Lee Hayes Vox Member Rehearsal History: 2018

This page simply records the songs sung, and the homework assigned,
at each of the Lee Hayes Vox rehearsals in 2018.

Homework for Between
Rehearsals in 2018

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 Dropped Songs (that we almost never do now).
Every so often she adds new songs and downgrades older ones.
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.”

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The Active Repertoire
(in alphabetical order)

1. Addicted to Love
2. All My lovin’ (*)
3. Calling All Angels
4. Celebration
5. Chain of Fools (REWORK)
6. Close Your Eyes (*)
7. Donde Estas Yolanda
8. Father Figure
9. Fire and Rain (*)
10. Firework (*)
11. Gravity (*)
12. Hallelujah (*)
13. Here Comes the Sun (*)
14. How Will I Know
15. I See Fire
16. I Think I Love You
17. If I Could Turn Back Time (*)
18. Mamma Mia
19. Mercy (*)
20. Missing You (*)
21. Never Gonna Give You Up
22. Papa Was A Rolling Stone (*)
23. Rumour Has It
24. Scarborough Fair
25. Stop (*)
26. Take Me to Church (*)
27. The Way You Make Me Feel
28. Time After Time (REVIVAL)
29. With a Little Help (from My Friends) (*)
30. You Cannot Lose My Love
31. You Gotta Be (*)

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These Were In Circulation for a Long Time
but Are Now On the Fence and Rarely Done

1. Billie Jean
2. Boogie Fever
3. California Dreaming
4. Eternal Flame
5. Last Train to Clarksville
6. Nobody’s Fault but Mine
7. Tempted

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These are Really Old and We Never Do Them Now

• A La Nanita Nana
• Ain’t No Sunshine
• Both Sides Now
• Crystal
• Drive My Car
• Fields of Gold
• For What It’s Worth
• Houdini’s Box
• I Feel the Earth Move
• I Wear My Sunglasses At Night
• La Isla Bonita
• Kimbieni (the short version)
• Knowing Me, Knowing You
• O Canada
• Rock the Boat
• Tainted Love
• This Land Is Your Land
• You’re All I Need (to Get By)

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.

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Rehearsals in December 2018

Notes on the December 26^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal – our nod to the Christmas holiday.

Notes on the December 19^th Rehearsal

This was an abbreviated final rehearsal of the year, before
the choir adjourned to the Barley Mow for our Christmas party!

During the warmup, Silas had us sing an impromptu harmony of Away in a Manger.
We then worked hard on several songs, before adjourning to the pub.
After the first song, Silas opened the floor to requests...

1. Take Me to the River – we sang this through twice.
   The first run through was extremely rough, so Silas focused on details.
   Silas took the second run through a little slower, and it was OK.
   At Lee’s request, a couple of recordings were made of the second run through.
2. Gravity – which we had not sung in several months.
   The ending was somewhat strange, but it was mostly OK.
3. Hallelujah – which we also had not sung in several months.
   This one actually went rather well, with a few slightly rough patches.
4. I Think I Love You – which Silas had never seen!
   Silas was forced to sight read, but we mostly made the song work.
   He was delighted by the ending as we faded out and began clapping.
5. Close Your Eyes – which is our standard ending for the annual concert!
   We pretty much all sang this one off book and it went well.
   A fine way to close out our final rehearsal of the year.

We had a smallish attendance for this last rehearsal of the year.

The choir Christmas party at the Barley Mow was a great success.
Here is a large (3.1 megabyte) group photo of the happy participants,
as well as links to a couple of videos shot by Andra.

Notes on the December 12^th Rehearsal

Silas took this rehearsal after being away for a couple of weeks.
In the previous week Silas had asked Caroline Johnson to work
on songs we knew reasonably well, rather than the newest.
Silas took us back to work on newer material.

1. Take Me to the River – we spent most of the rehearsal on it.
   We recapped as far as the bridge and then learned the ending.
   After singing the ending several times we tackled the whole song.
   It is clear that we now know the song, but it needs work on performance.
2. Fire and Rain – the first run through was extremely messy;
   accordingly, Silas spent a whole lot of time working on details.
3. Time After Time – running out of time, we skipped this one,
   even though we had sung it with Caroline the previous week.
4. All My Lovin’ – a very nice fast run through to end the rehearsal.

We had a moderate turnout for this rehearsal,
but only three tenors and two basses.
Time for everyone to persuade some more men to join!

Notes on the December 5^th Rehearsal

Silas was performing at a recital but arranged for the rehearsal
to be taken by Caroline Johnson, who did a terrific job. Everyone,
Caroline included, seemed to enjoy themselves, and she brought
fresh insight to all the songs we sang.

Silas had asked Caroline to work through the songs on the set list
from the previous week’s gig, and we were able to get through all but one!
Her direction was all the more impressive from her effectively sight-reading
for the whole evening, as she only received the scores on arrival.

1. Stop – it was slightly slower than usual, but awesome!
   Caroline repeated this song aiming for a big ending.
2. Chain of Fools – this came apart in several places.
   Caroline suggested that this is a song where the consonants are key.
   We sang it through a second time, and the consonants were much improved.
3. Firework – The men drifted slightly behind everyone else!
4. Time After Time – a good run through.
5. I See Fire – Caroline was wowed by the musicality we showed.
   She felt that there were some consonants that needed to be clearer.
   We sang the song through again and said that we did better.
6. Scarborough Fair – after a couple of false starts we settled on a good tempo.
   the guys dragged somewhat, and some of the phrasing was too chunky.
7. Take Me to Church – She was surprised by our interpretation;
   her primary thought was that we needed to supply more attitude!
8. Calling All Angels – Caroline said that it did give her shivers,
   and that she could see why we like this song.

We had a somewhat reduced turnout for this rehearsal, but that made
it comfortable for everyone to be on stage and see Caroline clearly.

Rehearsals in November 2018

Notes on the November 28^th Rehearsal

Lee was here this week, and we spent the bulk of the rehearsal
working on her latest arrangement for us: Take Me to the River,
by Al Green and Mabon Hodges. We reached the bridge
and were beginning to become comfortable with the song.
The guys were struggling somewhat, and Lee will do vocal MP3s for them.

Lee also wanted to hear how the previous two new songs were going,
so we had a go at both of them.

1. I See Fire – it was so close, but we dropped considerably.
   We sang it again and it sounded much better.
   Lee is promising some vocal MP3s for the guys.
2. Fire and Rain – a lot of good stuff, but a rough ending.
   We sang it again and Lee asked us to tromp out the beat.
   This second time through was much better as a result.
   Lee promised some vocal MP3s for the guys for this song too.

We had a moderate turnout, but very light on tenors and sopranos.

Notes on the November 21^st Rehearsal

Instead of a rehearsal this evening, we performed a gig at the
Villagia in The Glebe: Retirement Home for Freedom of Way-of-living.

We had a well-balanced set of voices for the performance. Unfortunately,
Bass Matthew who was to have been the announcer for the evening
came down with a cold and kindly decided not to share it with everyone.
However, his research into the songs did not go to waste and he was
present in spirit, channeled by Tenor Robert using Matthew’s script.

We sang through the advertised set of songs with plenty
of enthusiasm, if with a few muddy spots of slight uncertainty.
(the acoustics of the very nice room were a little difficult).
New choir alto Chris video-recorded the performance for Lee.

1. Stop
2. Chain of Fools
3. Firework
4. Time After Time
5. I See Fire
6. Scarborough Fair
7. Take Me to Church
8. Calling All Angels
9. All My Lovin’

The performance was well received, and we are likely to be asked back.

Notes on the November 14^th Rehearsal

Silas ran the confirmed set list for our November 21st gig.
The set list now includes Scarborough Fair.
After running the set list we repeated three of the songs.

1. Stop – nice, sounded good, but it tends to become heavy.
2. Chain of Fools – focus on details – emphasis on fool and chain.
3. Firework – sometimes we need to learn to do less.
   Silas went into details of where we should place breath marks.
4. Time After Time – the outro needs to be quiet, but NOT slower.
5. I See Fire – it was nice all the way through.
   Each chorus needs to grow steadily from a quiet beginning.
   The final chorus needs to be big throughout.
6. Scarborough Fair – nice, with a good job of looking at Silas throughout.
   The melody needs to be taken in one rather than in three.
   Altos, Tenors and Basses must not let the rhythm stop.
7. Take Me to Church – everyone needs to be silent for the guys’ “Take me”!
8. Calling All Angels – Silas focused on picky details of shaping the sounds;
   the ladies need to start phrases quietly and grow them.
9. All My Lovin’ – very nice phrasing this time through.

After completing the set list for the gig, we repeated three songs.

1. Time After Time – worked on fixing the intro and choruses.
2. Chain of Fools – we worked on shaping phrases, and on the guy solos.
3. Stop – nice, sounded good, but it tends to become heavy.

We had a moderately good turnout for this rehearsal,
this time with only 3 sopranos, but 4 tenors and 6 basses.

Notes on the November 7^th Rehearsal

The main focus for this rehearsal was the songs for our upcoming November 21st gig.
The proposed set list remains the same for now, although we may add one song.
Silas started out with the intent to run the proposed set list from end to end.

1. Stop – it sounded great the first time through.
   Silas then had us sing it with everyone mixed up on stage.
   We are very together when we listen to each other.
2. Chain of Fools – clarity and diction are the important things.
3. Firework – Silas was very pleased with the dynamics.
   We need a very careful accent on the “Ah” each time.
4. Fire and Rain – it sounded great, but we need to watch our air and rhythm.
   We then sang it again with Andra recording on her iPhone.
5. Time After Time – we need to be aware of the interplay of the parts.
6. I See Fire – it was really great, but need more in the choruses,
   each of which needs to grow from a small start to a big finish.
7. Take Me to Church – it was good, but we dropped significantly.
8. Calling All Angels – it was beautiful, but we need to follow Silas’ lead.
9. All My Lovin’ – Silas decided to skip this one in favour of Scarborough Fair.
10. Scarborough Fair – we worked on the ending of the song.
    Silas asking for the Latin phrases to be kept very relaxed and to tempo.

We had a moderately good turnout for this rehearsal,
but with only 3 sopranos and 3 tenors supported by 5 basses.

Rehearsals in October 2018

Notes on the October 31^st Rehearsal

Once again we started out working on our newest song: Fire and Rain.
We recapitulated up to the first outro, then learned the outro solidly.
We then did two full run throughs of the song working on details.

We then moved on to work on two of the songs on
the proposed set list for our upcoming November 21st gig.

1. I See Fire – Silas focused on shaping the phrases throughout.
   It was nice but Silas tried taking it way too fast.
2. Calling All Angels – We sang through this twice, Silas focusing on shaping.

We had a moderate Halloween evening turnout for this rehearsal.
However, only 2 sopranos and 3 tenors, but 5 basses.

Notes on the October 24^th Rehearsal

We spent the bulk of the rehearsal working on our newest song:
Fire and Rain by James Taylor.
We recapitulated what we had learned last week through to verse 3a.
By the break we had reached the first outro, but with some difficulty.
Silas finally called a halt when we reached the second outro.

We then moved on to work on two of the songs on
the proposed set list for our upcoming November 21st gig.

1. I See Fire – Silas did a whole lot of note picking.
   We then worked hard on dynamics, breathing, and phrasing for the whole song.
   For the last run through Silas demanded that we watch him carefully,
   and he then proceeded to experiment with the dynamics at each chorus.
2. Scarborough Fair – Silas asking for the Latin phrases
   to have an emphasis on the first beat.
   We did one run through after which Silas focused on the ending.

We had a moderately good turnout for this rehearsal.
However, only 4 sopranos, 4 tenors, and 4 basses.

Notes on the October 17^th Rehearsal

We spent the bulk of the rehearsal workking on a brand new song
that Lee has just produced: Fire and Rain by James Taylor.
We learned through to the end of verse 2a, albeit with some rough spots.
At Lee’s request we then sang what we had learned for a recording by
Deborah MacAskill on her cellphone. Lee is dying to hear her arrangement.
It sounded pretty good for only being in such an early stage of learning.

We then moved on to work on three of the songs on
the proposed set list for our upcoming November 21st gig.

1. Stop – Silas took it fast to help reveal problem areas.
   At the end he said that it was nice and sounded good.
2. I See Fire – we stumbled in the transition into the bridge;
   otherwise it seemed to go really well. At Lee’s request Deborah
   recorded this song too, but ran out of space before the end.
3. Calling All Angels – Silas said that it was nice and sounded really beautiful.

At the end of the rehearsal Silas admonished us for talking
during the rehearsal, which seriously interferes with his concentration.
He then finished by saying that it had been seriously good work from everybody.

We had a moderately good turnout for this rehearsal.
Alas, the sopranos were once again seriously thin on the ground,
but those present made up for their lack of numbers with quality.

Notes on the October 10^th Rehearsal

Silas used this rehearsal to run through the probable
set list for our upcoming November 21st gig.

1. Stop – it was nice, and Silas worked on details within the parts.
2. Chain of Fools – it sounded good, and Silas worked on details within the parts.
   Silas also spent time focusing on the vowels and phrasing.
3. Firework – this was good, and Silas worked on expressiveness and phrasing.
4. Time After Time – we did a quick run through to take us to the break.
5. Scarborough Fair – Silas took it slower than the last time we sang it.
   Silas then worked on the phrasing and explored different tempos.
6. I See Fire – we had a great run through and moved on immediately.
7. Take Me to Church – we had a good run through, then fixed some words.
8. Calling All Angels – Silas said that it sounded beautiful and that people will cry.
9. All My Lovin’ – we had a great run through to end the rehearsal,
   with Silas reminding us to emphasize the melody when it is in our part.

We had a medium light turnout at the start of the rehearsal, but it grew.
Another week with very few sopranos (4) and guys (4 x T & 3 x B).

Notes on the October 3^rd Rehearsal

Silas started the rehearsal working on our newest songs, then
tackled songs that we are likely to sing at the November 21st gig.

1. Scarborough Fair – after a quick run-through we worked on the ending.
   We have effectively relearned this song, so now need to add interpretation.
2. I See Fire – we worked through the song piecemeal to address details.
   Everyone has sections where they need to study the MP3s.
   We also need to add the dynamic markings Silas gave us to our scores.
3. All My Lovin’ – we worked through focusing on details to the break.
   After the break we revisited the song, focusing on how the melody
   moves from part to part; We need to sing out when we have it,
   and make sure we can hear other parts when they have the melody.
4. Calling All Angels – Silas said that it sounded beautiful.
   He focused on the inner parts, to achieve a dynamic balance among them,
   as well as introducing ways to enhance the phrasing through each section.
5. Stop – with Silas focusing on phrasing throughout.
   Silas then proceeded to be seriously picky about details.

A reminder to mark in Silas’s dynamics on the scores we worked on.

We had an OK turnout for the rehearsal, but light on sopranos and guys.

Rehearsals in September 2018

Notes on the September 26^th Rehearsal

Lee decided that she wanted to bring back Scarborough Fair
so Silas spent much of the rehearsal working on this song,
which was new to about half of the choir members present.

However, Silas began the rehearsal by revisiting the newest song, I See Fire.
Silas started with a quick run through of the entire song, and was pleased
with how well we responded to his direction – people were watching!
We then did another full performance with Andra recording on her cell-phone
at Lee’s request so that she could hear how her arrangement is sounding.
This went really well and sounded great, but Silas wants to figure out the ending.

Silas then proceeded to work on Scarborough Fair
By the break we had learned up to verse 3A, and continuing on after
the break we managed to learn the whole song well enough to run it.

Silas then run through three of the songs we will probably
sing at our upcoming gig on November 21^st:

1. Chain of Fools – it was nice and sounded good.
2. Time After Time – a good run through,
   and Silas was pleased with how well we watched him throughout.
3. Stop – this also sounded really good.
   Silas then proceeded to be seriously picky about details.

Silas ended the rehearsal with a final run through of Scarborough Fair.
He was very pleased with how it sounded, and how we responded to his direction.
Silas says that he still needs to figure out the ending before next week.

We had a somewhat light turnout for this rehearsal;
notably only six guys and four (later five) sopranos.

Notes on the September 19^th Rehearsal

Silas continued teaching us the latest song, I See Fire.
Silas revisited everything we had learned thus far before tackling the bridge.
We stumbled badly there on the first run through so Silas worked on details.
After getting on top of the bridge he went on to teaching the outro.
We finished with a complete run-through, including some dynamics.

Silas decided to end the rehearsal with a run through of
five of our current songs. In the event we had spent more time
than he anticipated on I See Fire and only had time
for the first three, leaving the last two unsung.

1. Chain of Fools – the tempo was a little slow.
2. Firework – nice, with a really cool ending.
3. Stop – nice; took it fast and it was lots of fun.
4. Hallelujah – we ran out of time and didn’t sing it.
5. Time After Time – we ran out of time and didn’t sing it.

Silas told us that Lee wants to bring back Scarborough Fair.
Lee is apparently reworking her arrangement, so don’t fixate on the
version that is currently on the web site. However, Silas is hoping
to be able to dive into this song next week, so take a look anyway.

We had a fairly modest turnout for this rehearsal,
but all our recent newcomers really enjoyed settling in.

Notes on the September 12^th Rehearsal

Silas took the reins from Lee for teaching us her latest song, I See Fire.
Silas recapitulated what Lee had taught us in the previous two weeks,
and then started working on the bridge. We finished at the outro.

Silas finished the rehearsal with quick (in some cases really quick)
run throughs of two of our songs, followed by a third for luck.

1. All My Lovin’ – Silas described it as nice,
   even though we took it rather fast once again.
2. Calling All Angels – Silas described it as very nice,
   and was extremely pleased with our soft singing.
3. Close Your Eyes – to end the rehearsal with a crowd pleaser.
   Silas took it extremely fast, but we managed it nicely all the same.

We had a somewhat small turnout initially, which grew by the end.
Once again we had some new members trying the choir for the first time.

Notes on the September 5^th Rehearsal

Lee was here for another week and spent most of the rehearsal
continuing to teach us her latest song, I See Fire.
We recapitulated what we had learned the previous week,
and then worked through to the end of chorus 1.

Lee was once again delighted with the progress we made,
but was slightly sad to have to leave teaching the bridge to Silas.
Silas was present for this rehearsal to learn the song too.

We finished the rehearsal with a run through of Take Me to Church.
We were in wonderful form and really enjoyed ourselves.
Lee’s response was, “Whoa! That was something.”

Lee had also arranged to have a photographer present,
and she spent the entire rehearsal capturing choir images.

We had another terrific turnout for Lee this week,
and again some new members met her in person for the first time.

Rehearsals in August 2018

Notes on the August 29^th Rehearsal

Lee was here with her latest new song, I See Fire by Ed Sheeran.
We spent the entire rehearsal starting to learn the song,
and reached as far as the end of the first verse.

Lee was delighted with the progress we made.

We had a terrific turnout for Lee this week,
and a number of new members met her in person for the first time.

Notes on the August 22^nd Rehearsal

Silas started the rehearsal with a quick run through of Chain of Fools.
We worked through the entire song, cleaning up notes and dynamics.

We then worked on our other revival Time After Time.
It was really very good, so Silas became extremely picky!
He focused on some wonky notes and phrasing through the song.

We ended the first half of the rehearsal with With a Little Help.
We hadn’t sung this since June and we were somewhat rusty.
Silas also decided to try it at a slower tempo than usual.

Silas picked several songs to work on in the second half of the rehearsal:

1. Calling All Angels – Silas focused on really picky details.
   We are very familiar with this song, but still managed to drop by the end.
2. Here Comes the Sun – which Silas tried for the first time last week.
   Silas focused on details, but also on the need not to
   start rushing when we begin a section of syncopation.
3. You Gotta Be – which ran fairly smoothly.
   Silas was pleased that it felt easier than it did last week.
4. Take Me to Church – which sounded absolutely great.
   Silas zeroed in on which notes to emphasize, and where to breathe.

We had a small summer turnout that grew through the rehearsal,
as well as welcoming another potential new voice to the choir.

Notes on the August 15^th Rehearsal

Silas again started the rehearsal teaching us Lee’s latest revival, Chain of Fools.
We worked through the entire song, cleaning up notes and dynamics.

We then worked on our other revival Time After Time.
Silas focused on dynamics and expressive arcs through the song.

We ended the first half of the rehearsal with Calling All Angels.
Silas focused on dynamics and shaping, describing it as “Really nice.”

We spent the second half of the rehearsal on requested songs:

1. Here Comes the Sun – which Silas has never done with us,
   and which the choir hasn’t sung since our annual concert last year!
   We were able to relearn the entire song quickly, enabling Silas to focus on notes.
2. Close Your Eyes – one quick run through.
   Because most of us were off book, Silas was able to have fun with dynamics.
3. Missing You – which Silas took really fast.
   Nevertheless, we were able to make it work through the whole song.
4. Hallelujah – one good run through to end the rehearsal.
   Silas again made us watch him for improvised dynamics.

We had a surprisingly good summer turnout for this rehearsal,
as well as welcoming several potential new voices to the choir.

Notes on the August 8^th Rehearsal

Silas again started the rehearsal teaching us Lee’s latest revival, Chain of Fools.
We worked through the entire song, cleaning up notes,
and also starting to pay attention to interpretive phrasing.

We then worked on If I Could Turn Back Time until the break.
Silas focused on notes and phrasing, and on articulating the words.

We spent the second half of the rehearsal on requested songs:

1. Time After Time – short notes not too clipped: solid.
2. All My Lovin’ – it was absolutely great,
   even though we took it fast, fast, fast!
3. Firework – cleaned up some notes and the expressiveness.
4. Mercy – went extremely well,
   especially for not having sung it for so long.
5. You Gotta Be – nice after not singing it for a while.
   Unfortunately we managed to drop nearly a whole tone.
6. Gravity – really, really nice.

We had a good summer turnout for this rehearsal.

Notes on the August 1^st Rehearsal

Silas spent most of this rehearsal teaching us Lee’s latest revival,
a much simplified rearrangement of Chain of Fools.
This simplified arrangement is for the next NAC Instant Choir at the end of August.
Thereafter she will probably give us a more sophisticated arrangement.
Silas managed to teach us the entire song before the end of the rehearsal.

We then sang once through each of three songs to end the rehearsal.

1. Time After Time – really nice.
2. Papa Was a Rolling Stone – cool.
   It went really well, with almost no noticeable flubs.
3. Stop – nice sound; really good!

We had a medium summer attendance for this rehearsal.

Rehearsals in July 2018

Notes on the July 25^th Rehearsal

Silas spent most of the first half of the rehearsal working on Time After Time.
We sang the whole song twice, working on details and phrasing.

We ended the first half working on Hallelujah.
We hadn’t sung this in a while so Silas concentrated on phrasing.

In the second half, Silas worked through four songs with us:

1. Stop – concentrating on dynamics and expression.
2. Firework – working on phrasing, dynamics and expression.
3. Missing You – very nice.
   Silas emphasized the need to avoid sharp cutoffs.
4. All My Lovin’ – good job to end the rehearsal on a high.

We had a medium summer attendance for this rehearsal.

Notes on the July 18^th Rehearsal

Lee was here to take this rehearsal and spent most of the first half on Time After Time.
We sang the whole song twice, working on details and phrasing.

We ended the first half working on Firework.
Lee did some cleaning up all the way through the song.

In the second half, Lee worked us hard on a couple of songs:

1. If I Could Turn Back Time – lots of good stuff.
   Lee took us through the song twice reviewing a few issues, notably the dynamics.
2. Take Me to Church – by popular request.
   So much fun, and a great high note on which to end the rehearsal.

We had a medium summer attendance, despite Lee’s presence.

Because the second NAC Instant Choir will be at the end of August,
Lee has decided to return for Ottawa for two consecutive Wednesdays.

Notes on the July 11^th Rehearsal

This was a very strange rehearsal because no director showed up.
Silas was away and we were expecting Brett, but she was a no show.
After some discussion we decided to sing anyway, picking songs by request.

Bruce volunteered to beat time, and Kristin worked hard to keep us on it!
Many thanks to both of them for stepping up, and to our volunteer pianists.

We sang through eight songs and then took a break:

1. Close Your Eyes – off book.
2. Stop – the timing was way off.
3. Calling All Angels – not bad.
   Suzanne filmed this one on her iPhone.
4. Take Me to Church – we sang this with everyone mixed up on stage.
5. Firework – slow tempo, but it worked.
6. All My Lovin’ – somewhat tumpty-tump, but OK.
7. Hallelujah – messy out of the gate, but settled down.
8. Papa Was a Rolling Stone – we struggled all the way through.

During the break a fair number of people drifted away,
however a sufficient hard core remained to sing another four songs:

1. Mercy – we wanted to sing this but had too few voices left, so did not.
2. You Gotta Be – did surprisingly well with the reduced numbers.
3. If I Could Turn Back Time – somewhat ragged,
   but we did make it triumphantly all the way through to the end.
4. I Think I Love You – we failed at the gloria,
   but after a restart from the beginning we made it all the way through.

We had a medium light turnout for the rehearsal, and great fun.

Notes on the July 4^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal because the church had functions
that completely preempted us this week.

Rehearsals in June 2018

Notes on the June 27^th Rehearsal

Silas was away this week so his friend and fellow student Pascal
volunteered to take the rehearsal, and gave us a different approach.

Silas had given Pascal a list of songs to rehearse
and we ended up working through six of them:

1. Time After Time – worked on interpretation.
2. Firework – started out too slow, so we restarted;
   the second time it worked very well indeed.
3. Stop – it was fun, but slowed down a whole lot.
   Pascal decided we should do it again, and took it extremely fast!
4. Missing You – which we also took incredibly fast.
5. All My Lovin’ – a slightly slow tempo, but turned out fine.
6. Papa Was a Rolling Stone – fast, but energetically terrific.

We had a moderate turnout for this rehearsal.

Notes on the June 20^th Rehearsal

Silas spent this rehearsal working mostly on older songs,
as well as one recent song and our latest revival:

1. Gravity – worked on harmonies and rhythms.
2. Time After Time – worked hard on expression.
   Silas wanted us to keep the short notes really short.
   We ended the first half of the rehearsal doing a recorded run through.
3. Firework – worked on constant precision.
4. Papa Was a Rolling Stone – focused on how to make quick rhythms work.
5. With a Little Help – worked on precision for the quick rhythms.
6. Close Your Eyes – ending the rehearsal with a single run through.

We had a moderate summer turnout for this rehearsal.

Notes on the June 13^th Rehearsal

Silas spent this rehearsal working on our latest revival,
finishing with quick run throughs of three of our current songs:

1. Time After Time – we learned through to the end of the song.
   Silas spent most of the rehearsal teaching us the whole song.
2. Gravity – Silas reviewed the whole song with us;
   this is a song that we had not sung in quite a while.
3. Papa Was a Rolling Stone – a pretty good single run through.
   Again, this is a song we had not sung in several months.
4. Close Your Eyes – it sounded great.

We had a somewhat small turnout for this rehearsal.

Notes on the June 6^th Rehearsal

Silas spent almost the entire rehearsal working on Lee’s latest revival, Time After Time.
Starting from scratch because the song was unfamiliar to most of the choir,
Silas worked through, teaching us the song as far as bar 61.

We ended the rehearsal with a quick run through of All My Lovin’.

We had a moderate turnout for this rehearsal.

Rehearsals in May 2018

Notes on the May 30^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal because Lee gave us a break after our concert.

Notes on the May 23^rd Rehearsal

This was the last rehearsal before our annual concert,
and Lee decided to take the whole rehearsal in case Silas reaches
his competition final and is unable to make the concert.
Lee took us through her currently proposed set lists.

The name in parenthesis after the song title is who is
currently proposed to conduct the song at the concert.

SET ONE:

1. Stop (Lee) – “Ooh, so good! Way too much fun.”
2. You Gotta Be (Silas) – “Pretty good, the bridge was great.”
   Lee worked with us to solidify the ending.
3. Missing You (Lee) – “Beautiful; nice; good sound.”
   The tenors need to be robust and on the beat.
4. Turn Back Time (Lee) – “Alright; pretty good.” We sang the song twice.
   The guys need to watch bar 33, and everyone lines up on bar 40.
5. Firework (Lee) – we sang this twice, and then again after the break.
   The first time through we were bellowing; the sopranos were rushing.
   We need to be gentle in the ballad parts; softer in the softer parts.
   The third time through was really good, and the guys hit the bridge,
   but the guys were bad on the pre-chorus.

SET TWO:

1. All My Loving (Silas) – “Yah, well done, so good!”
   However, it all felt slightly sluggish.
2. Hallelujah (Silas) – “Simply beautiful.”
3. Take Me To Church (Lee) – “Whoa, so good! Maybe never better!”
4. Calling All Angels (Silas) – “Good job people. Phew! Wow!”
5. Close Your Eyes (Lee and Silas) – It was a great end to the rehearsal.
   We sang the song standing around the church walls,
   as we will do at the end of the concert.

There was a good attendance for this rehearsal.

There will be new concert details and Lee plans to revise the set list.

Notes on the May 16^th Rehearsal

Lee was here and she and Silas took us through the
proposed set list for our upcoming annual concert.
The name in parenthesis after the song title is the person
currently proposed to conduct the song at the concert.

SET ONE:

1. You Gotta Be (Silas) – We need to watch Lee for the timing.
   We also need to be quieter in the verses, and
   the guys need to be careful with the pitch at bar 75.
   The second time through was really good.
2. Missing You (Lee) – Started too slowly, so restarted.
   It was great: the guys had great rhythm, and
   all the leads came through clearly.
3. All My Loving (Silas) – So good! Wonderful energy.
4. Hallelujah – We sang this twice, first with Silas then with Lee.
   We need to maintain the loud dynamic in the last double chorus.
   The second time through was so good. Awesome!
5. Turn Back Time (Lee) – We sang this three times, patching details.
   The tempo was uneven, we need very crisp words.
   The guys were making the bar lines too visible.
   The altos had problems at bar 39, and need to study up.
   The guys need to study their notes exiting the choruses.

SET TWO:

1. Firework (Lee) – the dynamics were really good.
   The guys need to really study their entry to the bridge.
2. Take Me To Church (Lee) – It was great. Awesome!
   The men have a tendency to drag, so don’t!
3. Calling All Angels (Silas) – We need to take our time with this one.
   Lee loved the dynamics, and said it was really nice.
4. Stop (Lee) – Lee described it as wicked fun!
   “So that was way too much fun.”
5. Close Your Eyes (Lee and Silas) – A good job, ending the rehearsal well.
   We sang this in the round, around the walls of the church.

There was a great attendance for this rehearsal.

Notes on the May 9^th Rehearsal

Silas took us through most of the songs that are currently
proposed for the annual concert at the end of the month.

1. You Gotta Be – need to listen to the leads.
   If you can’t hear the leads then you are too loud.
   We all need to pull back together at bar 75 (outro 1).
2. Missing You – we took it a little faster than usual.
   The tenors are still behind. No slowing down at the end.
   All the other parts need to listen for the melody.
3. All My Loving – we took it slower and it was OK.
4. Hallelujah – we do have this one down well.
   However, we need to grow each chorus successively louder,
   then bring the final chorus right back down.
5. Turn Back Time – great, but will need to really watch Lee.
6. Firework – this one is now going really well.
   However, the bridge is somewhat crunchy and needs work.
7. Take Me To Church – we all clearly enjoy this song.
   The tenors need to make sure of their note in bar 19,
   which they are currently always singing too low.
8. Calling All Angels – really nice, with a beautiful arc.
9. Stop – pretty good, and the dynamics were awesome.
10. Close Your Eyes – absolutely great.

We had a pretty good attendance for this rehearsal.

Notes on the May 2^nd Rehearsal

Silas spent this rehearsal working on four of the songs.
We worked in detail on three of them on stage:

1. Hallelujah
   Silas decided that each chorus should be successively louder:
   Chor-1 piano; Chor-2 mezzo-piano; Chor-3 forte.
2. If I Could Turn Back Time
   Mezzos need to work on the bridge and the outro, where they have to shine.
3. Calling All Angels
   Needs to be extremely expressive, and avoid any sibilants.

We then sang three songs in a circle round the stage, without
Silas conducting – although he sometimes clapped the beat.

1. Hallelujah
2. If I Could Turn Back Time
3. Close Your Eyes
   We need to fill this song with emotion.

We had a goodish attendance for this rehearsal.

Rehearsals in April 2018

Notes on the April 25^th Rehearsal

Silas spent this rehearsal taking us through all the songs
on the two set lists for our upcoming annual concert.
Following the rehearsal, Silas put together a set of notes on the songs,
which were e-mailed to the choir, and are also included here.

1. You Gotta Be (Silas will conduct at the concert)
   We worked on performance expression, balancing melody and harmony parts.
   The emphasis throughout was on dynamic shaping of phrases and the whole song.
   We sang the song again at the very end of the rehearsal, when we were warmed up!
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Intro and Verse – 2-bar phrases (don’t breathe after every bar).
   * Intro and Verse – be aware of where the leads’ patterns change,
   and shape into those peaks.
   * Verse – remember if you have a pick up on beat 4 (“what she said”,
   and “take a view”) to breathe BEFORE these happen.
   * Chorus – make sure pick up is in the same energy as chorus.
   * Chorus – Growing on words “wiser” and “stronger”.
2. Missing You (Lee will conduct at the concert)
   We had a strong run through, with a few detail issues.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Continue to try and make the “Ss” in “missing” as short as possible.
   Think of the emphasis being on “Mi-ssing”, not “mi-ssing”.
3. All My Lovin’ (Silas will conduct at the concert)
   Silas took it pretty fast, and we then worked on the bridge.
   Basses must be strong, and we need to work on expressiveness.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Intro – arc the phrasing (starts quiet, grows to the middle, tapers off).
   * Verse – start low, then grow (close your eyes not CLOSE YOUR EYES!).
   * I know I take this quite fast – really focus on the air being consistent
   and feel as though your tongue is very light.
   * End – don’t accent the cut off, just stop the air.
4. Hallelujah (Silas will conduct at the concert)
   Sounded really good – we worked through cleaning up expressive details.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Intro – start big, then we decrease just before the verse.
   * Verse – altos you can sing 2x louder when you have the melody.
   * LOOK UP BEFORE EACH CHORUS, I COULD DO ANYTHING.
   * Breathe anywhere except between lu-jah.
5. If I Could Turn Back Time (Lee will conduct at the concert)
   Silas said that it was great, but remember the pause at the end.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Intro – start moderately quietly with a big growth into the chorus.
   * Chorus – mezzo 2’s SING OUT! Your part is super interesting
   and we all want to hear it!
6. Firework (Lee will conduct at the concert)
   A fast run through, then worked on some details.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Think of air consistency for wordy passages such as “six feet under scream”.
   * Be aware that Lee and I have different interpretations,
   so she will likely change things in her rehearsals.
7. Take Me to Church (Lee will conduct at the concert)
   It went pretty well, and Silas thought the slow down at the end was good.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Verse – Men can always be strong on beat 1;
   I’ll be singing with you for the concert so I can help. :)
   * Chorus – sopranos remember air consistency for your quarter notes.
8. Calling All Angels (Silas will conduct at the concert)
   Needs more expressive shaping – the leads need to shine.
   Also need a more precise beat from the men.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * As little “s” as possible in the beginning.
   * Verse – harmony parts: don’t make the Mezzos work to be heard.
   * Verse – more shaping in the melody, think of important words
   to build to (oh, but the heaviness, the heaviness...).
   * Remember that in the last chorus we reach the dynamic peak,
   then gradually become smaller to the end.
9. Stop (Silas will conduct at the concert)
   This sounded absolutely great.
   Silas produced the following notes on this song:
   * Intro – lots of energy!
   * Bridge – men please review your part here,
   the “fun fun fun” rhythm sometimes sounds a little hesitant.
   * Pre-Chorus – remember we are dipping in volume on the “hoos”,
   then growing to “too fast”, twice.
   * Bridge – harmony parts make sure to not make the men
   work to be heard as they have the melody here.
10. Close Your Eyes (Lee will conduct at the concert)
    Very nice – remember the dynamic arc, echoing repeated phrases.
    Silas produced the following notes on this song:
    * Verse – if you have an echo “oh the moon is rising”
    then it can be a little less than the first one.
    * Chorus – quieter on the “Oos”, growing on
    “you can close your eyes, it’s alright”.

Silas had this to say about the rehearsal overall:
* Notes and rhythms sounded 99% perfect,
the only thing to work on is balance/musicality things.
* The leads were often not loud enough (particularly tenors and mezzos).
* Often when we would add a musical effect (becoming more intense,
singing with more presence) the choir would do it for a little while,
but then things would return to as they were before.
* At times the vocal tone could have been a bit more bright
(we’ll talk about that next warm up).

We had a moderate attendance for this rehearsal on a really rainy day.

Notes on the April 18^th Rehearsal

Silas was back and was happy to adopt Sean’s in-the-round stage formation.
He spent the rehearsal working us hard on two of our songs,
and for both of them we also did half-and-half performances.

1. Firework
   We worked steadily on details and then split the choir into two halves.
   Everyone felt that progress had been made on dynamics and expression.
2. Stop
   we also focused on details for this song, as well as splitting the choir
   into two halves to gain a better understanding of the expressiveness required.
   Again, everyone felt that we made progress on interpreting the song.

We had a pretty good attendance for this rehearsal.

Notes on the April 11^th Rehearsal

Sean Mueller filled in for Silas tonight. Sean is one of Silas’ musical
friends and fellow Barbershop enthusiasts. He kindly agreed to help
because Silas was giving a concert on this evening.

Sean started us off with a completely different take on warm-up exercises.
He started the rehearsal proper with us singing in the round,
lined up in our sections around the walls of the church.
He then switched us to a circle encompassing the stage and the altar rail,
because he wanted us all to have room to move to the music.
This turned out to work extremely well, pleasing everyone.

At Silas’ behest, Sean worked through our four latest songs:

1. Firework
   We sang this one in the round – around the walls of the church.
   Sean had us try to express the sentiment implicit in the words of the song,
   and for the benefit of the harmony parts had the altos sing the verses.
2. If I Could Turn Back Time
   We moved onto the stage, but Sean felt we needed room to move,
   so had us spread into a circle along the stairs and altar rail.
   We did one run-through, then Sean focused on the second half of the song.
   We found that the circle really worked, and Sean saw fun moments in every part.
3. Missing You
   In this one Sean wanted us to try really hard to personally feel
   and express the depths of the emotions embodied in the song.
   After the complete run-through Sean thanked us for what we achieved.
4. Stop
   With little time remaining, Sean conducted one quick run-through of the song.
   He felt it was such fun that he asked us to do it again, with movement.
   Nobody begrudged the time to do this, ending a great rehearsal on a high.

We had a really good turnout for this rehearsal, and everyone
applauded Sean for his terrific effort subbing for Silas.
We all thoroughly enjoyed this rehearsal, and appreciated Sean’s insights.

Notes on the April 4^th Rehearsal

Lee was here from Vancouver and spent the rehearsal working on all our most recent songs:
Firework; Stop; and If I Could Turn Back Time.
She also ran us through Missing You at the end.
This was to allow Lee to integrate what Silas had done with us into her vision.

1. Firework
   We worked through the song in great detail, fixing up issues.
   The guys need to really study their MP3s, especially into the bridge.
2. Stop
   The first run-through absolutely rocked. Lee said to sing at her.
   For the second time through Lee wanted some real sass!
   For the thank you (bar 99) and bridge 2b, sing into Lee’s face.
   After some detail work on it, we finally nailed the ending.
3. If I Could Turn Back Time
   Lee thinks it is so close with so much good stuff, but the ending was rough.
   After the first run-through we worked on the outro in detail.
   The guys have some homework to do, notably the musical interlude.
   The guys are also hitting the wrong note in the bar before each chorus.
4. Missing You
   We sang this one through once at the very end of the rehearsal.
   Lee said there was lots of good stuff, but the dynamics were poor.

We had a really good turnout for this rehearsal,
and a great time was had by all as Lee presided.

Rehearsals in March 2018

Notes on the March 28^th Rehearsal

Silas spent the rehearsal working on our three most recent new songs:
Firework; If I Could Turn Back Time; and Stop.
This was largely in preparation for Lee’s visit next week.

1. Firework
   We worked on details and focused on expression.
2. If I Could Turn Back Time
   We worked steadily on details then sang the song with frequent stops
   for informing us of improvements in dynamics and expression.
   We eventually skipped to the outro, which we sang twice to cement it.
3. Stop
   After the hard work we had put in on this song last week, we sang it through once.
   Silas was very pleased, notably with our following of his hand signals.

Next week Lee will be here, and Silas hopes that when she hears
our performance of these songs she will be extremely pleased.

We had a good turnout for this rehearsal, with the sections balanced.

Notes on the March 21^st Rehearsal

Silas spent most of the rehearsal working on our three most recent new songs:
Firework; If I Could Turn Back Time; and Stop.
We ended with quick run throughs of Hallelujah and You Gotta Be.

1. Firework
   We recapitulated the whole song, focusing on dynamics and expression.
2. If I Could Turn Back Time
   We started by learning the outro, and then recapitulated the whole song in
   detail, after which ran through the whole the whole song, and it went well.
3. Stop
   We hadn’t sung this for a while, so Silas refreshed us in detail,
   focusing on phrasing, dynamics, and expressive arcs for repetitive phrases.
   We then sang through the whole song and Silas was pleased with the result.
4. Hallelujah
   We did one quick run through, and Silas described it as very nice.
5. You Gotta Be
   We ended the rehearsal by singing this one through once.
   Silas thinks this is the hardest of our songs, and that we sang it beautifully.

Silas continues to focus on phrasing and dynamics to
achieve expressiveness in our performance of each song.
Part of this is following his conducting signals, but the main thing
is to understand the arcs that enable us to shape consecutively
repeated phrases into one larger, expressive whole.

We had a moderately good turnout for this rehearsal, even if a
little light on sopranos and basses, all of whom sang their hearts out.

Notes on the March 14^th Rehearsal

Finally back to normal, we had a good turnout for this rehearsal.

Silas spent the first half working on or latest song: Firework.
We recapitulated and reinforced through to the bridge, then worked in
detail from the bridge through to the outro, which we have yet to learn.

After the break we tackled If I Could Turn Back Time.
We worked our way through the whole song revisiting notes and timing.
Silas also focused on how to bring out the phrasing and interpretation.
We are still a little shaky on the words, which we should try to memorize.

We finished of with a run-through of Close Your Eyes.
Most of the choir know this one well and were able to sing off book.
As a result we were able to follow Silas’s directions,
and he was delighted with the performance we produced.

Notes on the March 7^th Rehearsal

There is no rehearsal because the church has functions
that completely preempt us this week.

Rehearsals in February 2018

Notes on the February 28^th Rehearsal

Silas spent most of the rehearsal working on our newest song: Firework by Katy Perry.

We worked steadily through what we had learned last week with Lee.
We then learned the bridge and the outro – the rest of the song is repetitive.
Silas also worked on shaping the expressiveness of phrases and dynamics.
Because the song is so repetitive, Silas strongly suggests learning the words,
so that we can concentrate on the notes and, more importantly, his conducting.

At the end of the rehearsal Silas called for requests,
and we ended up singing With a Little Help – off book.

We had a moderate attendance for this rehearsal, perhaps because of the
Cuba workshop. The two sopranos and two basses present performed magnificently.

Notes on the February 21^st Rehearsal

Lee was here with another new song for us: Firework by Katy Perry.

Lee took the entire rehearsal, most of which we spent
working on the new song, Firework by Katy Perry.
We reached the bridge, which Silas will start teaching us next week.

Lee also revisited the previous two newest songs, neither of which we
had worked on since the midle of January: Stop and If I Could Turn Back Time.
We were extremely rusty with both of them, and need to study with the MP3s,
especially the bridge in all three of these songs.

We had a good attendance for this rehearsal, with the weather for
once cooperating. Several of our newest members met Lee for the first time.

Notes on the February 14^th Rehearsal

There is no rehearsal because we have a gig.

Wednesday, February 14^th (Valentine’s Day) at 7 p.m., we have a gig at
Villagia in The Glebe: Retirement Home for Freedom of Way-of-living.
Note: This gig has been cancelled because of renovations at their building.
( No rehearsal because the 14^th is Ash Wednesday and the church has a service. )

Notes on the February 7^th Rehearsal

This was our last rehearsal before next weeks St. Valentine’s Day gig.
Silas essentially worked through the set list for the gig in order. Because
of time constraints he decided to skip two of the numbers we know very well.

1. All My lovin’
   We worked on dynamics and expression.
2. Papa Was a Rolling Stone
   We worked in considerable detail on expressiveness, rhythm and dynamics.
   We then sang the whole song from top to bottom, and it went well.
3. Calling All Angels
   Beautiful straight out of the gate – no correction needed.
4. Take Me to Church
   We need to do a better job of watching Silas for dynamics.
5. Donde Estas Yolanda
   There where some rhythm issues, and we need to not rush.
   On the other hand, the dynamics were really good.
6. Hallelujah
   Once again, we need to watch Silas closely for the dynamics.
7. Mercy
   This one went very well after a slight false start.
   However, yet again we need to watch Silas for the dynamics.
8. Missing You
   The supporting parts need to make sure that the lead is audible,
   notably the tenors, who also managed to get behind at the end.
   The key for the supporting parts is to give less and keep precise rhythm.
9. You Gotta Be
   This one went very well, notably because we were all watching Silas!
10. Close Your Eyes
    (We did not sing this one due to lack of time,
    plus Silas thinks we know it adequately well.)
11. A Little Help from My Friends
    (We did not sing this one due to lack of time,
    plus Silas thinks we know it adequately well.)

Please make sure you have your music in order for the gig next week.

We had a rather small attendance for this rehearsal,
only about 25 in total, probably because it was a bad snow day.

Rehearsals in January 2018

Notes on the January 31^st Rehearsal

Silas spent much of the rehearsal working on songs
from the set list for the St. Valentine’s Day gig.
He also worked on one of Lee’s newer songs.

1. All My lovin’
   Silas took it a whole lot faster than usual to see what would happen.
2. Missing You
   we worked in detail on phrasing and dynamics for the whole song.
3. Mercy
   We did pretty well, but the tenors get behind on the third yeah in each pattern.
4. You Gotta Be
   The dynamics were really great, but we need to relax into the groove.
5. Papa Was a Rolling Stone
   It actually went well, with no obvious mistakes or floundering.
6. Donde Estas Yolanda
   We ended up not singing this after all due to time constraints.
7. Calling All Angels
   Overall it was very nice, but must follow Silas for dynamic indications.
   There were some issues with syllabic stresses. Also, choruses are loudest.
8. A Little Help from My Friends
   We need to watch Silas for the dynamics, and listen for mezzos at the end.
   The goal is to be soft but intense throughout – absolutely on the beat.

We had a rather small attendance, probably because it was a bad snow day.

Notes on the January 24^th Rehearsal

At this rehearsal Brett substituted for Silas, who had a singing engagement.
She used the rehearsal to work on songs from the set list for the
St. Valentine’s Day gig, as well as working on one of Lee’s newest songs.
Brett was not familiar with all the songs, but made them all work.

1. All My lovin’
   Brett took it very fast – and really liked it.
2. Mercy – We ended up singing the song twice.
   The first time was somewhat slow but Brett thought it was beautiful.
   Brett noted that the off-beats were throwing us off.
   She suggested that we need to follow Silas and listen for the basses.
   The second time through came out much better.
3. Stop
   We sort of got through it for still not knowing it very well.
   The bridge remains problematic, and we need to work with the MP3s.
4. Donde Estas Yolanda
   Brett took it at what we consider the usual fast clip.
   There were some timing issues, but we nailed the ending.
5. Take Me to Church – Brett thought it was beautiful.
   Brett loved it, and especially that we kept her timing.
6. Hallelujah – “Oh! – Good. – Wow!”
   Brett particularly loved the beautifully steady low bass notes.
7. You Gotta Be – Beautiful and on tempo.
   Good soprano rhythm really helps the mezzos if they listen for it.
   The bridge remains problematic, and Brett says we need
   to maintain eye contact – not be deer in the headlights.
8. Papa Was a Rolling Stone – Brett was unfamiliar with this one.
   However she felt that it was both good and a whole lot of fun.
9. Calling All Angels
   At the end Brett said that it was so beautiful it gave her chills.

We again had a medium-sized attendance for this rehearsal.

Notes on the January 17^th Rehearsal

Silas used this rehearsal to consolidate Lee’s work on one of the new songs last week.
He also tackled three songs that we will be singing at the St. Valentine’s Day gig.

1. If I Could Turn Back Time – for the first half of the rehearsal.
   We worked hard to the break learning from the bridge through to the end.
   After the break we sang the whole song from top to bottom,
   then worked some more on the bridge through to the end.
2. All My lovin’
   We worked on following Silas for the dynamics.
3. Calling All Angels
   We worked on dynamic expressiveness through the arc of the whole song.
   Toward the end of the song, bar 68 is the massve climax to the song,
   and then a gradual diminuendo through to the end.
4. Mercy
   We managed to fall apart completely at the bridge.
   There was some question as to whether the sopranos had the right version.
   Subsequent investigation showed that the parts on the web site are the current ones.

We had a medium-sized attendance for this rehearsal.

Notes on the January 10^th Rehearsal

Lee was here from Vancouver, and worked on the three new songs,
looking to see how Silas had developed our interpretation of them.
At Lee’s request Silas led us in Hallelujah so that she
might listen to the interpretation we had all be talking about.

1. Missing You – with Lee conducting.
   Lee worked with us on firming up from the bridge to the end.
   Tenors need to be robotic and not drag; also be exciting in the pre-chorus.
   We then sang the whole song and Lee was pleased at the energy of it.
2. Stop – with Lee conducting.
   The guys need to be rhythmic, like traffic noises in the background.
   There wasn’t enough punch – and there needs to be a rhythmic flow.
3. If I Could Turn Back Time – with Lee conducting.
   We worked hard on the song as far as pre-chorus 3.
   We didn’t reach the end, and we all need to study the MP3s.
4. Hallelujah – with Silas leading at Lee’s request.
   Lee wanted to hear how Silas had developed our interpretation of the song.
   Lee was delighted at how we followed Silas for the dynamics.
   She said that we shouldn’t be afraid of the spaces – let them stay open.

We had a pretty good attendance for this rehearsal; everyone was
happy to be back after the holiday break and to catch up with Lee.

Notes on the January 3^rd Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal – our nod to the New Year’s holiday.