Dear Singers
I’m really looking forward to our upcoming rehearsal. We are making wonderful sounds and our performance is exciting and beautiful already!
Recording on Tuesday
We will be recording mm 51 – 72 of Bright Morning Stars (but will rehearse the whole thing). Be sure that you think about ways to eliminate extraneous sounds. We will be using the recording for spots on JPR and SOPBS. We will let you know when we know when you will be able to hear and see them.
Let us know about absences
You may not realize how important you are. When you miss a rehearsal it makes a difference to the entire choir! Please let me and/or your section leader know if you need to be absent from rehearsal. It will make things easier for my planning. If you already know that you must miss, please reply to this email and let me know! Better yet, work your plans so that you do not miss at all for this last month of rehearsals.
Gate Gate Memorized!
I am asking you to memorize Gate Gate from m 134 to the end. It is very possible to do. Take these tips from a person who performed the 40 minute Brahms Piano Concerto #2 memorized (a loooong time ago).
- Sing a section that you are confident you can sing without looking, even if it is only one measure. –
- Sing the next doable section.
- Sing the two in sequence. If you mess up, no worries, just repeat the process. Don’t go on until you are sure you can do it.
- Now, this is the key. Move on to two new sections, and repeat the process. DO NOT just add the next section in line.
- Sing all four sections memorized. If you can’t do it in a couple tries, you were not honest with yourself about whether you knew it or not. Go back and start the process again.
- Add four more sections in the same way, and so on. You will have it memorized relatively quickly.
- BTW, I have a plan to make it possible to get rid of your music appropriately.
See you Tuesday!
Mark
Rehearsal Schedule
Warmups
Don’t Fence Me In
Bright Morning Stars (recording)
Nootka Paddle Song
Choose Something Like a Star
Break
Gate Gate
Of Crows and Clusters
The Cloths of Heaven