17 March 2022

I don’t know if I can blog this week. But here I am. Ed reminded us of up and coming concerts and someone asked him to wear a posh jacket for the bond song. I’ll grab some sequins. I’m not volunteering for the good paint job #goldfinger 

We warmed up. It was a cold day and a full moon. Ed will be posting a survey to discover what people would like to wear, perhaps blue and yellow to support Ukraine or our usual rainbow of choir colours. 

The screen was behaving this week, so Jack put up the words to LOVE GROWS WHERE MY ROSEMARY GOES. Ed made a mistake so we had to go over it again.  

Another easy song for us is BURNING BRIDGES and ALL AROUND MY HAT so we sang that next. We worked very hard to get the timing right on a certain line. Like singers ought to do. 

And calmly into MY SONG IS LOVE UNKNOWN. We did well. 

WILD WEST HERO was sung next. With coconuts for the instrumental. Class. A bit of a canter and a smidge of a trot. Have we rented a pantomime horse? 

We got ready for THE BEST OF BOND MEDLEY. Ed said we could listen to it. But we did actually sing it too. Mostly in the right place. Please remember to use low voices at the start. Ed slipped behind the piano to bash out some timings, such. A good. Choir. 

We looked at FINISH LINE and finished with THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. We stood. 

Well done DFS another valiant effort this week. I love you xxx 

10 March 2022

The two Jennys welcomed us to choir, while we waited for Jack to hot foot it from college. If you read last weeks blog before I shared all the concert dates. Our Easter concert will raise money for UKRAINE and everything from our buckets on the night will be sent to the Red Cross for this purpose. 

We may well start the concert with AMEN and encourage the audience to sing along too, and join our sneaky warm up. We usually have to do it in the car on the way so that will be nice. 

Ed shared his vision for WILD WEST HERO. Possibly a pantomime horse? Or a real one. Or a donkey. Now it’s gone all silly. We continued with our warm up. 

With Jack back in the room, we started with MY SONG IS LOVE UNKNOWN. But the laptop wasn’t playing words, so some of us who normally read screens galloped off for some words. Then we actually sang WILD WEST HERO. 

I think I have a hobby horse in the shed, come to think of it. We could pass it around during the intrumental moments. Kind of like a crowd surfing pony…

Another rush for paper as we sand BURNING BRIDGES and ALL AROUND MY HAT and I tried to catch up with the blog. Ed said we sounded like a choir. And we moved his world. 

WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME is going to need some more work on it, so we looked at that one next. After a run through Ed helped us with the harmony and demonstrated the one that is a third down. And there’s a very tricky key change. 

Ed volunteered to solo the verses, for FINISH LINE but many people joined in anyway. And it’s coming along quite nicely. 

We haven’t had a look at our BOND MEDLEY so we whipped that one out. Please mind the gap between your and ear. 

We also looked more closely at the LIVE AND LET LIVE section because we needed a good laugh. Er sorry. Because we needed to. 

For our finale we chose TO KNOW YOU IS TO LOVE YOU. 

Wow well done DFS, keep singing, it’s good for you xxx

 

3rd March 2022

Tiz the season of lent, which finds me back in the blogging saddle and back in the church hall, warming up with a choir getting ready for Easter concerts. 

Good news for Ed and bad news choir …. Prices go up by a huge massive 50p after Easter. Of course, it’s well worth every penny, as one satisfied member said. I’ll be dropping all concert details here stating with the first in St Aldhelms church on the 7th April. 

Who shall we raise money for? Please bring your charity ideas next week. 

EDITED - From Ed -  Here's a gig list for the year:

Thursday, 7th April, 7pm, St Aldhelm's Church, Easter Concert raising money for The British Red Cross Disasters Emergency Committee for Ukraine

Saturday, 23rd April, 2.30pm (approx, tbc), St George's Day Fair, Fordington Green, Dorchester 

Saturday, 7th May, 7pm (approx, tbc) United Church, Dorchester, raising money for Parkinson's UK

Sunday, 29th May, midday, Fayre in the Square, Brewers Quay, raising money for the Rotary Club of Weymouth 

Sunday, 3rd July (time tbc), Sutton Poyntz Street Fayre

Sunday 17th July (time tbc) Swingtime Dorchester, Dorchester Borough Gardens raising money for the Fortuneswell Cancer Trust  

Thank you, see you there!

First song, Wild West Hero our concert opener. The one with the quietest intro. What could possibly go wrong? 

Next, and randomly selected, My Song Is Love Unknown because we are not yet sure of our concert order. This song was originally intended to be sung at our 2020 Easter concert, and Ed said it was sounding really lovely considering we have only been singing it for 2 years. Please TAKE care to sound the K in TAKE and SAKE, and WAKE up your inner Aled Jones vibe. Or something. 

From Gospel to Finish Line next. I almost whipped my phone out to video Ed’s demonstration of the choreography required for the ending. I was so impressed I forgot to blog the instructions. I’m still not so sure I can sing and move at the same time. We stood to perform… 

We looked at a little of the diction in the chorus so it didn’t sound like a huge siren to possibly keep Ed awake tonight. Gold stars all round. 

Burning Bridges / All Around My Haaaaaat including a ‘pic your own accent’ section. After we gave that a run through it was time to meet a new song. Brand new today, To Know You Is To Love You. This song has been covered by many. 

Ed wants to change the ending. Concert ready? You be the judge. Because it was time for Rosemary in Love Grows. 

We squeezed in When You Tell Me That You Love Me. 

Well sung DFS. Don’t forget your gold star on the way out and keep singing xxx 

27 January 2022

New Elton John back on the cards tonight, but first quick warm up. Eeeee-oooooh!

While Jack sorted out some technical issues we sang My Song Is Love Unknown from the paper. I had to hum because I only have a blog in front of me. But then I remembered. Google. 

We used you tube to listen to the Bond Medley as sung by an American choir, and sing along too. But they actually weren’t as good as us, so we went on alone, Ed, backing track and words back on the big screen. 

But it began to get very cold. My hands will stop working. As I am a very cheeky blogger I texted Liz at front of house who closed one of the sets of doors after checking with us. Hooray. Ed broke the song down for us and we carried on singing. 

Time for Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes which made my children laugh when I sang it at home this week. Apparently it’s trending on TikTok. So that’s where Jack got it from …

Perhaps Love was demonstrated by Ed at the piano. A new song for many of us. Our homework is to get to know it. We moved onto When You Tell Me That You Love Me. A few more people seemed to know this one. 

The mash up Burning Bridges/All Around My Hat warmed us up gain didn’t it choir? Pick an accent, anyone will do! 

Finish Line to finish with. Yes, it was touched on before Christmas and it was back to fill up our mouths again. I’m off for a hot choc, see you next week … 

Well done DFS. Next time, I’m going to come wearing really really big pants. Possibly furry ones. Keep singing xxx

20 January 2022

Happy Birthday Blog. You are 13! 

We have a new song today thanks to Jack, and his impeccably good taste. But first, on a cold, cold January night, a warm up.  

Cheese has holes. Ed ran a mathematical and cheesy joke past us and I almost blogged it but decided you didn’t need it. It’s not that my fingers couldn’t keep up. 

My Song is Love Unknown appeared on the big screen and clutched in our hands, and we began to sing. Mr Ed belted out the harmony parts. And we Laaaaaa’d together which was actually very beautiful. 

We moved on to Wild West Hero to tackle something else we had tackled before. Perhaps a little line dancing in the instrumental. Or perhaps not.  Lovely crossover at the end, and have you heard there’s another actual tune? It would even make a nice harmony if you can get your head round it … 

Our brand new song is Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes and I thought I kinda knew it and a kinda don’t. I’ll just pretend I’m really young. It felt a bit low. Time for a new key. We went up to a nice C with Ed at the Casio. We sang it wonderfully for a new song, good choice Jack! 

Burning Bridges mixes very well with All Around My Hat which is interesting far beyond my belly button fluff.  Our efforts sounded quite good. We sang All Around My Hat again but with very very open mouths and in an accent of your choice. 

Bond next to see if we had done our homework. I heard about it in a socially distanced catch up and I was pretty impressed to hear it. It’s great fun! Maybe there’s an issue with the number of Oooohhhhhs so we will be ok if Ed doesn’t get mixed up. 

God Only Knows if we will get an Easter concert this year, but we shall sing until we do. 

We finished with The Impossible Dream and I didn’t fall asleep … 

Well done DFS. We always keep singing, and we always will. Love, Cat xxx

2 December 2021

Rather than face too much typing, I have saved for you here a lovely running order, which you can find if you follow our drop box link. 

The even was to begin with half an hour singing after a reminder of our next two concert times, 2.45 for Wyke square this weekend, and 2.30 the weekend after at St Peter’s, taking over the whole road apparently. 

Ed then through how the new running order relates to the booklet we have, because it’s all jumbled up in case people who came two years ago complain.

Then with Peter instead of Jack, we sang our way through the running order. And Peter did very well, I liked how he moved the cursor down the lines as we sang. 

Give Hark the Herald plenty of welly. And maybe check out the descant by the trumpet on the drop box file. 

Oh Holy Night was getting another run through. And Ed said it sounded jolly, jolly jolly good. 

Another we don’t know as well is See Amid The Winter Snow, so we gave that a second look too. 

Mike replaced Alun shouting ‘It’s Christmaaaaaaas!’ Because he had a lovely nell with a hat. 

There’s a typo in ‘o Come’ have you checked yours? 

For a break from festive songs, Ed slipped behind the Piano so we could sing Golden slumbers/Carry That weight. 

Grand first term choir, well done, keep singing and see you soon for some carolling in the streets, see you in January on the 13th xxx

18 November 2021

I won’t tell you what Ed asked us when we arrived. Some things just can’t be blogged. 

So choir removed their masks of all colours and kinds and sat brandishing copies of our festive songs from 2019 and Ed gave us details of our 2 rapidly approaching our door concerts. 

2.45 Wyke Square on Sunday 5 December for Wyke Christmas. Parking may when be an issue. 

Midday 12 December as part Dorchester Christmas Cracker. 

Looking ahead to next year we have been asked to sing in Fayre in the Square again because we are so good. But don’t panic about that right now. 

So we dived into the booklets, even tho someone said, It’s only November, beginning with Walking in a Winter Wonderland. 

It was request time, which was fun. Good King Wenceslas and O Holy Night got the shout out first. 

I was really getting in the mood. Ed chose Carol of the Bells and the room spilling into two. We were a little rusty, so Ed broke it down a bit. Well, a lot. He broke it down very carefully. Somebody dropped their dong. 

Please please over emphasise. We followed it with a strong song, Hark The Herald. We went from Dongs to a nice big churchy organ. I really fancy a mince pie now. Carol wanted mulled wine. We stood to give it our all. And give it all we did. 

Our treat for that was a Rock Around The Christmas Tree and we were Dreaming of a Wyke Christmas.

Verse one and verse three of O Come All Ye Faithful was long enough to get that descant on and quickly pursued by See Amid The Winter’s Snow but just one verse so we could tackle Holly And The Ivy. Yes. That version. And Ed was mightily impressed. 

Tonight’s parting earworm - Fairy Tale Of New York! 

Well done for getting all festive despite missing out on last Christmas all together. Keep carolling xxx

11 November 21

Nice new song sheets greeted us as well as some covid safety updates, before a nice warm up. As I had a week off last week, warm ups seem a very long time ago, because of working so hard on our concert. 

Then we commenced the singing with California Dreamin’ and Ed at the piano, ready to help us tighten up our melody. And definitely our timings. Oh and softening that ‘t’ in the second winter. 

Then Meridy stood to perform, and by we all stood too because those are the rules. Or something. Interestingly, we seemed to have left our cheekbones on our chairs when we stood so we had to stop and pick them up again. Thanks for waiting, Ed! 

I Can Wait Forever came next. Did you do your homework last week? Linda had done her homework. I didn’t because I was off. Ed broke it down for us. The timing is crucial with this one. Your ‘I’ mustn’t be too big. Ed isn’t sure what to do with the end that fades out. But thanks to Linda Ed will be much more sensitive to his dynamics. 

Let’s talk about Christmas, said our Choir master. Song singing will start next week, for God Only Knows if we will even have somewhere to carol. Root out your Christmas 2019 booklets and bring them next time, DFS. 

Everyone seemed to have forgotten that different rows have different parts so some revision went on. Parts one and two got a bit muddled by the bumptious part threes. A scratch of the head should bring them in at the right place. But the doo doo doos and the baa baa bass and a little oooo were still missing. 

Is it me or are those ooooooos rather complicated? After the first doo doo doos the doo doo doers can join in with the baa baa baas. Someone said Alan caught fire. 

And Golden Slumbers to finish. 

Well done DFS keep singing. Love, Cat xxx