Practice Agenda

 

April 8th

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I hope you had a great Easter Long weekend.  Coming into the home stretch with our workshop coming up.

In Time of Silver Rain - Find the joy in this song.  There is a laid back feel as well as                accuracy of the rhythmics. Watch that entrances are before the 1st beat.                      The little line above some notes are tenuto markings to indicate an                                emphasis on that note. Not a strong accent but an emphasis.

Four Strong Winds - Same with section D as above. Watch the "or more" section.

Sure on This Shining Night - Intensly quiet.  Use airiness for entrances. Find                      the mood of the night nocturn for a dreaminess with your voice.                        Blend with your section as much as possible. Listen to others                              more than yourself.

Break

The Ashgrove - Think of a Welsh Choir in bucolic but pensive setting. 

Do You Carrot All For Me - Total.  Sell it with emotional intent.

Big House  - Basses/Tenors Sing it to the Altos/Sopranos We need to find the joyous energy for this song.

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April 1 (oh no!!)

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Make sure you are looking up whenever possible.  Especially for ends of phrases so cut offs can be clean.  When coming to a cutoff breath in.

Make every breath count by being body aware of using the abdomen drop to give a good supported breath. Blend starts with breath, balancing your volume, shaping of the vowels and placement to match those around you.

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Big House  - Whole song. Look up when you do not need any words. Watch for                      dynamic changes.

In Time of Silver Rain - Find the joy in this song.  There is a laid back feel as well as                accuracy of the rhythmics. Watch that entrances are before the 1st beat.                      The little line above some notes are tenuto markings to indicate an                                emphasis on that note. Not a strong accent but an emphasis.

Old Lady Rose - watch that the pitch does not fall when singing acapella.  Make                      sure you are keeping the breath moving and place the sound forward.

Break

Four Strong Winds - Same with section D as above. Watch the "or more" section.

Sure on This Shining Night - Intensly quiet.  Use airiness for entrances. Find                      the mood of the night nocturn for a dreaminess with your voice.                        Blend with your section as much as possible. Listen to others                              more than yourself.

All the Things You Are - dynamics are critical.  Watch the hairpins.  If you are not                      smiling during this song it will not sell.

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March 25

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We have been working on finding blend and matching pitch.  Finding our choir's blend uses the singing techniques we have been working on. No one voice should be sticking out.

 

We use technical elements allignment, breath, vowel shape, resonance, timbre, pitch, and volume to work together to find a unified sound.  It is as simple and complicated as that. I have been playing with voice placement last Wednesday.  I played with natural brightness, strength, and timbres fo the voices. iI is more art than science.

 

Log Driver's Waltz -   E to End. When triads (3 note chords) S1 Take the top S2 take the                              middle and Alto take the bottom.

Gentle Annie - All

Do You Care At All For Me - ms 13- end.  Each phrase is a gem.  Each is an arc'd idea.                                  Listen to another part from yours.​

Break

Sure on This Shining Night - E to end.

The Ashgrove - E to end. 

Big House - pg 15-end

 

 

 

March 18

 

Spring break is here and we are in good shape. Interest for the audience will be in the dynamics and tempo changes and we will work on refining those. Once the notes are 2nd nature we can focus on the technical aspect of refining the sound by blending through matching vowels and resonance. Dpn't forget to breathe.... ;)

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In Time of Silver Rain - All -  Focus 54 to end.

Do you Carrot all For Me - While humourous it has to be emotive. Allow held notes to                                                            swell and recede.  We will be blocking the chords especially

                                                   at the end of each musical phrase.   

 

Irish Blessing -  No sheet.

Break

Sure on This Shining Night-  E to end.  Basses have the melody and other parts fold                                                                 around them.  Note the PPP (extremely quiet but intensly so.                                                       How do you express a sense of wonder? I have found some                                                         good examples on Spotify.  The one in the music page is                                                               excellent.​

 

Four Strong Winds-    Total Song  Ms 48 - 77.  To keep in pitch from sinking remember to                                               keep the breath moving with good support from the abdomen.

Log Driver's Waltz -   E to End. Sops/Altos watch for accidentals. Sop 1s will need to be                                               predominant so watch that the balance is not overwhelming them.                                             The ah will be done by all Sop1​

 

March 11

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This will a good time to work on specifics in finding chord progressions in our more difficult songs.  The lines are not easy to sing in and of themselves but within the context of the chords they make more sense.

Warm up: Breath; Intonation, coda learning by ear.

4 Strong Winds: E and F Then whole song.  

The Irish Blessing: 2ce with music then by heart.

Sure on this Shining Night: ms 36 to E Whole song to E

Break

Gentle Annie:  All 

Log Driver's Waltz: Ms 80 to end

In Time of Silver Rain: All

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March 4

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​Thank-you for the focus on familiarity with the notes and words.  What will make these

 

songs shine are the use of dynamics.  Please look up as much as possible on the familiar 

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sections. Find resonance by thinking of the swan form of the mouth. Blend comes from

 

matching the Goignresonances and the vowels with those around you  .

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Warm up

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The Ashgrove Sections E-G Smooth as silk with connected notes. Try to articulate

 

            the last consonant with the word after.

 

Big House   Whole Song.   Note the form: Intro, Chorus, Kitchen, Chorus, Outside,

 

           Chorus, Bridge and Coda. Find the joy in this song.  Best sung with a little

 

           body engagement. Use an quiet intense, aspirated voice for the begining of                 

           the song so there is somewhere to build from.

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Old Lady Rose 57-Coda

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Break

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Until We Meet Again   Ms. 33-Coda Do not oversing the ending.  Singing too loud

 

            often changes the pitch.  Never sing louder than beautiful.

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Sure on This Shining Night  Ms. 27-47  Think in terms of circles and arcs.

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All The Things You Are  Ms 51-74 Think Latin samba.

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Feb 25

We are begining to get beyond note bashing now and are looking for nuance with rhythmic accuracy and dynamic difference.  To do that we need to look up as much as possible.  Remember to take a breath in at rests and ends of phrase to make the cut offs clean.  We are getting a better blend as we match vowels and resonances.  Think of singing relatively quietly (to about an arms length away) and fitting your voice into the voices around you. 
Sure on This Shining Night Sections A&B  
                   Some changes:             

.1.  Tenors on pg 4 do  ms. 27-35 by themselves. Basses would join on the last word           of ms. 35.

 2.Sopranos sing ms. 32-35 (no altos).. Altos can join on the last word of ms. 35,

 3. On pg 6, right at ms. 40,  2nd sopranos sing the 1st alto part through ms.43.                    Sopranos add an Aflat as the first note of ms. 41 and be ready to jump back                with the 1st sopranos on the second note (G) of ms. 43.

 4. All altos sing 2nd alto from ms. 40-43.
   
       We will go over all of this on Wednesday night. Please have a pencil (not as hard as it sounds

Four Strong Winds  Section D-End
Do you Carrot All For Me   Ms 1-14

Break
In Time of Silver Rain  Ms 1-36.
Big House Ms 77- end
The Ash Grove  Section E to end.

Break

Old Lady Rose Ms 45-end

Until We Meet Again  





February 18

Four Strong Winds   Section D.
Irish Blessing         Ending
Sure On This Shining Night    Sections A&B
Break
Log Driver's Waltz   Sections C&D
All The Things You Are      Ms 33-43
Gentle Annie    Ms 38 to end.  Working on memorizing the ending.


 

February 11th
Great beginings to all of our songs.  Watch for the ends of words, think of the consonants as percussion.  They need to be heard.  Sing gently for good tuning.  Often less will give you more. Reminder to make sure breath and body are oderless for your fellow singers.  
Warm up   Stomp Clap butterfly challenge last added part.  Resonance and chordal                                tuning.
Big House    Begining to ms.76 (It is a repeat except for the words) We'll work on                                           sections.
The Log Drivers Waltz  Sections A-D
The Irish Blessing     Continuing off page work.
Break
Old Lady Rose   To ms. 45
Time of Silver Rain   Ms.49-end
Four Strong Winds   Section E
 

February 4
Sustained breath is a complex skill involving good support, regulating the air flow and tongue positioning.  Use the raised forward tongue to leave a space at the back of the mouth for resonance.
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Warm Up  Stomp, Clap, butterfly challenge adding one element. .Chord                                  building, and blending.
Until We Meet Again  ms. 27-38 (at aprox 1:20)
Old Lady Rose    ms. 33 to 57
In Time of Silver Rain    ms 36-44 (at aprox 1:00) 
Break
Gentle Annie    ms 35-end 
Big House   ms 32-58  (at aprox 1:00)
The Irish Blessing Coda 1-18 memorized 
 
 
January 28
Music is the shorthand of emotion.  Leo Tolstoy
There were some tricky rhythmic phrasing this evening you handled well.  Listen to the musical examples for help with rhythmic accuracy.   
Great work on keeping the high notes supported and not pressurized.  Doing so requires technical awareness.
Warm up  (mental game, vowel matching, chord building and 1/2 step rising) 
Big House ms 24-32 and review 1-24.
Four Strong Winds - D section 
All the Things You Are - ms 17-32
Break
The Ashgrove -  Sections A, B, &C
The Logdrivers Waltz - Sections C&D
Until We Meet Again -  ​ms 1-26


January 21

Well begun is 1/2 done.  Greek aphorism.
Great start to the year last week!  We are picking up music so quickly and efficiently.  So good to see faces new and previous (notice the avoidence of 'old'.) Mp3 files are being added bit by bit.  Please bring a pencil....

Warm up  (mental game; breath support and tone, Chord building and intonation (pitch                                 accuracy) 
Irish Blessing    ms1-17 memorized  ms 17 - 32 familiarize
Four Strong Winds    Section A, B, and C.  Basses and Tenors have section B.  Women join                                at C.
Big House      ms 1 - 26
Break
Gentle Annie  ms 1-35.
In Time of Silver Rain  ms 20-35
Old Lady Rose   ms 1 - 30





Welcome back everyone!
Time to shake off the holiday cheer and get back into the traces!  For those of you who couldn't join us for the After New Year Bash, a special welcome.
Check out the songs we are doing this season on the Song mp3 files tab (there is one missing).  Please get there early enough to pick up your music so we can start on time.
Warm up
Irish Blessing   Intro and begin memorizing process
Four Strong Winds   
Until We meet again
Break
The Ashgrove  
The Log Driver's Waltz
Do You Carrot All For Me