appreciated it, and to ask if we could come back. Even one of the ones who was sitting quietly and without expression throughout called me over to say thank you.

This time, it was especially important to hear that all went well, because it was actually fairly stressful for us, and did not go as well as we would have liked it to. It was far from perfect. We had trouble with the space, with not being able to hear or see each other, and issues with our equipment. We had a very shaky start. Throughout the program there were challenges. Still, we had some truly beautiful moments.

Sharing

I’m so lucky be the conductor. I get so much more face time with our audiences. I talk to them during the show. I was the first dance partner last night. I’m the one that most people seek out at the end to say thank you to. I try to remember to share that with the choir. This blog is another opportunity to do that.

Don’t worry. They loved us. We worked hard and we were good.

Yours in harmony,

Renate

Sharing with Seniors

Hi Everyone!

Great show!

What a great time we had with the seniors at Park Place Manor in Aurora yesterday evening!

Lively audience
They were a great audience. They were keen to sing along, and not just during the sing-along section! It makes it more fun when the audience feels comfortable and gets so drawn in to the music that they start to sing. Of course, it can be awkward for a soloist. But, we're very cool with it. In fact, I love it.

Appreciative audience
I had so many people take me aside to thank me and to let me know who much they enjoyed our show! It felt great! Two women were especially thankful and expressed how important music is to them, how good it makes them feel.

My magic wand
I think that it's not just music, but music that people can participate in that is important. When we move people to sit up in their seats, laugh and sing out, our show and our music work magic! My baton becomes a magic wand!

Making connections
Besides the musical connections we make singing with and for our audiences, we connect after the show when we talk to individual audience members. I always speak to several audience members after a show and I always learn things.  I got to speak German to someone yesterday, something I do very rarely, an added bonus.

Added bonus
I really appreciate it when the retirement home arranges cold drinks and snacks for us. The cold drinks are especially good- Park Place Manor had very nice, very cold drinks: ahhhhhh.... We get hot performing. The cookies were really good too- totally unnecessary, but so nice!  

Well done, YRCC!

I'm looking forward to next Monday!

Yours in harmony,

Renate