26 March 2015

The last one of the term ....which may or may not have been a little slurred....

Ed brought red wine for anyone that fancied a bit and I enjoyed being welcomed back as a minor celebrity after the spooning episode. 

Ed warmed us up then told us that after tonight we would not meet again for four weeks so don't turn up before then unless you are coming to the centenary rehearsal in three weeks time. 

As completely everyone was confused about all kinds of dates we left filling in diaries in favour of singing, with promises from our choir master to plop everything on the website later. 

Reach Out was the first song. We hadn't sing it since the beginning of term and maybe it sounded like it ... Over to you tube to see how it really goes. Some choir members had different words! Ed tied to split the room for some sexy overlapping and an almighty 'HA'. Jenny suggested more red wine for everyone. To help. 

Then ed got everyone to stand, and Jack recoded our efforts with his smarty-pants phone and eveyone did much better especially in the choruses! 

Get around worked on Sunday and we tackled it again. I enjoyed hearing the backing track for the first time and having our conductor out front too.

Then it was mingle time and I ate chocolate and chatted about TV adverts past and present and had my hair platted by Ruth. 

Songs to follow were Don't Take Your Love Away, and Waterloo, both lead by Lemon Otter in Canterbury. Final song of the term was put to a vote, and we rolled with Rolling In The Deep!

Thanks for a great term Dorset For Singing I love you lots, keep singing xxxxx

DFS Dorchester 25/03/15

DFS Dorchester 25/03/15               

We all remembered not to go to church. Many now familiar smiling faces, (one lone man, come on chaps, give us a hand here!) were gathered in anticipation, slightly worried about the rather exposing acoustic in the back room.

It was indeed, exposing, and knocked some of us down a peg or two. Ed thought this to be a good thing, as singing in a church with such wonderful acoustics could be lulling us into a false sense of gloriousness.

                           

So, feeling full of trepidation, especially as Ed was sporting a collar and tie, and Jack, was very professionally seated behind a desk, we launched into our warm up. After all manner of screeching, growling and facial contortion, he who must be obeyed exclaimed that these warm ups are not at all effective. He simply finds them very amusing. You now have the measure of things, but still we turn up each week!

We are here because we love to sing, and we sang our hearts out, Chiquitita is really coming on, we are sitting in a group for the harmony part and this gives us more confidence. Don't wait for the person next to you to start, just be bold. Better to be wrong with confidence, but you are probably right so go for it!

King And I very HIGH for some, but will sound gorgeous before too long, some lovely moments in it.

Then Round, round, get around, PUB. Simple.

We have been asked to sing at The Race for life on May 31st, less exhausting than running, but a nice thing to be able to do for a great cause. Some of you will know this, but I have heard that the atmosphere is second to none.

We are giving Ed a rest now until April 22nd, but keep singing, don't let that voice disappear after all that shouting and hollering !

A good few of us headed off to the Vivo Lounge, joined by Jenny, Ed's Wife , normally they send a nurse for him at the end of each session, but we are improving.

                                                                                                              Have a lovely Easter, Carole M. x

19 March 2015

More spooning ...

Well apart from learning that two DFS members were recalled by the casting crew, I have no idea what else went on at all saints that night! I was returning to my family after my spooning adventure in London!

I met people from all over including a girl from Owermoine, a woman from Yeovil, and a new friend from Winchester. We all had spoon playing workshops then dressed up in twos for our recalls, tasting some as-yet-unrevealed chocolate bars, and hamming it up with some silverware. I was delighted to make the director laugh! 

Whatever happens next I will be happy to have had that little bit of fun. It's awesome, the opportunities that being part of DFS can bring you, I'll never regret following Ruth through the doors in October 2008!

Keep singing though, it's not just about chocolate you know! Cat xxx

DFS Dorchester 18/03/15.

Ed showed off his amazingly clever new equipment this evening, he calls it 'white box', it's a thing, it's wireless, I'm a girl.

It seemed to work though, because our esteemed. leader gave us lots of praise tonight. We are sounding rather lovely, even sitting down, so imagine how wonderful the sound when we stand up. White box enables Ed to conduct us, so this is a huge asset. Jack also demonstrated its portability, that boy has so many uses.

We had a lovely, hissy warm up, followed by some loud shouting ones. We should have been together on this, but Jackie frightened the living daylights out of poor Ed by going it alone. He thought the choir was turning nasty, we had a giggle at Jackies expense. No one is safe here in the humiliation stakes.

All warmed up and ready for anything, we started with Chiquitita, harmonies coming along nicely there. Next up was I Get Around, and King and I to finish, all sounding much improved according to Ed.

At the beginning of the session, Ed told us he had. received an enquiry for us to perform at an event in Weymouth at the end of June, he asked if we would like to perform with the Weymouth choir, or on our own. Tthe general feeling was that we would like to join the veterans (sorry Weymouth) as we feel a little undersized just yet, but watch this space, we are ever growing!

Don't forget that next week we will be in a room at the back and not in the church. Last one before Easter so drinkies, probably the Vivo Lounge (turn left at the horse, down the steps). Our intention had been to frequent The Junction, but they have bolted the doors, could they have heard that we are recruiting men?

If you are a sensible person reading this blog, I can only apologize, I am a ghost writer, was that whistling I heard again?   TTFN, Carole x

12 March 2015

The one with the spoons ....

Thanks Jack for modelling Mike's polo shirt so beautifully. Then Ed gave us the running order for The Best Of Dorset, but he didn't cause the chocolate lady arrived ...

Ed found her a room and we had a rousing chorus of dum-dum-diddley! Then I slipped out first to meet with the chocolate lady who was really called Sam, and there was a huge gap in the blog while I filled in a form, had my photo taken and chatted about choir and my lovley kids. Finally I played spoons to camera which is hard wthout a piece to set the rythm!

Sam and I returned to the hall to the sound of, no the beautiful sound of DFS giving it some welly and thinking about chocolate! Next please!

Above is the running order as scribbled down by Elaine in my absence. 

We had to work really hard of the gap before 'patch' in Chicken Tikka, which involved speaking it out and seeing how many other patches we could fit into the patch gap, without acually saying them. I know. You have to be here, really!

Living on a prayer was tackled with Ed at the piano. It's tough. So tough. 

Time to get around. Choir weren't keen. Ed showed us how to use folders, a nice little demonstration featuring a small cross projected on his forehead. Ed was happy to allow this song to push 'living on a prayer' into reserve position, and there were murmurs of approval. Phew. 

All night dinner ladies came and went. They even borrowed my spoons. Ed thanked eveyone one for patience and help with the casting. Love you Cat xxxx

DFS Dorchester 11/03/15

  Ed suggested we aim for a little concert perhaps in the early part of the Summer term, so no need to panic. It will be in the church which is lovely as the acoustics there are wonderful.

I hope it wont be too much of a shock when we practice in the room at the back on March 25th, this being the last one before Easter. Ed suggested we go to the pub afterwards to recruit some men, I'm p.r.e.t.t.y. sure thats what he said?

Whilst those Weymouth girls (under sixty) and not men, are literally battling it out to become international, spoon playing, dinner-ladies in a chocolate ad, we in Dorchester, are having our own issues with the big screen. The one with the lyrics on it. Things can only get better. If you would like to print out your own copies to bring to rehearsal, you can find them on the Dorset For Singing website. Click on SONGS and Bobs your uncle. If by any chance Bob IS your Uncle, do bring him to choir, we girls are desperate.

I should tell you about the singing. Last night we did a kind of didgeridoo warm up, followed by some siren sounds, making a point of not peaking too soon. Quite difficult whilst giggling!

All warmed up and ready we started with I get Around, then spent some time on The King and I, followed by Chicken Tikka (sorry, I must learn the correct name). Ed reminded us of all the harmonies, and we tried, we really did, and its all beginning to sound more confident. Like Maria in The Sound of Music, I skip off with my peasant dress and battered suitcase, singing The Hills Are Alive, as I slowly lose the plot. Too old for adverts indeed! Over and out, Carole M

Saturday 7 March, Weymouth Music Festival

Hi Cat
            Hope you can make a blog out of these observations.

Music Festival on Saturday 7th March.
DFS were one of three choirs, the other two performed before us and everyone joined in with their warm ups which was good for us.

Both choirs were very good as we all looked at each other (dfs) we murmured how do we follow that?

When it was our turn we walked briskly to get into position all going to the back of the hall , Ed had to entice us to come forward `PLEASE`. So we edged forward some of us more confident than others!

We started with Dum dum diddles etc with happy head waggles and to our surprise got a rapturous applause, I think the audience thought it was our first song! We were very chuffed!

`The Street ` song came first, and boy did we sound like angels the harmony was beautiful and so well remembered, lovely job everyone.

By now we were well into it and  went to San Francisco, great fun .

As we didn't have a conductor the lovely lady adjudicator classed the choir as AUTONOMOUS !

  Well, because our beloved Ed couldn't  possibly  be in two places at once we earned that name! We left the `stage` area to the nice lady calling us all LOLLYPOPS because of our colourful tops!

She was very complimentary on our joyous singing and SMILES!

A few of us went off later for coffee and Rich commented about what the adjudicator had said. He said `Why did she call us Anonymous`? He`d misheard !

I think our new choir name may be THE ANONYMOUS LOLLYPOPS who knows! ?

Big thank you to Ed for everything he puts into our super duper choir. Love You.

Keep singing and smiling, Linda M.x

5 March 2015

The one with Harry in The Canteen ...

Good news - we will be able to acually SEE Ed at the Music Festival, and the bad news is that he will be able to see us! But not me because I will be in Shaftesbury. Remember to perform to both the audience and the adjudicator, taking only sideways glances at our choirmaster. 

After all that very important information it was time to warm up, such fun, and then sing On The Street Where You Live. Harry put the words on the screen because Ed is so very kind to his choir. 

We wil need harmony singers to occupy the mid-section on Saturday. Ed broke the song and after thrashing it out made everyone who will be there on Saturday stand and sing it without us. 

Harry is going to San Francisco next month on a big train so we rewarded him with a rather excellent ear-worm, and I hope he is very happy with it. It could be worse. I've had a bad case of Chicken-Tikka for weeks now. Nice. This song will also be sung second on Saturday, by democratic vote. 

A special sub group set to with a bunch of harmony parts, one for each person in fact, and got a fit of the giggles! Then the select few for Saturday stood to sing. 

The it was time to clap and sing I Get Around. And learn that Dorchester group have learned how to clap but Ed thought they were us obviously. Careful Cat!

And then we killed it and Ed tried to resurrect it. Broke it down, from town to town. Or Tahn-ta-Tahn. Got around the room and aimed at rougher than round. Oh yeah. Confused? Try not to only read the blog but attend choir too. It helps. Maybe. A cockney accent can really help here. 

Have fun on Saturday 11.10am DFS, and remember I love you! Cat xxx

DFS Dorchester 04/03/15

DFS Dorchester 04/03/15

Tonight we encountered the whistling phantom of Dorchester, it was possibly a stray pilates lady or perhaps the caretaker, or even a leftover vicar, all very strange. Shirley and I held hands, we kept singing, the whistler joined in...

Nobody could work out where the sound was coming from. It seems our singing was appreciated but by who? A few of us kept Ed and Jack company while they packed up!

We worked on The King and I medley, a little confused over whether we were male or female, especially as some of us were still holding hands, hey ho.

Then a completely different mood for the Beach boys, and after that Chicken Tikka for dessert. Quite a few new faces tonight, I hope they get used to our unruly ways, Ed is trying to tame us though. There was an unfortunate incident involving the lap top and a boy named Jack, fortunately they both survived.

I think the proper blogger is back next week, so goodbye from me, and keep whistling in the dark whoever you are. Carole M x