AD Music Notes
This is where you’ll find notes from Laura Sam about the pieces we’re singing each semester.
February 22, 2022, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
Happy 2/22/22 Twos-day!
Lots of progress on our repertoire – thanks to everyone for your great effort! I sure do have fun making music with such wonderful musicians (and humans!).
Thanks for the fun rhythm activity, Kay, and for the treats, Wendy. We all appreciate you both!
February 15, 2022, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
What a fun Valentine’s Day rehearsal! I so enjoyed sharing my love of choral music and WVC with you all. Thanks for bringing the treats, Jackie! I have attached our Valentine’s messages – be prepared to feel the LOVE when you read them. Hope I didn’t miss your message – if I did, let me know and I will add it to the document.
We made great progress on our music, especially working on expressive elements of dynamics, articulation, and phrasing. The chorus sounds full and vibrant – such a joy!
February 8, 2022, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for a very fun rehearsal last night! It was great to work on some musical details as we took a deep dive into some of our music.
Thanks, Rachel for leading our JOY activity – always wonderful to laugh and share our hidden talents with one another (Beep Beep).
When you have a chance (no deadline or pressure), please complete a survey about yourself – the link is below. This is not required but will be used as a JOY activity.
February 1, 2022, Music Notes
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!
January 17, 2022, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
Hope you have been able to manage the snow/sleet/ice with minimal inconvenience and maximum joy. Looks like more is headed our way later in the week according to the current forecast.
Hope you can join me for our final rehearsal of the semester. We will all be on Zoom (LIKE ALL OF LAST YEAR!) in our little boxes. Silver lining – we will be able to SEE each other’s faces. I am looking forward to seeing you!
January 11, 2022, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
Hope you had a lovely time at rehearsal last night – I certainly did! Our laughter and music eased the disappointment of our concert postponement – it was wonderful to share the evening making music together.
Although I know it was a challenge to make conga lines on Zoom, Rock-Paper-Scissors was a ton of fun. Thank you for leading that, Rachel! And thank you for bringing the sweets, as well! If you want to help Rachel plan community building activities for future rehearsals (or provide a snack outside), please be in touch with her. I’m already looking forward to next time.
Please help to spread the word that we have auditions on 1/24/22 by appointment, either in-person or via Zoom. If you think you know someone who would be interested, please direct them to our website. https://womensvoiceschorus.org/sing-2022/
January 10, 2022, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
I want you to know how much I appreciate our wonderful board members in the way in which everyone worked together, listening thoughtfully to one another, as we considered various aspects and concerns, ultimately reaching the decision to cancel our January concert.
The deep disappointment of yet another meaningful event being lost to the pandemic is real and I am sure we are all experiencing it. I know that I am.
January 5, 2022, Music Notes
Hello All,
I loved that 40ish of us were able to come together to make music at our rehearsal, either in person or via Zoom. For that, I am grateful. We had many obstacles in front of us – most especially the rapidly spreading omicron variant and the threat of black ice. But even so, we persevered.
I am looking forward to our upcoming board meeting on Sunday where we will make decisions regarding our path forward (specifically our upcoming concert) during these uncertain times.
December 14, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for all of your great work last night! We did not finish our to-do list but we did accomplish a lot of detailed work – yay us!
When I got home I did find my 2nd page of notes…right where both Deb and I looked before rehearsal….in my legal pad…I had skipped a page when I was writing them and then they were stuck together. Ah well, I remembered most of what was there and have put the few things not covered on the list for 12/20/21. It was a weird feeling though…I knew that I did not use invisible ink for page 2!
Don’t forget to send your solo audition to Laura D if you are interested in that opportunity. Those are due no later than 12/21/21. I’m looking forward to hearing you sing.
December 7, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
I could hear you so much better in our new seating formation last night – I hope that you could hear better, as well. We will sing in a similar arc in the front of the Binkley Baptist Sanctuary for our performance so hopefully this will help us to better prepare.
I had a great time at rehearsal last night and it sounded like you did, too!
A2s also had a very successful sectional rehearsal last night – thanks for your extra effort A2s, Deb, and Marsha.
December 1, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
I created a video of the body percussion for Storm Comin’- hope it will be of help to you in your practicing if you would like to memorize this piece and perform/sing in front. Here is the YouTube link (hopefully it won’t get taken down for copyright – if it does, I will upload it to a Google folder and share it with you that way): https://youtu.be/lrcRZsWAZZw
I made the video so that you can mirror me. You will step on your LEFT on beat 1, but I step on my RIGHT so that we mirror one another.
I used the Wailin’ Jenny’s YouTube performance for the audio, so please remember that their ending is slightly different from our arrangement.
Have fun swishing, clapping, and stomping!
Laura
November 30, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
It was such fun to sing through our music together last night. We had some beautiful spots to celebrate but also some mud puddles to work through in our next three December rehearsals.
Here is how everyone can help to make those 3 rehearsals as productive as possible:
Email your section leader (A1s please copy Kay) regarding the questions you had as we rehearsed our music last night. If you would, please do that in the next few days so that the section leaders can get that information to me before our next rehearsal. If you are able to use the practice files to answer your own questions, please do so. I need to know the spots that you cannot work out on your own. I know the challenges that I heard in rehearsal last night and am making note of those, as well.
November 16, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
It was good to see (and hear) you last night. I am glad we tied up some loose ends, especially on Rise Up.
With Thanksgiving week around the corner, we are not scheduled to have rehearsal on 11/22 so it would be helpful if you are able to sing through the rep a few times so that we don’t get too rusty.
November 9, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
It was wonderful to see so many of you at Elisabeth’s lovely service yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful time to remember Elisabeth and to support one another and Elisabeth’s family in a time of both celebration and loss – it was comforting to be surrounded by WVC sisters.
I have not forgotten our November birthdays – we will celebrate this coming rehearsal. 🙂
October 26, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
I enjoyed our rehearsal last night. I am hopeful that everyone got home safely in that downpour. Thank you for leading the All Hands Meeting, Kay. It is wonderful to think about how many members are working and have worked in the past on behalf of WVC. Yay us!
A reminder that the Sibelius practice files on our website are currently not working – Karla will see what’s up when she is back in town. In the meantime, you can use the MP3 and YouTube links.
October 24, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
After input from WVC members and much reflection, I am making a change in our repertoire – removing Unsung Saint and adding How Can I Keep From Singing arr. Gwyneth Walker.
In choosing Unsung Saint, I focused on the phases that resonated with me regarding some of the challenges brought on by the pandemic ‘pressing forward with unswerving courage,’ ‘met each untried situation with resourcefulness,’ ‘she illumined the dullness of routine and the loneliness of isolation with beauty and with life abundant.’
I did not, however, adequately consider other phrases and the overall effect that in celebrating the pioneer woman the text ignores the destruction brought upon the indigenous peoples of America by colonization and westward expansion.
How Can I Keep From Singing has become somewhat of a theme song of choral musicians during the pandemic and will complement our other repertoire very nicely. This arrangement is already in our library but has not been performed since 2007 (the Neil Ginsberg arrangement was more recently performed). It is joyful and interesting and I am confident we will enjoy working on it together (and it has a great piano part for Deb!).
We will not keep Unsung Saint in our library so feel free to discard it. Nancy will distribute How Can I Keep From Singing at an upcoming rehearsal (thank you, Nancy).
Thank you for making your concerns known. I am very proud and grateful to be in the company of thoughtful musicians with whom I can make wonderful music.
Very sincerely yours,
Laura
October 19, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
Lovely to see and hear you last night at rehearsal! I enjoyed our rehearsal immensely.
PSA – if you have not already had yours, it’s a great time to consider getting your flu vaccine. I had both my flu and shingles vaccine a few weeks ago and was very glad to have the opportunity to do so. I hope that we can all be COVID, flu, and everything else contagious FREE this year.
October 13, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
I enjoyed hearing you sing last night at rehearsal – such fun! I hope you feel good about the work we are accomplishing on our repertoire – we are making great progress.
October 4, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
I sure did enjoy our rehearsal last night and am already looking forward to next week.
Deb – we missed you! But we were all glad that you were enjoying time with your friends. Kathleen did a great job filling in as our accompanist – thank you, Kathleen!
September 20, 2021, Music Notes
Hello Everyone,
Laura D. said you all had a very successful and fun rehearsal – thank you for leading, Laura! I was thinking about you all the whole time and missing being with you.