Hello Everyone,
Thank you for a lovely rehearsal last night – especially your positive spirits and attention to detail. It was a long rehearsal but I think we made the most of our time together. I also appreciate your thoughtful observations at the end of the rehearsal.
Below is a link to the recordings I made last night. Please do NOT share this on social media or with your friends/family. It is only for our ears in order to review and practice individually so that we can stay engaged over the next two weeks, especially without a rehearsal on 1/20/25. I do hope that you will take time to listen, but please realize that these are raw recordings and that my iPhone mic picks up what is closest to it, so it does not pick up the full sound of the chorus. But, it is a useful tool for general review. For the places that you hear intonation issues (the ones that we keep talking about!), I recommend using your tuner apps or practicing with the midi files – those midi pitches are accurate and you can slow down the playback speed and really concentrate on moving accurately from note to note. When you do hear intonation challenges, think about your technique – are you taking a deep, singer’s breath, singing with a lifted ribcage, an open ‘tube,’ long back of the neck, lift at the top/back of the head, relaxed jaw, appropriate mouth space for open and resonant vowels…you know, all the things! And as Kinley suggested, take time to breathe – you can leave out whole words, several beats…continuous ‘catch a quick breath’ is not conducive to good singing technique.
If you are in Chamber Choir, please think positively! We have performed both of our pieces with much better intonation, expression, diction…all of it! Last night was not our best…but I want you to remember that each of you are stellar musicians and strong singers. I am confident that we will have a solid rehearsal on 1/23/25 and be fully ready for our performance. I ask that each of you sing out and use your best vocal technique. If the challenge is that you are singing without being able to hear the ensemble, we can adjust at rehearsal, before we do our concert run-through (see rehearsal order below). I do not recommend that you rehearse with last night’s recording because we don’t want the muscle memory of those significant intonation challenges. And please, do take time to work with the practice files and correct any wrong notes that may still be present. We can do this – please believe in yourselves and each other – I do!
Here are the priorities for our last rehearsal on 1/23/25:
– Rehearse with our guest musicians
– Rehearse concert movement logistics
– Give Chamber Choir singers ample time to adjust to the standing formation/performance space
– Run through our concert, in order, without stopping
We will rehearse in this order:
Singers seated in the pews at 7pm ready to move to performance places at Kinley’s direction.
Honour the Earth
– add didgeridoo (Daran)
– whirlie players will be given direction regarding your performance space
I Am
– add flute (Amy), violin (Julia), and cello (Debbie)
Sing, Wearing the Sky
– add violin (Julia), and percussion (Tim)
The chorus will be seated at Kinley’s direction (feel free to excuse yourself if you need a restroom break after you have your seat) as the Chamber Choir remains in their places to rehearse.
Sing, My Child
– add percussion (Tim)
Earth Song
If we decide that a different formation is needed, we will determine that once we are in the space, and have a chance to see what works best for everyone. Our current plan is that Chamber Choir singers will remain in their whole-chorus place, but if we need to, we can make a change.
After Chamber Choir has rehearsed, we will give them time for a restroom break, then move the full chorus back into place.
Kinley will then give us instructions on how we will file in at the beginning of the concert. We will then practice filing in and will run our concert in order, minus our guest musicians.
If we have any remaining time, we will address any other challenges that may arise. We will then practice filing out and end our rehearsal.
I deeply appreciate the expressiveness that we have explored and accomplished this semester. I encourage you all to sing to a mirror and see how much you can look up from your music and see that your face reflects the meaning of the music. I am not encouraging exaggerated facial expressions – I find those distracting and disingenuous. But, faces and bodies that move with the music and communicate to our audience and each other are welcomed!
I’m already excited about and looking forward to our final rehearsal – what fun we are going to have making music together and putting on our final touches. See you then!
Laura