We love Penny ...
Last night when we arrived for rehearsals, the WI choir were sounding really good, and I was given my first Christmas card and three very sweet horseshoes! Ed handed out carol sheets, yes - proper carols will be sung by DFS on the cold streets of Weymouth, and barely a ballad left on the play list! There were 15 songs on the sheet, and we whittled these down to 8. Or 9. If you want a reminder I cleverly used my mobile phone to record and have this list ...
Silent night
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
Jingle Bells - with more lyrics than I ever knew!
Good King Wensleydale
Calypso Carol
Deck the Halls - changed to DING DONG
White Christmas
Merry Christmas everybody ...
....and not necessarily in that order. That was the spell checker that slipped the cheese in by the way, we have got the one with cranberries to be extra festive.
Penny, our new shining star came along with her Choir recording all edited, and we discussed prices, numbers of tracks and CD cases that don't crack. Then before it was time to go home we listened to You Raise Me Up, and I went home to drink beer as I had been married for 5 years to the day!
Next week's practice goes on at the same time as All Saints' School's Christmas market in the hall, so we will be carolling in the gym but open to visitors popping in and out. Please smile and wear tinsel in strategic places. And don't be naughty. Much. XXXXXX
18 November 2010
Brown Girl in the Ring ....
I love listening to Wey-Hey-Bay WI choir before we all get to sit down. They sound quite good these days, even of down in numbers, and much more grown up than DFS... But after they have finished we pile into our seats, and rattle thru a warm up before Ed gets up and announces a surprise. Which is singing Christmassy songs.
So we all should out the name of songs we like, apart from me, and come up with a list of 25 songs, paired down with voting and groaning to a humble 9. I liked watching Dave type then out on the screen, it reminded me of the Match-of-the-Day teleprinter, only much more exciting.
Then we sang our way through some of the songs, many of them in too high a key, and at the end Ed hinted that although this list had been very democratically chosen, it might change when we saw it again the next week.
But there was an awesome super duper surprise this week, when right at the end the lovely person I had seen wielding equipment at our concert appeared with a nice shiny disk, and after Michael and especially Dave twiddled lots of things on the mixing desk, the beautiful sound of a well-rehearsed, happy, and rather good community choir rang from the speakers and made many a hair stand up on end! So now, the burning question would be, we can we have one? Me Mam would love it!
So proud of you Dorset for Singing, Traa-la-la-la-lah! XXXXXXX
I love listening to Wey-Hey-Bay WI choir before we all get to sit down. They sound quite good these days, even of down in numbers, and much more grown up than DFS... But after they have finished we pile into our seats, and rattle thru a warm up before Ed gets up and announces a surprise. Which is singing Christmassy songs.
So we all should out the name of songs we like, apart from me, and come up with a list of 25 songs, paired down with voting and groaning to a humble 9. I liked watching Dave type then out on the screen, it reminded me of the Match-of-the-Day teleprinter, only much more exciting.
Then we sang our way through some of the songs, many of them in too high a key, and at the end Ed hinted that although this list had been very democratically chosen, it might change when we saw it again the next week.
But there was an awesome super duper surprise this week, when right at the end the lovely person I had seen wielding equipment at our concert appeared with a nice shiny disk, and after Michael and especially Dave twiddled lots of things on the mixing desk, the beautiful sound of a well-rehearsed, happy, and rather good community choir rang from the speakers and made many a hair stand up on end! So now, the burning question would be, we can we have one? Me Mam would love it!
So proud of you Dorset for Singing, Traa-la-la-la-lah! XXXXXXX
12 November 2010
Two Encores!
So Dorset for Singing, resplendent as ever in blue tops and black bottoms, revisited again the Weymouth Bay Methodist church, where the delightful audience wondered why I was singing into a microphone that wasn't switched on at the end of 'Story of a Heart'. Carol said it sounded nice anyway...
I managed to get a last minute babysitter and train ticket for Hubby, who was pleased to hear just how far we had come, having not been to a concert since our last All Saints School hall gig! So give yourselves a pat on the back, DFS!
And again, a lovely, lively mix of soloists, from Hymns, musicals, folk and pop from many decades. Rachel told me on facebook she had bought a fun Monsters Inc. top just for her solo, and very cheerful it was too. I had a stroke, did you? I had a good look at everyones bottoms when they were soloing, but we wont linger there ...
Ed section was bigger than some of us thought it would be, I think he got carried away with all the cheese, and my favourite was 'Take on Me', and the way he waggles his eyebrows!
Actually I am most excited about our two encores, because that has never happened before, and we have also been asked back again in the future to entertain this lovely audience, who don't mind being outnumbered by our musical selves! And a fantastic £285 was raised, to share between the two charities! Well done choir, sound man, choir master, choir manager and blogger, but mostly choir, thank you for another great night! xxxxxx
So Dorset for Singing, resplendent as ever in blue tops and black bottoms, revisited again the Weymouth Bay Methodist church, where the delightful audience wondered why I was singing into a microphone that wasn't switched on at the end of 'Story of a Heart'. Carol said it sounded nice anyway...
I managed to get a last minute babysitter and train ticket for Hubby, who was pleased to hear just how far we had come, having not been to a concert since our last All Saints School hall gig! So give yourselves a pat on the back, DFS!
And again, a lovely, lively mix of soloists, from Hymns, musicals, folk and pop from many decades. Rachel told me on facebook she had bought a fun Monsters Inc. top just for her solo, and very cheerful it was too. I had a stroke, did you? I had a good look at everyones bottoms when they were soloing, but we wont linger there ...
Ed section was bigger than some of us thought it would be, I think he got carried away with all the cheese, and my favourite was 'Take on Me', and the way he waggles his eyebrows!
Actually I am most excited about our two encores, because that has never happened before, and we have also been asked back again in the future to entertain this lovely audience, who don't mind being outnumbered by our musical selves! And a fantastic £285 was raised, to share between the two charities! Well done choir, sound man, choir master, choir manager and blogger, but mostly choir, thank you for another great night! xxxxxx
11 November 2010
Phys Ed ...
Good day, DFS, and good news, it looks like Michael did have a chance to get it up last night, as the running order for tonight's concert is in the news section of our website, and looks like this ...
If you took home version 1.0 of the running order last night, it is missing a certain little persons solo at 6.5 because Ed forgot I had asked him if I could do my Hymn again ...
you folder should look like this
1. The Story of a Heart
2. Imagine
3. Like a Prayer
4. Can You Feel the Love Tonight
9. At the End of the Day
10. Silence is Golden
11. Fields of Gold
17. Run
(and with Ed). Hallelujah ...
but if you have diligently hung onto you folder from other practices, it wont, as in the interest of saving trees, 2 new songs have been added printed back to back, and are therefore ... out of order!
I am feeling very nervous now, and will try and get a record played for everyone on Wessex FM today, but I am also enjoying sitting down at my computer after all that standing in the Gym last night. I notice Ed stayed on his feet all night, all the better to see him with. He is going to be very busy with his hands, playing, so just watch his head and mouth for the closures of words, especially those that end in S! WE could bring him a sock puppet but he would have to wear it on his head. Love you DFS, knock 'em dead! XXXX
Good day, DFS, and good news, it looks like Michael did have a chance to get it up last night, as the running order for tonight's concert is in the news section of our website, and looks like this ...
If you took home version 1.0 of the running order last night, it is missing a certain little persons solo at 6.5 because Ed forgot I had asked him if I could do my Hymn again ...
you folder should look like this
1. The Story of a Heart
2. Imagine
3. Like a Prayer
4. Can You Feel the Love Tonight
9. At the End of the Day
10. Silence is Golden
11. Fields of Gold
17. Run
(and with Ed). Hallelujah ...
but if you have diligently hung onto you folder from other practices, it wont, as in the interest of saving trees, 2 new songs have been added printed back to back, and are therefore ... out of order!
I am feeling very nervous now, and will try and get a record played for everyone on Wessex FM today, but I am also enjoying sitting down at my computer after all that standing in the Gym last night. I notice Ed stayed on his feet all night, all the better to see him with. He is going to be very busy with his hands, playing, so just watch his head and mouth for the closures of words, especially those that end in S! WE could bring him a sock puppet but he would have to wear it on his head. Love you DFS, knock 'em dead! XXXX
4 november 2010
Lost ... Cat and Kittens ...
Remembering the news before half term that the hall would not be free, a few folk gathered in front of All Saints School last night, after struggling to park their cars, and embarked on the long track together to find the music room. Cat lead the way, and it was quite the adventure, twists and turns, monsters and daemons, terry's chocolate oranges (not really), and finally, a locked music room door, and lots of other choir members looking at us through the green builders mesh, saying, how did we get in there?
So Cat whipped out her trusty mobile phone and called Ed, who probably let it go to voice mail while giggling, and guessing my fate! We were having a few chats through the mesh when Ed called me back, and suggested we all go back to the school hall, so we had to brave the three headed beasts and the waterfall and the plague of spiders all over again ...
But we made it, and Sandra had saved me a seat, not bad.
There's a concert this time next week, at Wey Hey Bay, and choir sang lots of our recently tried songs, we are going again for the concert with fresh, new, well-rehearsed material, i guess recycling isn't always a good thing. I got home very tired and sleepy, and wasn't sure if it was from singing all those songs, or the march round the building. Keep singing good people of DFS, and remember, dont follow a Cat anywhere, unless it's only to the fridge xxxx
Remembering the news before half term that the hall would not be free, a few folk gathered in front of All Saints School last night, after struggling to park their cars, and embarked on the long track together to find the music room. Cat lead the way, and it was quite the adventure, twists and turns, monsters and daemons, terry's chocolate oranges (not really), and finally, a locked music room door, and lots of other choir members looking at us through the green builders mesh, saying, how did we get in there?
So Cat whipped out her trusty mobile phone and called Ed, who probably let it go to voice mail while giggling, and guessing my fate! We were having a few chats through the mesh when Ed called me back, and suggested we all go back to the school hall, so we had to brave the three headed beasts and the waterfall and the plague of spiders all over again ...
But we made it, and Sandra had saved me a seat, not bad.
There's a concert this time next week, at Wey Hey Bay, and choir sang lots of our recently tried songs, we are going again for the concert with fresh, new, well-rehearsed material, i guess recycling isn't always a good thing. I got home very tired and sleepy, and wasn't sure if it was from singing all those songs, or the march round the building. Keep singing good people of DFS, and remember, dont follow a Cat anywhere, unless it's only to the fridge xxxx
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