Hello everyone,
By now I hope you've all had time to (at least) rest a bit from our EPIC labors on those EPIC wonderful EPIC insanely intense EPIC successful EPIC audience-pleasing EPIC musically satisfying EPIC detail-obsessed EPIC concerts!
Yes, folks, the word for today is:
wait for it...
SUCCESS.
We succeeded.
And, on March 5th - we do it again. With mostly different music. In a different performance space. For a different audience. In a different ecclesiastical context.
Sho'nuff!
The Lenten Prayer concert features some knock-down, drag-out, butt-kicking GORGEOUS music. I can't wait to hear how we will sound when everything's ready to perform. I'm especially eager to hear what time and reflection have done for the Fall music that will be repeated in March. Musical slow-cooking is the best kind!
Have a fabulous break, everybody!
Lee
I will be working on music (my recital, our concerts, and another very exciting outside gig I have coming up), stage-1 composing a few things (I do this in layers, like cooking a large and festive dinner), and making an absolutely indecent quantity of handworked objects from knitted/crocheted wearables to Zentangles and ZIA.
No, not really. I'll do the required WQ prep, soften up the recital music, and then laze around on my tukhus doing absolutely nothing. I'm old enough to consider "doing nothing" one of the cardinal virtues. Nothingness being next to godliness, I shall increase my store of merit exponentially during the next three weeks.
Take care,
Lee
Monday, December 14, 2015
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
YAHOOLA BOOLA, HAPPY ANTE-ANTE-PENULTIMATE!!!
Hello everyone!
Wow, Chorale really rocked today in noon section! Your enthusiasm and energy were palpable. And Betelehemu sounded so great with Denny on congas. Just think how rocking this will be in the church with Denny, Thione and the alums! You are leaders of the pack - do it proud!
SELF CARE
Putting on my Aunty LP hat here: with 3 days to go, it's really important for everyone to begin making extra deposits in the Sleep Bank. Eat big, eat well, rest, keep your head neck and extremities covered! I'm amazed by how many people (choirfolk included, alas!) I see running around outside with uncovered heads and necks. Your voice lives in your head and your air passes through those hard-working little vocal folds to emerge in all of its glorious majesty. Give yourself a bit of extra pampering right along through here.
Stay hydrated!!
Save the beer for Saturday night AFTER the concert! Alcohol does bad things to your vocal folds (not to mention the rest of you ;-( And please, don't "Smoke" (cough, cough - ahem...) smoking ain't great in general and "Smoking" is about the worst thing a person can do to their poor vocal folds.
We're almost there, folks...almost ready to serve the magnificent musical feast we have jointly been preparing since September. This is Mile 24 of the marathon - press on with determination, spirit, and alertness - and victory shall be ours ;-)
LL&P,
Lee
Here's a little re-interpreted Handel for your enjoyment. The album is titled "Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration." I am on my 2nd CD of this album; I absolutely wore the first one out with repeated playings.
"And He Shall Purify"
"Hallelujah Chorus"
and, the great Al Jarreau..."Why do the nations..."
See y'all tomorrow!
LL&P and in soulful singing solidarity,
Lee
Wow, Chorale really rocked today in noon section! Your enthusiasm and energy were palpable. And Betelehemu sounded so great with Denny on congas. Just think how rocking this will be in the church with Denny, Thione and the alums! You are leaders of the pack - do it proud!
SELF CARE
Putting on my Aunty LP hat here: with 3 days to go, it's really important for everyone to begin making extra deposits in the Sleep Bank. Eat big, eat well, rest, keep your head neck and extremities covered! I'm amazed by how many people (choirfolk included, alas!) I see running around outside with uncovered heads and necks. Your voice lives in your head and your air passes through those hard-working little vocal folds to emerge in all of its glorious majesty. Give yourself a bit of extra pampering right along through here.
Stay hydrated!!
Save the beer for Saturday night AFTER the concert! Alcohol does bad things to your vocal folds (not to mention the rest of you ;-( And please, don't "Smoke" (cough, cough - ahem...) smoking ain't great in general and "Smoking" is about the worst thing a person can do to their poor vocal folds.
We're almost there, folks...almost ready to serve the magnificent musical feast we have jointly been preparing since September. This is Mile 24 of the marathon - press on with determination, spirit, and alertness - and victory shall be ours ;-)
LL&P,
Lee
Here's a little re-interpreted Handel for your enjoyment. The album is titled "Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration." I am on my 2nd CD of this album; I absolutely wore the first one out with repeated playings.
"Hallelujah Chorus"
and, the great Al Jarreau..."Why do the nations..."
See y'all tomorrow!
LL&P and in soulful singing solidarity,
Lee
Friday, November 20, 2015
Being Great Company at St. Joseph Church
Hello everyone,
Here 'tis - info on being the very best possible guests at our dress rehearsals and concerts.
"Upstairs" - is every space upstairs: the nave ("auditorium"), narthex ("lobby"), etc.
EVERYBODY
Food Upstairs - NO. Don't consume it or display it openly (i.e., wrapped salad plates, foam containers, etc.) No sight or smell of food in the nave or narthex.
Food In the Social Hall - YES. This is our eating space.
Water in closed containers - YES upstairs and downstairs. However: Pack out your trash.
Other beverages (coffee cups, juice, etc. etc.) NO. Not upstairs. Okay in social hall (pack out your trash).
Noise - The church hosts a group of homeless men who sleep in the church gymnasium, directly across from the social hall. I don't know when their lights-out time begins (I think, 8 p.m.) but if you see people in the gymnasium, PLEASE BE VERY QUIET WHILE IN THE HALLWAY AND ON THE STAIRS LEADING UP TO THE NAVE.
Noise, elsewhere - Save your singing voices by speaking in a low tone when in the social hall. The room is super-echoey. If you're not vigilant, you'll find your pitch and volume rising.
Things - Please be very careful when walking around anything that is free-standing in the nave or narthex. Particularly! - be careful if there are tables set up near or in the main processional aisle and topped with objects.
DRIVERS
Parking - dress rehearsals: Okay to use UN-MARKED parking spaces in the church parking lot. Okay to park on the street.
Parking - concerts: Not okay to use the church parking lot - find parking on the street (see below)
Parking along 18th Avenue (the front entrance to the church).
Do not park in the loading zone. You are allowed to unload people or equipment, but after you do that, you need to find a parking space.
Directly in front of the church, there is a patch of concrete that looks like a parking space BUT IS NOT. The church officials call this "the sidewalk" and cars do not belong on it. If in doubt, just follow the curb line from the actual corner of 18th and Aloha, down 18th. Park only in the actual street.
BE GOOD COMPANY!
Respect the space, space needs, and wishes of our hosts. Help each other to remember the guidelines.
I deeply appreciate all of the care and effort shown by everyone in our group, particularly when we're at St. Joseph.
Let's continue to work together as we respectfully engage our most important, CRUCIAL off-campus rehearsal and performance venue.
PRIZE CODE
Well, nobody gave me BUTTS IN SEATS from my previous post, so it still stands. Sits. Crouches. Whatever ;-)
Here 'tis - info on being the very best possible guests at our dress rehearsals and concerts.
"Upstairs" - is every space upstairs: the nave ("auditorium"), narthex ("lobby"), etc.
EVERYBODY
Food Upstairs - NO. Don't consume it or display it openly (i.e., wrapped salad plates, foam containers, etc.) No sight or smell of food in the nave or narthex.
Food In the Social Hall - YES. This is our eating space.
Water in closed containers - YES upstairs and downstairs. However: Pack out your trash.
Other beverages (coffee cups, juice, etc. etc.) NO. Not upstairs. Okay in social hall (pack out your trash).
Noise - The church hosts a group of homeless men who sleep in the church gymnasium, directly across from the social hall. I don't know when their lights-out time begins (I think, 8 p.m.) but if you see people in the gymnasium, PLEASE BE VERY QUIET WHILE IN THE HALLWAY AND ON THE STAIRS LEADING UP TO THE NAVE.
Noise, elsewhere - Save your singing voices by speaking in a low tone when in the social hall. The room is super-echoey. If you're not vigilant, you'll find your pitch and volume rising.
Things - Please be very careful when walking around anything that is free-standing in the nave or narthex. Particularly! - be careful if there are tables set up near or in the main processional aisle and topped with objects.
DRIVERS
Parking - dress rehearsals: Okay to use UN-MARKED parking spaces in the church parking lot. Okay to park on the street.
Parking - concerts: Not okay to use the church parking lot - find parking on the street (see below)
Parking along 18th Avenue (the front entrance to the church).
Do not park in the loading zone. You are allowed to unload people or equipment, but after you do that, you need to find a parking space.
Directly in front of the church, there is a patch of concrete that looks like a parking space BUT IS NOT. The church officials call this "the sidewalk" and cars do not belong on it. If in doubt, just follow the curb line from the actual corner of 18th and Aloha, down 18th. Park only in the actual street.
BE GOOD COMPANY!
Respect the space, space needs, and wishes of our hosts. Help each other to remember the guidelines.
I deeply appreciate all of the care and effort shown by everyone in our group, particularly when we're at St. Joseph.
Let's continue to work together as we respectfully engage our most important, CRUCIAL off-campus rehearsal and performance venue.
PRIZE CODE
Well, nobody gave me BUTTS IN SEATS from my previous post, so it still stands. Sits. Crouches. Whatever ;-)
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Butts in seats means, more pizza for US!
Hello everyone,
It's really important that we all do our part to sell tickets to the concerts.
Our budget allocations cover only a fraction (a large fraction, but still a fraction!) of the cost of running the choir program. By November, the budget allocations for program expense FOR THE ENTIRE ACADEMIC YEAR!!! are usually tapped out (or close to it). Apart from salaries, we are paying our own way for roughly two quarters of every academic year.
Last year, an accident with a rented truck put enormous, serious dents (!) in our funds. We began this year with less than $100 in money that we'd made for ourselves.
There are many ways we could look at the situation, not all of them constructive. I choose to take the high road (!) and think that with all of the enthusiastic, go-getting, networking, talented people in our organization, we can MOVE THOSE TICKETS and PACK THE HOUSE at both concerts. We're good! People love our work! Let's get out there and invite and sell tix and work together to provide a first-class musical experience for our audiences - which will also rebuild our choir war chest.
Butts in seats, y'all - butts in seats.
Have those tix handy.
Grab concert postcards from the choir room and get the word out!
If people try to snake away by saying, "Well, I will be busy - I can't come to the concert" -don't let them off the hook! Ask them for a donation!
The money we make for ourselves goes here:
1. We cover concert expenses (Christmas this year will run about $5.3K, and that's on the lean side!).
2. We build our stash against unexpected but necessary expenses (truck accident, for example)
3. We build money to provide fun experiences for ourselves (Pizza! Guest presenters! Inside track to Stretch! Supporting Music Division projects that benefit us all! More pizza!)
4. We avoid the scary and totally unnecessary experience of being forever "close to the bone" financially. NO one should have to endure that - particularly a group of people as talented, hard-working, well-connected as our group.
So - go forth, all ye who care - and sell those tickets! Solicit those donations! GET THOSE BUTTS IN THE SEATS!! We're good. They need to hear us. They'll be glad they came to our concerts. They don't know it yet, but we're the best thing since sliced kielbasa. Music and money aren't mutually exclusive!
The prize password for this post is: BUTTS IN SEATS. First 5 people to communicate this to me, AND give me some idea of what I put in this post, will win their sweet and interesting tchotchke treats.
GO FORTH AND CONQUER.
Y'all, I'm on the Chrome Book at home right now and I couldn't link inspirational videos to my post if someone put a gun to my head. I'll take care of that tomorrow.
Sweet dreams, wonderful practice, and KA-CHING! Music and money, YEA! BUTTS IN SEATS!
LL&P,
Lee
It's really important that we all do our part to sell tickets to the concerts.
Our budget allocations cover only a fraction (a large fraction, but still a fraction!) of the cost of running the choir program. By November, the budget allocations for program expense FOR THE ENTIRE ACADEMIC YEAR!!! are usually tapped out (or close to it). Apart from salaries, we are paying our own way for roughly two quarters of every academic year.
Last year, an accident with a rented truck put enormous, serious dents (!) in our funds. We began this year with less than $100 in money that we'd made for ourselves.
There are many ways we could look at the situation, not all of them constructive. I choose to take the high road (!) and think that with all of the enthusiastic, go-getting, networking, talented people in our organization, we can MOVE THOSE TICKETS and PACK THE HOUSE at both concerts. We're good! People love our work! Let's get out there and invite and sell tix and work together to provide a first-class musical experience for our audiences - which will also rebuild our choir war chest.
Butts in seats, y'all - butts in seats.
Have those tix handy.
Grab concert postcards from the choir room and get the word out!
If people try to snake away by saying, "Well, I will be busy - I can't come to the concert" -don't let them off the hook! Ask them for a donation!
The money we make for ourselves goes here:
1. We cover concert expenses (Christmas this year will run about $5.3K, and that's on the lean side!).
2. We build our stash against unexpected but necessary expenses (truck accident, for example)
3. We build money to provide fun experiences for ourselves (Pizza! Guest presenters! Inside track to Stretch! Supporting Music Division projects that benefit us all! More pizza!)
4. We avoid the scary and totally unnecessary experience of being forever "close to the bone" financially. NO one should have to endure that - particularly a group of people as talented, hard-working, well-connected as our group.
So - go forth, all ye who care - and sell those tickets! Solicit those donations! GET THOSE BUTTS IN THE SEATS!! We're good. They need to hear us. They'll be glad they came to our concerts. They don't know it yet, but we're the best thing since sliced kielbasa. Music and money aren't mutually exclusive!
The prize password for this post is: BUTTS IN SEATS. First 5 people to communicate this to me, AND give me some idea of what I put in this post, will win their sweet and interesting tchotchke treats.
GO FORTH AND CONQUER.
Y'all, I'm on the Chrome Book at home right now and I couldn't link inspirational videos to my post if someone put a gun to my head. I'll take care of that tomorrow.
Sweet dreams, wonderful practice, and KA-CHING! Music and money, YEA! BUTTS IN SEATS!
LL&P,
Lee
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
This Mr. Handel, I wish I'd known him.
Hello everyone,
Mr. Handel was quite a character!
What incredibly delicious scandal, mayhem and enmity!!
Fabulous.
Mr. Handel was quite a character!
What incredibly delicious scandal, mayhem and enmity!!
Fabulous.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
NOVEMBER 12, 2015 - C MINUS 22 DAYS!
Hello everyone,
The Word is: STEADY AS YOU GO!
Your self-care habits NOW will help determine your state of body and mind at the concerts.
1. Eating properly and at reasonable hours.
1B. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!!
2. Limiting alcohol consumption (and for the love of Bacchus and Polyhymnia, NO ALCOHOL AT ALL DURING CONCERT WEEK!!)
Here's an info-article about alcohol and its effects upon the singing voice.
And another...
3. Taking care of your respiratory system.
An article on "winterizing" your voice - good stuff here.
4. STAYING AWAY FROM, OR GETTING AWAY FROM, people who are sick!
5. Sleeping well and regularly.
6. Using your full armamentarium of stress-reduction techniques to best effect.
It's no good to do these things for only 2 or 3 days just before a concert. The time is NOW!
You might find it useful to schedule self-care routines as you schedule the rest of your days.
I have been there! (Actually, I'm still there - when I get in a creative mood, sleep is the last thing I even think about - I have been known to nod off at my worktable at dawn, with an unfinished project in my lap and a crochet hook in my hand...)
Getting up at 6 a.m. isn't the real problem - getting up at 6 a.m. after going to bed at 4 a.m. is the problem ;-)
-----------------
Inspiration!
John Rutter's "Joy to the World" arrangement has wonderful riffs of 16th notes requiring the technique of glottal articulation.
Here's a bit of inspiration - Cecelia Bartoli - I call her the Queen of Glottalia
Translation: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/agitata-da-due-venti-shaken-two-winds.html
Can choirs "glottal?" They can, indeed!
Simon Preston and the choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford with Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music - Handel's Messiah (For Unto Us a Child is Born)
0000000000000
Special Offer!
I sometimes wonder if anyone is reading these posts. I mean, I thoroughly enjoy writing them, but they're written in order to be READ. I already know this stuff ;-)
I have therefore acquired small treats to bestow upon the next 5 people who come up to me in rehearsal and say the password, "GLOTTAL ROCKS!"
Be well, practice well, sing well.
Lee
A true artist at work, with a fantastic musical ensemble.
The Word is: STEADY AS YOU GO!
Your self-care habits NOW will help determine your state of body and mind at the concerts.
1. Eating properly and at reasonable hours.
1B. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!!
2. Limiting alcohol consumption (and for the love of Bacchus and Polyhymnia, NO ALCOHOL AT ALL DURING CONCERT WEEK!!)
Here's an info-article about alcohol and its effects upon the singing voice.
And another...
3. Taking care of your respiratory system.
An article on "winterizing" your voice - good stuff here.
4. STAYING AWAY FROM, OR GETTING AWAY FROM, people who are sick!
5. Sleeping well and regularly.
6. Using your full armamentarium of stress-reduction techniques to best effect.
It's no good to do these things for only 2 or 3 days just before a concert. The time is NOW!
You might find it useful to schedule self-care routines as you schedule the rest of your days.
I have been there! (Actually, I'm still there - when I get in a creative mood, sleep is the last thing I even think about - I have been known to nod off at my worktable at dawn, with an unfinished project in my lap and a crochet hook in my hand...)
Getting up at 6 a.m. isn't the real problem - getting up at 6 a.m. after going to bed at 4 a.m. is the problem ;-)
-----------------
Inspiration!
John Rutter's "Joy to the World" arrangement has wonderful riffs of 16th notes requiring the technique of glottal articulation.
Here's a bit of inspiration - Cecelia Bartoli - I call her the Queen of Glottalia
Translation: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/agitata-da-due-venti-shaken-two-winds.html
Can choirs "glottal?" They can, indeed!
Simon Preston and the choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford with Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music - Handel's Messiah (For Unto Us a Child is Born)
0000000000000
Special Offer!
I sometimes wonder if anyone is reading these posts. I mean, I thoroughly enjoy writing them, but they're written in order to be READ. I already know this stuff ;-)
I have therefore acquired small treats to bestow upon the next 5 people who come up to me in rehearsal and say the password, "GLOTTAL ROCKS!"
Be well, practice well, sing well.
Lee
A true artist at work, with a fantastic musical ensemble.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
And now, 30 days!
Hello everyone,
This quarter has been warping by like the frets on a guitar - days seem to get shorter as we approach the Singularity!
(get out your umbrellas - metaphor shower ahead)
A few words for your delectation at this critical time.
(pause while I pull on my Auntie Lee hat)
1. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Eat well, sleep well, breathe deeply, dress for the weather, stay away from alcohol and other intoxicants, and stay away from people who are sick! Don't touch anything "public" with your bare hands (everything from toilet flush levers to door handles to bus pull-cords - ESPECIALLY do not touch anything on a bus with bare hands.) If you use the computer lab, bring sanitizing wipes with you and CLEAN THAT KEYBOARD before you put your fingers on it.
Your pores are "pore-tals" to a variety of tiny critters, many of whom do not have your best interests at heart.
If you have to spend a lot of time in filthy places (as I do, being dependent upon public "transit" to get around) - wear a face mask and MOVE AWAY if you hear coughing/sneezing/snorky sniffles etc. within 3 feet of you. Better safe than sorry.
2. Take your echinacea! Drink your hot ginger tea! Stay hydrated in general (plain water is the best thing - drink hot water with a slice of lemon in the mornings). Buy and start taking some "Airborne!"
3. If despite all precautions, you feel something invade your germ barriers, go to work against it AT ONCE.
Extra water
Extra sleep
Extra garlic, citrus, and sunlight
Keep your head and extremities warm. If it's difficult to fall asleep at night, try adding a knit cap and warm socks to your sleep ensemble.
Extra portions of hot fluids
Lighten up your diet - don't force your digestive system to cope with dense food.
Gargle with warm lightly salted water.
If you know how to use a neti pot, get going with it.
4. What works for one person may not work for another, but certain things seem to work for everyone: hydration, plenty of rest, sensible eating, stress reduction, anger management.
If you know a Reiki practitioner, ask them if they'll give you a brief treatment.
(takes hat off)
The very most important part of our final countdown, however, is not physical but attitudinal.
Here are a few power words for you. It's amazing what keeping one of these power words in mind can do for your mood and accomplishments during the day.
Success!
Yes!
Mastery!
Blend!
Aware!
Alert!
Awake!
Afire!
This quarter has been warping by like the frets on a guitar - days seem to get shorter as we approach the Singularity!
(get out your umbrellas - metaphor shower ahead)
A few words for your delectation at this critical time.
(pause while I pull on my Auntie Lee hat)
1. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Eat well, sleep well, breathe deeply, dress for the weather, stay away from alcohol and other intoxicants, and stay away from people who are sick! Don't touch anything "public" with your bare hands (everything from toilet flush levers to door handles to bus pull-cords - ESPECIALLY do not touch anything on a bus with bare hands.) If you use the computer lab, bring sanitizing wipes with you and CLEAN THAT KEYBOARD before you put your fingers on it.
Your pores are "pore-tals" to a variety of tiny critters, many of whom do not have your best interests at heart.
If you have to spend a lot of time in filthy places (as I do, being dependent upon public "transit" to get around) - wear a face mask and MOVE AWAY if you hear coughing/sneezing/snorky sniffles etc. within 3 feet of you. Better safe than sorry.
2. Take your echinacea! Drink your hot ginger tea! Stay hydrated in general (plain water is the best thing - drink hot water with a slice of lemon in the mornings). Buy and start taking some "Airborne!"
3. If despite all precautions, you feel something invade your germ barriers, go to work against it AT ONCE.
Extra water
Extra sleep
Extra garlic, citrus, and sunlight
Keep your head and extremities warm. If it's difficult to fall asleep at night, try adding a knit cap and warm socks to your sleep ensemble.
Extra portions of hot fluids
Lighten up your diet - don't force your digestive system to cope with dense food.
Gargle with warm lightly salted water.
If you know how to use a neti pot, get going with it.
4. What works for one person may not work for another, but certain things seem to work for everyone: hydration, plenty of rest, sensible eating, stress reduction, anger management.
If you know a Reiki practitioner, ask them if they'll give you a brief treatment.
(takes hat off)
The very most important part of our final countdown, however, is not physical but attitudinal.
Here are a few power words for you. It's amazing what keeping one of these power words in mind can do for your mood and accomplishments during the day.
Success!
Yes!
Mastery!
Blend!
Aware!
Alert!
Awake!
Afire!
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
And now, the pedal REALLY hits the metal!
Hello everyone,
Today is Wednesday, October 28, 2015.
There are (not counting today and not counting concert day) 36 days remaining in our epic group project.
Actually, honestly, it's more like 26 days. By November 23 (date of our first dress at St. J.), it's best if you are completely comfortable with everything you're doing.
Doc and I will give some instructions for being a good neighbor at St. Joseph - let me open the ground and pre-soak here:
1. This year 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of our concerts in that location.
2. If you were in choir last year, you will remember most of this - if not, please read carefully and take it completely to heart. Our reputation and (indeed!) the future of our concerts at this location depend upon us following all of the church's instructions and regulations to the letter.
Here are the THOU SHALT NOTs -
THOU SHALT NOT bring or consume food or drinks of any kind inside the upper level of the church (the narthex/"lobby" OR the nave and transepts. Only water in closed containers may be ingested while in the upper level of the church.
If driving, THOU SHALT NOT park in an area the church officials refer to as "the sidewalk." This is a parking space-sized area right in front of the church. If you will examine it closely, you'll see that there is a drop-off of approximately 1 inch down to the street level. Extend an imaginary line from the curb down 18th Avenue E and this distinction will become clear. PARK ONLY IN THE STREET.
If driving, THOU SHALT NOT park in the loading zone. This area is in front of and slightly to the right of the parish hall. It is marked by signs.
When arriving at the church for our pre-concert activities/set up, etc. THOU SHALT NOT GO INTO THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE CHURCH. Go directly into the lower level "social hall." You enter the social hall through the church parking lot., which faces 19th avenue across from Tully's Coffee (which THOU SHALT NOT bring into the nave).
In the social hall:
THOU SHALT NOT TALK LOUDLY OR MAKE OTHER NOISE IN THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE SOCIAL HALL. The church allows homeless men to sleep in the gymnasium opposite the social hall. They have an early bedtime (compared to our rehearsal times) and we MUST be very quiet.
THOU SHALT NOT MAKE OR LEAVE A MESS. Pack out what you packed in. Help check pews for lost objects, rehearsal orders, etc. after we are done. Don't assume "somebody" will do these things. We're in this together, We are those somebodies!
Today is Wednesday, October 28, 2015.
There are (not counting today and not counting concert day) 36 days remaining in our epic group project.
Actually, honestly, it's more like 26 days. By November 23 (date of our first dress at St. J.), it's best if you are completely comfortable with everything you're doing.
Doc and I will give some instructions for being a good neighbor at St. Joseph - let me open the ground and pre-soak here:
1. This year 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of our concerts in that location.
2. If you were in choir last year, you will remember most of this - if not, please read carefully and take it completely to heart. Our reputation and (indeed!) the future of our concerts at this location depend upon us following all of the church's instructions and regulations to the letter.
Here are the THOU SHALT NOTs -
THOU SHALT NOT bring or consume food or drinks of any kind inside the upper level of the church (the narthex/"lobby" OR the nave and transepts. Only water in closed containers may be ingested while in the upper level of the church.
If driving, THOU SHALT NOT park in an area the church officials refer to as "the sidewalk." This is a parking space-sized area right in front of the church. If you will examine it closely, you'll see that there is a drop-off of approximately 1 inch down to the street level. Extend an imaginary line from the curb down 18th Avenue E and this distinction will become clear. PARK ONLY IN THE STREET.
If driving, THOU SHALT NOT park in the loading zone. This area is in front of and slightly to the right of the parish hall. It is marked by signs.
When arriving at the church for our pre-concert activities/set up, etc. THOU SHALT NOT GO INTO THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE CHURCH. Go directly into the lower level "social hall." You enter the social hall through the church parking lot., which faces 19th avenue across from Tully's Coffee (which THOU SHALT NOT bring into the nave).
In the social hall:
THOU SHALT NOT TALK LOUDLY OR MAKE OTHER NOISE IN THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE SOCIAL HALL. The church allows homeless men to sleep in the gymnasium opposite the social hall. They have an early bedtime (compared to our rehearsal times) and we MUST be very quiet.
THOU SHALT NOT MAKE OR LEAVE A MESS. Pack out what you packed in. Help check pews for lost objects, rehearsal orders, etc. after we are done. Don't assume "somebody" will do these things. We're in this together, We are those somebodies!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
FWC Approaches!
Hello everyone,
WOW, what a fabulous party on Friday! Y'all made "mandatory fun" a thing of beauty and excitement!
In conclusion - (Jake, thank you for inspiring this part of my post!)
Accept (welcome!) the things that will not change - the concerts are Friday 10/23, and we're shifting from impulse power to warp drive about now ;-)
Change the things we can/need to change and continue reinforcing the things we are doing well - Everybody stay on top of your music study and physical prep. Take care of your body - eat well, sleep at least 6 hours a night, stay away from people who are "contagious" with germs, stay hydrated, and please-please-please DO NOT GO DRINKING OR PARTY INTO THE WEE HOURS ON THURSDAY EVENING.
This said, I now put my Auntie Lee hat back in the closet -
Wisdom to know the difference - Well, wisdom often comes after errors in judgment have been made. That said, vicarious learning is often underrated ;-)
Trust me - you need extra attention to self-care and patient, determined review of your individual parts and the choral recordings right along through here.
Doc and I received word about an hour ago - 250 tickets have been issued for EACH concert!! We're good, and we're famous, and we're going to be famously good on Friday - IF everyone does their part.
Practicing Tip -
Pay special attention to all first entrances (example - Soprano 1 in Telfer Gloria!)
First entrances are super-important. We can only begin each piece ONE TIME on Friday. Make sure you're breathing correctly and 'on-point' for that very first tone.
WOW, what a fabulous party on Friday! Y'all made "mandatory fun" a thing of beauty and excitement!
In conclusion - (Jake, thank you for inspiring this part of my post!)
Accept (welcome!) the things that will not change - the concerts are Friday 10/23, and we're shifting from impulse power to warp drive about now ;-)
Change the things we can/need to change and continue reinforcing the things we are doing well - Everybody stay on top of your music study and physical prep. Take care of your body - eat well, sleep at least 6 hours a night, stay away from people who are "contagious" with germs, stay hydrated, and please-please-please DO NOT GO DRINKING OR PARTY INTO THE WEE HOURS ON THURSDAY EVENING.
This said, I now put my Auntie Lee hat back in the closet -
Wisdom to know the difference - Well, wisdom often comes after errors in judgment have been made. That said, vicarious learning is often underrated ;-)
Trust me - you need extra attention to self-care and patient, determined review of your individual parts and the choral recordings right along through here.
Doc and I received word about an hour ago - 250 tickets have been issued for EACH concert!! We're good, and we're famous, and we're going to be famously good on Friday - IF everyone does their part.
Practicing Tip -
Pay special attention to all first entrances (example - Soprano 1 in Telfer Gloria!)
First entrances are super-important. We can only begin each piece ONE TIME on Friday. Make sure you're breathing correctly and 'on-point' for that very first tone.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Congratulations, everyone!
Congratulations to everyone for a productive and timely dress rehearsal!
Keep working on your music - difficultiesWILL yield before a determined, informed, tireless, patient assault ;-)
Kickoff Dinner this Friday, October 16 - in Casey Commons!
Pictures begin at 5:30 p.m., food at 6.00, and then Special Activities And Very Special Things to follow...
------
Practice Tips for everyone and everything
Now is a good time to begin singing with the choral recordings of your pieces for FWC.
Play the recording and just listen.
Play the recording and track your part in the score.
Play the recording, sing and track your part in the score. Have you marked cues from other parts?
Play the recording and sing.
Play the recording again.
If you'll be walking while singing something, practice this combination maneuver.
-----
Mastery in Numbers:
Why not get together with one or more people and run your music?
Go into a practice room, pull up a choral recording or voice part recording on your smartphone, and sing with it.
Sing for each other, record yourselves, and then work through feedback:
Feedback Tips:
1. Basic Accuracy: Rhythm, pitch, note lengths and rests, dynamics.
2. Text: Diction, proper shaping of vowels, consonants, shadow vowels, pitched consonants, etc.
3. Line, phrasing, tapering, etc. What are the phrase shapes? Pay attention to your "support system" when you manage breath and tone through long phrases.
4. Timing of onsets, off-sets, rests, breaths. If you're working through a section that doesn't have a definitely marked breath, where DO you take your breaths? Mark them and practice them! Do you know where you are NOT supposed to breathe? Mark those places! (NB, dotted curved line).
-----
A Little Inspiration for Chamber Singers
Dufay Gloria with voices singing the ostinato:
Gospel inspiration from the divine Aretha. My, my, my, this woman can SING.
Total Praise with 1500-voice gospel choir in Stockholm, Sweden. I really love this version - the guitar solo is something else!
Hey everyone: know this. Gospel music is for everybody. It is NOT about your "paint." It is about your soul. If it speaks to you, then it is yours.
Inspiration for those who are singing chant: Just play this "in the background," letting it soak through the crevices to water your soul.
Here's some chant expanded into organum - a Kyrie. Men's Chorale: if you sang J. Edmund Hughes' "Steal Away/Kyrie" last year, you will recognize this chant!
(by the way, that movie was totally AWFUL - read the book, instead).
More organum for your delectation: Sederunt by Perotin (The Great), 13th century!
Keep working on your music - difficultiesWILL yield before a determined, informed, tireless, patient assault ;-)
Kickoff Dinner this Friday, October 16 - in Casey Commons!
Pictures begin at 5:30 p.m., food at 6.00, and then Special Activities And Very Special Things to follow...
------
Practice Tips for everyone and everything
Now is a good time to begin singing with the choral recordings of your pieces for FWC.
Play the recording and just listen.
Play the recording and track your part in the score.
Play the recording, sing and track your part in the score. Have you marked cues from other parts?
Play the recording and sing.
Play the recording again.
If you'll be walking while singing something, practice this combination maneuver.
-----
Mastery in Numbers:
Why not get together with one or more people and run your music?
Go into a practice room, pull up a choral recording or voice part recording on your smartphone, and sing with it.
Sing for each other, record yourselves, and then work through feedback:
Feedback Tips:
1. Basic Accuracy: Rhythm, pitch, note lengths and rests, dynamics.
2. Text: Diction, proper shaping of vowels, consonants, shadow vowels, pitched consonants, etc.
3. Line, phrasing, tapering, etc. What are the phrase shapes? Pay attention to your "support system" when you manage breath and tone through long phrases.
4. Timing of onsets, off-sets, rests, breaths. If you're working through a section that doesn't have a definitely marked breath, where DO you take your breaths? Mark them and practice them! Do you know where you are NOT supposed to breathe? Mark those places! (NB, dotted curved line).
-----
A Little Inspiration for Chamber Singers
Dufay Gloria with voices singing the ostinato:
Gospel inspiration from the divine Aretha. My, my, my, this woman can SING.
Total Praise with 1500-voice gospel choir in Stockholm, Sweden. I really love this version - the guitar solo is something else!
Hey everyone: know this. Gospel music is for everybody. It is NOT about your "paint." It is about your soul. If it speaks to you, then it is yours.
Here's some chant expanded into organum - a Kyrie. Men's Chorale: if you sang J. Edmund Hughes' "Steal Away/Kyrie" last year, you will recognize this chant!
(by the way, that movie was totally AWFUL - read the book, instead).
More organum for your delectation: Sederunt by Perotin (The Great), 13th century!
Friday, October 9, 2015
FWCDR1 101215
Family Weekend Concert
Dress Rehearsal #1
October 12, 2015
------------
Guidelines for our time in St. Ignatius Chapel
1. Food/Beverages - In a word, NO. We are allowed to bring in water, in closed containers. All other beverages (coffees, pop, juice bottles, etc.) cannot be brought into the Chapel "in the open." If you have a bottle of juice in your backpack, that's okay - but you may not consume anything but water in the Chapel building. You may want to pack a small snack for yourself, as the rehearsal will be lengthy. No problem - but it must NOT be consumed inside the Chapel building. Food and all beverages except water must be consumed OUTSIDE.
2. Altar Platform Decorum - In two words, RESPECTFUL DISTANCE. I suggest everyone imagine a zone of 6 inches extending outward from the altar on all 4 sides.
Do not "handle" or lean against the altar.
Do not put ANYTHING upon the altar, including your hands.
3. Clean-up - It takes a village; everybody can help by taking out what they brought in.
Take out everything you brought in, PLUS rehearsal order or any other paper you were given when you came in.
A few people should stay to help check all pews, etc. after rehearsal.
What do the pros do in rehearsal?
Pros are off-book, but they don't leave the book at home; Bring your binder!!
1. A professional is ON POINT at all times: focused, quick-moving when directed, silent unless directed to sing.
2. A professional stays focused when not actively singing - if another group is working out some problem, the professional is IN THE MUSIC: reviewing, quietly tapping rhythm and mouthing text, audiating problem spots, etc.
3. A professional helps others to stay focused by not distracting THEM with side conversations.
?If you were being paid for your performance at rehearsals, what would your work be worth?
?If you were paying others for THEIR performance at rehearsals, what would their work be worth?
--------------
Chamber: Practice Tip for Praetorius Resonet
There are quite a few places where a voice part "sits out" for a few beats and then re-enters on a different pitch.
You can practice this by eliminating the rests for a few repetitions. Sing the bit before the rest and immediately go to the next entrance. Do this a few times, then add in the rest one beat at a time until you're the correct "distance" from the next entrance.
SUBDIVIDE.
Draw lines connecting your part with parts that are in unison with you or doubling you at the octave. Draw a line from your part to a part that "gives" you the pitch for an entrance after you've been sitting out a rest.
Sing your part with the choral recording.
Sing your part with the voice part track for a different part.
Some of the text accents may seem "counter-intuitive." Practice chanting the text in rhythm (actually tap the beats as you chant).
Chamber: Practice Tip for the "Walking" Chants
Well, this one's self-evident, yes? Practice singing the chant while walking!
Walking, how? At a steady, controlled pace suitable for moving up a very long aisle.
Tip for chants in general: The rhythm of Gregorian chant is a wonderful clue to how ecclesiastical Latin must have been spoken back in the day.
- Study the translation. Know it word-for-word.
- Practice speaking the chant text, expressively.
- Sing the chant, expressively.
- Sing with the choral recording!
Men's Chorale: Practice Tip for Omnes de Saba
Women's Chorale: Practice Tip for Dufay Gloria
SOLFEGE YOUR PART!
Chant text in rhythm, tapping out the quarter note beats. This is another piece with "counter-intuitive" text accents.
Sing your part with the choral recording.
Sing your part with your voice part recording.
Sing your part with the track for whatever voice part is directly "above" or "below" yours.
Best Tip: Form a small practice ensemble (at least 1 person per part) and sing it TOGETHER.
Another Best Tip: Record your practice ensemble, listen to what you did, and share feedback. Then, sing it again!
-----------------
Art Links for Rachmaninoff Bogoroditse
Chorale - Y'all, your performance of this piece at yesterday's noon section in Campion was GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL.
I thought the ikon reproductions might help us all get even more into the mood.
The prints I brought were of two very famous ikons:
Our Lady of Czestochowa
Theotokos of Vladimir - This ikon has lived in Moscow for hundreds of years. I am certain that Rachmaninov knew of it and perhaps even paid his respects.
There is a Russian Orthodox cathedral here in Seattle, within walking distance of SU.
More about ikons in the Orthodox church:
A tour of a Greek Orthodox church:
Dress Rehearsal #1
October 12, 2015
------------
Guidelines for our time in St. Ignatius Chapel
1. Food/Beverages - In a word, NO. We are allowed to bring in water, in closed containers. All other beverages (coffees, pop, juice bottles, etc.) cannot be brought into the Chapel "in the open." If you have a bottle of juice in your backpack, that's okay - but you may not consume anything but water in the Chapel building. You may want to pack a small snack for yourself, as the rehearsal will be lengthy. No problem - but it must NOT be consumed inside the Chapel building. Food and all beverages except water must be consumed OUTSIDE.
2. Altar Platform Decorum - In two words, RESPECTFUL DISTANCE. I suggest everyone imagine a zone of 6 inches extending outward from the altar on all 4 sides.
Do not "handle" or lean against the altar.
Do not put ANYTHING upon the altar, including your hands.
3. Clean-up - It takes a village; everybody can help by taking out what they brought in.
Take out everything you brought in, PLUS rehearsal order or any other paper you were given when you came in.
A few people should stay to help check all pews, etc. after rehearsal.
What do the pros do in rehearsal?
Pros are off-book, but they don't leave the book at home; Bring your binder!!
1. A professional is ON POINT at all times: focused, quick-moving when directed, silent unless directed to sing.
2. A professional stays focused when not actively singing - if another group is working out some problem, the professional is IN THE MUSIC: reviewing, quietly tapping rhythm and mouthing text, audiating problem spots, etc.
3. A professional helps others to stay focused by not distracting THEM with side conversations.
?If you were being paid for your performance at rehearsals, what would your work be worth?
?If you were paying others for THEIR performance at rehearsals, what would their work be worth?
--------------
Chamber: Practice Tip for Praetorius Resonet
There are quite a few places where a voice part "sits out" for a few beats and then re-enters on a different pitch.
You can practice this by eliminating the rests for a few repetitions. Sing the bit before the rest and immediately go to the next entrance. Do this a few times, then add in the rest one beat at a time until you're the correct "distance" from the next entrance.
SUBDIVIDE.
Draw lines connecting your part with parts that are in unison with you or doubling you at the octave. Draw a line from your part to a part that "gives" you the pitch for an entrance after you've been sitting out a rest.
Sing your part with the choral recording.
Sing your part with the voice part track for a different part.
Some of the text accents may seem "counter-intuitive." Practice chanting the text in rhythm (actually tap the beats as you chant).
Chamber: Practice Tip for the "Walking" Chants
Well, this one's self-evident, yes? Practice singing the chant while walking!
Walking, how? At a steady, controlled pace suitable for moving up a very long aisle.
Tip for chants in general: The rhythm of Gregorian chant is a wonderful clue to how ecclesiastical Latin must have been spoken back in the day.
- Study the translation. Know it word-for-word.
- Practice speaking the chant text, expressively.
- Sing the chant, expressively.
- Sing with the choral recording!
Men's Chorale: Practice Tip for Omnes de Saba
Women's Chorale: Practice Tip for Dufay Gloria
SOLFEGE YOUR PART!
Chant text in rhythm, tapping out the quarter note beats. This is another piece with "counter-intuitive" text accents.
Sing your part with the choral recording.
Sing your part with your voice part recording.
Sing your part with the track for whatever voice part is directly "above" or "below" yours.
Best Tip: Form a small practice ensemble (at least 1 person per part) and sing it TOGETHER.
Another Best Tip: Record your practice ensemble, listen to what you did, and share feedback. Then, sing it again!
-----------------
Art Links for Rachmaninoff Bogoroditse
Chorale - Y'all, your performance of this piece at yesterday's noon section in Campion was GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL.
I thought the ikon reproductions might help us all get even more into the mood.
The prints I brought were of two very famous ikons:
Our Lady of Czestochowa
Theotokos of Vladimir - This ikon has lived in Moscow for hundreds of years. I am certain that Rachmaninov knew of it and perhaps even paid his respects.
There is a Russian Orthodox cathedral here in Seattle, within walking distance of SU.
More about ikons in the Orthodox church:
A tour of a Greek Orthodox church:
Monday, October 5, 2015
Mixed Meter Boil-down!
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
UNITE AND RULE
Here's an audio clip of my teacher from DMA days, Mr. Ralph Votapek, playing the Ginastera piece I mentioned in today's noon WC section:
http://www.ralphvotapek.com/selections/01%20Ginestera%20Sonata%20No.1,%20IV.%20Ruvido%20Ed%20Ostinato.mp3
The meter is 3/8 + 6/16.
There are either 3 or 2 "big beats" per measure, 16th notes are the constant.
I remember hearing Mr. V. practicing this piece. Yup, subdivisions to the 16th, AND metronome!
This sounds like it would be immensely tedious, but I have done it for years upon years, and it actually takes LESS time than doing stop/start/stop/fall on the hurdle stuff in practice. Every incorrect repetition adds to the problem. Practice really begins once you've gotten the thing right!
Working with subdivided beats at a moderate (or moderately slow) tempo gives you TIME - time to see what's up ahead (your eyes should ALWAYS be ahead of your voice); time to fully comprehend what you're doing, and even time to keep a mistake from happening in the first place!
The neatest thing about subdividing madly in practice, happens when you have truly internalized the subdivisions. You then shift your awareness to the big beats, and THEN you shift your awareness to groups of MEASURES. The "macro" view, let's say.
Very interesting things surface from the Telfer Gloria when one gets to the "macro" level.
Y'all, I have learned ENTIRE PIECES using the metronome to click once for every note in a subdivided beat. As mastery increased, I would go "up" one level in rhythmic feeling until I was sailing along with the metronome clicking only once or twice per measure. THIS WORKS! IT WORKS! IT WORKS!
It doesn't work only with instrumental music. It works with vocal music!! It works with choral music! It will work with you. If you do it.
If anyone's interested in a personal demo of this method, email me. I will be happy to show you exactly how the monitored-subdivision practice method works.
UNITE AND RULE
Here's an audio clip of my teacher from DMA days, Mr. Ralph Votapek, playing the Ginastera piece I mentioned in today's noon WC section:
http://www.ralphvotapek.com/selections/01%20Ginestera%20Sonata%20No.1,%20IV.%20Ruvido%20Ed%20Ostinato.mp3
The meter is 3/8 + 6/16.
There are either 3 or 2 "big beats" per measure, 16th notes are the constant.
I remember hearing Mr. V. practicing this piece. Yup, subdivisions to the 16th, AND metronome!
This sounds like it would be immensely tedious, but I have done it for years upon years, and it actually takes LESS time than doing stop/start/stop/fall on the hurdle stuff in practice. Every incorrect repetition adds to the problem. Practice really begins once you've gotten the thing right!
Working with subdivided beats at a moderate (or moderately slow) tempo gives you TIME - time to see what's up ahead (your eyes should ALWAYS be ahead of your voice); time to fully comprehend what you're doing, and even time to keep a mistake from happening in the first place!
The neatest thing about subdividing madly in practice, happens when you have truly internalized the subdivisions. You then shift your awareness to the big beats, and THEN you shift your awareness to groups of MEASURES. The "macro" view, let's say.
Very interesting things surface from the Telfer Gloria when one gets to the "macro" level.
Y'all, I have learned ENTIRE PIECES using the metronome to click once for every note in a subdivided beat. As mastery increased, I would go "up" one level in rhythmic feeling until I was sailing along with the metronome clicking only once or twice per measure. THIS WORKS! IT WORKS! IT WORKS!
It doesn't work only with instrumental music. It works with vocal music!! It works with choral music! It will work with you. If you do it.
If anyone's interested in a personal demo of this method, email me. I will be happy to show you exactly how the monitored-subdivision practice method works.
Telfer Gloria and Dufay Gloria tips - WC
Telfer Tip #1 - Count eighth notes, count eighth notes, count eighth notes!!
#2 - In pencil, draw thin lines connectingyour part with other parts that are in unison with it or doubling it at the lower or upper octave.
#3 - When something is being bounced between parts, look to see if all parts are bouncing the exact same bit. If so, indicate this in your score.
#4 - Say you're resting while another part is singing. Do you know whom to listen to in order to establish your cue for re-entry? Indicate this in your part.
#5 - Have you highlighted expression markings, dynamics, meter changes, etc.?
Note re, highlighters - The Telfer score belongs to you. You're authorized to mark it in any way that helps you to learn it. If you color-code highlighters to indicate the changing rhythms (6/8 in blue, 9/8 in orange, 7/8 in yellow or some such) - go for it!
Personal choice aside, EVERYONE MUST NUMBER ALL MEASURES OF THE "GLORIA."
---------------
PRACTICE TIPS - TELFER
- Divide a short section into even smaller sections (Telfer Gloria has 57 measures, how about 19 x 3, with each 19-measure section further subdivided)
- RHYTHM FIRST
...neutral syllable
...chant - ta ta ta ta ta
...On to pitch - listen / track / chant rhythm
...Pitch - listen / track / try it a phrase at a time.
..."Chewing" - 6/8 and 9/8 sections are compound duple (triple) - this means they'll divide quite neatly into pieces of 3 eighth notes per piece. Two pieces for each bar of 6/8, three pieces for each bar of 9/8.
TO CHEW:
Sing 1 piece (3 eighth notes) - PLUS first eighth note of next grouping.
Repeat several times at varying speeds (slow to moderate).
Sing next piece (3 eighth notes) - PLUS first eighth note of next grouping.
Repeat several times, und so weiter...
Now, you have seven notes (two "pieces" plus the first note of next "piece").
Sing all 7 notes.
Und so weiter, until you're done with the phrase.
Yay. Have a spoonful of non-mucus-forming sorbet.
Continue.
PRACTICING DUFAY
Y'all, when the going gets tough, the tough SUBDIVIDE LIKE MAD GIN-SU KNIVES.
Count quarter notes!
Divide into shorter sections for practice (a phrase at a time, yes!) - follow basic procedure listed in Telfer tips, above.
Did you copy the "cheat sheet" stuff from the whiteboard at noon section today?
Write the C major (actually, C-Ionian mode) scale on a Post-it and tack it to your music so you can solfege this. Sing it with solfege, on a neutral syllable, sing the ACTUAL NOTE NAMES (whoo hoo, get double value from reading practice!)
I'm still getting the hang of this blog post thing - my next goal is to understand how to post PDFs. Stay tuned and stay on schedule!
How many days until the Family Weekend Concerts?
Counting today and not counting concert day,
19
#2 - In pencil, draw thin lines connectingyour part with other parts that are in unison with it or doubling it at the lower or upper octave.
#3 - When something is being bounced between parts, look to see if all parts are bouncing the exact same bit. If so, indicate this in your score.
#4 - Say you're resting while another part is singing. Do you know whom to listen to in order to establish your cue for re-entry? Indicate this in your part.
#5 - Have you highlighted expression markings, dynamics, meter changes, etc.?
Note re, highlighters - The Telfer score belongs to you. You're authorized to mark it in any way that helps you to learn it. If you color-code highlighters to indicate the changing rhythms (6/8 in blue, 9/8 in orange, 7/8 in yellow or some such) - go for it!
Personal choice aside, EVERYONE MUST NUMBER ALL MEASURES OF THE "GLORIA."
---------------
PRACTICE TIPS - TELFER
- Divide a short section into even smaller sections (Telfer Gloria has 57 measures, how about 19 x 3, with each 19-measure section further subdivided)
- RHYTHM FIRST
...neutral syllable
...chant - ta ta ta ta ta
...On to pitch - listen / track / chant rhythm
...Pitch - listen / track / try it a phrase at a time.
..."Chewing" - 6/8 and 9/8 sections are compound duple (triple) - this means they'll divide quite neatly into pieces of 3 eighth notes per piece. Two pieces for each bar of 6/8, three pieces for each bar of 9/8.
TO CHEW:
Sing 1 piece (3 eighth notes) - PLUS first eighth note of next grouping.
Repeat several times at varying speeds (slow to moderate).
Sing next piece (3 eighth notes) - PLUS first eighth note of next grouping.
Repeat several times, und so weiter...
Now, you have seven notes (two "pieces" plus the first note of next "piece").
Sing all 7 notes.
Und so weiter, until you're done with the phrase.
Yay. Have a spoonful of non-mucus-forming sorbet.
Continue.
PRACTICING DUFAY
Y'all, when the going gets tough, the tough SUBDIVIDE LIKE MAD GIN-SU KNIVES.
Count quarter notes!
Divide into shorter sections for practice (a phrase at a time, yes!) - follow basic procedure listed in Telfer tips, above.
Did you copy the "cheat sheet" stuff from the whiteboard at noon section today?
Write the C major (actually, C-Ionian mode) scale on a Post-it and tack it to your music so you can solfege this. Sing it with solfege, on a neutral syllable, sing the ACTUAL NOTE NAMES (whoo hoo, get double value from reading practice!)
I'm still getting the hang of this blog post thing - my next goal is to understand how to post PDFs. Stay tuned and stay on schedule!
How many days until the Family Weekend Concerts?
Counting today and not counting concert day,
19
Friday, October 2, 2015
Pumping Vocalis! Video Links
Hello everyone,
Well, here we are - midway through the first FULL week of classes!
Not that last week wasn't "full," in its own sweet way ;-p
Today's post provides links and video clips of vocal anatomy, breathing techniques, and a quick and effective body warm-up routine.
VOCAL ANATOMY
1. Anatomy of the vocal folds and larynx - airway endoscopy of a 3-year-old child: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1948995-overview
This is part of an entire section on the site titled "Vocal cord and voice box anatomy." I found all of it extremely interesting and informative.
2. OMFMS, this is incredible! Video of FOUR people's vocal folds - a quartet of expert singers performing a Renaissance piece. Pick the folds that correspond to your voice part, and enjoy!
3. A short, animated silent film describing the anatomy and function of vocal apparatus. NOTE: Some of the sites I'm linking refer to "vocal cords," others to "vocal folds." Same thing, essentially.
4. My favorite explanation of basic vocal anatomy. The entire series by this presenter looks good.
5. Wonderful explanation, demonstration, and mini-master class presentation of diaphragmatic breathing!
BODY WARM-UP ROUTINE
I really like this one; it takes less than 90 seconds.
--------------------
Housekeeping!
CATCHING UP - ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE DONE!
1. Prepping the scores we're currently working on (all groups)
2. Checking out (bookmarking) Soundcloud and Dropbox
3. Practice, etc. for rehearsals
4. Turning in your Commitment Sheet (due Friday Oct. 2)
5. Turning in your choir fees for 2015-16 (due Friday Oct. 2)
6. Let your section leader know if you need a choir T-shirt, and if so, what size (sample S, M, L hanging from whiteboard in the choir room. We can get XL sizes and above - just ask.)
Well, here we are - midway through the first FULL week of classes!
Not that last week wasn't "full," in its own sweet way ;-p
Today's post provides links and video clips of vocal anatomy, breathing techniques, and a quick and effective body warm-up routine.
VOCAL ANATOMY
1. Anatomy of the vocal folds and larynx - airway endoscopy of a 3-year-old child: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1948995-overview
This is part of an entire section on the site titled "Vocal cord and voice box anatomy." I found all of it extremely interesting and informative.
2. OMFMS, this is incredible! Video of FOUR people's vocal folds - a quartet of expert singers performing a Renaissance piece. Pick the folds that correspond to your voice part, and enjoy!
3. A short, animated silent film describing the anatomy and function of vocal apparatus. NOTE: Some of the sites I'm linking refer to "vocal cords," others to "vocal folds." Same thing, essentially.
4. My favorite explanation of basic vocal anatomy. The entire series by this presenter looks good.
5. Wonderful explanation, demonstration, and mini-master class presentation of diaphragmatic breathing!
BODY WARM-UP ROUTINE
I really like this one; it takes less than 90 seconds.
--------------------
Housekeeping!
CATCHING UP - ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE DONE!
1. Prepping the scores we're currently working on (all groups)
2. Checking out (bookmarking) Soundcloud and Dropbox
3. Practice, etc. for rehearsals
4. Turning in your Commitment Sheet (due Friday Oct. 2)
5. Turning in your choir fees for 2015-16 (due Friday Oct. 2)
6. Let your section leader know if you need a choir T-shirt, and if so, what size (sample S, M, L hanging from whiteboard in the choir room. We can get XL sizes and above - just ask.)
Monday, September 28, 2015
Today's Updates: for WC, CHB, and ALL singers
Hello everyone,
WC (Women's Chorale) updates 9/28/15
Text correction in Dufay "Gloria" - m.27 (top part) and m.28 (bottom part) - the word should be "peccata," not "pacatta."
CHB (Chamber)
Antonio Dowling found this terrific BBC documentary about Tomas Luis de Victoria - check it out!
WC (Women's Chorale) updates 9/28/15
Text correction in Dufay "Gloria" - m.27 (top part) and m.28 (bottom part) - the word should be "peccata," not "pacatta."
CHB (Chamber)
Antonio Dowling found this terrific BBC documentary about Tomas Luis de Victoria - check it out!
ALL
Feel that you need a bit more help working with rhythms? I'll post exercises for specific pieces, of course - but if you would prefer to start from scratch, looky here:
http://www.rhythm-in-music.com/RhythmBot-fundamentals-practice-tools.html - An index of practice patterns, what's on the site
ALL
For non-English language texts: Go into the translation page, study the translation and WRITE IT in your music, preferably near the text to which it refers.
ALL
Page turns! - One way to deal is to extend the staff lines out far enough to write in the first note after the page turn.
"Which is my part?!" - Highlight the clef of your part in each system, or mark it with a star, or some such. Don't highlight the entire part - you need that highlighter for other things (see my first post on score preparation).
ALL
For non-English language texts: Go into the translation page, study the translation and WRITE IT in your music, preferably near the text to which it refers.
ALL
Page turns! - One way to deal is to extend the staff lines out far enough to write in the first note after the page turn.
"Which is my part?!" - Highlight the clef of your part in each system, or mark it with a star, or some such. Don't highlight the entire part - you need that highlighter for other things (see my first post on score preparation).
WC: More work with compound duple (6/8) and compound triple (9/8), skip down to Lesson 14:
WC - Help with Telfer
6/8 - "compound duple" - there are 6 eighth notes (or anything that will add up to six eighth notes) in each measure. Dotted quarter note is worth 3 eighths. Dotted half note is worth 6 eighths. If a note is tied to another note, add the values together to determine how much time.
Two "big" beats (dotted quarter notes), each divided into three smaller parts (eighth notes).
9/8 - "compound triple" - there are 9 eighth notes (or anything that will add up to nine eighth notes) in each measure. Dotted quarter note is worth 3 eighths. Dotted half note is worth 6 eighths. If a note is tied to another note, etc.
Three "big" beats (the dotted quarter notes), each divided into three smaller parts (eighth notes).
AN IDEA - try and see if this works for you!
Take 1 sheet of paper and cut or tear it into many small pieces, at least 50 or 60 pieces.
On each piece, write a note (or notes) or a rest value: write each thing on several slips.
Whole note
Dotted half note
Half note
Half rest (this SITS on the 3rd line)
Dotted quarter note
Quarter note
Quarter note rest (bird flying sideways)
Pair of eighth notes
Single eighth note (lovely little "flag" attached)
Pair of sixteenth notes
Three eight notes together
Time signature - 6/8
Time signature - 9/8
"Tie" symbol
"Barline" symbol
I'm still figuring out the image posting procedure here - please REFER TO THE TERMINOLOGY SHEETS IN YOUR SYLLABUS IF YOU NEED PICTURES!
Now, take out your Telfer.
Using the music as a guide, arrange some of your itty bitty papers to form the rhythmic pattern for various measures.
Then clap and count "ta ta ta"
Thursday, September 24, 2015
STUDYING YOUR MUSIC - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
Hello everyone,
What's often said about businesses is also true when you're seeking understanding of a musical composition.
Location, location, location!
Locate the piece in space and time. When was it composed? Where? What was going on in that place and in the composer's life at the time the piece was composed?
With religious music, it's very interesting to research historical context.
What does art from the period look like (visual art, sculpture, architecture)?
Do you feel any "glass-bead-game" connection between the architecture and music of the period? Is there a particular piece of architecture that really connects itself with the music in your mind?
Connections of this kind put you into a mood-space that enhances your understanding of the music.
If the music were a movie soundtrack, what would be happening while it is playing?
Can you establish other types of sensory connections (smell, touch, taste) with the piece? Our concerts are like dinner menus. What dish is the piece you're currently working on?
If you conceive of the music as touchable, what is it? Sleek fur? Crumbly rock? Rushing water? Warm velvet?
Does the music unfurl in an interior landscape? Explore that landscape. Make it part of your own interpretive connection to the piece.
(Example: I'm always in St. Basil's Cathedral when our group sings the Rachmaninoff "Bogoroditse" or "Nunc Dimittis." And when I listen to or play Schubert, I'm always trekking across country, headed to one place by way of another place that is several hundred miles distant)
I'll provide an example: Tomas Luis de Victoria
First, let's get some background from the fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1s_Luis_de_Victoria
Although Sturgeon's Law generally applies to everything online, this is a good wiki.
There are many hyperlinked words and phrases that pique one's interest. Follow a few!
How about:
Counter-Reformation
Avila, Castile
Word-painting in musical works
What's happening around this time, in general?
http://www.timelines.ws/
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/30/lineal-timeline-lets-you-visualize-history-or-the-future-on-your-ipad/
http://www.timemaps.com/apps
Another wonderful way to immerse in a musical period is simply to listen to more music by the same composer and by others working around the same time period.
Well, there's - YOUTUBE!!
I would say more, but I'm about to pull up some Mahler on YouTube (Leonard Bernstein conducting, OF COURSE!). I want to do some online time-travel to fin-de-siecle Vienna and become a fly on the wall on the afternoon Freud and Mahler had a most interesting analytic conversation.
Happy sleuthing,
Lee
What's often said about businesses is also true when you're seeking understanding of a musical composition.
Location, location, location!
Locate the piece in space and time. When was it composed? Where? What was going on in that place and in the composer's life at the time the piece was composed?
With religious music, it's very interesting to research historical context.
What does art from the period look like (visual art, sculpture, architecture)?
Do you feel any "glass-bead-game" connection between the architecture and music of the period? Is there a particular piece of architecture that really connects itself with the music in your mind?
Connections of this kind put you into a mood-space that enhances your understanding of the music.
If the music were a movie soundtrack, what would be happening while it is playing?
Can you establish other types of sensory connections (smell, touch, taste) with the piece? Our concerts are like dinner menus. What dish is the piece you're currently working on?
If you conceive of the music as touchable, what is it? Sleek fur? Crumbly rock? Rushing water? Warm velvet?
Does the music unfurl in an interior landscape? Explore that landscape. Make it part of your own interpretive connection to the piece.
(Example: I'm always in St. Basil's Cathedral when our group sings the Rachmaninoff "Bogoroditse" or "Nunc Dimittis." And when I listen to or play Schubert, I'm always trekking across country, headed to one place by way of another place that is several hundred miles distant)
I'll provide an example: Tomas Luis de Victoria
First, let's get some background from the fount of all knowledge, Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1s_Luis_de_Victoria
Although Sturgeon's Law generally applies to everything online, this is a good wiki.
There are many hyperlinked words and phrases that pique one's interest. Follow a few!
How about:
Counter-Reformation
Avila, Castile
Word-painting in musical works
What's happening around this time, in general?
http://www.timelines.ws/
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/30/lineal-timeline-lets-you-visualize-history-or-the-future-on-your-ipad/
http://www.timemaps.com/apps
Another wonderful way to immerse in a musical period is simply to listen to more music by the same composer and by others working around the same time period.
Well, there's - YOUTUBE!!
I would say more, but I'm about to pull up some Mahler on YouTube (Leonard Bernstein conducting, OF COURSE!). I want to do some online time-travel to fin-de-siecle Vienna and become a fly on the wall on the afternoon Freud and Mahler had a most interesting analytic conversation.
Happy sleuthing,
Lee
WHOA! APPS!
Hello everyone,
Joe Millward passed this info on to me - this looks like the most wonderful theory app I have encountered so far - take a look!
http://www.musictheory.net/products/tenuto
Joe has years of experience with Tenuto. He highly recommended it. There are free and paid versions.
Here are a couple of keyboard apps I found online:
Joe Millward passed this info on to me - this looks like the most wonderful theory app I have encountered so far - take a look!
http://www.musictheory.net/products/tenuto
Joe has years of experience with Tenuto. He highly recommended it. There are free and paid versions.
Here are a couple of keyboard apps I found online:
Touch Piano – free app
My Piano – for Android
Here's a big-mama site with everything "music" inside, somewhere - if they don't have it, you probably don't need it!
THIS SITE IS HUGE AND DETAILED AND AWESOME AND FREE.
Preparing for Rehearsal: THE MIGHTY CLOUDS OF SOUND!
Title is a take-off on name of a fabulous fantastic gospel group back in the day, "Mighty Clouds of Joy."
Okay - now you're ready to practice with the Cloud.
Here's one way to do it:
First, listen to the section you need to learn, tapping rhythm as you follow along in your music.
Then, try humming the section bit by bit, use a neutral syllable
NOH / DOOT / BOO
Pronounce text in rhythm.
Pronounce text in rhythm while the track is playing.
Now try singing it.
When you feel you're getting good at this, go over to Dropbox and see if you can sing YOUR part (either with text or on neutral syllable) as you're listening to the full-choir recording of the piece.
Practice makes perfect if practice IS perfect.
Excellence is not a thing - it is a HABIT.
What if you make a mistake?
Well, it's not the end of the world. Divide and conquer - was it a rhythm mistake? A pitch mistake? A phrasing mistake? A text mistake?
Take that bit out and go over it 5 - 7 times, very mindfully. Try working more slowly.
Many practice errors happen when people try to force-feed music to themselves at high speed.
(I used to teach piano - oh, the horror stories I could tell...and such avoidable suffering...
What is "high speed?"
1. You can't think about what's happening.
2. You have no conscious awareness of what you're doing - only a sort of blur in which rhythm, melody and text are smooshed up and smeared - no way to pick them out individually and work them that way.
3. You feel as if you're being dragged through the piece by your hair - there's plenty of body and throat tension, eyes not tracking smoothly, an overall jumpy and skittery sensation. Most unpleasant.
ow did you know you made the mistake, by the way?
Suggestion: Record yourself from time to time and play back, following along in the score.
This is a different kind of music learning than "just picking it up." We're after two things here:
DIVIDE AND CONQUER - This is what you do in your individual practice.
UNITE AND RULE - This is what happens in rehearsal. Only the conquered can be successfully ruled. If you don't conquer in your individual practice, we can't move forward when we're together.
000000000000
If you have other practice tips that you've found helpful, share them with us in COMMENTS.
Okay - now you're ready to practice with the Cloud.
Here's one way to do it:
First, listen to the section you need to learn, tapping rhythm as you follow along in your music.
Then, try humming the section bit by bit, use a neutral syllable
NOH / DOOT / BOO
Pronounce text in rhythm.
Pronounce text in rhythm while the track is playing.
Now try singing it.
When you feel you're getting good at this, go over to Dropbox and see if you can sing YOUR part (either with text or on neutral syllable) as you're listening to the full-choir recording of the piece.
Practice makes perfect if practice IS perfect.
Excellence is not a thing - it is a HABIT.
What if you make a mistake?
Well, it's not the end of the world. Divide and conquer - was it a rhythm mistake? A pitch mistake? A phrasing mistake? A text mistake?
Take that bit out and go over it 5 - 7 times, very mindfully. Try working more slowly.
Many practice errors happen when people try to force-feed music to themselves at high speed.
(I used to teach piano - oh, the horror stories I could tell...and such avoidable suffering...
What is "high speed?"
1. You can't think about what's happening.
2. You have no conscious awareness of what you're doing - only a sort of blur in which rhythm, melody and text are smooshed up and smeared - no way to pick them out individually and work them that way.
3. You feel as if you're being dragged through the piece by your hair - there's plenty of body and throat tension, eyes not tracking smoothly, an overall jumpy and skittery sensation. Most unpleasant.
ow did you know you made the mistake, by the way?
Suggestion: Record yourself from time to time and play back, following along in the score.
This is a different kind of music learning than "just picking it up." We're after two things here:
DIVIDE AND CONQUER - This is what you do in your individual practice.
UNITE AND RULE - This is what happens in rehearsal. Only the conquered can be successfully ruled. If you don't conquer in your individual practice, we can't move forward when we're together.
000000000000
If you have other practice tips that you've found helpful, share them with us in COMMENTS.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
HELLO AND WELCOME, ALL!
Hello, and welcome all!
Welcome new and returning members of the Seattle University Choirs!
In lieu of posting track upon track up at Soundcloud, I have decided to put my notes to you in blog form so that you can have printed backup for the information I will share with you here.
Our first Lee's Lesson (henceforth known as LL):
Preparing your music for rehearsals.
You will be given a choir binder at your first class. Inside that binder:
1. Music for our Family Weekend and Christmas concerts.
2. Choir syllabus - Do read and study this document. Many questions are pre-emptively answered therein.
3. Assignment sheets for each group in which you are singing. These are the backbone of our classes. Be sure that you check them frequently so that you can track your progress between rehearsals and stay abreast of upcoming rehearsal events and requirements.
4. Response and calendarsheets (commitment sheet, simple dates, "detailed" or elaborated dates). You will fill out the commitment sheet and return it to Doc by Friday, October 2. Enter all of the dates in your personal calendar. You may find it useful to print up a 3-month calendar for Fall Quarter and enter the dates/assignments. This will save you a great deal of shuffling papers and keep your tasks sequenced in a horizontal fashion. We all conceptualize dates and lists in different ways. Some of you will find that the vertical arrangement of the assignment sheets fits your own mental processes. Personally, I'm a big calendar fan (I believe I learned the days of the week and the notes in the octave of Middle C around the same time in my life, and they're inextricably entertwined. Today, for example, is "F" - Thursday.)
5. Other information: concert orders, translations (VERY IMPORTANT), piano keyboard with note-finding information, staff paper, etc.
6. Two new SU CHOIR pencils!
Go through the binder and examine everything in it.
Now!
PRACTICE PREP
Take out the assignment sheet for Men's or Women's Chorale.
What's your first assignment?
Find that music.
Using pencil, print your name on the first or cover page.
Open the music and scan it. What does the arrangement of the parts tell you about the way this music is composed? (TIP: If you wear glasses or contacts, try looking at the music with your naked eye. It's amazing, how many textural details will pop into place if you aren't looking at the score with "hard focus.")
Look at the time signature.
Look at the first measure.
Begin numbering your music, starting at the FIRST FULL (rhythmically complete) MEASURE. Write small, neat numbers above each complete measure midway through the measure, on top of the system (group of parts).
Now, take out your highlighter.
Make a small highlighter mark at the extreme left of each line of YOUR VOICE PART.
Highlight dynamic markings.
Highlight tempo markings.
Highlight instructions or symbols that indicate changes in tempo or dynamics.
AT REHEARSAL: Pencil in breath marks, editorial amplifications or changes, phonetic text pronunciations, etc. If you did a solfege or note-reading/rhythm reading session in rehearsal, copy the pattern onto your staff paper for reference. We will definitely solfege some of our music during rehearsals. Go ahead! Pencil in solfege syllables.
Shorthand:
Do - D
Re - R
Mi - M
Fa - F
Sol - S
La - L
Ti - T
Do (upper) - D (I like to write upper Do as "D" topped by a dash.
Go to Drop Box and find the choral recording of the piece.
Listen to the recording three times:
First - Experiencing the music, eyes closed, simply drinking it in. Move your body, conduct, sway, whatever you like. You are establishing a whole-body connection with the sound.
Second - Look at the score while listening. Just scan the interplay of the various lines of voice parts.
Third - Listen again, this time tracking your part with one forefinger moving lightly across the page beneath the text you are singing.
Now, the mighty Sound Cloud!
Stay tuned - this will be in my next post.
Welcome new and returning members of the Seattle University Choirs!
In lieu of posting track upon track up at Soundcloud, I have decided to put my notes to you in blog form so that you can have printed backup for the information I will share with you here.
Our first Lee's Lesson (henceforth known as LL):
Preparing your music for rehearsals.
You will be given a choir binder at your first class. Inside that binder:
1. Music for our Family Weekend and Christmas concerts.
2. Choir syllabus - Do read and study this document. Many questions are pre-emptively answered therein.
3. Assignment sheets for each group in which you are singing. These are the backbone of our classes. Be sure that you check them frequently so that you can track your progress between rehearsals and stay abreast of upcoming rehearsal events and requirements.
4. Response and calendarsheets (commitment sheet, simple dates, "detailed" or elaborated dates). You will fill out the commitment sheet and return it to Doc by Friday, October 2. Enter all of the dates in your personal calendar. You may find it useful to print up a 3-month calendar for Fall Quarter and enter the dates/assignments. This will save you a great deal of shuffling papers and keep your tasks sequenced in a horizontal fashion. We all conceptualize dates and lists in different ways. Some of you will find that the vertical arrangement of the assignment sheets fits your own mental processes. Personally, I'm a big calendar fan (I believe I learned the days of the week and the notes in the octave of Middle C around the same time in my life, and they're inextricably entertwined. Today, for example, is "F" - Thursday.)
5. Other information: concert orders, translations (VERY IMPORTANT), piano keyboard with note-finding information, staff paper, etc.
6. Two new SU CHOIR pencils!
Go through the binder and examine everything in it.
Now!
PRACTICE PREP
Take out the assignment sheet for Men's or Women's Chorale.
What's your first assignment?
Find that music.
Using pencil, print your name on the first or cover page.
Open the music and scan it. What does the arrangement of the parts tell you about the way this music is composed? (TIP: If you wear glasses or contacts, try looking at the music with your naked eye. It's amazing, how many textural details will pop into place if you aren't looking at the score with "hard focus.")
Look at the time signature.
Look at the first measure.
Begin numbering your music, starting at the FIRST FULL (rhythmically complete) MEASURE. Write small, neat numbers above each complete measure midway through the measure, on top of the system (group of parts).
Now, take out your highlighter.
Make a small highlighter mark at the extreme left of each line of YOUR VOICE PART.
Highlight dynamic markings.
Highlight tempo markings.
Highlight instructions or symbols that indicate changes in tempo or dynamics.
AT REHEARSAL: Pencil in breath marks, editorial amplifications or changes, phonetic text pronunciations, etc. If you did a solfege or note-reading/rhythm reading session in rehearsal, copy the pattern onto your staff paper for reference. We will definitely solfege some of our music during rehearsals. Go ahead! Pencil in solfege syllables.
Shorthand:
Do - D
Re - R
Mi - M
Fa - F
Sol - S
La - L
Ti - T
Do (upper) - D (I like to write upper Do as "D" topped by a dash.
Go to Drop Box and find the choral recording of the piece.
Listen to the recording three times:
First - Experiencing the music, eyes closed, simply drinking it in. Move your body, conduct, sway, whatever you like. You are establishing a whole-body connection with the sound.
Second - Look at the score while listening. Just scan the interplay of the various lines of voice parts.
Third - Listen again, this time tracking your part with one forefinger moving lightly across the page beneath the text you are singing.
Now, the mighty Sound Cloud!
Stay tuned - this will be in my next post.
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