Dear Singers
Thank you for excellent concentration throughout a pretty intense rehearsal. I appreciate all of you! I look forward to seeing you on Saturday at 9 am. I am including the rehearsal schedule for Saturday as well as notes from last night.
Notes
Old Carrion Crow
- Ending consonants are key here. They are the most important of communicating words to an audience. An example of this is m 6, “k” and + of 2
Break, Break, Break
- Sopranos need to drill and kill mm 6 – 8. Be able to nail that E. Bandlab might be useful, or a good job of plunking on the piano
- Tenors m 14 2nd note is an F#
- The piece begins and ends at pp. I am not making a big deal about that yet because we all need to hear the notes
Big Yellow Taxi
- Be careful in m 7. Same words, but different notes!
- Practice “swingin’ hot spot” with breath impulses (huh-huh-huh, etc.) so that you are sure of the rhythm.
- I had expected to work out the rhythm mm 15 – 18, but, of course, “you don’t always get what you want!” I would be thrilled, though, if everyone practiced these rhythms carefully so we wouldn’t have to spend a ton of time on them. While you are at it, look at mm 24 – 25
- I am hoping to get to the end of this piece on Saturday.
Little Birds
- I will go into more detail about my expectations, but here is the link to the Cornell University website along with a few of my favorite bird songs:
Species list – Macaulay Library
House Finch: House Finch – eBird
Western Meadowlark: Western Meadowlark – eBird
American Robin: American Robin – eBird
Great Horned Owl: Great Horned Owl – eBird
Start practicing!
Sweet Suffolk Owl
- “t” should be explosive!
Kasar mie la gaji
- Experiment with sliding sounds!
Blue Bird
- This entire piece should be done in “French”. What I mean is that the lips are extended, coloring all the vowels with an “ooh” sound.
- Extend vowels as much as possible. Example: “La — klay”
- Phrasing:
- m 5 breath on beat 3 (quarter rest); m 9 (of course); no breath until m21
- m 25 breath on beat 3 (quarter rest); m 29 (of course); no breath until 35, then m 38 (quarter rest instead of tied note)–bass on m 37 beat 4 (quarter rest)
- Let’s be a little more clear about the ending. The tied note in m 45 will be a quarter note with a fermata.
Rehearsal Schedule – Saturday Workshop
Donuts! (OK, and other healthy snacks)
Ice breaker game
Extended Warmups
be sure to bring a water bottle and straw
O Lovely Night
Break
Kasar mie la gaji
Big Yellow Taxi
Old Carrion Crow
Lunch Break (12:15 – 1:00)
bring your own sack lunch
Little Birds to m 35
How to Mark a Score
Break
Lark in the Clear Air
Earth Song