15 October 2015

The one with the sticky silver ball that smelled toxic ...

Thanks to Mike for stepping in to work the computer again today! And thanks to a special Wey Valley account, Ed is selling photocopied words for £20 a sheet (a voluntary contribution really, and copies are really 4p a page).

Hopefully next week all concerts will be confirmed and we will here from Richard talking about this years charity and saying thank you to us! 

And a dum-dum-diddle and we were away! And after a rich and varied warm-up we listened to a very clever a Capella choir performing Africa with some marvellous rain and thunder sound effects. Then it was our turn. Turned out so impressive I wish I had recorded it! The thunder was especially fun to do and rolled around the school hall ending in an involuntary Oooooh! It's gonna take a lot to learn this song but it's gonna be a real show stealer. 

We worked on the harmonies then stood to perform both the weather and the song! And yes I recorded it. Hehe. 

Dusty time next, 'cause we Only Want To Be With You! After a kareoke track and a quick cigar break, we had some words for a sing-along-with-Ed. Ed said it was suspicious good!

And next our Sound of Music Medley, just watch those schnitzels! I have to report that Edelweiss makes my family groan. Maybe I'm not doing so well with that one... So I promise not to blog the bum-note you did at the end. Hehe. But it needs sorting out to give us that fabulous show style ending, so Ed broke it down before we did. 

Quirky as the clock was ticking, True Love Ways ready for Wendy's Wedding. Original key to start with ...

And to finish, Ed's number, The Song Of The Sea in Bb - which is supposed to be the flat symbol. And the high notes kinda went off the scale! Well remembered everyone. Love you XXXX

8 October 2015

Are you listening? 

Sorry about the lack of blog last week folks, I have a sick note somewhere ....

Our first performance of the season will be at Wendy and peters wedding 6pm at The Riviera 7th November. Tonight we will learn True Love Ways. 

An Isle of White meeting in the skittle alley of The Admiral Hardy on Monday 19th October just after 7pm, to discuss logistics for our next choir adventure. 

This year we will be supporting multiple sclerosis, our local region of course! Voting was close last week

DFS Dorch are inviing US to support their first concert, on Wednesday 9th December 7.30 United Reform Church. On the 10th it's our concert here in the school hall (All Saints)

Then with just the piano we attempted True Love Ways. Ed sang like a girl, just for the ladies. Nice. Then we all stood for a sing through, with more reminders to sing the right notes, and to put some gaps in the words so they don't all go together like pasta bake. It's not reccomended to go on you tube and listen to Buddy Holly at all so there you go!

And on out greatest hits list is Run so let's run with that... Halfway through the harmonies reappeared as people remembered them. I felt like a tenor, but Elaine said I was only a fiver. So we stood to perform. 

Next up, The Sound Of Music Medley. Ed wanted to see who had been doing repor homework. I don't think it was me. We said the end was alright. He decided we needed more people on the melody at the start than the whole choir split so we tried that. 

Finally - Africa! And time to go home - keep singing xxxxx

24 September 2015

The one where choir needed opening. 

Our choir master stood to welcome us, but declared that, regrettably, choir was closed. Of course Weymouth Carnival Queen was happy to open the eighth year of DFS, as we are now 7 years old! She also thanked everyone for their support. 

Wedding coming up on the 7th November, of Wendy and Peter. Songs, times and so on to be confirmed, but we will be wishing the happy couple the best and singing a little set!

Ed was excited about the new choir gadget which means we can pay by card. Jack is very good at working it. 

Ed is having a tentative look at going to the Isle of White for a choir tour next May. Also next May we will be back at all saints church. 

Next week we will be choosing this years charity so do bring your nominations and either introduce them yourself or give Ed the blurb. 

49 people responded to the survey to find the definitive Best Of Dorset For Singing. From memory, because of a lack of memory stick the top three were - 1 The Prayer 2 Do you hear the people sing 3 Song of the Sea. 

Mike stepped in to fiddle with the computer, releasing Jack for Oliver, at the Pavvy soon! More, Mr Bumble. 

Dum-dum-diddly-dum for the warm up, followed by a bit of 'The Sound of Music'. I felt like the only person who doesn't know this musical very well. I always run away when it appears on the telly. I'm going to have to get to grips with it now I guess ....

Ed asked for a clear 'sick' because all he could hear was The Hills Are Alive To The Sound Of Muesli. And we also had some trouble with our Thousand Yearsssssssssss. You know the one. The hall of a thousand S's ... Our choir master had to be almost firm with us tonight. 

I listened well during the performance of course. It won't be a new song very long. And it was perfect, he said. 

Next up Toto - Africa. There are possibly too many or too little words to fit the lines. The intro is a base solo which is why it shoots up high suddenly. Ed broke it down to help us with the rhythm and non-rhyme. Then we put together a couple of verses and choruses. Nice. I stuck a finger in an ear and tackled some harmony. Do listen to that on You Tube for homework. 

Finally a few minutes left to 'Climb Every Mountain' and leave with a warm feeling inside. Yes, even the Tenor-Ladies, thank you Ed!

Next week we will be practicing in the dining room as the hall will not be free. Keep singing, you are special, Queen-Cat xxx

2nd July 2015

The last one ... 

Ed was full of apologies for missing Rosé and a paper version of our Best Songs Survey. Then he gave us the confirmed time for our slot at St Edmunds, which was 2.20pm. The event starts at 1.30 for anyone who wants to catch the best scone ...

Keep an eye on the forum for coffee mornings during the school holidays which is good if you need social sessions until we meet again in September. 

Next week from 7pm Ed and Jenny will be at The Old Rooms Inn, do come along to a choir pub taker-over involving flashing and a swim across the harbour. Or maybe just wine, and good food!

Finally in notices, Ed let me mention I'm selling flowers to raise money for The Weymouth Canival Charities, supporting Julia's House. Thank you to eveyone who stopped and bought one on the way in! They are brooches handmade by me and my cute children who can now sew on buttons!

Then straight into Rosé with some searched for lyrics and the blue-tooth-speaker on wheels. Ed pointed out that the middle bits were mostly missing apart from the throats of 6 very special people including Fulvia. Well done special six!

On Saturday of course everyone did a sterling job with the sun shining in their eyes and Ed was proud to make not one single joke about Chicken Tikka. Well done Ed. 

We had to choose 4 other songs from the recent set to make up a 20 minute concert for St Edmunds. Ed counted hands on show and Jack made a note on the laptop. Both Abba songs made

The cut!

On the street where you live first, with the windows closed so we didn't leak noise polution into the school hall from the dining room, where the wine flowed and the nibbles beconed! We held back a lot probably, trying not to summon the wicked witch from the school play!

Chicken Tikka - be careful with the timing at the end so we don't have any extra T's. 

Waterloo - Ed ran through the missing harmony. It's roughly a third below the tune, but did vary a bit between Julie and Ed!

Final song of the year - Let's Go to San Fransicso! Choir wanted to stand but the screen in the dining room was harder to see. Then we did it anyway considering that everyone should really know the words by now! I mean realy! 

Then it was an early finish and into party and nibbles mode, and I set up my flower shop! 

Thank you everyone - have a lovely summer and see you soon for YEAR SEVEN! love, Cat xxxx

25 June 2015

The one with the school assembly chairs, the naughty button, and sausage confusion ...

Ignore the Echo website timings, we are singing outside the fantastic sausage factory, meeting at 1.40 for 2pm, on Saturday. We will sing the Race For Life set. Dennis may play you with skinned pork comestibles ...

Next week is our last reearsal, with a bit of a social after. Maybe something will also happen on the 9th or maybe not ... HONK!

Rosé first, repeat with do-dah over it! And it didn't have what it got last week when we practiced it a lot. But of course, we undersang it on purpose so that Ed would not lack something to say!

And then Ed popped and button. Nice. And stand to sing .... Yes, coming together nicely we will give that 'a good airing' soon!

Then we decided to run through the 25 minute set for Friday. A dress rehearsal meaning No Stopping. 

1- On the Street.

2 - Chicken tikka - Ed promised not to call it this on Saturday. But I always do because it's easier to type/spell. 

But then we did stop so Ed could get water and Jack could attempt to correct the running order!

3 - Get Around - after a run through we then paused to swap sides just confuse everyone, and no one got that tricky town-to-town timing right. Ed demonstrated the millisecond difference!

4 - Don't Sleep In The Subway.

5 - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. Some one was looking at the words a lot. Almost named and shamed. 

6 - Downtown.

7 - Waterloo. Ed added in missing piano and sax! 

8 - Let's Go To San Fransisco. More overlapping harmony part, please. We gave that a bit of a run through!

Finishing off with Right By Your Side. Don't forget the stupid noises. And it's last rehearsal next week folks, in the dining room!

Love you xxxxx

18 June 2015

The one were my glasses were still by the front door, at home...

A week Saturday is our next concert, and without many notices, tonight we are having a jolly good sing song. It took me all the warm up to type that bit wothout my specs, as it was mostly guesswork. 

Www.chesilrocks.com was plugged during our one or two notices, but failed to load so here it is for you now!

Chicken tikka first tonight, and Ed Reminded us that the better we sing it, the less we have to practice it! Mind the Gap, everyone! We sang well (but a lot of harmony was missing, and audiences love it when we harmonise at our concerts. Maybe harmony singers ought to sit together and support each other?).

So .... Everyone played musical chairs until the music stopped! Come over to the Dark Side - if you dare! The harmonisers then sang A Capella, and received a clap from the far right! Verse, then chorus, off we went!!

For performance, you must really feel you are a very important part of this song. Not just one of 89 little voices. The harmony was sounding good and strong and the melody had become a little quieter, but instead of 'less harmony', Ed asked for more melody! We stood to sing, as if performing, to encourage us to put more of ourselves into it!

Tonight was about rehearsing really well. And our next song was I Get Around ! Now half the choir were ready to sing a part they were not used to! Many wanted to move back but tonight Ed was in charge and no one was permitted to shift even a buttock. 

First we dissected stage left, ooooh it was messy. But then you knew that! I really started to fancy half a pint. When it was stage-right's turn it turned into a Dirty Competition. Get Around Rivalry.  It's got potential to become a real show stopper, and it was started to become more watertight. 

On to Rosé. Something more gentle he said. Then everyone missed a huge gap and held a pout while waiting for the cool to start! No other choir sings this song ever, or should I say, evah! If only to remind you to sing YA! and not Yaaaaah.

The second verse is pure unadulterated rock, and was beginning to contrast superbly with the chorus. Ed even confessed to a tingle, though he wouldn't say where it was! And even hinted at a touch of kinaesthesia; and yes maybe I did spell that right, without my glasses on!

Nice. 

Not a lot of songs tongiht, but Ed was really feeling it. 

Really well done everyone. We are all super and dynamic. Keep singing - I love ya! Xxx

11 June 2015

Are you listening? Otherwise known as The One In The Zoo!

After a nice warm up, Ed told us, we would be singing a new song. We also enjoyed a random power point and a good old Dum-Dum-Diddle!

The new song was road tested in Dorchester last night and begins with today's letter, the letter R. Right By Your Side was revealed on the screen. Cue jungle noises for that Brazilian flavour!

Then notices ... Damers is cancelled due to scandalous, unrevealed reasons. Choir social will be on the 9th July. Sausage factory booking is going ahead. 27th June for that. The rose garden want us to split our set into 2 15-minute slots ...

Back to the jungle again! Remember the gap please! We listened and sang along to Annie on YouTube, then stood to make a right monkey of ourselves. Many people seemed a bit afraid of that part. Just think of it as the opposite of your school days, when you had to line up and be quiet on cue! 

Jack demonstrated the survey online. Every IP address gets one vote! 

Run was next up on the song list. It's very important to sound the P on the end of light-up so it doesn't sound like you are singing Lino-Lino at all. Then we stood to perform the piece. 

The time for the third R came to be. Rosé and I'm so glad my blogging phone has a funny é. Oh yes. Such fun to sing this alcoholic number again! 

And for a recall we had a quick vote and sang another round of Run, and stood to sing while Ed pressed record!

We might listen to it next week. Keep singing, love you xxxxx

4 June 2015

The one with the strange rehearsal ...

Ed started of stage left with a secret hum, then showed off his 64gig pocket sized piano memory stick and set off another ooooooo.

Ed revealed spending many hours searching the blog and had come up with the definative list of hot choir numbers. Each of us will get to choose our top ten for an awesome best-of-DFS concert!

Thanks to all that attended this half terms events, and dos especially well trying to fit on the tiny stage of fair-in-the-square! £1160 was raised at the garden party, and the singing in the lake at Kingston Maurward, and inspired everyone to keep running. Away. 

A lull now before our final concerts, but  Members wanted to sing at damers Middle school, or first school. 3.30 Saturday 4th July in Dorch. 

Now an old song revisit, Rule The World. No organ tonight so kareoke style. No propper warm up today. 

Top of The World next, and not a cow boy hat in the house!

The Lord Is My Shepherd started with some interesting lyrics, ended in laughing, and was quickly abandoned in favour of The Seekers I'll Never Find Another You, and on we went with a good kareoke version of that. 

Back to our very first Abba song S.O.S. Short sssssss please so we don't sound deflated!!

Let The River Run ... It's got a tough beginning but it gets going really well!

A Les Mis number next. Do You Hear The People Sing, which was rather fun. 

San Fransicso. Ed wanted to hear Lots of free Parping. In the nicest way. The backing vocals were too dominant in the beginning then faded out later. We looked at adding other harmony parts too. 

Waterloo Made Ed long for a nice bit of sax, and a bang in the right place. That's not how it sounds. Erm ... I'm referring to an earlier backing track of course. Whoa whoas needed to come in earlier. 

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do does have a funny doo-doo backing track. Beware of sounding too raucous! Said Ed. Think also about your entrees, being bold enough to start on time!

Get Around finally. Before Jackies solo. Sorry, apeal for help. 

Check out Jack's survey to vote on your personal top 10. I'm gonna find that tough I think! Then we sang Happy Birthday to Tricia!

Keep singing, love you xxxxxx