28 September 2017

The one surprisingly in the common room again, with free internets, and secret ballot slips for charity voting. This will allow for anonymity, posting slips and voting for this years charity. 

Nominations included MV Freedom, The Air Ambulance, and Weldmar Hospice Care, tuggling at our heart strings tonight. 

Then with that to ponder, we slipped into a quick warm up, before diving into you tube beginning our new and revisited songs with Keeping The Dream Alive. And after an online run through Ed whipped out his battery-powered piano, and changed the key to G, demonstration the low harmony for the harmonising harmony harmonisers. Ed wanted more brightness which is difficult because the common room eats acoustics for a hobby. 

Then it was time to Walk Right Back in G again, but even as I was blogging that fact, Ed said nothing is set in stone, even the key of G. A slide is permitted in this song, by the way.  There was a possibility of a little choreography slipped in but just as in DFS Dorchester, it was quickly vetoed, before we stood to sing, Ed belting out the harmony nice and loud so it wouldn’t drown in the absorbent carpet. 

We knew that with the next song that Life’s About To Get Good, but the internet would not play so it was time to try I’m Into Something Good with a little piano accompanyment and some a capela while we worked out the harmony part and the ooooOOOOOooooo bits too. Please listen to the middle bit for homework this week. We accidentally ended up in G which wasn’t quite right for this song. 

Across The Universe we went, for a little dabble at another brand new song, not even tested last night with DFS Dorchester, it was an absolute DFS premier. We dabbled in D which made a nice change from all that G, and learned some possibly yoga terminology which I’m going to run through google I think. 

I found out, “The refrain "Jai Guru Deva Om" is a mantra intended to lull the mind into a higher consciousness. The words are in Sanskrit, and they mean "I give thanks to Guru Dev," who was the teacher of The Maharishi.” Nice. 

And then without asking Mike we launched into an impressive Bring Him Home. Its a little high but we can do it. 

Jack got our appreciation for doing so well to keep us singing, and we all scribbled on slips and slipped out the door for another week. 

Keep singing and don’t forget your homework, with love, Cat xxx

21 September 2017

The one without the Internets ...

Back in the school hall again did DFS Weymouth and Portland meet for the start of their 10th year ...

Ed is very organised this year because the 7th December will see us Christmas-concerting in the very same school hall. There were no lyrics to hand out, because that would save trees, but at the mention of  'words on the screen', Jack dived beneath the mixing desk to retrieve the missing internets. When we have decided on songs that pass choir tasting, words will become avaible on paper. Sadly the missing internets could not be found. 

After a successful warm up we had a look at sharing folders so we could at least be last-season. Our first song, Soolaimon, does have a lot words the same so that was helpful! 

Missing from our first night was a sweet medley from Gershwin, a Green Day number called Wake Me Up When September Ends and Bring Him Home, Seasons Of Love and a Jolly song called Life's About To Get Good...Walk Right Back... Do look on our web site if you want the lyrics, that is, if you have internets of course.

Then we sang Wings because we are very good at that. Apart from the people who had forgotten their parts. After some work we were good enough for a stand-and-sing performance, so we did!

After that perfect piece, Ed announced the second coming of our Christmas medley sometime in November, and then gave the old Blog a plug so I had to stop writing and wave!

Do Wah Diddy Diddy what we do'd next, in our 'evening of nostalgia', just one awesome run through, before The Impossible Dream had all the folders shuffled yet again, and we ran through it again in a different key, just for fun. 

The a double bill of The Mamas and Papas It's Getting Better followed by some California Dreaming and do remember your

ooohs! 

When We Were Young was the last of our look backs, before Ed reintroduced the prospect of Random-oke which will return next week with the internets. Simply scribble your desired song on a bit of paper and slip it into Ed's box for completely random selection and no vetting whatsoever. Ed plugged the blog, which meant I had to stop typing, and wave, and I accidentally hit UNDO and not SAVE so this blog is a wee bit late ...

Do You Hear The People Sing? Yes of course you do, especially the men, because not even a lack of internets and A4 sheets will silence DFS, which is good because we are a community choir after all, I don't come for the dance routines.

Finally, do look forward to our AGM, and some forms next week for voting about what matters to you at choir, for example our chosen charity for the year (being chosen next week) and the destination of our next choir tour. 

I love you, keep singing, Cat xxx