Hello Everyone,
Again, thank you so very much for all the birthday love last night! The flowers are gorgeous, the balloon is festive, and I have already put the adorable owl glasses holder to good use (see attached images). I usually take off my glasses to do computer work and now I have a place to put them instead of worrying about them getting squashed under a pile of papers/books/scores (not that my desk gets messy or anything!). I am saving my e-card for later this evening – THANK YOU!
I had a great time with you last night making music and mastering the subtleties of the Rock/Paper/Scissor game – congratulations to our RPS Champion – Virginia (and team)!
Welcome to our newest members! It was such a joy to be with returning members and to meet our new singers. A special note to those just joining us – when WVC returned to singing in-person this past fall we knew that we would need to sing masked. Since last August, we have built up our masked singing stamina (some members rehearse at home while wearing their masks, as well!). We know that it is a challenge to breathe, project our voices, and see our music when our glasses get foggy. I encourage everyone to pace yourselves. Sit and listen for a bit if you are tired. Even go outside and take off your mask if you need to (just make sure someone knows to let you in in a few minutes because the door locks behind us). Sit and/or stand as you choose as we rehearse for what feels good for you as an individual. There are times that most of us will stand together (some will sit to rehearse/perform and that is perfectly fine!) but most of the time, I like to leave that to the individual, in the moment, to choose what feels best.
I am going to send you a survey later this week and gather ‘fun facts’ about everyone who chooses to participate in an activity that will highlight a few members each week. I think it will be a fun way to learn more about each other and discover our connections beyond our music-making.
Thanks to Rachel for sending out the Joy Survey. I am looking forward to being joyful with you!
And be ready for Random Repertoire Trivia Night (RRTN) where you will have the chance to ‘show off’ what you know about our music (and win a prize!!!!). Congratulations to Janet who won our first RRTN last week.
Our rehearsals will follow this format for February and March (times approximate):
7:30-7:40 Announcements and community building
7:40-8:30 Repertoire Rehearsal – ALL
8:30-8:45 Break
8:45-9:05 Continued Repertoire Rehearsal – ALL
9:05-9:30 Sectionals – we will rotate through the voice parts – regardless of the part you sing, you are welcome to attend any sectional, realizing we will focus primarily on the part designated for that rehearsal. I will send that schedule to you ASAP, as soon as I have consulted with our section leaders about specific dates.
Rehearsal Focus 1/31/22
We sang through all of our repertoire except Be Like the Bird. We won’t sing through our whole concert again for a while – it’s time to get back into the weeds, working through selected measures of our repertoire, focusing on technical and expressive elements.
Looking Ahead to 2/7/22
Attached is a transcription of Cheryl Porter’s Happy-Joyful Warm Up that we learned at rehearsal on 1/17/22. Print a copy for yourself or learn/review it by rote at rehearsal. If you choose to not print a copy, you may find it helpful to write out the syllables because they can get tricky. If you would like to practice with Vocal Coach Cheryl Porter this week, here is a link to her Happy-Joyful Warm Up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQH1c20xbs&list=PLFa30AX3rQ85fswgA9A74Qtgcgt7OJ7wV&index=5
We will rehearse:
Be Like the Bird: all
Song of Miriam: mm. 1-30
The Imaginary Garden: mm. 73-90
She Who Makes Her Meaning Clear: all
Richer for Her: all
How Can I Keep From Singing: all
Now…off for a birthday hike/adventure with Andrew. I’m already looking forward to seeing you next week.
Hugs,
Laura
