Folka Voca Member Rehearsal History: 2012

This page simply records the songs sung, and the homework assigned,
at each of the Folka Voca rehearsals in 2012.

Homework for Between
Rehearsals in 2012

In mid November of 2011 Lee revised the status of the various songs in our active repertoire, classifying them into the following three groups: Current Songs, On-the-Fence Songs and Old Songs (that we almost never do now).
In her words, “Here is our repertoire, in order of what we sing most, at the moment:
the starred ones are sung at almost every gig.”

The Active Repertoire
(in order of what we sing most, at the moment)

1. Mercy (*)
2. The Water is Wide (*)
3. Eternal Flame (*)
4. I Feel the Earth Move (*)
5. For What It’s Worth (*)
6. California Dreaming (*)
7. Father Figure (*)
8. Close Your Eyes (*)
9. La Isla Bonita (*)
10. Calling All Angels (*)
11. Mamma Mia (*)
12. Time After Time (*)
13. Papa Was A Rolling Stone (*)
14. You’re All I Need (to Get By) (*)
15. Both Sides Now (*)
16. Drive My Car (*)
17. Fields of Gold (*)
18. This Land Is Your Land
19. Last Train to Clarksville
20. If You Could Read My Mind
21. Knowing Me, Knowing You
22. Sisters of Mercy
23. Tainted Love
24. Rock the Boat
25. Ain’t No Sunshine
26. Houdini’s Box
27. Crystal
28. Kimbieni (the short version)
29. O Canada (a staple)

These Were In Circulation For A Long Time
But Are Now On The Fence And Rarely Done

1. Cheap Hotel
2. Circus Girl
3. Time
4. I Wear My Sunglasses At Night
5. Helpless
6. Tears Of A Clown
7. Heart Like A Wheel
8. Going Home
9. Ice Cream
10. Come Home Someday
11. I Will Survive
12. Millbrook

These are Really Old and We Never Do Them Now

1. Is She Really...
2. Eleanor Rigby
3. This Is The Art
4. Lone Wolf
5. (That) Lonesome Road
6. Yo Seré Todo
7. What Is Love
8. Sympathique
9. There’s A Place
10. Vita Ljuser
11. Joe’s Goodbye
12. Magano Hayo
13. Imagine
14. Inside And Out
15. Woodstock
16. A Case Of You
17. Our House

Please make sure that you have your music and cheat sheets organized accordingly for rehearsals, and use these lists as guidelines for what songs to work on between rehearsals.

Rehearsals in December 2012

Notes on the December 26^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal this week because it was December 26^th – Boxing Day.

Notes on the December 19^th Rehearsal

We had a rehearsal for one hour, singing a few favourites:

1. Eternal Flame (which we sang twice)
2. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
3. The Water is Wide
4. Time After Time
5. I Feel the Earth Move

We then adjourned to the Barley Mow for our Christmas party!

After the party, Lee had this to say, “Hello Fab Ones;”

“What a magical party! A big thank you to Lynnie, our own Soprano Extraordinaire and professional Organizer (Lynnie can organize ANYTHING, a house, a party, an event!). Lynnie, you are a godsend, thank you for all your hard work! The party was brilliant. And thanks too to Martha, your fabulous assistant and Soprano Extraordinaire as well.”

“I had a special life-moment myself, when everyone broke into the first song, Close Your Eyes, and I was overwhelmed with the joy of this choir and the fabulous people in it. So thanks to all of you for another amazing year of Folka Voca. I love that we are more than a choir; we are a community.”

No rehearsal next week because it is the 26^th – Boxing Day.

Notes on the December 12^th Rehearsal

The gig at Camilla Gardens was cancelled, so we had a regular rehearsal
where we tackled a number of our current songs in detail:

1. Eternal Flame (which we sang twice)
2. The Water is Wide
   (Next week Lee wants to focus on the dynamics.)
3. Close Your Eyes
4. I Feel the Earth Move (which we sang twice)
5. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
6. Tainted Love
7. Crystal
8. Father Figure
9. Time After Time
10. Mamma Mia

After the main rehearsal, the Gentlemen’s Club sang
a couple of the numbers they have been practicing, to much applause.

For whatever reasons, our numbers were substantially down,
but we still managed to make all the songs work pretty well.

We were also delighted to be joined by Charlotte, Lee’s daughter,
visiting from Vancouver with five month old baby Rio.

Next week we rehearse for an hour before going for our Christmas party.

Notes on the December 5^th Rehearsal

We spent this rehearsal tackling a number of our current songs in detail,
basically singing each song twice with corrective work between the run throughs:

1. The Water is Wide
2. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
3. Eternal Flame
4. Drive My Car
5. I Feel the Earth Move

During an extended half-time, Lee worked with each of the sections in turn
to sort out problems with Eternal Flame. After the break we sang the complete song,
and Lee expressed herself very pleased.

Next week we will be singing some of these at Camilla Gardens.

Rehearsals in November 2012

Notes on the November 28^th Rehearsal

This rehearsal was down in the basement of the church.

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on our newest song, The Water is Wide,
singing the entire song, but still needing work on the changes and the ending.

After the interval we sang through a number of our current repertoire in the round,
in preparation for a gig at Camilla Gardens on December 12^th:

1. Knowing Me, Knowing You
2. Fields of Gold
3. California Dreaming
4. Both Sides Now
5. Mamma Mia
6. Crystal
7. Calling All Angels

This was a pretty good rehearsal, but we limited the repertoire
to four parts because there was a dearth of basses (only 3!).

Notes on the November 21^st Rehearsal

We spent most of the rehearsal working on our newest song, The Water is Wide,
reaching the end of the song and succeeding in putting it all together.
For the final run through Lee swapped the positions of the sopranos and mezzos,
which was both interesting and effective.

Scores and MP3s are now available for The Water is Wide,
so please take the time to study them at least a little bit.

At the end of the rehearsal we sang through Eternal Flame
and Lee was very pleased, despite a handful of hiccoughs.

We ended with a go at Knowing Me, Knowing You, which we have not sung in a while.
Everyone enjoyed this, and Lee was pleased with the result.

We were somewhat few in numbers, but had a strong rehearsal nonetheless.

Notes on the November 14^th Rehearsal

Lee has produced two new songs for us: The Water Is Wide,
a traditional Scottish song from the 17th century; and a Spanish lullaby.
She gave us the choice of which to work on, and by a large majority
we chose The Water Is Wide, and worked on it for an hour.
No scores or MP3s as yet, only photocopies from Lee.

After the interval we sang through Eternal Flame
and worked on it briefly – Lee was pleased.

We then sang through a number of our current repertoire
in preparation for a gig at Camilla Gardens on December 12^th:

1. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
2. Time After Time
3. Mamma Mia
4. Close Your Eyes
5. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

We then had a very large gathering at the pub, where we also sang a couple of songs.

Notes on the November 7^th Rehearsal

We again spent most of the rehearsal continuing to learn our latest new song,
Eternal Flame by the Bangles.

We can now sing the song all the way through, but it is very rough in spots.
Please all spend some time with your MP3 files.

We then sang through several songs from our current repertoire:

1. Time After Time
2. Tainted Love
3. I Feel the Earth Move
4. For What It’s Worth
5. Father Figure
6. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

We all left feeling good about how the rehearsal went.

Rehearsals in October 2012

Notes on the October 31^st Rehearsal

We once again spent most of the rehearsal continuing to learn
our latest new song, Eternal Flame by the Bangles.

We again reached the end of the song, but are still having difficulties
making transitions between the sections, especially the bridge.
Please all spend some time with your MP3 files.

We ended the rehearsal with an enthusiastic run through of California Dreaming.

It was Halloween night, so a few members were absent, but this was compensated by those members who chose to attend in costume. Lee was scary as Angelina Jolie with a collection of multi-hued babies, and almost unrecognizable under a long black wig. Other notables were Bob and Linda Bowes as Lord Black of Cross Harbour and Barbara Amil.

We also had a good attendance afterwards at the pub, where we were asked to sing,
and duly performed La Isla Bonita and Close Your Eyes, which were both applauded.

Notes on the October 24^th Rehearsal

We spent most of the rehearsal continuing to learn our latest new song,
Eternal Flame by the Bangles.

We have now reached the end of the song, but much work still remains.
Please all spend some time with your MP3 files.

We then sang through a number of our current repertoire:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine
2. I Feel the Earth Move
3. Close Your Eyes
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)

This was another pretty good rehearsal enjoyed by all.

Notes on the October 17^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal because Lee was sick.

Notes on the October 10^th Rehearsal

We spent almost the entire rehearsal continuing to learn our latest new song,
Eternal Flame by the Bangles.

We made considerable progress with the song.

We ended with a rousing performance of Mamma Mia.

An excellent rehearsal, and we again ended on a high note.

Notes on the October 3^rd Rehearsal

Despite what Lee said only two rehearsals ago, she produced a new song for us,
Eternal Flame by The Bangles, and we spent most of the rehearsal working on it.

We ended the rehearsal singing straight through three of our current songs:

1. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
2. Father Figure
3. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

The new song was hard work, but we reached the end of the first verse.
The three songs with which we ended left everyone in great spirits.

Rehearsals in September 2012

Notes on the September 26^th Rehearsal

We spent this rehearsal tackling a number of our current songs in detail:

1. Cheap Hotel
2. Drive My Car
3. Mamma Mia
4. Rock the Boat
5. Last Train to Clarksville
6. Tainted Love
7. I Feel the Earth Move
8. For What It’s Worth
9. Houdini’s Box

We worked hard on details of some of these songs, a few of which we have not tackled in months. All in all, a pretty good, if intense, rehearsal.

Notes on the September 19^th Rehearsal

This was a shorter than usual rehearsal because we started at 7:30 to accommodate a planning meeting for the upcoming Cuba workshops.

Lee started the rehearsal by saying that we would concentrate on making sure that we have all the current songs mastered rather than learning new songs. We will be working on the existing repertoire for the next few weeks. We then spent the rehearsal tackling a number of our current songs:

1. This Land Is Your Land
   (We have not sung this in ages, but we were able to remaster it quickly.)
2. Ain’t No Sunshine
   (We did OK, but managed to drop a full tone.)
3. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (We had a problem at the end with the “honey” sequence, which Lee sorted out.)
4. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (One or two mistakes, but on the whole went really well.)
5. California Dreaming
   (Lee simply said, “Good, good, good!”)
6. I Feel the Earth Move
   (This one went fairly well too.)
7. Time After Time
   (Excellent most of the way, but we keep trying to slow the ending down.)
8. Calling All Angels
   (This was recorded for Charlotte, and went very well.)

All in all, an excellent rehearsal, with plenty of energy, and good response when we needed to work on some part that was showing problems.

Notes on the September 12^th Rehearsal

We again sang a whole lot of our regular songs, but this time Lee started
to work hard on correcting our more notable lapses and problems:

1. Father Figure
   (We had problems with the bridge, which we reviewed in detail.)
2. Knowing Me, Knowing You
   (After some practice we managed to sing it OK.)
3. I Feel the Earth Move
   (After the first attempt we did some detail work before singing it again OK.)
4. California Dreaming
   (This went well: the basses were complimented for being spot on in their timing.)
5. Both Sides Now
   (We didn't have any problems, and Lee was pleased.)
6. Mamma Mia
   (Lee raised us a semitone, and that’s all we had dropped by the end!)
7. Crystal
   (It seems we respond to uncertainty by bellowing – Lee would like us
   to do our homework to learn the troublesome bits and to watch her.)
8. Close Your Eyes
   (We sang this one quite well, but managed to drop significantly.)
9. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Lee said, “So good, Yeah!”)
10. Time After Time
    (We did pretty well, but still need to watch Lee at the end.)
11. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
    (There were some lapses and mistakes, but mostly OK.)

Lee is encouraged that we kept singing without her, and that this week was better than last, but she says we definitely have some rough edges that need smoothing.

Next week’s rehearsal will start at 7:30 p.m.

Notes on the September 5^th Rehearsal

Lee was back, to the delight of everyone, so we sang a whole lot of our regular songs:

1. La Isla Bonita
2. Father Figure
3. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
4. California Dreaming
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
6. I Feel the Earth Move
   (We had some difficulty, so worked through it a second time in detail.)
7. Ain’t No Sunshine
8. Drive My Car
9. Mamma Mia
10. Tainted Love
11. Time After Time
12. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

All in all we sang pretty well, but it was an emotional rehearsal all round.

Rehearsals in August 2012

Notes on the August 29^th Rehearsal

Neil again took the rehearsal, and we spent the first half of the rehearsal
singing some of our regular songs:

1. Both Sides Now
2. Drive My Car
3. Close Your Eyes
   (We stood mixed up for this one.)
4. Last Train to Clarksville
   (We stood mixed up and it was mostly OK, just somewhat discordant by times.)
5. Time After Time
   (We stood mixed up for this one.)
6. California Dreaming
   (We stood mixed up for this one.)
7. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (We sang this one standing mixed up and it proved extremely difficult;
   just about everyone lost their place at some point in the song.)

After the break Neil and Lynnie again had something different for us. Neil had brought along lyrics to three songs to be sung as multi-part rounds:

• Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose – which we sang in four groups of six.
• Fish and Chips and Vinegar – which we sang in three groups of eight.
• Roll Me Over in the Clover – which we simply sang in unison.
  (Don was totally in his element with this one!)

Once again we all had fun, and again decided to close with a couple of our regular numbers:

• You’re All I Need (to Get By)
  (We sang this one standing mixed up, and did fine after one false start.)
• Tainted Love
  (We also sang this one standing mixed up and it went extremely well.)

We had a good turnout for this rehearsal – twenty-five.
We ended the rehearsal feeling very pleased with ourselves,
but looking forward to Lee’s return next week.

Notes on the August 22^nd Rehearsal

Neil again took the rehearsal, and we spent the first half of the rehearsal
singing some of our regular songs:

1. California Dreaming
   (We sang this one twice, the second time with everyone standing mixed up.)
2. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (We sang this at a good tempo, but things fell apart about halfway through.)
3. Tainted Love
   (We tried hard, but somewhere along the way we fell apart.)
4. Last Train to Clarksville
   (We had not sung this for a while, but it went very well.)
5. La Isla Bonita
   (We sang this one with everyone standing mixed up.)

After the break we tried something completely different. Neil had brought along lyrics to a number of old hit songs, and suggested that we try singing them in unison. The songs were:

• If I Fell In Love With You – the Beatles
  (We sang this through twice.)
• Say a Little Prayer – Burt Bacharach and Hal David
• Never My Love – the Association
• American Pie – Don McLean
  (This one proved too much for almost everybody but Neil and Lynnie.)

This was certainly different, and we all had fun, but we decided to close with a couple of our regular numbers:

• You’re All I Need (to Get By)
  (We sang this one standing mixed up.)
• Ain’t No Sunshine
  (We sang this one standing mixed up.)

We had a pretty good turnout for this rehearsal – well over twenty.

Notes on the August 15^th Rehearsal

Neil took the rehearsal, and we sang through a number of our regular songs:

1. Both Sides Now
2. La Isla Bonita
3. I Feel the Earth Move
   (We were fine until the bridge, where we totally lost it.)
4. Crystal
   (Lynnie filmed this one.)
5. Time After Time
   (We sang halfway through to warm up, then Lynnie recorded the whole song.)
6. If You Could Read My Mind
7. California Dreaming
   (We sang this one twice, the second time with everyone standing mixed up.)
8. Fields of Gold
9. Close Your Eyes
   (We again stood mixed up for this one.)

We ended by singing happy birthday for Charlotte, which Lynnie recorded.

The twenty or so people who attended this rehearsal are clearly some kind of hard core,
because almost everyone was also at the pub afterwards!

Notes on the August 8^th Rehearsal

With Lee’s continuing absence in Vancouver, Neil took the rehearsal, in which twenty-three choir members had a whole lot of fun. We sang in the round, and the smallish circle surprised everyone at the clarity of the sound and the ease of hearing all the parts. We sang:

• Both Sides Now
• California Dreaming
• Calling All Angels
• Close Your Eyes

At this point Neil suggested that we should sing Close Your Eyes again, but with everyone mixed up around the circle. This worked extremely well, even for one or two of the newer members who had some initial trepidation. So we stayed mixed up for the next song:

• La Isla Bonita

We then took an early but genuine ten minutes only break on the grounds that the pub had been told we would be arriving at 8:30. We started in again back in regular order, singing:

• Fields of Gold
• Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Neil started Papa off at much too fast a tempo but, despite some breaking up with laughter, we stuck with it and galloped all the way through to the end. This was quite an interesting experience, because it revealed the structure of the song in a way that we tend not to feel at the regular pace. Alas, nobody had thought to make a recording, because it was a hoot.

At this point there were requests from the floor and, despite their not being on the list, we sang:

• Father Figure
• Ain’t No Sunshine

Father Figure turned out to be too much for us, and although we did take it through to the end there were a number of places in which more than one part was lost or missing in action.

Ain’t No Sunshine went pretty well until near the end, when we fell apart, leaving Neil asking where all the “gone” entries had gone. We finished up with:

• Drive My Car

There had been a request for I Feel the Earth Move, but it was voted against, although we may tackle it next week.

This went extremely well, and we ended the rehearsal all feeling pretty good. At the pub, we were joined by a few other choir members.

Notes on the August 1^st Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal while Lee remained in Vancouver supporting Charlotte and baby Rio.
Instead, we had a summer get-together at Lynnie Zunder’s. Thanks, eh?

Rehearsals in July 2012

Notes on the July 25^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal while Lee remained in Vancouver supporting Charlotte and baby Rio.

Notes on the July 18^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal because Lee was in Vancouver supporting Charlotte and baby Rio.

Notes on the July 11^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal because Lee was in Vancouver supporting Charlotte having her baby.

Notes on the July 4^th Rehearsal

After reviewing details of our newest song, I Feel the Earth Move,
we spent the rest of the rehearsal running through some of our repertoire:

1. Mamma Mia
2. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
3. California Dreaming
4. La Isla Bonita
5. Close Your Eyes
6. Crystal
7. Drive My Car
8. Knowing Me, Knowing You
9. Tainted Love
10. Time After Time

Despite somewhat reduced numbers, we had a terrific rehearsal in the round.

Rehearsals in June 2012

Notes on the June 27^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on our newest song, I Feel the Earth Move.
We are now singing the whole song, but still need to work out several details.

We used the second half to work through a number of our current songs:

1. For What It’s Worth
2. California Dreaming
3. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
4. Time After Time

For the rest of the Summer we will be in the basement for rehearsals,
saving only July 25^th, when we will be back in the sanctuary.

Notes on the June 20^th Rehearsal

We spent the entire rehearsal working on our newest song, I Feel the Earth Move,
and managed to reach the end, finishing by singing the whole song.

Lee was quite delighted when we finally pulled it all together, and had this to say, “Hello Fab Ones; first, wow for last night; I Feel The Earth Move is brilliant! Well done. Possibly the toughest song so far, and you sound amazing.”

Lee has made some changes, and revised scores plus MP3s are now available.

For the rest of the Summer we will be in the basement for rehearsals,
saving only July 25^th, when we will be back in the sanctuary.

Notes on the June 13^th Rehearsal

We again spent the first half of the rehearsal working on our newest song, I Feel the Earth Move,
working through the bridge in detail, leaving only the end of the song to learn.

We used the second half to work through some of our current songs,
choosing songs where the guy parts are mostly combined:

1. Both Sides Now
2. Knowing Me, Knowing You
3. Close Your Eyes
4. Crystal
5. Fields of Gold
6. Mamma Mia

Congratulations to the stout singing of Bob and Stephen, the only two basses who showed.

Notes on the June 6^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on our newest song, I Feel the Earth Move,
reaching the end of the bridge, leaving only the end of the song to learn.

We used the second half to work through a number of our current songs:

1. California Dreaming
2. Ain’t No Sunshine
3. Crystal
4. Close Your Eyes
5. For What It’s Worth
6. Father Figure

Despite the heat in the sanctuary, everyone was on – a good rehearsal.

Rehearsals in May 2012

Notes on the May 30^th Rehearsal

We again spent most of the time working on our newest song, I Feel the Earth Move,
finishing the rehearsal with a run through of three others:

1. For What It’s Worth
   (Lee says we’ll spend more time on this one next week.)
2. California Dreaming
3. Knowing Me, Knowing You
   (We haven’t sung this one in ages, and it went very well.)

A good rehearsal, and our newer members all seem to be having fun.

Notes on the May 23^rd Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal because Lee was away.

Notes on the May 16^th Rehearsal

This spring is really heating up, and Lee has come up with yet another new song for us.
Actually, she came up with two and asked us to choose,
and we chose: I Feel the Earth Move, by Carole King.
The other choice was Go, Lassie Go.

We spent most of the rehearsal working on the new song, finishing with a go at three others:

1. For What It’s Worth
2. California Dreaming
3. Close Your Eyes

It is remarkable how much we all forget after skipping one rehearsal!

Notes on the May 9^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal because the church was in use.

Notes on the May 2^nd Rehearsal

We spent most of the rehearsal working on our latest song, For What It’s Worth.
We did well enough to finish with two separate half-choir run-throughs.

We finished up the rehearsal with three of our regular songs:

1. California Dreaming
   (Some really nice moments, but...)
2. Father Figure
   (OK!)
3. Crystal
   (Good, good, good, but also a little rushed.)

Rehearsals in April 2012

Notes on the April 25^th Rehearsal

Lee produced another new song for us, For What It’s Worth, by Stephen Stills,
and we spent most of the rehearsal working on it.

Toward the end of the second half of the rehearsal we sang a couple of our regular songs:

1. California Dreaming
   (We are still somewhat loud all the way through, with some timing problems.)
2. Crystal
   (We sang this through twice, because the first time raised some issues.)

Notes on the April 18^th Rehearsal

We used this rehearsal to work on numbers that we will probably sing at the concert on April 22^nd:

1. Father Figure
   (That was just wicked.)
2. Ain’t No Sunshine
   (Yes, well done.)
3. Mamma Mia
   (That was good, that was fine.)
4. La Isla Bonita
   (Good, always good.)
5. Close Your Eyes
   (Good, good, good, but we did drop significantly.)
6. Last Train to Clarksville
   (Need to watch the verse by verse change in dynamics.)
7. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (Good, but with a few little problems here and there.)
8. California Dreaming
   (We sang this through twice, the tempo needs to remain steady.)
9. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Nice, with good dynamics, but need to watch the tempo carefully.)
10. Tainted Love
    (Some volume issues.)
11. Rock the Boat
    (Good.)
12. Calling All Angels
    (So good, really great.)

During the intermission, the Thursday vocal harmony group worked on their songs for the concert.

After the end of the regular rehearsal, this year’s Cuba group worked on their two numbers.

Notes on the April 11^th Rehearsal

We used this rehearsal to work on numbers that we will probably sing at the concert on April 22^nd:

1. Father Figure
   (Best rendition we’ve ever achieved.)
2. Ain’t No Sunshine
   (Background parts were too loud, and the ending was weak.)
3. Mamma Mia
   (Pretty darn snappy!)
4. La Isla Bonita
   (Yes!)
5. Close Your Eyes
   (Nice – well done.)
6. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (Oh yeah! That was fun.)
7. Ain’t No Sunshine
   (This time through we did a whole lot better.)
8. California Dreaming
   (We sang this immediately before and after the break.
   For the most part good, but with some tentative sections still.)
9. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Parts good and pretty exciting, but a tendency to rush.)
10. Tainted Love
    (Oh yeah! At least, after a failed first start.)
11. Rock the Boat
    (Good, and so much fun.)
12. Calling All Angels
    (Went well for not having sung it in a while.)

During the intermission, the Thursday vocal harmony group worked on their songs for the concert.

After the end of the regular rehearsal, this year’s Cuba group worked on their two numbers.

Notes on the April 4^th Rehearsal

The mezzo sectional rehearsal that was originally to have been held
after the Palisades performance was rescheduled for 6:30-7:30 p.m. today,
and the main choir rehearsal started at 7:30 p.m.

We used this rehearsal to work on numbers that we will probably sing at the concert on April 22^nd:

1. Father Figure
   (Good, but some tuning issues.)
2. California Dreaming
   (Everyone really belted it out, and we lost the mezzos.)
3. Tainted Love
   (Good, and so much fun.)
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (That was fun, but we speed up when excited – dropped for concert.)
5. Ain’t No Sunshine
   (Good, but lost the last alto “gone!”)
6. Close Your Eyes
   (OK, a pretty good effort.)
7. Rock the Boat
   (The guys kept speeding up, otherwise good.)
8. Last Train to Clarksville
   (We rattled through this one in great form.)
9. Father Figure
   (This was a terrific performance.)
10. California Dreaming
    (This second go round was much better, with way better dynamics.)

During the intermission, the Thursday vocal harmony group worked on their songs for the concert.

After the end of the regular rehearsal, this year’s Cuba group worked on their two numbers.

Rehearsals in March 2012

Notes on the March 28^th Rehearsal

This was to have been a performance at the Ottawa Palisades Retirement Residence,
but Lee decided to cancel it at the last minute because she was sick, and because a
retirement residence is the last place anyone should take an infection. Choir rules rule!

In the event, sufficient people had not seen the messages about the cancellation,
and a core was hastily put together, so that a performance went ahead anyway.

No rehearsal was held.

Notes on the March 21^st Rehearsal

We started the rehearsal by working on our latest new song, California Dreaming,
which we ended up singing through three times.

We spent the rest of the rehearsal working through songs for our gig on the 28^th:

1. Father Figure
2. Both Sides Now
   (Lee said we sang this beautifully.)
3. La Isla Bonita
   (Lee said this was nice.)
4. Drive My Car
   (Lee said this was beautiful.)
5. Fields of Gold
   (Lee said this was good, but guys are rushing, and we dropped.)
6. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Lee said, “Wow!” and that this was great.)
7. Last Train to Clarksville
   (Lee said, "Alright!" but basses need to take time on rhythm.)
8. Close Your Eyes
   (Lee said this was beautiful.)
9. Crystal
   (Lee said, "Alright!" at the end of this one.)
10. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
    (This one was raggedy here and there, although it had its moments.)

During the intermission, the Thursday vocal harmony group worked on their songs for the concert.

After the end of the regular rehearsal, this year’s Cuba group worked on their two numbers.

Notes on the March 14^th Rehearsal

Lee has created another new song for us, California Dreaming by the Mamas and Papas, and we spent the whole rehearsal working on it. We were able to reach the end of the song, which was remarkable. Lee’s intention is that we should have it ready for our annual concert in April.

Our numbers were again significantly reduced from the usual levels.

After the end of the regular rehearsal, this year’s Cuba group
(all of them this time) sang through two of their numbers.

Notes on the March 7^th Rehearsal

We spent the rehearsal working on songs for our upcoming gig and annual concert.

1. Father Figure
2. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
3. Ain’t No Sunshine
   (which we sang twice, with revision between run throughs.)
4. Houdini’s Box
5. Close Your Eyes
6. Last Train to Clarksville
7. Rock the Boat
8. Mamma Mia

Our numbers were severely reduced from the usual levels,
but we were pleased to welcome some new faces.

After the end of the regular rehearsal, this year’s Cuba group sang through two of their numbers.

After a considerable amount of discussion, it has been decided
to keep the date of our annual concert the same: April 22^nd.

Rehearsals in February 2012

Notes on the February 29^th Rehearsal

No rehearsal: Lee was with the workshop group in Cuba.

Notes on the February 22^nd Rehearsal

No rehearsal: the church was in use for Ash Wednesday services.

Notes on the February 15^th Rehearsal

We spent this rehearsal working on our regular repertoire:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine
2. Both Sides Now
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Rock the Boat
5. Tainted Love
6. Houdini’s Box
7. Father Figure
8. You’re All I Need (to Get By)

There will be no rehearsals for the next two weeks.

After the rehearsal, we repaired to Marty McCurdy’s, where he had
very kindly organized a party. It was much enjoyed by all who came.

Notes on the February 8^th Rehearsal

We had no rehearsal, instead singing a gig at the Lord Lansdowne Retirement Residence.
This was the set of eleven songs that we sang:

1. Both Sides Now
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Drive My Car
4. Fields of Gold
5. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
6. Last Train to Clarksville
7. Close Your Eyes
8. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
9. Crystal
10. Time After Time
11. Calling All Angels

Our performance was well received, and we spent some time in conversation with the residents.
Given the lateness of the hour, we then retired to the Barley Mow.

Notes on the February 1^st Rehearsal

We started the rehearsal by working on Ain’t No Sunshine, which we sang twice,
working on some details between run-throughs.
We then split the choir in half, and each half sang the song again.

For the rest of the rehearsal we ran through a number of our repertoire,
in preparation for the gig coming up next week (February 8^th):

1. Both Sides Now
2. La Isla Bonita
   (OK, but a little chunky – need to loosen up and feel the dance.)
3. Drive My Car
   (Excellent, we were on fire for this one.)
4. Fields of Gold
   (Sounded great, but guys still need to sing up for each “gold, gold”.)
5. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Very good, said Lee.)
6. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (On fire again, despite a couple of little stumbles.)
7. Calling All Angels
   (A beautiful ending to the rehearsal.)

There will be no rehearsal next week because of the late start to the gig.
After the performance we will retire immediately to the Barley Mow.

Rehearsals in January 2012

Notes on the January 25^th Rehearsal

We started the rehearsal by working on Crystal, which we sang twice,
working on some details between run-throughs.

We then worked on Father Figure through to the break, again running through the song twice
and working on details between the takes.

Lee strongly recommends working with the MP3s for both these songs.

We spent the second half of the rehearsal running through some of our repertoire,
in preparation for the gig coming up in the second week of February:

1. Last Train to Clarksville
   (Pretty good, but the guys need to work on NOT RUSHING “get” and “last”.)
2. La Isla Bonita
   (Well done on this one.)
3. Fields of Gold
   (We really need to watch Lee for the dynamics in this one.)
4. Time After Time
   (Lee just said, “good.”)
5. Close Your Eyes
   (It was nice, but we dropped a whole tone!)
6. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (And pretty well done on this one too.)

We were again happy to welcome more new faces.

Notes on the January 18^th Rehearsal

We started the rehearsal by working on Father Figure, which we sang through twice.
After the first run through we split the choir into halves, and each half sang the song through while the other half listened. This is an excellent way to learn which bits you need to work on.

We spent the rest of the rehearsal working on some of our repertoire preparing for the gig coming up in the second week of February:

1. Fields of Gold
   (Lee said “Sweet, really nice after so long since we last sang it.”)
2. Crystal
   (Not bad, but we really dropped, so Lee will revise the scores.)
3. Tainted Love
   (Went really well.)
4. La Isla Bonita
   (Another really good performance.)
5. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Really good again, we were on fire!)
6. Time After Time
   (Another really good performance of a song we haven’t sung for a while.)

Lee is promising revised scores and MP3s for Crystal, so keep an eye on the website.

We were again delighted to welcome some new faces.

Notes on the January 11^th Rehearsal

We started the first half of the rehearsal by working on Father Figure, which we sang through twice. The first run through was somewhat shaky, but the second time through went very much better.

We then worked on Houdini’s Box for the rest of the first half, again singing through it twice in all. Lee suggests that you look at the Jill Sobule performance on YouTube to understand the entire song. There are MP3s as well.

In the second half of the rehearsal we sang through:

1. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Really good – we were watching Lee!)
2. Tainted Love
   (So good! – we were on fire.)
3. Rock the Boat
   (OMG – so good tonight!)
4. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (Pretty good, but with some occasional lapses here and there.)

This was an excellent rehearsal with a good turnout,
and Lee thought that we were on fire through the second half.

Notes on the January 4^th Rehearsal

We started the new year with quite a good turnout, but turned out to be extremely rusty after several weeks without rehearsing! We welcomed some new faces, all of whom were slightly startled by the pace of events, but who seemed to adjust quickly with the help of voices around them.

In the first half of the rehearsal we worked on:

1. Father Figure
   (We were incredibly rusty, and ended up doing lots of remembering and reworking.)
2. Close Your Eyes
3. Mamma Mia

In the second half of the rehearsal we sang:

1. La Isla Bonita
2. Last Train to Clarksville
3. Rock the Boat
   (Dynamics were far too heavy – leads sing up, everyone else back off.)
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
5. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

By the end of the rehearsal we were back in the groove and happy to retreat to the pub.