YRCC 2023 Rehearsal Review Valentine's Day February 14th

It was so good to have a long break with treats, and most importantly, time to chat with our choir friends, old and new! Many thanks to all who set up and contributed to the treats. 

We always start with a warm-up. We begin with stretches to release tension in our bodies, our necks, our shoulders, and anywhere tension is lurking, even our hands. We loosen up and also bring blood flow to the areas we're going to use. We open our chests and breathe with our whole bodies. I want your whole body to support your singing. 

1. You Raise Me Up: Inspiring and touching, this sone is one of our favourites and our fans love it too. Do you know that we started singing this after Bill sang it in a concert of ours as a solo? We loved it so much that we all wanted to sing it. I think our audiences now do too, so we're going to ask them to sing the chorus with us. 

2. Walking on Sunshine: I thought it sounded pretty good last time we sang it, but this time I noticed that a lot of you have not sung this before and were pretty lost. So, we started at the beginning and learned parts. Please take some time to sing along with your part in the recordings on the YRCC website, yorkregioncommunitychoir.org. You'll need to log in with your name and email address and your password. You can reset the password if you forgot it. Open the pdf of the music or use your binder, then sing with the recording of your part. Here's a link to the baritone part. 

3. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring: We talked about how this is often played at weddings because it is so romantic. The original German lyrics are a much more personal and passionate song about Jesus. So, it's not just the contemporary Christian songs that are weirdly romantic songs about a personal relationship with Jesus. "He is my life's strength, my eye's desire and sun, my soul's love and joy". We went ahead and learned parts almost to the end! It's so cool, and beautiful, and satisfying to sing! We don't have parts recordings, but we have the accompaniment that you can practise with. 

4.You'll Never Walk Alone: When you make friends with the people at choir, you might find yourself going for walks together, or going to a bar, or chatting on the phone, and you will never have to be alone. We have walked through storms together holding our heads up high. Singing this is so rewarding that we can always hold our heads up proudly after this. It's a super strong version of this very famous song. See if you can catch a Liverpool soccer match to hear the whole stadium singing it. 

Here's us in 2014 singing it:

Next week: Tuesday, February 21st 

NO CHOIR  REHEARSAL 

(Churches need their spaces for Pancake Tuesday dinners. Lent starts on Wednesday, so Tuesday is Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, and the tradition of having pancakes for dinner at church is pretty great.)

See you all on Tuesday, February 28th

6:30 Bill: Because We Believe

• Happy Together
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
• Top of the World
• Viva!
• Walking on Sunshine

2023 YRCC Next Small Group: Mozart

 Mad About Mozart is our next small group.

It's a fun piece using Mozart melodies to tell the story of Mozarts life and works. 

You get to sing more Mozart and it's English and it's interesting!

I'm going to set up an Event on our Website.

Here's a link to that video.

Here's a link to the sheet music and a sound sample too. 

I'll add the sheetmusic to the website so you can have a look there too.

This small group will start in March. 

YRCC 2023 Rehearsal Review February 7th

Before I review the rehearsal, here's the poster for the dance I'm inviting you to. All of our friends and family are invited to this dance at church. It's a disco dance and there will be wine and pizza and snacks for sale, but you don't have to buy anything or pay anything. The idea is just to dance and have fun, share the love of disco :-)

You can RSVP to me, or just show up. You'll find me dancing.  

my choir family is invited

Together Wherever We Go met again and they're so good!

Warm-ups were not nearly as cool as the videos I sent. 

1. Top of the World: was supposed to be a warm-up, but we discovered that there were a few of us who missed a bunch of the learning on that one. We rreviewed the baritone parts, mostly. We're still not 100% sure, but it looks like basses are singing the baritone part an octave down instead of soprano two octaves down. Having basses is so good!

2. Viva!: We got all the way to the end! We've now learned the whole thing, but we'll be working on it for some time. Don't worry. Remember you can go to the website and there's a link to your part being played so you can sing along with it. 

3. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring! It's a joy to sing this. We just got started, with the first two pages. We'll take it slow and we'll review and repeat a lot. Remember your homework: look at the phrasing and pencil in the words that don't quite sit where they should for your part. The notes in a slur, or phrase mark, all go with one word. 

4. Walking on Sunshine: This is a fun and fast song and it's easy to get lost. Keep an eye on the Segno at 44, the chorus. Mark the coda, the beginning of the end. Always be careful with repeats. Watch me for when to come in and when to stop in that funny section which builds in parts like the thing in I Can See Clearly. See the snip below. You can rehearse with a recording of your part. It's on the website. 

For inspiration, watch the music video! 

5. Hallelujah: Always wonderful! Singing this makes me happy. I love our version best of all the gazillions of versions out there. 

I'm going to announce the small groups and solos in another post. 

We're not having a small group or solo meet for the next two weeks. Next week is Valentine's Day and the following week we don't have our room. We are hoping to get space to rehearse in St. Andrew's Presbyterian just up the street at Victoria and Mosley. I've put the location in the YRCC Calendar and updated the small group/solo time slots too. 

Next week: Tuesday, February 14th. Have a nice dinner with your home loves and then come and sing with your choir loves!

We're going to sing:

• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
• Viva!
• Walking on Sunshine
• You Raise Me Up
• You'll Never Walk Alone

Choir Warm-ups and Strained Voices

 If you find yourself hoarse at the end of the night on Tuesdays after choir rehearsals, you could have used a better warm-up. Or, maybe you just drank too much coffee. Or, you couldn't shake off your work day. Maybe the music wasn't your style, not your groove. It's not always from singing too high or too loud. 

Just like muscle strain in your shoulders or legs, your vocal muscles can get hurt because of tension and doing something new, or unusual. So, you need to sing all week long and you need to do a warm-up, just like you do with sports or other exercise, to avoid vocal strain on choir nights. 

General relaxation and good health and practice are key to avoidinig strain. 

Try not drinking coffee on choir day, and stay hydrated. Many of you remember diligently to bring a water bottle, but maybe you should consider a soothing herbal tea instead. 

Whenever you sing, at choir or at home, get the kinks out of your neck and shoulders before you start, and take some good mindful breaths at the very least. A yawn is a good gentle warm-up exercise. A general physical stretch-and-relax practice is recommended, so we always do that on choir nights. And, some people massage the outside of the neck and face, or the inside of the mouth with the tongue. 

Humming is excellent. Look it up. Studies have shown lots of benefits. Hum whenever you think of it, and hum some warm-up drills before you sing. 

Sirens (or rollercoasters) are good and can be done on lip trills (raspberries) or tongue trills (rrrr) or on the sound "ng"(like at the end of the word sing-we need to try this one). If you can't do the trills, you need to relax more. Tension is a big part of the problem. There are videos which might help you to learn to do lip trills. 

There are all kinds of videos and articles online on the topic of vocal warm-ups, vocal strain, choral warm-ups, and singing in general. They don't all apply to what we're doing. You're not a professional singer and you're not a professional speaker. You just want to use your voice to sing for fun, and you don't want it to hurt. 

Here are some different kinds of videos on YouTube. Find one you like and do some working out regularly so you're not getting that "weekend warrior" pain. 

Gentle VOCAL WARM UP for SINGERS | Rehabilitative vocal warmups | 15 minute vocal warmup

Gentle VOCAL WARM UP for SINGERS | Rehabilitative vocal warmups | 15 min...

10 Minute Vocal Warm Up For a Strained Voice

10 Minute Vocal Warm Up For a Strained Voice

10 Minute Daily VOCAL WORKOUT! Vocal Exercise (subtitles)

10 Minute Daily VOCAL WORKOUT! Vocal Exercise (subtitles)

I love that last one! Sparkle every day, people! 

YRCC Rehearsal Review January 31st

The small group singing Together Wherever We Go met early. They have learned the song and the next step is to make it visually adorable. 

We warmed up our instruments and made sure we were allowing lots of air to come out of our mouths with exercises to open our throats and stretch the upper and lower limits of our range of sounds (not necessarily 'singing' sounds). We did a few vocal exercises too, with short syllables and long vowels resonating in our sinuses. 

1. Blue Skies: "nothing but blue skies from now own" fits our theme perfectly. We have snaps and jazz hands and two short 'scat' solos. The sopranos start with snaps (two bars before Donna comes in) and alto tenor and bass start with melody. The bar before the sopranos start, they stop snapping, 13 (its not easy to snap and sing; too much pressure). The bar before the solos start, everyone snaps, top of page 5, and turns the page so you don't look at the music until page 6. Everyone stops snapping when we start singing again, 53. Easy-peasy. At the end, everyone does jazz hands with their right hands, on the last word "on". Watch how we snap so that you do it the same as everyone else. 

2. I Can See Clearly Now: Nothing but blue, blue skies! We looked at the ending, from the coda 43, coming in at 45, to the end. A good ending is so important! Be sure to observe rests. Look at the top of page 10 and maybe mark those two beats at the end of bar 48 so that you're not holding "way" too long. 

3. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring: We are singing the English words and we say "Jay-zoo". We sight-read through the first verse. It's pretty, but difficult. Your homework is to look at your part and see where your notes don't match the words as they are written. Altos and Baritones especially have some really cool parts. Look at the slur lines connecting notes to see where the words move and where they start and stop. For example, look at the words Love and Most, here below from page 3. Sopranos have 3 syllables on love and two on most. Altos have one syllable on love and 4 on most! Baritones have 2 syllables on love and one on most, and the location of the word most is deceiving. If I were singing baritone, I would cross out most and write it over the note on beat 3, where I need to sing it. Also, for the second verse, 'sic' from music falls on beat 3 so I would write that in too, maybe like this: zik. Be sure to make any markings in pencil. If you ever leave the choir, someone else will get your music, and they might sing a different part. Or, the director might ask you to do things differently from year-to-year. 

4. Viva!: Encourage everyone to live life well, especially those dearest to your heart (piu caro in vostro cor). We did the whole next section, from 19 to 32, starting with all the altos and sopranos on that optional solo section. It's so pretty with all of you singing! The most difficult part there is the baritone line in the first system of page 8. If you have a chance to listen to that part, please do. 

5. On Eagle's Wings: We sang the whole thing and noticed that some sopranos forgot to mark that they're not singing at 43, but only come in at "make you to shine" and make it soft and angelic, please. This section is all about the altos: look at their sun. The ending needs work so that we get it tighter. Make sure you are observing those rests on beats 2. 

We talked about small group and solo suggestions. I already have more than enough suggestions so that I won't be able to include all of them; however, if you have a great idea, I'm still all ears, open to suggestions, until next week. I have to decide at least who is going to rehearse next. Do we want an early group on Valentine's Day evening? Maybe that's not a good idea? We need to make some decisions next Tuesday. 

Here's the One Voice trio we were talking about. This version is not the original, but I like it a lot. It fits our theme beautifully: singing together, helping each other to make it through, surrendering to the mystery, singing with love and a will to trust. All of us=one voice. I just saw a video with a choir singing it, and I think we might want to do this next year. Oh, my goodness, it's everything, this song. Tab has agreed to join Melinda and Lauren on this. Thank you! 

Next week, Tuesday, February 7th

6:45 Together Wherever We Go 

• Hallelujah
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
• Top of the World
• Viva
• Walking on Sunshine

YRCC 2023 Rehearsal Review January 24th

 Life is so much better with choir! 

I was a bit frazzled from my day at work but soon forgot all of that and had a wonderful evening.

We had a quick warmup only so that we could get singing asap.

1. Why We Sing- so satisfying. Not sure how I want to do the beginning this year. Maybe we'll do it differently. Not the back and forth? We discovered that could use another one or two additional first sopranos. If you'd like to try, sit in front with Anna next week. We don't have a lot of first soprano parts, but a few important ones, like this song and We Rise Again, and a few special bits, kind of like bass parts. The special bits usually go above C so you have to be comfortable singing D E F and up to G, and the odd A.

2. Top of the World- we've got it. We just sang it through and we'll keep on getting better. Sweet.

3. On Eagle's Wings- We looked at all the "make you to shine like the sun" and they are pretty cool. We'll keep on tweaking and improving, but it's really quite good already. Well done! Sopranos and Altos marked their music at 43 with a note to say "altos only and soft". Baritones have the melody there, and then altos have a really good "sun" there. Altos should be loud on "sun". Sopranos have a pretty "make you to shine" which should be strong but not louder than the altos. Pretty like angels floating above the melody. At 61, the baritone part has the special bit that the altos had at 43, a harmony above the melody. Don't slip into melody there. Soprano and Alto both sing softly on the melody: stronger than just the altos, but not loud. The baritone line has the melody and should be strong right through make you to shine like the sun and "sun" is good and strong, please. Altos have a special sun again too. We looked at the whole ending, with special attention to altos and baritones again. Watch out for the short movements onto beat one at: 88, 90, 94. Don't hold them longer-observe those rests on beat two! I might lengthen beat one at 94: watch! That's the beginning of the end and you need to be watching anyway. There's a rit.(ritardando, slowing down) there which means the tempo will depend on the conductor, so watch. We added a bass note to the very end "hand", a low A (or was it an F?).

4. Viva!- It's so cool singing Mozart and so close to his birthday, January 27th! We did really well and sang all the way through the first section. We sang in Italian! Some of us are a little worried about how to say the r sounds. It's not a big deal but maybe we'll work on it a bit. Pay attention to the rests. Don't hold notes longer than written. There are short half-beat rests, one-beat rests, and two-beat rests. This Mozart piece is delightful and good for learning how to read note values, because it's pretty clear and even 4/4 time. 

5. I Can See Clearly Now- We reviewed the changes to the lyrics here and there, and looked at the parts at 16. We did great despite a few new folks getting lost. It's a bit confusing, but we'll keep working at it. Be sure to have a look at the repeats and the notes about them. Make note of the segno at 25 and the Coda at 43 where you come in at 45. We'll need to go over those sections again too. No worries. 

We talked about: small groups and solos

If you have an idea for a small group song or would like to sing a solo that fits in our theme, please let me know as soon as possible. I'll need 4 or 5 at the most. We've started Together Wherever We Go and in 2 weeks, we'll start the next one. We'll need to plan for rehearsal time with Donna at 6:30. I've got 3 solo suggestions and 4 small group possibilities, and when I've heard from everyone, I'll see which ones fit best. 

Next week:

• Blue Skies
• I Can See Clearly Now
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
• On Eagle's Wings
• Viva

YRCC 2023 Rehearsal Review January 17

 Our warm-up included breathing, stretching and yawning, sirens/rollercoasters, na-nas and do-dohs. 

1. Wonderful World was also a warm-up, as it's sweet and not too challenging. 

2. We Rise Again was not on my list for tonight, but the composer of this song, Leon Dubinsky passed away earlier in the day, and it felt good to sing him home this way. I also had Dorothy Street in my mind as we sang this beautiful song about how life doesn't end when we die. We learned today that Dorothy passed away on Sunday. Dorothy sang Tenor, and was vibrant and youthful, always busy and singing, despite some health issues. We were surprised to hear that she was 93. Inspiring. 

3. Top of the World is done! Well, we got to the end. We'll sing it a lot in the next few months, don't worry. Something we talked about is how you are encouraged to make notes on your music- in pencil- because I often change things. We added a bass part to this because I felt that the baritone line was too high for our basses. They will sing melody 2 octaves down, mostly with sopranos, except in the section from bar 66-bar 74. Donna made up a great part for them to sing there, a low harmony to the baritone part. Remember to sing the same rhythm as, move with, the baritones, and not the sopranos in this section. We reviewed the alto part at 52 which is a bit tricky. It comes again at 74. 

3. Viva! This is one of two classical pieces in our binders this season. It's short and exciting and we're singing in Italian! Yay! The Italian is so much better. And, you can easily learn this at home by following along with your part on videos on YouTube. You can get there through my channel, but I'll put the direct links on the website. The video is just the sound, nothing to watch, so you'll want to look at your music while you listen. Look on the pdf side for my Viva Notes on Pronunciation (and meaning).  It's not difficult and there are so very few words to learn- don't worry. You're going to wish it were longer. 

4. On Eagle's Wings is so good, but I want to make it even better. We need to look at all the "make you to shine like the sun" parts. That's our theme, sunshine. It goes with This Little Light of Mine, I'm gonna let it shine". Same thing. (also We Rise Again like the sun, see?) I had planned to go through all of them this week, but we ran out of time. I wish choir nights were longer! You can look at them on your own, but we will do it together. Sopranos have it easy but still have to pay attention. Altos have a couple special ones. Tenors have special ones too. Here's where to look: bar 11, bar 29, 47 and 48, 65 and 66, 85. I especially love 48 an 66, altos and tenors. 

Next week:

6:30 Small Group Together Wherever We Go Starts! I've got three early Tuesdays booked on the YRCC Calendar for you. This is going to be a fun and cute song with back-and-forth interaction with body language and dynamics to make it "delightful" Here's a video for you to watch. 

Some of you have started coming forward with ideas for solos and small groups. If you have an idea for a small group or a solo you'd like to sing that you think will fit in with our theme, please do let me know. It's great to have lots of ideas to choose from! If you have a solo piece, be sure to get the music for Donna to play the accompaniment and so that I can have a look. Once I've taken a look, I'll choose a few and we'll book time with Lauren and Donna for you in that early slot 6:30-7:30. 

Next week's plan:

• Blue Skies
• I Can See Clearly
• On  Eagle's Wings
• Viva
• Why We Sing

CNOY Walk 2023- Support Inn From the Cold with Renate

It's not a walk to test how far you can walk or how fast. It's not a run, not a race. There are no timers and there's no list to show who was fastest, but the team and individuals who raised the most funds are listed and celebrated. When we finish our walk, we gather to have a simple, warm meal. In the past, a restaurant has donated chili and buns and hot chocolate. I've participated in this walk for many years and even walked during the pandemic when we had to walk separately. 

The walk is not a huge challenge, 2km or 5km. The walk might be icy, or slushy, snowy, or dry and clear, but it's always cold and getting dark. We don't run. This year, we walk on February 25th. 

The CNOY walk is more like a demonstration, a statement. We walk together, a huge crowd of people with matching toques. We walk through the town in community. We join thousands of walkers all over Canada, walking on the same evening. We walk in solidarity with those who suffer because they might or must spend cold nights outdoors because they have no shelter of their own, no bed, no home. 

From the CNOY website: The Coldest Night of the Year is a moment when tens of thousands of Canadians step outside the warmth and comfort of home and shine a light of welcome and inclusion. Together, we're collecting donations that fund critical services at a local charity partner who serves and supports vulnerable families and individuals in our CNOY community.

In Newmarket, we are supporting Inn From the Cold. 

Take a look at the Inn From the Cold website. (innfromthecold.ca) They're amazing; they do so much! Their goals and vision are admirable, and the work they're doing is awesome. 

From the IFTC website: Services offered by Inn From the Cold: Inn From the Cold provides emergency shelter and support services for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. IFTC offers a range of helpful services year round that are designed to assist with finding housing, employment, volunteer opportunities, mental health and addiction support and other necessities such as hot meals, clothing, laundry, internet, voicemail, showers and personal care items. A continuum of services from basic needs to securing housing assists our clients on their journey to wellness and self-sufficiency. 

We are all winners when homelessness ends. When everyone has shelter, dignity, and safety, we all win. Wouldn't it feel good to be able to prevent and eliminate homelessness together?

Donate now on my fundraising page. It's easy, and fast.  

YRCC 2023 Rehearsal Review January 10th

 HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What an excellent rehearsal we had! This new season has started off on a high note ;-)

We welcomed a few new people from the waiting list, and they're great. I'm especially happy to see the new men. 

While we do have to maintain a waiting list, men are always welcome. We have a limit of 60 because of our space in the Administrative Centre, where we hope to return in September. If you're wondering why we don't have 60 people now, it's because we're holding spaces for some of our past members who have let us know that they're coming back as soon as they feel more comfortable. 

Our theme this season is a continuation of Merrily Singing Together, which was our Winter Holiday theme. For spring, our theme is Sunshine, "We Rise Again", and Happy Singing Together. We have a lot of wonderful music in our binders! We won't be able to sing all of our songs at our concert, so some of them will be just for us. 

We started with warm-ups, physical and vocal. For fun we did a popular choir warm-up from TikTok! It's a 4-part na-na from Hey Jude. Apparently, a high-school music teacher posted it on TikTok and the vocal group Pentatonix used it at one of their concerts. Pretty cool.

1. You Raise Me Up- super song to start the year. Remember: not too strong on the the "I am strong" sections on the first three pages. Loud begins at the end of page 3. Watch during the ending, as always.

2. This Little Light of Mine- Lauren and Melinda were outstanding as usual on the solos. Finding the repeat is easy "on a Monday". Get loud at the key change (starting in the second ending).

3. On Eagle's Wings- beautiful. And, it will be even more beautiful when we study it and look at how the dynamics will create beauty and drama. We will need to focus on "make you to shine like the sun". It's different every time, and that part highlights our theme. 

4. I Can See Clearly Now-Despite it being a new song and having all kinds of tricky parts, this was pretty good! Some of us have clearly studied this one. Things to review: We changed to "I think we can make it" in a few places, bar 21 and it's pickup have the same words for SAB "I've been praying for", the section at the Segno, 25 all of it, bar 33 and the pick-up, the section at 38, coming in at 45 after the segno section. I love the blue, blue skies section, which is our point: nothing but blue skies from now on. 

5. Top of the World- We started this just before the lockdown in 2020, so it's still pretty new. It's farily easy though. We started "learning" this one, going through parts on pages 4,5,6. Lucky sopranos have the melody, but altos and tenors have some learning to do. Sopranos just have to pay attention to how the melody and timing are a little different from the Carpenters' version. 

6. Hallelujah- This is always a treat. We sing the chorus softly the first few times to make it more satisfying and dramatic when we stay loud on page 9. There are some tricky bits in the alto section to review.

Next week:

• I Can See Clearly
• On Eagle's Wings
• Top of the World
• Viva 
• Wonderful World
• Why We Sing

This little light of mine is gonna shine

YRCC New Year Blessing 2023

" May every day of this new year bring joy to you and yours."

Our New Year Blessing song in its entirety is what I wish for all of us, love and laughter, friends, plenty, health, but this big ending phrase rings in my ear. I do hope that we find some joy in every day. We certainly will have hard days, but we have come through so many that we know that there is always some joy, something wonderful to be found.

I have sad news. We lost another member of our choir family. Mary-Ellen Scriver (alto Mary-Ellen) passed away on new year's eve. We were blessed to have her kind, generous, and gentle presence in our alto section for many seasons and will remember her fondly. 

I'm looking forward to this new season of choir. Our theme is still happily singing together again with a We Rise Again, spring and sunshine feel to it. 

I've updated this blog and our website with the new list of music, and Peggy and Anne will have our binders ready for Tuesday, January 10th. I look forward to seeing you then. I hope that some of you who've been reluctant to return will find new courage to meet with us every week again. Remember that there is plenty of space in the Trinity basement for us to spread out if we want to and if you prefer to keep your mask on, and if rules tell us all to put our masks back on, then we'll be flexible and patient. 

YRCC Party instead of Performance on 20-DEC-2022

We'll meet at my (Renate's) house for a casual holiday get-together on Dec.20th at 7:00 in place of our seniors' performance at Roxborough. They've had an outbreak. 

Check the Calendar for the address or look me up on the members only side of the website in the members listing. 

I'll have a few snacks and some beverages, but if you'd like to bring something, that would be fun. 

I will set up the screen and projector and we can sing. If Donna or anyone else feels like playing piano, they can use my keyboard. Or, we can sing karaoke-style. I'll see what I can cook up. 

Bring your binders so we can give them to Peggy to file away Christmas and fill them up with our spring music for January 10th. 

If you can't make it, then you are responsible for getting your binder and all the music you have to Peggy before the end of the year. Look her up in the members listing on the website for her phone number and address. 

YRCC Singing with Seniors 13-DEC-2022

 We had another successful and fun sing-out at Hollandview!

They're always so nice and so many people come to hear us and sing with us! I wish they had a better space for us though. They need a nice room like the Roxborough has. Or even Mackenzie has a better room for a show. Oh, well. It is a lovely place. 

Speaking of Roxborough, keep your eyes on your emails. They seem to be on a lock-down. We might not be able to go next week. If not, I would love to get together with you anyway. Let's see what we can plan. 

The awkward room and difficulty sharing the screen got me thinking that I should have sent everyone a link to the PowerPoint for the lyrics. Sorry!

Another thing I could do is have my laptop there for people to share to see the words. 

If we sing out next Tuesday, I'll try to remember to bring it. 

Here is the link: Holiday Singing with the YRCC

You never know what lovely surprises happen when you're out and about. 

After the performance, when everyone was leaving, one lady stayed behind and wanted to talk to me. It often happens that someone has enjoyed the performance and the singing so much that they want to thank me. I love that. This time, there was more to it. She had heard me singing a little German and asked if I knew a couple of other German carols, and I did but only a few words of each. She was so moved to be able to sing those songs with me! And, we talked a bit and it turns out she's from Berlin, where my parents were from and she arrived in Canada just around the same time that they did, in the early 1950s. We both enjoyed the opportunity to use our mother tongue and it seemed no small coincidence that I had just been saying that we remember where we're from when we sing traditional songs and do traditional things at Christmas time.What a blessing our seniors' visits are! 

YRCC Concert and First Seniors' Performance Review

 AHHHHHH! IT WAS AWESOME!

It was so good to be back in front of an audience with my beautiful chor! The concert on Sunday was thrilling. I was so excited, and everything went perfectly. 

Something new that we did was to hold up and wave little tea lights during the New Year Blessing. Wow! It looked so cool! And, during our encore, Why We Sing, we not only held up our tealights, but we also asked the audience to hold up their phones the way you do at concerts. And, it was stunning, so special!!!

We said all the thank-yous at the concert, so I just want to say that I feel extremely blessed and deeply grateful. 

I was in quite a bit of pain after the concert, as my sciatica has been flaring up, but it was totally worth it. 

Yesterday, we sang at Mackenzie Place. The residents there are always so sweet and it is always very rewarding. Yesterday was no exception. There was a glitch with the night folks not being prepared for us, but it worked out in the end, and they apologized in an email today. We know we don't have COVID, because we were all swabbed. So, that's something ;-)

The new Ho Ho Holiday Sing-along PowerPoint worked out okay, but I had forgotten that it needed to be open in the actual PowerPoint app, not in GoogleDrive. So, I had issues finding songs and that was a bit frustrating. But, I fixed it for next time. And, I added Feliz Navidad, which we sang a cappella in response to a request, and I added Winter Wonderland and O Christmas Tree. Someone asked for O Christmas Tree and none of us knew more than a few words. Donna says she has a good "fake" book of Christmas songs, so she is game for anything! I love that. Maybe I'll add a few more songs.

I'm thoroughly exhausted, but happy. 

Next week, we sing at Hollandview Terrace, which is one of my favourite places. Let's all keep healthy so that we can sing for a couple more weeks and then gather with our families. I'm so looking forward to Christmas with my family! Crossing my fingers. 

There are a few photos and videos of our concert on Facebook and Instagram. 

Check out Doug Jarvie's Instagram post here.

Here's a shot that Carol posted: 

04 DEC 2022

YRCC Winter 2022 Concert Tomorrow, Dec. 4th! Tickets at the door.

 

Tickets are still available for purchase at the door!

We are so looking forward to seeing you!

YRCC Getting Ready for the Show!

 Our run-through rehearsal was so good! 

I feel very confident knowing how wonderful we sound. Doug did some recording and it's so exciting to hear the big beautiful sound we make. We had a few little bits of stress, but that's how it's supposed to be. If it goes without a hitch, then the hitches will happen at the concert. This way, our concert should go smoothly. And, honestly, we worry about things that won't be noticed, or if they are they'll be forgotten in an instant. The main thing is that we're together and singing merrily. 

Some concert day details to review:

Wear black bottoms and white tops. There's a page on the website devoted to uniforms. This would be a formal performance. Bring both of your scarves so we can share and have more fun! Wear your biggest smiles. 

(btw, does anyone know where Musette and her basket have gone? Are you hiding her in your closet?)

Water bottles will be tolerated on stage just this once because you can tuck them in beside/behind a chair leg. Drinking should be limited to only when absolutely necessary. I frown upon single-use bottles, but I try not to be too judgy (out loud). 

1:00-1:45 set-up and small groups: Small groups and soloists, and anyone who wants to go over something specific can come as early as 1:00. Doug says he'll be there at 1:00. I think we said 1:30 on Tuesday, but we can get there earlier. Yay. 

1:45 Assemble: This is when we all want to be on stage, ready for a warm-up, quick clean-up of Little Tree, and anything else you feel needs last-minte attention, and a review of how we're going to enter. 

2:15 Doors Open, and choir goes to sit in the chapel to wait. 

3:00- 4:30 show. We might go over a bit ;-) 

Don't forget to take your gorgeous pointsettias home! 

After the show, you can take your friends and family out for dinner in Aurora or Newmarket or check out the Aurora Christmas Market from 5:00PM-9:30PM. It takes place in Town Park right behind the church. 

Wanda, don't forget the hockey stick. 

OOOOHHHH, and don't forget Tuesday, December 6th, we're singing at Mackenzie Place in Newmarket, and we should plan to arrive at 6:30 for a 7:00-8:00 show. 

YRCC Rehearsal Review 22-NOV-2022

 We're getting close, and we're sounding ready!

Still My Joy and David's City met early and they're great. Next week, we'll be perfect. 

Warm-ups included raspberries, sirens, and Michael Buble. 

1. We Wish You a Merry Madrigal.-with accompaniment

2. Somewhere Out There- no solo- all sopranos. 

3. New Year Blessing- first time simple and in unison and straight up, no fermatas, second time with fancy accompaniment and 3 part harmony- note that we've eliminated the tenor clef line on the second page. Bass clef divides anyway and is not too low. Watch for fancy timing second time through.

4. Thank You For the Music-changing the end of the oohs to "so I say" makes all the difference.

5. We Need a Little Christmas- cleaning up nicely

6. Hallelujah- no solos for the show, it will be a kind of sing-along

7. Why We Sing will be our encore, so plant some standing ovation starters maybe?

Next week (Nov.29) is our run-through rehearsal in the sanctuary, upstairs! We won't need our equipment because Donna can play a real piano-yay! 

Small Groups are meeting at 6:30, and please can a few people come to help set up chairs? 

7:00 we start!

We will run through the concert order (on the website, but here's a link)

Put your binders in order so that we don't spend time searching for music. 

Binders absolutely must be in order for the concert!

Sell tickets to your friends and family, please, and order your pointsettias. 

Our Delightful Poster

 

3PM, SUN, DEC 4, 2022

YRCC Rehearsal Review 8-NOV-2022 and 15-NOV-2022

 I'm so disappointed in myself that I haven't been managing to get things done. I was always so reliable and capable, and lately, well, maybe the past few years, I haven't been. I am taking steps to get back on my preferred path again. I apologize for being so late with this review, and for not getting last week's done at all. Thank you for your patience. 

Important:

1. Pointsettias: Jane started selling pointsettias again this past week, as a fundraiser for us, and to decorate the church for the holiday concert. She gets a good deal on some exceptional pointsettias and takes care of the pick-up and delivery, along with Lauren. Jane places the pointsettias in beautiful arrangements in the church, creating a festive scene for us. We take our plants home at the end of the concert, and some will be given away as door prizes. $25, choose red or white. 

2. Tickets: Start buying concert tickets for friends and family. Karen will have the Square payment processing device this week for us to pay by credit. She will happily accept cash or cheques made out to York Region Community Choir too, of course. Remember, all advance tickets sales will have to be paid in full. We cannot hold tickets this year. Share Lauren's beautiful poster (link to pdf):

3. November 29 Run-Through: This Tuesday is our last rehearsal downstairs at Trinity this year. On November 29th, we'll be upstairs. Doug, the sound technician will be there and we'll run through the show. I'll send you the order later this week so that you get your binders ready in show order. 

The two small groups are meeting early, along with Tab this week: Still My Joy at 6:45, David's City at 7:00, and Grinch at 7:15. Next week, we might want everyone a little early? Let's talk about our run-through plan. 

Ove the past two weeks, we rehearsed Somewhere Out There, Thank You For the Music (the section with Marlene's solo, with the oohs and aahs), O Holy Night, You'll Never Walk Alone, Magic of Winter, Need a Little Christmas (careful with timing on 99 and on the last page), Little Tree, New Year Blessing (still working on how the two verses will look-1-everyone on melody and simply, then 2-big with the fancy harmonies and big ending).

Focus this week:

We Wish You a Merry Madrigal, New Year Blessing, Thank You For the Music, We Need a Little Christmas. 

Fun: Somewhere Out There, Blue Skies, Why We Sing.

YRCC Rehearsal Review 01-Nov-2022

 November?! Time is flying faster this year, since we're not stuck in our homes as much. Flying!

Halloween was Monday, so we twisted to the Purple People Eater as part of our warm-up, and we had some treats at breaktime. 

Both small groups met early and sounded excellent. 

1. Blue Skies was awesome

2. Grown-Up Christmas List was awesome. We spent time on the Coda and key change.

3. We Need a Little Christmas was awesome, and it's so fast! Watch out with your counting and remember that one bar is only 2 beats, a whole bar is "one-two". The page turn from page 7 to 8 caused us some grief but we cleaned it up. The section at 99 is chill; you're the background and Donna has the melody on the piano. Get loud over "evergreen bough" and you're already louder at the chorus. 

4. We Wish You a Merry Madrigal is going to be a theme song for Merrily Singing Together, our concert on December 4th, just a month away!

5. We sang O Holy Night.  I want to make it a sing-along, but it was so pretty, we'll see. Maybe it will be a performance piece. It's that good! I'm looking forward to hearing Donna on the piano upstairs. 

You can put aside for spring these two songs: This Little Light of Mine, I Can See Clearly Now. 

Our big focus is community singing and Holiday/Christmas singing for this concert. 

We're starting to prepare for the concert so we'll be working on polishing up all of the rest of our songs. 

Get your family and friends booked for Sunday, December 4th. The concert will start at 3:00 and will go for 90 minutes without an intermission so that we don't mingle close up with too many people. The cost will be only $20 for all; everyone gets the senior/student/early bird discount. 

The York Region Community Choir

Merrily Singing Together:

A Real Live Holiday Concert

3:00pm on Sunday, December 4th, 2022

at Trinity Anglican Church in Aurora

 

YRCC Rehearsal Review- 2022-Oct-25

 Another rehearsal missed?! 

This time I was sick. 

I hadn't been sick since last Christmas, when I thought I had COVID (like almost everyone at the time) and went for a proper test at a pharmacy (one of the last available) and didn't get the results until 3 weeks later-negative. This time I took a rapid test which came back negative in 20 minutes. I missed a beautiful weekend, a church meeting, a concert, and choir. It was awful, but it wasn't as bad as last Christmas. 

Lauren and Donna are the best! They helped me feel okay about missing and I'm sure you were all more than fine without me. Lauren is the absolute very bestest because she wrote me this summary of the rehearsal:

Small groups: There's Still My Joy is sounding wonderful. Our voices are blending nicely. Since we changed the music when Debbie wasn't here, I have decided we will meet again at 6:45 and Once in Royal David's City can start at 7:00. I handed out all 8 copies and I think we'll have a good blend of voices.

1. We started with Hallelujah as a continuation of our warm up and to go over the three tricky alto parts for our new altos. Sounds wonderful. 

2. I Can See Clearly Now: pages 4-7 could use more work. We went over the timing and the tenor part. Reviewed the word changes for everyone. The sopranos have forgotten to stop singing at the end of bar 27 to leave the rest for the first tenor "blue" in bar 28. 

3. Little Tree: with Kit and Natalie there, the sopranos came in at "Don't Be Afraid" but still not super strong. For some reason (perhaps my unpracticed conducting) a few also kept coming in and singing the alto/tenor part on page 3, right after we come in for the first time. 

4. Somewhere Out There: we reviewed the oohs on page 3, sounded amazing. Forgot to review the ones on page 4. Tenors and basses sounded much better at 2, both times. Reviewed the alto, tenor and bass parts at the beginning of the coda because they are all a little different from what we normally sing. Cleared up a page turn mystery for the guys -- too funny! 

5. We Need a Little Christmas: we learned the new part, starting at bar 99 and going through to the end. Almost there! When we sang the whole thing through, I realized we haven't really learned 81 through 99. 

6. We Wish You a Merry Madrigal: I asked them to make the drama between the loud parts and the soft repeats even more so and to sing the soft bits like silly little elves, bright and cheery. Sounded great. We didn't sing it a cappella because Donna put the piano on harpsichord and everyone loved it. 

7. Grown Up Christmas List: ran short of time but ran through it a few times. Still needs a little work but sounds good. The coda needs the most attention I think. Specifically everyone could use a review of the key change and the timing.

8. Ended with Wonderful World. Which sounded wonderful. 

I'm looking forward to seeing you all again this coming Tuesday, November 1st (What?!! Already November?!!) We have to seriously start planning our concert. 

You can start telling your friends and family to reserve Sunday, December 4th for the concert. 3:00-4:30, so you can invite them for dinner after, or hint to them to take you out for dinner. Have a sing-along party, with some mulled wine, or have some hot chocolate and cookies after. We're thinking about having a bake sale with take-home plates of goodies. 

 The York Region Community Choir

Merrily Singing Together:

A Real Live Holiday Concert

3:00pm on Sunday, December 4th, 2022

at Trinity Anglican Church in Aurora 

 

YRCC Rehearsal Review 2022-Oct-18

 We discovered another good thing about meeting on Tuesdays: Halloween is on a Monday night this year, so our choir night is clear. And, we'll hopefully have extra chocolate and candy to share. 

The small group "There's Still My Joy" met and have a new arrangement that's more balanced, more 'choral' and prettier. Yay! Thank you, Donna for finding it. So, they're going to need at least one more rehearsal to learn it. 

Our warm-up included more dancing: a little twist again and "le freak". 

1. Magic of Winter was perfect. There was no hissing, because you watched my cut-offs. I love it when you watch me! Sometimes, I think maybe I'm a little over the top with all my conducting gestures, brandishing my baton like a weapon, and grabbing at the air with my left hand like a baseball shortstop. But, it's my own little dance and it works. 

2. Little Tree needs work. I love this thing and I want it to be good enough for Enid. Sopranos need to work on "Don't be afraid, put up your arms" and holding notes their full value. Listen to the recording from December 2015 on the website, or here. We decided that the soprano section, since they're not so huge anymore, can all sing at the beginning. It should be soft and very together, smooth, like a very small group. 

3. We Wish You a Merry Madrigal will be kind of a theme for our concert (Merrily Singing Together: a Real Live Holiday Concert) so we'll learn it with and without accompaniment. Donna improvised a fun accompaniment and I loved it, but I also love it a cappella - we rarely sing a cappella, and it's cool. So, I want to do both. Good Tidings (that we're together again) and merry, merry (merry making together again) and the fa-la-la element (singing merrily) are all simply perfect. This song also requires good watching for us to stay together with the timing changes. 

4. We Need a Little Christmas right this very minute. We're learning this one from the beginning. Some of us have seen it while we were having Zoom Choir. But, in real life, it's all new. 

Watch this: 

Don't worry; I won't ask you to dance. But, they look like they're having so much fun, right?!

5. Thank You for the Music is coming along wonderfully! Lauren is going to write out the parts in section C and at the end so you can see your part alone, but that takes some time. Hopefully, we'll have it next week. Think about singing that solo at E, or being Marlene's backup (Marlene wasn't there, so we volunteered her. I think she'd be a super "girl with silver hair")

We talked about the next small group, and listened to 2 Christmas Hymns from Voices United to decide on Once in Royal David's City. This small group will start on November 1st. 

Next week, Tuesday, October 25th, There's Still My Joy will meet at 6:45. 

Next week, we'll start promoting our concert: Merrily Singing Together: a Real Live Holiday Concert on December 4th at 3pm.

YRCC Rehearsal Review 2022-OCT-11

I'm so sorry to have missed this rehearsal! 

I had a little business trip which was very nice and quite successful. Still, I hate to miss choir because of work. And, it was the big move to Christmas rehearsal. Up to now, we only did Magic of Winter, and this week, the Christmas music all came out. Lauren sent me this very thorough report:

The small group There's Still My Joy met and all learned the verses and the harmonies for the chorus. The music switches back and forth from 3/4 to 4/4 time and the timing is very tricky.

1. Wonderful World: focus on the louder bright, quieter night. Really just a warm up. But sounded fantastic.

2. Magic of Winter: a couple of hissing s's at wakes and lakes on page 5 that could use some attention but could be performed today and be good.

3. We Need a Little Christmas. We got through to the top of page 9 although we'll need some review, especially the tenors for their special bits.

4. Thank You For the Music: we went over and over the chorus. I offered to break everyone's parts out like I did for Bring Him Home and the offer was gratefully accepted. I'll try to do that this week. (Thank you, Lauren! It's so hard to read three parts squished into one staff)

5. We Wish You A Merry Madrigal: went really well, considering we haven't sung it for a while. Only problem was the tempo slowed throughout when we sang without Donna, although as she pointed out, we stayed precisely on key, which was great. Dynamics were also good but could use a little more drama in my (humble?) opinion. (I will work on drama with you.)

6. Little Tree: we could perform that today and it would be great. Sopranos hesitated at the beginning of your favourite section so that could use a little review. (My favourite section?! We will fix that.)

7. Grown Up Christmas List: we looked at the coda timing -- both bars 26 to 28 and bars 41 and 42. The key change could use some work, and there was some fumbling to get back to the beginning, even though I reviewed the pages before we sang. I suggested to the second sopranos that they sing the alto A flat right before the split for the final "list", bars 44 to 45. It makes their part A, B, C, A (instead of E), B. Also, I realized after that I forgot to mention to anyone with new copies that we are changing every man to everyone.

8. New Year's Blessing: we just went through it a couple of times. Sounding OK but needs more work.

9. Blue Skies: we reviewed because I am hearing harmony in the alto/tenor part in the section starting at 21. Having no alto but me there, it was easy to see the problem is with the altos as the tenors were singing it fine. 

10.Why We Sing: I just told people to sing the solos but in twos and threes. I had Lynn and Bev sing the first one, Kit, Rosemarie and Janice sing the second, Blair and Melinda sing the third, Kathy and Nadine sing the fourth, and it built nicely that way and no one felt too terrible about being singled out. (I love that!)

Wow! You did so much AND you had a coffee time social with snacks and decaf coffee at breaktime?!!

I'm so impressed, and happy to know that you're good without me, but I will do my best not to miss any more!

Next week, the small group is meeting again at 6:45.

We will continue to work on Thank You and Blessing, and Grown-up, and Need a Little Christmas, and we'll continue to have fun with the stuff we know well.

YRCC Rehearsal Review 2022-OCT-04

 Oh, boy! I've been a little crazy with work and Thanksgiving and everything. 

Finally, here's a review of the past rehearsal:

Our warm-ups included dancing a twist (Reet Petite was the song) and humming along with the YRCC singing O Shenandoah. Such a beautiful song, and the most wonderful arrangement and performance by us!

1.Wonderful World: we decided to increase the volume on Bright Blessed Day to create greater contrast with Dark Sacred Night. Stunning.

2. Blue Skies: we got other people to try the scat solos!!! And, it was fine. 

3. Thank you for the Music! We did the whole section C! We will continue to work on this, but wow, is it ever coming along nicely! 

4. New Year Blessing: We did the parts on the second page and thought about how to make it longer, maybe by having everyone in unison for the whole thing, with no fermatas, straight-up and then repeating with the fancy ending with all the drama. Donna could come up with a straight-up accompaniment for the first go-through. 

5. Magic of Winter: it's been cold, but we're not really ready for winter. Still, this is so pretty!

6. Why We Sing: we got 4 new, different soloists to try and it was nice! You can do it! Especially, when it's just for us, and not an audience. Maybe some day?

Next week:

6:45 Small Group: There's Still My Joy 

bring money/cheques for the Nov. 18 singalong show at RHCPA

Renate will be absent, but Donna and Lauren will lead you wonderfully

Social (decaf)Coffee Break - Yay! enjoy your social time. I'm sorry to need to miss it. 

This is the guide for tempo terms, the real truth

 

YRCC Rehearsal Review 27-SEP-2022

 New members and new/old songs.

We have a number of new members! It's so good to share our wonderful world of choir nights with them! Welcome, new folks!

Our warm-up included humming O Canada. It was nice. It felt good, and research shows that humming is good for your body and spirit. 

1. What a Wonderful World: it is. We spent a little time on the top of page 5. I like the contrast of "bright blessed day" and "dark sacred night" So we want the first to sound bright and the second to sound soft and moody. We nailed it. The sopranos have to be quite soft so that we can hear the alto and tenor parts which are especially dramatic. The bass part was super strong tonight! We also worked on the timing and blending on page 6 in the soprano/alto section and again with tenor/bass parts. Tenors and basses are not always as tight as the sopranos and altos on this page. 

2. Somewhere Out There: Last week, Cathy did the solo, and this week we heard Nadine. It was very nice, and I encourage Nadine to take more opportunities to sing solos. We reviewed the tenor/bass part at the segno again. It's getting better all the time. 

3. Hallelujah: Jane and Cathy shared their voices on the solos and then we had Blair and Kit too. The altos are so good, I forgot that I wanted to review their tricky bits. Maybe another time. 

4. Thank You For The Music: This is new for anyone who wasn't with the choir in 2016 or 2011. It's going to be difficult but fun and so worth it! We started it by walking through and noticing the places where we have to repeat. There's a segno in this song too, at C, but before that there's a repeat at A to come back to, for a second verse. The end of the repeat is in the middle of page 6. There are two endings. After the second ending, we go to the end of page7, then head back to the segno. We jump to the coda (ending) just before that first ending of the repeat. The coda is page 8. I might actually leave the ending quiet. Maybe. We learned parts at C, just 3 bars. So pretty. I got goosebumps a couple times. 

5. New Year Blessing: 2012 was the last time we sang this one, so it's new to most people. Yay! It's short and sweet, and we might sing it twice? I'm thinking about how to make it longer. We sang the first page- we're all in unison, and looked at the second. It's even tricky in the soprano line! You can watch the choir singing it here: 

We talked about: the show at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts in November. I've set up an "event" on the website. Sign up and then pay for your tickets at choir. You can bring a cheque made out to  York Region Community Choir. 

Next: 

We're going to continue to feature different soloists in our songs, reviewing the ones we know well, and we'll get working on these two new pieces.