Hello Everyone,
Beautiful work at rehearsal last night! We sang with a very high level of musicianship and are making wonderful progress on all of our music.
Thank you for giving Sky Dances such attention so that we are ready for Jennifer Stasack’s visit at our Retreat.
If you would like to audition for the I Love You/What a Wonderful World solo, please email a voice memo to me by 10/25. Play the practice file in the background and sing along. Be sure that I can hear your singing louder than the practice file. I’m looking forward to hearing your submissions!
In case you missed it, here is the link to my short tuning app videos – happy tuning:
Here is the link to the Holly Near documentary that I really enjoyed – Singing for our Lives. It includes Sky Dances in several places in the video. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Retreat Schedule (times may flex a bit but this is the overall plan):
9-9:30am – Coffee and Sweets/social time
9:30-9:45am – Community building activity led by Megan
9:45-10am – vocal warm ups
10-11:45am – (we will take a break during this time) – work with guest clinician, Jennifer Stasack. Our work will focus on her arrangement of Sky Dances and, in general, singing with enhanced expressiveness
11:45am -12:45pm – lunch
12:45-1pm Meeting (while we finish lunch, enjoy dessert)
1-3pm – work on repertoire (we will take a break during this time)
Rehearsal Reflection:
Some Glad Morning mm. 60-101
– we worked on syllabic weight. Be mindful of less weight on unimportant words/syllables
– Altos stagger breathe through m. 88
– in m. 101 note that the altos move up a 3rd while sopranos and mezzos sustain
Honour the Earth mm. 119-147
– worked through pitches and rhythms – great job!
I Am mm. 68-105
– worked through pitches and rhythms – great job!
– we need to thoroughly review previously worked on measures. As you have time, please use our practice files on this piece so that we better retain what we work on at rehearsal from one week to the next. This pieces is a wonderful challenge!
Sing, Wearing the Sky mm. 68-82
– worked through pitches and rhythms
– note the tempo changes and be sure to watch through these sections so that we stay together
Sky Dances – review all
– we reviewed all and clarified places of uncertainty
– please make these changes in your scores if you have not already:
m. 59: A2 change the first note to Bb, not D. A1, sing as written on a D
m. 63: S1 should be a G not F on beat 4 (apologies for drilling this incorrectly!)
m. 69: A1 part should be A-F-C not A-E-C for ‘sky’
m. 76: A2 needs the syllable ‘ces’ of dan-ces instead of a slur
– much improved rhythms in those challenging places. Please use the practice files if you still have questions
Looking Ahead to the Retreat and 10/21/24
Here in My Heart mm. 153-end
Measure Me, Sky! mm. 70-end
Some Glad Morning mm. 102-end
I Am mm. 1-107 (review as needed, especially mm. 30-44
Sky Dances – work with Jennifer Stasack at the retreat, review as needed
We will work on any of our other pieces as time allows, or at Jennifer’s request during our retreat.
Looking forward to Saturday!
Laura