Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Music for Healing
We know that music is magical. It affects our health and well-being. Singing in the York Region Community Choir is a wonderful, healthy activity that we enjoy every Monday evening.
Lately, our Mondays are even more rewarding.
We're on our seniors' tour. We're visiting retirement residences and nursing homes in our community. Last week we visited Doane House Hospice in Newmarket.
When we visit seniors to sing for and with them, we feel great because we're doing what we love to do, and it's good for us, and we can feel great about contributing to the health and well-being of our audience members.
I just read about The Vancouver Chamber Choir's Music For Healing recordings:
a series of three discs designed to accompany people facing serious life challenges. It has been funded entirely through generous donations by individuals and organizations who want to be part of an important and ongoing gift to the therapeutic process in their communities.
The first two discs look amazing and are available on their website. The choir is presently working on the third CD. It's an impressive project. I can totally relate to their desire to connect with the community in this way, and can imagine that it's a very successful and satisfying mission. They say:
It is our way of saying through our music, “You do not stand alone”.
Choral music can do that best. The sound of a community of singers, people's voices joining together in unison and in harmony, is special.
Check out the sound clips on the website. They are really extraordinary. There are samples of all kinds of music the choir sings.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul. (Plato)
Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul. (Plato)
When our music makes people laugh and cry, when people stand up and start to dance in response to our music, when we can see that our music has touched someone's soul, we have shared a little of what we feel when we make our music. This giving and sharing is immensely gratifying. Each laugh, each tear, every dance step is a great gift to us. Sharing an hour of music with seniors reminds us of how very lucky we are to have the privilege of immersing ourselves in music together every week.
When our music makes people laugh and cry, when people stand up and start to dance in response to our music, when we can see that our music has touched someone's soul, we have shared a little of what we feel when we make our music. This giving and sharing is immensely gratifying. Each laugh, each tear, every dance step is a great gift to us. Sharing an hour of music with seniors reminds us of how very lucky we are to have the privilege of immersing ourselves in music together every week.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
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
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
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
I'm sexy and I know it.
Hello Everyone!
Catchy title, isn't it? I'm talking about music, though, not about my attractiveness, my magnetism, my allure.
Ce qu’on ne peut dire et ce qu’on ne peut taire, la musique l’exprime.
(Victor Hugo)
--Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.
So, when we want to say something, but can't, we can express it with music. Like, "I'm sexy and I know it!" (LMFAO-Loving My Friends and Others, not the Internet abbreviation, they say.)
Maybe Victor Hugo wasn't thinking of that, but music does liberate you, doesn't it? You will sing things that you wouldn't say, for sure. Don't we all love to prance around singing "I'm sexy and I know it?!" (Ok, if you don't, then just humour me with this one. I know other people besides myself who do. really.)
I have been known to say similarly arrogant things when I'm holding the magic baton that turns me into "The Intrepid Choir Conductor." Fearless and reckless are related, right? My theme song "Ain't She Sweet" became my theme song because I always say to seniors when we're about to start singing it, "We're going to sing a song about me!"
Another recent example of singing something you wouldn't say is that Mumford and Sons song that I love, Little Lion Man. The chorus has the f-word in it. I'm no fan of cussing, but that song is awesome and I'll sing right along (when my kids aren't in the room). I do wish there was a clean version of it, but it I guess it would lose some of it's power, wouldn't it?
There you go: it's power. Saying things you can't- shouldn't- say, things that are forbidden to say, is powerful. Even declaring your love for someone, or your pain, openly-out loud- is huge. And, we need to express our love and our pain, regret, loss, joy and celebration, and even our self-confidence.
Passionate expression is powerful. That's part of the magic of music!
Feel the passion when you sing, let it out, and share it!
Yours in harmony,
Renate
Catchy title, isn't it? I'm talking about music, though, not about my attractiveness, my magnetism, my allure.
Ce qu’on ne peut dire et ce qu’on ne peut taire, la musique l’exprime.
(Victor Hugo)
--Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.
So, when we want to say something, but can't, we can express it with music. Like, "I'm sexy and I know it!" (LMFAO-Loving My Friends and Others, not the Internet abbreviation, they say.)
Maybe Victor Hugo wasn't thinking of that, but music does liberate you, doesn't it? You will sing things that you wouldn't say, for sure. Don't we all love to prance around singing "I'm sexy and I know it?!" (Ok, if you don't, then just humour me with this one. I know other people besides myself who do. really.)
I have been known to say similarly arrogant things when I'm holding the magic baton that turns me into "The Intrepid Choir Conductor." Fearless and reckless are related, right? My theme song "Ain't She Sweet" became my theme song because I always say to seniors when we're about to start singing it, "We're going to sing a song about me!"
Another recent example of singing something you wouldn't say is that Mumford and Sons song that I love, Little Lion Man. The chorus has the f-word in it. I'm no fan of cussing, but that song is awesome and I'll sing right along (when my kids aren't in the room). I do wish there was a clean version of it, but it I guess it would lose some of it's power, wouldn't it?
There you go: it's power. Saying things you can't- shouldn't- say, things that are forbidden to say, is powerful. Even declaring your love for someone, or your pain, openly-out loud- is huge. And, we need to express our love and our pain, regret, loss, joy and celebration, and even our self-confidence.
Passionate expression is powerful. That's part of the magic of music!
Feel the passion when you sing, let it out, and share it!
Yours in harmony,
Renate
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Almost done!
Hello Everyone!
We're almost done!
We've got the next 3 weeks to finish learning (a very small amount) and to polish up all our pieces and then we're going to have an amazing show!
Some people are worried that we don't have enough time to get it all together, but I'm sure we can manage. We've got a few little bits to learn to finish TV Time and a few little bits to learn in the ABBA Medley and the rest is just polishing. We have a great number of excellent choristers who know their parts and they lead the others who are excellent followers.
Have a look at the list of what we're singing, to see if there are things in your binder that you don't have to worry about. There are a few pieces that we decided not to do this year.
Remember that we are a community choir and our job is to have fun and entertain our friends and families on May 5th, and then the seniors in seniors' homes after that. We don't have to be perfect. Nobody in any of our audiences will have the scores in front of them to see if we should have been singing in harmony but were in unison, or vice versa :)
They will hear heavenly harmonies, dramatic dynamics, and memorable melodies that they will love. We have lots of beautiful music to offer our audiences, and I'm sure they will appreciate the variety and quality of the songs we're going to sing.
We sing for fun, but we also sing to stretch our musical ability, to learn and improve continuously, to grow. That we have done, and we will continue to do.
Every year we get better, each of us and all of us.
Yours in harmony,
Renate
We're almost done!
We've got the next 3 weeks to finish learning (a very small amount) and to polish up all our pieces and then we're going to have an amazing show!
Some people are worried that we don't have enough time to get it all together, but I'm sure we can manage. We've got a few little bits to learn to finish TV Time and a few little bits to learn in the ABBA Medley and the rest is just polishing. We have a great number of excellent choristers who know their parts and they lead the others who are excellent followers.
Have a look at the list of what we're singing, to see if there are things in your binder that you don't have to worry about. There are a few pieces that we decided not to do this year.
Remember that we are a community choir and our job is to have fun and entertain our friends and families on May 5th, and then the seniors in seniors' homes after that. We don't have to be perfect. Nobody in any of our audiences will have the scores in front of them to see if we should have been singing in harmony but were in unison, or vice versa :)
They will hear heavenly harmonies, dramatic dynamics, and memorable melodies that they will love. We have lots of beautiful music to offer our audiences, and I'm sure they will appreciate the variety and quality of the songs we're going to sing.
We sing for fun, but we also sing to stretch our musical ability, to learn and improve continuously, to grow. That we have done, and we will continue to do.
Every year we get better, each of us and all of us.
Yours in harmony,
Renate
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Music Terms for April
I stole these from this site-click here.
Glossary of music terms
Accent: An unusual manner of pronunciation, e.g. "Y'all sang that real good!"
Accidentals: Wrong notes
Allegro: Leg fertilizer.
Bar Line: A gathering of people, usually among which may be found a musician or two.
Beat: What music students to do each other with their musical instruments. The down beat is performed on the top of the head, while the up beat is struck under the chin.
Bravo: Literally, "How bold!" or "What nerve!" This is a spontaneous expression of appreciation on the part of the concertgoer after a particularly trying performance.
Cadence: When everybody hopes you're going to stop, but you don't.
Chord: Usually spelled with an "s" on the end, means a particular type of pants, e.g. "He wears chords."
Chromatic Scale: An instrument for weighing that indicates half-pounds.
Coloratura Soprano: A singer who has great trouble finding the proper note, but who has a wild time hunting for it.
Conductor: A musician who is adept at following many people at the same time.
Countertenor: A singing waiter.
Crescendo: A reminder to the performer that he has been playing too loudly.
Da capo al fine: I like your hat!
Espressivo: Close eyes and play with a wide vibrato.
Fermata: A brand of girdle made especially for opera singers.
Fine: That was great!
Gregorian chant: A way of singing in unison, invented by monks to hide snoring.
Harmonic Minor: A good music student.
Harmony: A corn-like food eaten by people with accents (see above for definition of accent).
Heroic Tenor: A singer who gets by on sheer nerve and tight clothing.
Interval: How long it takes you to find the right note. There are three kinds: Major Interval: a long time; Minor Interval: a few bars; Inverted Interval: when you have to back one bar and try again.
Messiah: An oratorio by Handel performed every Christmas by choirs that believe they are good enough, in cooperation with musicians who need the money.
Modulation: "Nothing is bad in modulation."
Opus: A penguin in Kansas.
Pause: A short period in an individual voice in which there should be relative quiet. Useful when turning to the next page in the score, breathing, emptying the horn of salvia, coughing, etc. Is rarely heard in baroque music. Today, the minimum requirements for pauses in individual pieces are those of the Musicians' Union (usually one per bar, or 15 minutes per hour).
Supertonic: Schweppes.
Tempo: This is where a headache begins.
Vibrato: Used by singers to hide the fact that they are on the wrong pitch.
Virtuoso: A musician with very high morals
Accidentals: Wrong notes
Allegro: Leg fertilizer.
Bar Line: A gathering of people, usually among which may be found a musician or two.
Beat: What music students to do each other with their musical instruments. The down beat is performed on the top of the head, while the up beat is struck under the chin.
Bravo: Literally, "How bold!" or "What nerve!" This is a spontaneous expression of appreciation on the part of the concertgoer after a particularly trying performance.
Cadence: When everybody hopes you're going to stop, but you don't.
Chord: Usually spelled with an "s" on the end, means a particular type of pants, e.g. "He wears chords."
Chromatic Scale: An instrument for weighing that indicates half-pounds.
Coloratura Soprano: A singer who has great trouble finding the proper note, but who has a wild time hunting for it.
Conductor: A musician who is adept at following many people at the same time.
Countertenor: A singing waiter.
Crescendo: A reminder to the performer that he has been playing too loudly.
Da capo al fine: I like your hat!
Espressivo: Close eyes and play with a wide vibrato.
Fermata: A brand of girdle made especially for opera singers.
Fine: That was great!
Gregorian chant: A way of singing in unison, invented by monks to hide snoring.
Harmonic Minor: A good music student.
Harmony: A corn-like food eaten by people with accents (see above for definition of accent).
Heroic Tenor: A singer who gets by on sheer nerve and tight clothing.
Interval: How long it takes you to find the right note. There are three kinds: Major Interval: a long time; Minor Interval: a few bars; Inverted Interval: when you have to back one bar and try again.
Messiah: An oratorio by Handel performed every Christmas by choirs that believe they are good enough, in cooperation with musicians who need the money.
Modulation: "Nothing is bad in modulation."
Opus: A penguin in Kansas.
Pause: A short period in an individual voice in which there should be relative quiet. Useful when turning to the next page in the score, breathing, emptying the horn of salvia, coughing, etc. Is rarely heard in baroque music. Today, the minimum requirements for pauses in individual pieces are those of the Musicians' Union (usually one per bar, or 15 minutes per hour).
Supertonic: Schweppes.
Tempo: This is where a headache begins.
Vibrato: Used by singers to hide the fact that they are on the wrong pitch.
Virtuoso: A musician with very high morals
Which ones are your favourites?
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
CD mix up
Sorry about the mix up with the CD's.
Here's what we have on the discs:
Here's what we have on the discs:
Soprano CD
| ||
1
|
Chorus of the HS
|
Sop 1
|
2
|
ABBA
|
Solos
|
3
|
ABBA
|
Sop 1
|
4
|
Hail Holy Queen
|
Sop
|
5
|
Wonderful World
|
Sop
|
6
|
Wind Beneath My Wings
|
ACC
|
So we’re missing the second soprano parts which are on the Alto disc, Chorus and ABBA
Alto CD
| ||
1
|
Chorus of the HS
|
Sop 2
|
2
|
ABBA
|
Sop 2
|
3
|
Get Happy
|
Part ll
|
4
|
Hail Holy Queen
|
Alto
|
5
|
Hallelujah
|
Alto
|
6
|
True Colors
|
ACC
|
7
|
Wonderful World
|
Alto
|
8
|
You Raise Me Up
|
Alto
|
We’re missing the alto parts that are on Tenor/Bass disc, Chorus and ABBA
Tenor/ Bass CD
| ||
1
|
Chorus of the HS
|
Bass
|
2
|
Chorus of the HS
|
Alto
|
3
|
ABBA
|
Tenor/bass
|
4
|
ABBA
|
Alto
|
5
|
Hail Holy Queen
|
Bass
|
6
|
Hail Holy Queen
|
Tenor
|
We were completely missing the tenor part for Chorus, but it's on a new Tenor CD.
Monday, April 2, 2012
TV Theme Songs
Ok, now I've posted way too many of the theme songs from our medley, but they're all out of order and there are a few missing, so I hope I haven't given too much away to potential audience members.
Keep scrolling down for more. If you're stuck, hit home and older posts at the bottom and then you'll be able to scroll down through more of the posts.
Keep scrolling down for more. If you're stuck, hit home and older posts at the bottom and then you'll be able to scroll down through more of the posts.
We sang pianissimo and fortissimo!
We did it!
We talked about piano, p, and forte, f.
We looked at our music and saw pp for pianissimo and ff for fortissimo, and we sang very quietly and very loudly in the right place at the right time! Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves was beautiful.
Well done, choir!
We talked about piano, p, and forte, f.
We looked at our music and saw pp for pianissimo and ff for fortissimo, and we sang very quietly and very loudly in the right place at the right time! Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves was beautiful.
Well done, choir!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Verdi - Nabucco - Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves
Look how many singers there are, and they manage to sing quietly. We're going to work on dynamics on Monday. We've got to get better control of our volume.
And, listen to how nice and short their short notes are. Very nice performance.
Ours will be great too!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
TV Theme Medley and homework
I don't want to give too much away on this public site, but I've posted a few of the songs in our TV theme medley since not everyone was familiar with all of the shows. When in doubt, Google and YouTube are great resources!
If you have some time in the next few weeks, work ahead on the ABBA medley with your CD, and look at the TV medley too. Even if you don't read music, get those words down -there are some sections that are fast- and that will help. If you do have access to a keyboard and can take a look at your part and learn it, that would help all of us immensely.
Review that songs that we know well, Wonderful World, etc, with the accompaniment CD so that you feel really comfortable with them.
New folks, we don't spend much time on these so be sure to look at: Wonderful, Hallelujah, Wind, True Colors, Blue Skies, Do Re Mi, People.
If you have some time in the next few weeks, work ahead on the ABBA medley with your CD, and look at the TV medley too. Even if you don't read music, get those words down -there are some sections that are fast- and that will help. If you do have access to a keyboard and can take a look at your part and learn it, that would help all of us immensely.
Review that songs that we know well, Wonderful World, etc, with the accompaniment CD so that you feel really comfortable with them.
New folks, we don't spend much time on these so be sure to look at: Wonderful, Hallelujah, Wind, True Colors, Blue Skies, Do Re Mi, People.
Bonanza Theme Song!--By Ben Cartwright
Our words to this are very different, but the melody is the same. This will help.
Laverne & Shirley Show Opening
I couldn't believe that there were people who didn't know this one! Loved this show!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Keeping time, singing together, counting
Hello Everyone!
This week, I only introduced the topic of counting, and even here I'll just begin to show what's involved. As usual, I'll give you links to stuff online that will help you too.
At choir, I mentioned that in 4/4 time we count quarter notes 1 2 3 4,
eighth notes are 1+2+3+4+,
and sixteenths are 1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a (one- ee- and- ah).
So, that's basically how we name the beats.
I can name a specific beat to tell you when to come in at the beginning of a song.
For example, in True Colors you start on the + (and) of 3. So, you wait for beats 1+2+3 then sing +4+1 3 (You with the sad eyes)
Notice the whole bar and half note and quarter note rests at the beginning. You can count those in your head and then sing: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 You with the.
If you're just looking at the rhythm to learn the song you count the rests too and whatever parts of the previous beats will help you: 1 2 3 4 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Look at the next 2 lines after sad eyes. Count the phrase like this:
1 + 2 + + 4 + 1 + 2
(don't be dis-cour-aged oh I realize)
To make sure you hold discouraged and realize long enough, you can think of it as:
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 +
For the next phrase, you come in on the + of 4. You have just an eighth note rest to take a quick breath and then you come in.
+ 1 + 2 + 3+
(it's hard to take cour-age)
Then, you have sixteenths:
+a1 +a3 +
(In a world full of strangers)
Here comes the phrase we had trouble with:
1 + 2 + 3 + +a1 + + 3 + 4 + 1+ +
(you can lose sight of it and the darkness inside you makes you feel so small)
Notice the eighth note rest on beat 4 of bar 12. The word it is short.
See how cool counting is! I can tell you exactly where I want you to look on the page.
There are some good lessons online.
Here is one that reviews the value of notes and rests, and shows the values very clearly in a chart and gives you examples of rhythms to listen to.
Here is a site with links to worksheets with good explanations. Click on and read the first 4. Very cool. I highly recommend these.
We'll talk more about counting, and look at different time signatures too.
Yours in harmony,
Renate
This week, I only introduced the topic of counting, and even here I'll just begin to show what's involved. As usual, I'll give you links to stuff online that will help you too.
At choir, I mentioned that in 4/4 time we count quarter notes 1 2 3 4,
eighth notes are 1+2+3+4+,
and sixteenths are 1e+a2e+a3e+a4e+a (one- ee- and- ah).
So, that's basically how we name the beats.
I can name a specific beat to tell you when to come in at the beginning of a song.
For example, in True Colors you start on the + (and) of 3. So, you wait for beats 1+2+3 then sing +4+1 3 (You with the sad eyes)
Notice the whole bar and half note and quarter note rests at the beginning. You can count those in your head and then sing: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 You with the.
If you're just looking at the rhythm to learn the song you count the rests too and whatever parts of the previous beats will help you: 1 2 3 4 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Look at the next 2 lines after sad eyes. Count the phrase like this:
1 + 2 + + 4 + 1 + 2
(don't be dis-cour-aged oh I realize)
To make sure you hold discouraged and realize long enough, you can think of it as:
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 +
For the next phrase, you come in on the + of 4. You have just an eighth note rest to take a quick breath and then you come in.
+ 1 + 2 + 3+
(it's hard to take cour-age)
Then, you have sixteenths:
+a1 +a3 +
(In a world full of strangers)
Here comes the phrase we had trouble with:
1 + 2 + 3 + +a1 + + 3 + 4 + 1+ +
(you can lose sight of it and the darkness inside you makes you feel so small)
Notice the eighth note rest on beat 4 of bar 12. The word it is short.
See how cool counting is! I can tell you exactly where I want you to look on the page.
There are some good lessons online.
Here is one that reviews the value of notes and rests, and shows the values very clearly in a chart and gives you examples of rhythms to listen to.
Here is a site with links to worksheets with good explanations. Click on and read the first 4. Very cool. I highly recommend these.
We'll talk more about counting, and look at different time signatures too.
Yours in harmony,
RenateRhythm Counting
This video is pretty cool. There's the big visual representation and then they show you how it looks in music notation. It gets pretty complex pretty fast but it's really worth a look.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Some of a Choir Librarian's Work
Hello Everyone!
Here's a little behind-the-scenes look at the work of a choir.
The picture above is of a table in the basement of our Music Librarian's house. That's well over a thousand dollars worth of choral music!
This is just a little snapshot of what Trix goes through taking care of our music library.
Trix picked up the music that Heather ordered- new music and more copies of music that we already had but didn't have enough of- from the music store downtown (St. John's Music) and got it all out of the boxes and started organizing it before I offered to help her out. She created a great system so that we could work together to deal with all the different music. We stamped, numbered, and 3-hole-punched all the music, got it ready for individuals to pick up the various pieces that they're missing, got the new music ready to hand out to everyone, and filed extras. It looked like a huge job that would take all day, but the time flew by and we were done in less than 3 hours.
It was fun working together. We talked and laughed a lot and Trix fed me a delicious lunch when we were done. Working on choir things with choir friends is always accompanied by good food and great conversation.
The choir will be so happy to have all their music, especially the new pieces!
Thank you, Trix, our hard-working Music Librarian, for making sure we can all sing together!
Yours in harmony,
Renate Monday, March 19, 2012
Repeats. Where do I go? What's a Coda?
Hello Eveyone!
Today's lesson at choir was on bar lines and repeats.
We started off looking at single and double bar lines and the skinny-and-thick end-of-the-piece double bar lines. If the double bar lines are both skinny, it's just the end of a section.
Then we looked at what the repeats look like. Here's a good little chart that shows you.
We looked at first and second endings, when they mark the repeat like that up there. And, we looked at an example of a D. S. al Coda. Where they don't mark the repeat with the special double bars with repeat marks, but write the words with or without symbols. The symbol for that Sign/Segno is cool. Coda just means ending, and it has a cool symbol too. Check out the symbols in the chart below. Fine means the end of the song. Do you get the difference between ending and end? So you go back to the special sign and then skip to the ending when it tells you to (it'll say to Coda or al Coda). Then you sing that special ending part to the end. So it's like you've got 2 verses, and they're almost the same except for the last part which is fancy for the ending.
There's a really good animation that shows you how it works here. You can follow along while it plays the music and describes what it's doing. Try it!
D. C. al Coda works the same way except you go back to the beginning. C stands for Capo, head in Italian, meaning the beginning.
When you get a new piece of music, it's always a good idea to look at the whole piece first to see if there are any repeats. I don't recommend making dog ears on your music. Use a sticky note or just make a big circle around the beginning of a repeat with a pencil. That way, when it's time to flip back, you know where you're going.
We have lots of repeats in our music this season. Look through the pieces you already know and see how much you already know about repeats. Then look at the pieces you don't know or have forgotten and apply your new understanding of repeats to them.
You're reading music!
Your's in harmony,
Renate
Today's lesson at choir was on bar lines and repeats.
We started off looking at single and double bar lines and the skinny-and-thick end-of-the-piece double bar lines. If the double bar lines are both skinny, it's just the end of a section.
Then we looked at what the repeats look like. Here's a good little chart that shows you.
We looked at first and second endings, when they mark the repeat like that up there. And, we looked at an example of a D. S. al Coda. Where they don't mark the repeat with the special double bars with repeat marks, but write the words with or without symbols. The symbol for that Sign/Segno is cool. Coda just means ending, and it has a cool symbol too. Check out the symbols in the chart below. Fine means the end of the song. Do you get the difference between ending and end? So you go back to the special sign and then skip to the ending when it tells you to (it'll say to Coda or al Coda). Then you sing that special ending part to the end. So it's like you've got 2 verses, and they're almost the same except for the last part which is fancy for the ending.
There's a really good animation that shows you how it works here. You can follow along while it plays the music and describes what it's doing. Try it!
D. C. al Coda works the same way except you go back to the beginning. C stands for Capo, head in Italian, meaning the beginning.
When you get a new piece of music, it's always a good idea to look at the whole piece first to see if there are any repeats. I don't recommend making dog ears on your music. Use a sticky note or just make a big circle around the beginning of a repeat with a pencil. That way, when it's time to flip back, you know where you're going.
We have lots of repeats in our music this season. Look through the pieces you already know and see how much you already know about repeats. Then look at the pieces you don't know or have forgotten and apply your new understanding of repeats to them.
You're reading music!
Your's in harmony,
Renate Saturday, March 17, 2012
St. Patrick's Breastplate
Part of this song is from St. Patrick's Breastplate, a hymn 700 years old.
I took that part and jazzed it up, added a rap (also from the original) and hand motions (obvious) and sang it with kids at church! I was inspired by my gospel weekend. And, I like to do songs that link to the lesson at church or to other events.
What do we know about St. Patrick's Day except that people dress in green, drink beer, and act crazy? The beer and crazy thing is all about the feast day falling in Lent, the sober season of fasting and abstaining. I'm always learning. St. Patrick gave us the clover representing the Trinity, and this really big hymn/prayer called a breastplate because it's a prayer of protection. It's really long. The stuff here is just a small part of it. Google it. It's really cool.
So, here's what we sang and what we'll sing again tomorrow at church:
Christ above me. (same melody, but punchy, so it sounds like: Christ! Above me.)
Christ beside me.
Christ within me, ever guiding.
Christ behind me.
Christ before.
Christ, my love, my life, my Lord.
Christ to my right; Christ to my left.
Christ when I stand; Christ when I sit.
Christ when I sleep; Christ when I wake.
Jesus Christ is my breastplate.
Christ above me.
Christ beside me.
Christ within me, ever guiding.
Christ behind me.
Christ before.
Christ, my love, my life, my Lord.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
I Powered Up with the Toronto Mass Choir!
Did you know that there was an annual Gospel Music conference in Toronto?
Did you know that there's a Juno Award for Gospel Music?
The Juno Award for "Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1994.
In 2003, the Toronto Mass Choir won it. They've been around since 1988.
I had no idea.
Hollie gave me her hairdresser's business card with information about the TMC and PowerUp, their annual music conference, written on the back. She thought I might be interested. I went to the website.
Nothing re-ignites the passion for music more than finding out something new about it. Learn techniques you have never explored before; discover sounds and ideas you’ve never encountered.
There was a workshop especially for choir directors, and something called "Vocal Boot Camp" that I was really interested in, and the conference was taking place at York University. I hadn't been there since I graduated. I would have the opportunity to learn choir stuff in a classroom! Almost everything I've learned about choir conducting and singing, I've learned informally from fellow choristers. My musical background goes way back to band class in high school, where I did learn quite a bit, including basic conducting, and I did sing in the jazz choir. But, high school was a very long time ago. I signed up.
The weekend was amazing! I learned so much! And, it was so much fun!!!
York University looks nothing like it did when I was a student there. It's much more beautiful now. I loved being back in school.
The workshops were great! I was surprised each time that the description of the workshop was different from what I experienced, but what I experienced was excellent. The workshop leaders were all superb.
My first workshop was with Professor Karen Burke, the director of the TMC. What luck! She is such an inspiration! Smart, talented, passionate, energetic, and filled with God's light and love, Karen fills a room with her shining presence and has that gift of making you feel like she's speaking to you alone. Each rehearsal was like a continuation of that first class, because Karen explained what she was doing as she conducted. And, it felt like she was doing it just for me.
The Vocal Boot Camp classes were the most fun. Cassandra Sommers was beautiful and brilliant. We warmed-up and stretched our voices with all kinds of exercises and had a really entertaining group activity where we created and performed fun new versions of well-known melodies using techniques we learned.
I am still suffering from the effects of my Gospel Dance/Hip-Hop class. I expected to learn some basic steps that I could share with my choir. and maybe get some advice on how to get everybody moving together, how to clap and sing at the same time. I don't really know what I expected. But, I did read in the description that there was no performance for the basic level class. Well, that was true for the Friday class, but I took it on Saturday and we had to perform a dance! I also didn't expect the class to be full of young people. In a class of about 20, I was one of 3 who were over 30, and the oldest by far. I loved it. It helped that the young instructor, JJ Gerber, with his beautiful eyes and encouraging smile was charming, talented, and very patient. Dancing hip-hop and learning a dance routine so quickly was an exciting challenge and I was determined to go through with it. It cost me though. I could hardly walk the next day, and standing up and sitting down still hurt now 3 days later.
The best thing about the classes was meeting the wonderful people, singers and choristers on the journey together, warm and kind.
The best thing about the weekend was singing in the choir. The rehearsals were excellent. I really learned the most during the rehearsals. The Sunday night concert was thrilling! The TMC performance was slick, high-energy and awe-inspiring, and the York University Gospel Choir was excellent and adorable, as was the Youth Choir. (I think I would have hated it if someone called me adorable when I was in high school and university, but at my age, they look so young. And, I adored them.) I loved the band! I loved singing with a band. Wow! The energy is incredible. Singing in the choir was so joyous, exciting, satisfying, intoxicating that I didn't want the night to end.
The most important lesson that I took home with me was that a choir is a community built on love. Sounds cheesy but it's true.
Did you know that there's a Juno Award for Gospel Music?
The Juno Award for "Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1994.
In 2003, the Toronto Mass Choir won it. They've been around since 1988.
I had no idea.
Hollie gave me her hairdresser's business card with information about the TMC and PowerUp, their annual music conference, written on the back. She thought I might be interested. I went to the website.
Nothing re-ignites the passion for music more than finding out something new about it. Learn techniques you have never explored before; discover sounds and ideas you’ve never encountered.
It’s time to ignite your passion for Gospel Music! Join Professor Karen Burke and the Juno-Award winning Toronto Mass Choir and experience the joy of singing high energy, dynamic and spirit-lifting music in a gospel choir. Spend time learning great gospel music and meeting people with the same passion.
Everyone who loves to sing is invited to enjoy high-energy, spirit-lifting, hand-clapping, toe-tapping gospel music. Join us on March 2-4 and experience the power!!!There was a workshop especially for choir directors, and something called "Vocal Boot Camp" that I was really interested in, and the conference was taking place at York University. I hadn't been there since I graduated. I would have the opportunity to learn choir stuff in a classroom! Almost everything I've learned about choir conducting and singing, I've learned informally from fellow choristers. My musical background goes way back to band class in high school, where I did learn quite a bit, including basic conducting, and I did sing in the jazz choir. But, high school was a very long time ago. I signed up.
The weekend was amazing! I learned so much! And, it was so much fun!!!
York University looks nothing like it did when I was a student there. It's much more beautiful now. I loved being back in school.
The workshops were great! I was surprised each time that the description of the workshop was different from what I experienced, but what I experienced was excellent. The workshop leaders were all superb.
My first workshop was with Professor Karen Burke, the director of the TMC. What luck! She is such an inspiration! Smart, talented, passionate, energetic, and filled with God's light and love, Karen fills a room with her shining presence and has that gift of making you feel like she's speaking to you alone. Each rehearsal was like a continuation of that first class, because Karen explained what she was doing as she conducted. And, it felt like she was doing it just for me.
The Vocal Boot Camp classes were the most fun. Cassandra Sommers was beautiful and brilliant. We warmed-up and stretched our voices with all kinds of exercises and had a really entertaining group activity where we created and performed fun new versions of well-known melodies using techniques we learned.
I am still suffering from the effects of my Gospel Dance/Hip-Hop class. I expected to learn some basic steps that I could share with my choir. and maybe get some advice on how to get everybody moving together, how to clap and sing at the same time. I don't really know what I expected. But, I did read in the description that there was no performance for the basic level class. Well, that was true for the Friday class, but I took it on Saturday and we had to perform a dance! I also didn't expect the class to be full of young people. In a class of about 20, I was one of 3 who were over 30, and the oldest by far. I loved it. It helped that the young instructor, JJ Gerber, with his beautiful eyes and encouraging smile was charming, talented, and very patient. Dancing hip-hop and learning a dance routine so quickly was an exciting challenge and I was determined to go through with it. It cost me though. I could hardly walk the next day, and standing up and sitting down still hurt now 3 days later.
The best thing about the classes was meeting the wonderful people, singers and choristers on the journey together, warm and kind.
The best thing about the weekend was singing in the choir. The rehearsals were excellent. I really learned the most during the rehearsals. The Sunday night concert was thrilling! The TMC performance was slick, high-energy and awe-inspiring, and the York University Gospel Choir was excellent and adorable, as was the Youth Choir. (I think I would have hated it if someone called me adorable when I was in high school and university, but at my age, they look so young. And, I adored them.) I loved the band! I loved singing with a band. Wow! The energy is incredible. Singing in the choir was so joyous, exciting, satisfying, intoxicating that I didn't want the night to end.
The most important lesson that I took home with me was that a choir is a community built on love. Sounds cheesy but it's true.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Teachers and Nurses
Hi there!
You know how I noticed that so many of us choristers like to bake?
I noticed another thing about the people in the choir, and people in other choirs I've met. There seem to be a lot of teachers and nurses, more teachers and nurses than any other professions.
I don't think it's just because there are more women than men, because there are men who teach or have taught in choirs too. And, there aren't many men. Hmmmm.
I met a really wonderful person at the Power Up conference this weekend, (Lots actually, but this one stood out. I adored her.) and she's a nurse, and a really good dancer and a figure skater and of course a choir member, but I forgot to ask her if she likes to bake.
I'll have to remember to ask in the future. "So, what do you do when you're not singing? And, do you bake?"
I think that it's just another way that we can see that choir members are people who are creative and caring.
I love my choir.
Yours in harmony,
Renate
You know how I noticed that so many of us choristers like to bake?
I noticed another thing about the people in the choir, and people in other choirs I've met. There seem to be a lot of teachers and nurses, more teachers and nurses than any other professions.
I don't think it's just because there are more women than men, because there are men who teach or have taught in choirs too. And, there aren't many men. Hmmmm.
I met a really wonderful person at the Power Up conference this weekend, (Lots actually, but this one stood out. I adored her.) and she's a nurse, and a really good dancer and a figure skater and of course a choir member, but I forgot to ask her if she likes to bake.
I'll have to remember to ask in the future. "So, what do you do when you're not singing? And, do you bake?"
I think that it's just another way that we can see that choir members are people who are creative and caring.
I love my choir.
Yours in harmony,
Renate What kind of rest is this?
This is all you get for a review this week because I covered rests in my post from last week. To review last week's lesson click here.
So, what's the value of the rest in this joke? Ok, I'll make it easy and give you suggestions:
- eighth note
- quarter note
- half note
- whole note
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