We Sing New Songs

Last Saturday's session was led by Andre Ong, and both Andre and Andrew plan to be there for the session. Please note that this Saturday's rehearsal is from 4:00-5:30PM, as we do not have Catechism class. There will also be a break over the school holidays, which we will announce in detail next week.

We introduced Sing A New Song (composed by Dan Schutte), the lyrics are below:

Refrain: Sing a new song unto the Lord;
let your song be sung from mountains high.
Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing alleluia.

1. Yahweh's people dance for joy.
O come before the Lord,
and play for him on glad tambourines,
and let your trumpet sound.

2. Rise, O children, from your sleep;
your Savior now has come.
He has turned your sorrow to joy
and filled your soul with song.

3. Glad my soul for I have seen
the glory of the Lord.
The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised.
I know my Savior lives.

It's more or less the theme of the choir this year - that we try new songs like In Christ Alone and Now We Remain, which the choir has not tried in the past.

There aren't great videos online, but here is the best link there so far. Andre worked specifically on enunciation, especially that we hear the "d" at the end of words like "Lord".

The Musical Grand Design

Last Sunday we had our first run-through of both of the hymns we are working on at this moment - In Christ Alone, and Now We Remain. Please look at our previous blog postings (or the side bar under "Video Links") for the YouTube videos that will help in preparation of these selections.

This week, we focused on three things:

1. The big picture, or grand design. We prepare not only one line or one verse, but look at the whole song to see where we will eventually be loud, so we don't get loud too early and have no where to go.

2. We also talked about the character of the voice, about how some of the verses needed a more serious, darker tone, and how we should think about matching the colour of our voices to the content of the lyrics.

3. The last thing we did was to see how sensitive we are to the conducting, that is whether we can observe small movements. We tried this by having the conductor direct using only his facial expressions.

In addition, we refreshed our skills in quickly memorizing, and looking forward when we sing, so that we don't sing into our printed music. As always, we also took time to understand the context of the lyrics.

Remember, all those interested in singing a solo line or verse in Now We Remain are very much encouraged to try out and volunteer!



(Not the best video out there because of its rather abrupt ending, but it's good that it has lyrics attached.)

The Music Bucket

Today we had an unusual session as attendance was low (probably due to Wesak Day). We worked on these skills:

• Concentrating on listening and hearing actively and equally
• Adjusting to the sound of the person next to you
• Aiming your voice to a place in the centre, which is like a bucket collecting all the sound
• Planning and shaping a musical phrase
  

We used the video clip of In Christ Alone (see link in previous post, below), slowly turning down the volume at the same time as singing louder. This way, bit by bit we replace the recording.

Please let your friends in the choir know that sessions are on as usual - but we will take some time off during the school holidays in June. We are preparing for the CEC Mass in mid-July.

Please also note that next week our venue may be changed to the RCIA Room. We will place a notice and hopefully have someone on hand to make sure everyone is informed.