Hello all, I hope you’re well and have had a good week so far? We’ve been having a great term, and now we’re approaching the concert we’re really knuckling down and perfecting the music.
What we’ve been doing so far
This term’s got off to a great start, with lots of detailed work on the notes in sectionals, and some excellent work on ensemble and tuning – we’re really developing a high-quality choral sound, I’m so proud! If you’ve missed rehearsals, you may want to go back through the January rehearsal schedule on the previous Conductor’s Notes post to check what you missed.
Last week we ran the piece from beginning to end, getting a feel for its structure and the stamina needed to get through it – well done with this. Still a long way to go, but I know we’ll do it!
Voice Checks
As we all know, Cumnor Choral Society is an unauditioned choir and always will be, and I’m very proud of all we achieve given we have no formal vocal tests! However, a couple of people in both CCS and another unauditioned choir I work with have been concerned about where their voice is sitting, and whether they’re singing the right part in the choir.
If this feels familiar, I’m very happy to do little vocal checks after our rehearsals to help you out! I’d ask you to sing a couple of easy exercises (like our warm ups) – think of it as a mini (and free!) lesson! We can chat about what feels best when it comes to singing and pitching notes, and how you can get the most from the choir.
I want to stress – THIS IS NOT COMPULSORY, NOR WILL YOU BE KICKED OUT! It’s NOT an audition, just a way for me to help you all as much as I can so you get the best experience with CCS.
If anyone would like to have a little check, or just a chat, don’t hesitate to speak to me – I promise I’m not scary!
February Schedule
Please check out the schedule below for all the things we’ll cover in our rehearsals this month. It’s not long to go, so it’s important to be ahead of the game!
Marked Score
A gentle (firm) reminder to please ensure your copies are marked up with all the breaths, articulations, and importantly for this piece, what’s going on in the hymns! If you notice your neighbour hasn’t got these markings in… feel free to give them a friendly nudge!
Learning Guides
Here is my recommended recording to listen to:
YouTube
Spotify
Alongside this, there are plenty of learning resources out there to help you learn your parts. My suggestion is John Fletcher Music, available HERE.
I think that’s all for now. See you all on Thursday for some more wonderful singing!
– Ben
Cumnor Choral Society 