German Translation

Hi everyone! Abby Lee translated this for us:):) Pls take a look!

 

Lyn:)

 

Romanzen für Frauenstimmen mit willkürlicher Begleitung des Pianoforte

Schwirrend Tamburin, dich swing(e) ich, doch mein Herz ist weit von hier.

Whirring tambourine, I swing you, but my heart is far from here.

 

1. Tamburin, ach könnt(e)st du wissen, wie mein Herz von Schmerz zerrissen, deine Klänge würden müssen weinen um mein Leid mit mir. 

Tambourine, oh can you know, how my heart is torn by grief, thy sounds must have been crying with me over my suffering.

 

Schwirrend Tamburin, dich swing(e) ich, doch mein Herz ist weit von hier.

Whirring tambourine, I swing you, but my heart is far from here.

 

2. Weil das Herz mir will zerspringen, lass(e) ich hell die Schellen klingen, die Gedanken zu versingen aus des Herzens Grunde mir

Because my heart wants to burst, let me ring the bright bells, the thoughts to sing from the bottom of his heart to me

 

3. Schöne Herren, tief in Herzen fühle ich immer neu die Schmerzen, wie ein Angst ruf ist mein Scherzen, den mein Herz ist weit von hier

Handsome sir, deep in my heart I feel the pain again and again, as fear calls my pain, my heart is far from here.

 

Klosterfräulein

Ich armes Klosterfräulein, o Mutter! Was hast du gemacht! 

My poor miss monastery, O Mother! What have you done!

 

Lenz ging am Gitter vorüber, hat mir kein Blümlein gebracht.  

Lenz went over the fence, brought me no little flowers. 

 

2.  Ach wie weit, wie weit dort unten zwei Schäflein gehen im Thal! 

Oh, how far, how far down there do the two sheep go in the valley! 

 

viel Glück, ihr Schäflein, ihr sahet den Frühling zum erstmal! 

Good luck, their sheep, (sth sth) the spring for the first time!

 

3. Vöglein fliegen in Ruh! Viel Glück, ihr Vöglein, ihr fliegt der besseren Heimath zu! 

Bird flying alone! Good luck, you birds, you're flying home for the better!

 

Meerfey (‘Meer’ means sea, ‘fey’... well, in English it means fairylike)

 

Still bei Nacht fährt manches Schiff, Meerfey kämmt ihr Haar am Riff, hebt von Inseln an zusingen, die im Meer dort unter gingen

Still goes many a ship at night, Meerfey combing her hair on the reef, raises from islands to sing, went down there under the sea

 

Pupurroth, smarag den grün sieht’s der Schiffer unten blühen, silberne Paläste blinken, holde Frauenmienen winken.

Purple-red emerald green sees the skipper bloom below, flashing silver palaces, lovely faces waving.

 

Wann die Morgenwinde wehen, ist nicht Riff noch Fey zu sehen, und das Schiff lein ist versunken, und der Schiffer ist ertrunken!

 

When the morning winds blow, Fey is still not to be seen on the reef, and the ship is sunk, and the boatman is drowned!

Concert Etiquette

hey guys!

so after the dunman high disaster, what we all realised is that we desperately needed a lesson in concert ettiquette. so here it is: (btdubz: these rules apply to concerts in general, not just the ones like the one at dunman high)

1. Mind your time

Make sure that you arrive before the concert starts. This will give you enough time to find your assigned seat. Also, stay in your seat until the end of the performance. Standing up, wandering about or leaving the concert hall before the end of a performance is disrespectful.

2. Stay quiet*

This is the most important rule in concert etiquette. As best you can, avoid talking, whispering, whistling, singing along or humming to the music while the concert is ongoing so as not to distract other people. Listening attentively to the music and paying attention to the performers on stage will help you appreciate the concert more.

3. Stay still

Of course nobody expects you to sit perfectly still; however, stretching while you're seated, tapping your feet, cracking your knuckles or chewing gum are inappropriate. These actions also distract other viewers and the musicians themselves. Try your best to stay put while the concert is ongoing.

4. Alarm off *

If possible, leave items like cellphones and wristwatches with alarms at home. If you really need to bring these things with you, make sure to turn it off or set it to vibrate/silent mode before the concert starts.

5. Flashes off

Flash photography is usually not allowed during concerts. The reason behind this is the flash from your camera can distract the musicians. Other items like camcorders and camera phones are usually not allowed and may pose copyright violations.

6. Hold your applause

It is a common practice when watching  concerts to hold your applause until the end of a music piece. However, this might get confusing if you're unfamiliar with the piece being performed. Your safest bet is to clap when most of the audience starts clapping.

7. Take advantage of intermissions (if there are any)*

Concerts usually have intermissions; this is the time when it's OK to leave your seat. If you need to, you can go to the restroom, get a drink or a snack, or call someone on your cellphone during intermissions.

 

*-v.impt.

 

muacks,

Keets

 

PS, don't forget to check out the post on make up, for those who don't know how to do it.

PPS, don't forget about your gowns & shoes and brooches that we're supposed to bring tomorrow.

PPPS, GO PRACTICE YOUR SCORES

3 april 2013

Heylo guys!

So runs on wed was kinda bad because everybody kinda died at the halfway mark. Haha. (that was some totally insane speed!) However, considering that you guys actually ran, like really ran RAN, I think it wasn’t too bad actually. But you guys had fun right? That’s kind of the crux of everything.

Then was practice. Quoting Mr Tay,“Must chillax kay?” But not too much.

Warmups

physical warm-ups were quite ok, like people were really stretching. However, vocals weren’t that good. Ren Ai and Chrystie made us do the Gaudeamus Hodie exercise and Mr Tay told us to place our ‘s’es just before we sing the next word and he even demonstrated how it should be sung. But we still took a while before getting it. Can we aim for as few repetitions as possible next practice? pls? k thanks. Then after that he gave us a short talk on what we should be looking out for as singers and as artists. I won’t elaborate on this cos it should already be in your choir journals. That’s what they’re for.

Ave Maria

Vowel unification. this applies to all the sections. Mr Tay reminded us to do it again on wed. This isn’t something you can really work on unless you’re planning to go through and fix all the vowel pronunciations with your section one by one. (which is not impossible but very time consuming :P) So right now, the only thing we can do is to REMEMBER that we have to do. As well as to LISTEN out to how everybody’s singing their vowels. Lastly to ACTIVELY SING the same vowels every practice and every time you sing it (unofficial practices) so it’s wired into your brain. Also do not, I repeat, DO NOT do the fortepiano the first time we sing it!! most of the details should be in the second time we sing it. it’s cos it will cause more contrast because we’re starting off softly so if you cresc. or fortepiano it’s more obvious. And last thing, PLEAD for prayer for us sinners(ora pro nobis peccatoribus) and not DEMAND. You need to have the text in mind when you sing the song and inject the appropriate emotions at the appropriate times. That will totally bring out the meaning of the piece.

Ecce

Actually this sounded really good that day.  I could feel the ENERGY. OH YEAH! The sops and altos were blasting the ECCE CRUCEM DOMINI ECCE!! The solo group was AWESOME too! It sounded so SCARYYY!! Haha. Things to take note though: Solo group, the tempo is slightly off. Sometimes the solo sops come in slightly late, or else it’ll be the mezzos or altos who come in late. If possible, try to correct it? (OF COURSE it’s possible!) It already sounds great but im sure it’ll be *woahhhh* if everything is strictly and exactly in time. :D And sop 1s don’t freak out at your entry at section G. it’s super high and super crazy but if Mr Tay didn’t think you could handle it, he would NEVER have chosen that song (although it IS his song). Anyway, that is ay SUPER IMPT ENTRY! It’s a new day! The evil is GONE! So don’t freak out there.

There was once in Prague where the sops who were to open the first song of the four songs we were to sing freaked out and didn’t come in properly. As a result, the whole performance was terrible. You can hear the story from any senior who went to Prague.

Set Piece

It’s quite good already just maybe add in a bit more of the dynamics, tune the ending chords, watch out for ending consonants, vowel unification (yes this isn’t just for Ave), watch Mr Tay for speed and cut offs(when I mean watch I mean eyes GLUED on him the ENTIRE time), run through the stomping and tapping cos it’s a bit messy now and I think it’ll be quite perfect.

Lastly, Mr Tay said to add in the MGS SPARK when we sing ANYTHING. That will make the piece SPARKLE and STAND out than if you just sing it according to the score. to add a touch of UNIQUENESS and INDIVIDUALITY into the piece will make us DIFFERENT from the other choirs. That is the X-FACTOR that will lead us to APPROVAL from the judges in SYF!! So, with all this advice from our beloved and most esteemed conductors, LET’S GEAR UP FOR SYF!!

KIMIE

Performance things.

General performance prep:

Be mindful but don't be anxious. Visualise walking on stage, performing, walking offstage. Have the appropriate mindset, and the discipline. think of the details: dynamics, body positioning, mood. Be considerate to others - silence backstage. Stage awareness - quick walking, find your windows, position yourselves and adjust where necessary. Face the audience, not each other!

SYF:
Meeting time has yet to be announced, but we will be warmed up and ready to report at SOTA by 1.15, and we'll perform at 2pm.

Rows 1 and 2 will enter from Door 1 (closer to the audience), 3 and 4 from Door 2. Row 1 will be on the stage, 2, 3 and 4 on the risers, curving down onto the stage for the sides.

When notes are given, think about how you will sing the first bar. We'll sing the set piece, then Ecce, then Ave Maria - and we'll do it well!!!

After the end of the performance, we bow (3 seconds, hands on knees) and then walk offstage with ineffable grace and unflappable poise. Silently.

Rows 1 and 2 will exit towards the piano, 3 and 4 on the opposite side, down the stairs, into the audience seats. After 2 performances we will head back to school.

Further details will be announced later (such as when/where we're to meet in school etc) and if you want tickets for parents/family to watch, check with Lyn!

(:

See you all soon,

Anthea

17mar2013

Hello! Sorry this is so late.

For practice on 27 March we worked quite a bit on vowel unification, for both Ecce Crucem Domini and Ave Maria basically making sure that the choir blends together and sounds like one voice. It means we need to make a conscious effort to listen out and sound exactly the same as our neighbours, in terms of tone and colour. And an exercise for this would be "mee-mae-mah-mou-moo" on the same note for warmups.

Specific:

Ecce - In general, sops need to be more relaxed, less sharp and nasal and forced. Altos need to put in more energy and effort. Both of us should sound tall, dark and hollow, less bright, and have more space - drop jaws for "ah" vowels. When both the sop2s and alto1s sing "fugite partes adversae" their parts are meant to fit together, meaning we have to make EXTRA effort to match each other and have vowels and consonants that are absolutely together, meaning clean, precise rhythms. There will be some (intentional) clashes so stick to your parts! For "radix david" and "alleluia" there must be an audible change in dynamics. Decrescendo should only begin on "vid"  Some changes have been made to part B, I think, where we sing Crucem and then go to glissando-ing. Note: do NOT slide before Mr Tay signals. Also, changes have been made to the sop line at Mysterioso, on page 4. Check with your SLs for specifics and remember to channel this dude



General things to remember:

1. Vowel Unification (see above)
2. FOLLOW MR TAY - scores memorised or not we follow his beat and conducting. No matter what the composer has written, it is IMPERATIVE that whatever the conductor conducts, we follow.
3. Balance. yin/yang. equal mixture of tense and relaxed, etc.
4. Performance prep - will make a separate post on this.
5. If something has been said before, take note, do it, and don't waste time by having everyone repeat it again. If we do repeat something, it should only be so that we can make the second repetition better! (which we can, and we will.)
6. As a chorister you have a responsibility to the rest of us to be dependable so that we can rely on you and trust that you'll do your best! It's also our duty to sing well regardless of the performance, competition, or rehearsal -this is out of respect for the music.

Loosen up, guys. Don't be so tense during rehearsals, yeah? (: And don't overstrain yourselves with too many octet practices. Drink lots of water, the weather's been pretty crazy, take care of yourselves!!!

Love,
Anthea

13/03/13

HEY IT'S KEETS!

Okay. Lemme just start off by saying that today's practice was AMAZING. Really. Right from runs we were focused and determined and on task! Barely anyone walked and we managed to finish the entire 3 rounds around the school AND make it to practice early! The energy level was super high throughout the practice and even though it dropped a bit in the middle, we managed to pick it back up right after we RAN down to sing. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope we can keep this up because it felt really really good right? Right. There were a few areas that we can still improve on, but judging from the efficiency with which we worked today, I think we can overcome these challenges. 

ON WITH BUSINESS

Warm-ups

So today we ran through WHY we do warm-ups and WHAT it does for us when we do these things.

Table and chair

We do this exercise to engage our core muscles so that we can project our voices when we sing. Also our core muscles look something like this. Just FYI. And please don't laugh at the picture. It was the best one I could find. *Sniff* 

Beating exercise

To energize ourselves if we're feeling groggy or tired or sleepy

The person getting slapped gets relaxed. (Or at least their muscles do)

And the person getting slapped gets stress relief. Kidding. Not really.

We then did the '1,1,2,1,1,2,3,2,1' warm-up in solfege. Kim made a section pulse the doh so that we could keep in tune and then Mr. tay introduced another warm-up to us, 'mi mae ma mo moo'. He said that this was to help with our diction, especially with our vowels. He also said that the 'm' before the vowel helps us place our voices better and starting with the 'I' vowel helps our voices sound more focused.

Practice

Practice itself was another half-lecture, half-practice. Today, Mr. Tay was teaching us how to ... sing la. What did you expect? How to cut up a whale? Pshh no.

sinceIi ASSUME most of you have taken down notes while Mr. tay was going through his slides, I’m not going to put anything up on the blog.

Ave Maria

MUSICALITY. for most of us who are in the main choir, we need to learn when we need to give way to the soloists and when we need to come out in our own parts. Mr. Tay went through this during practice, but if you need help, go look for your SLs! I’m sure they'd be glad to help!

at 'dominus tecum', don't do a fortepiano the first time we sing it through. it's only on the second time that we do that.

at the third line on the second page, remember to CLIMAX at the last ‘jesus’, which means getting more intense and slightly louder. 

please please go look at the translation provided by anthea on the previous post. I’ve mentioned this before but having the meaning of the text of the song in your head as you sing  is really really important especially when the song is in a foreign language. write it in your scores, yeah? have a look at the video on the previous post as well. it might help.

ecce crucem domini

sorry sops but this piece was pretty bad for us :( it's okay though! we can always improve, right? right. 

at mysterioso, the rhythm needs to be fixed and we can do this by subdividing. a lot.

at part F, please don't be afraid to come in! and be very deliberate when coming in. and please don't be late.

at the end of part G, we practiced the slowing down portion. subdivide and you should be able to get this part easily. 

unfortunately, this is the part where a lot of people switched off. it's also the part where Mr. Tay had to repeat himself over and over again just so that we could get this part. guys. I know it's been a long day and that you're really tired, but we cannot afford to switch off. it's way too close to SYF to be doing this. Kay? Kay.

announcements:

there will be SYF auditions during camp. not actual auditions mind you. it'll just be auditions to see where we're weak and how we can improve on these areas in our own small octets.

Miss Jenifer Tham will be coming down for a workshop tomorrow. BE NICE. there's been a change of venue to LT1 instead of the Audi.

bring PE attire. there WILL be runs.

for new members, bring your $12 tomorrow to give to your SLs

for everyone else, bring your choir fees tomorrow if you haven't already given them to your SL.

yup that's about it!

GREAT JOB TODAY GUYS! KEEP IT UP!

love,

ankita

Practice on 8/3/12

Hi everyone!

Warm-ups today mainly comprised basic solfege and tuning exercises, from singing a simple 'do re mi fa so' scale in unison to going into a 4-part split, each section taking one note of a series of chords: 'do mi so mi do', 'do fa la fa do', 'ti re so re ti', 'do mi so mi do'. Our coordination still needs a bit of work, as seen from the intermittent jumbling up of the hand signs. x)

For Ave Maria, (which we spent the most time rehearsing in order to help us memorise it), one of the issues was our lack of good phrase-offs, meaning that we cut off too abruptly at the end of a phrase. If one phrase follows after another without any rests in between they should almost sound connected. Another thing we worked on was to know when to come out into the foreground and when to be in the background, lending support to parts with the melodic material. To practice this we bent at the knees whenever our respective parts were supposed to be in the background, and straightened up when they were supposed to be in the foreground. It made a tremendous difference, and the challenge now is to achieve the same effect but without these physical aids. So when singing this song you must be conscious of when to really sing out and when to yield to other sections. Also, for certain parts to sop 1s are really counting on the alto 2s to provide them with a solid foundation, for example at the last system of page 2 where the sop 1s tend to have a drop in energy from F to the D in the 2nd bar. Remember that this song is to be memorised, with all these details & dynamics & everything in by 14 March!
We made pretty good progress for Ecce Crucem Domini, hitting a tempo of 144 and incorporating most of the dynamics. However with the increase in tempo we must be even more certain and precise about our entries and cut-offs. Be careful not to come in too loudly at section E (Radix David) or it'll ruin the effect.

We also worked a bit on Laudate Dominum where the altos had trouble with the rhythm on the 5th page onwards. Draw sticks in to help you with the rhythm and if you still can't get it, please go and ask your SL. Then, we ran through the SYF set piece, which was good on the whole except for the fact that we are still breaking between 'our' and 'home' at the very end. D:

Keep up the great work everyone, and look forward to choir camp because it's going to be an unforgettable time of fun and bonding :D

-Quianna & Ankita

6th March 2013!

HELLO!

Wednesday - good job with runs! (:

What happened on Wednesday was half lecture half practice. I'm not going to put up everything that Mr Tay went through in his lecturethingything because some of it is already in your MgChoir booklets, and the rest you should have taken down. There are some rhythm/solfege exercises that are pretty good so check with your SLs/buddies!

As for the practice part,

It's been said before but we really all need to work on our musicality. Singing shouldn't just be about getting the notes and rhythms, it's also about bringing across the meaning of the words, and knowing when to be in the foreground and background.

Which means it's not enough to know just your part! Look through Ave Maria and note down which part should be in the foreground when - generally, moving lines. We should also improve on our text inflection - which syllables are stressed and unstressed. Again, if you missed it, check with your SLs/buddies.

One more thing to take note of is PHRASING! Which is important because you don't breathe in the middle (DEEP BREATH) of phrases. Read that previous sentence and do the breath. Weird, right? So stagger your breathing, and keep the energy up or

IT'LL BE LIKE this and the energy suddenly disappears???

Which is not very nice. Also, when we come in, we need to be precise, prepared, and disciplined. It sounds better. Really.

And lastly, Ecce and Ave Maria have very different atmospheres so we need to be able to switch really fast!!

Things to do:

1. Memorise SYF scores by choir camp.
2. If you haven't already, go check out GREGORIAN CHANTS. Seriously. It's that easy. Just click that link.
3. Hand in forms for the choral exchange + choir fees for the year to your SLs
4. Practice solfege!
5. Check out what the lyrics to Ave Maria mean HERE 
6. Drink lots of water, sleep lots, and take care of yourselves (:

See you next practice!

Anthea

1MARCH2013

HELLO it's Anthea.

Yesterday we learnt Dona Nobis Pacem, Laudate Dominum, The Heave- basically all four new scores. Ms Tham was mostly focussing on giving us the macro view of all of the pieces rather than working on details. Here are some things to note:

1. For Dona Nobis Pacem

- Dona Nobis Pacem means Give Us Peace
- Remember the balancing of the chords - check with your SLs/buddies
- Most of it is with D flat do, some of it in A do. ^
- Again, crescendoing shouldn't just be 2 straight lines but *~blossoming~* into the last third or so

2. Laudate Dominum

Seeing as about a third of us already know this, we did this pretty quickly. Mostly, just catch up from your buddies and section leaders, and seniors! Seniors still need to learn though, near to the back there are some amendments to the score that we didn't perform.

Here's a video of us singing it with PLMGS 2 years back, at Cantabile:



It was posted on our MGCHOIR youtube channel where there are also videos of the rest of Cantabile 2011, and links to our competition performance in Prague last year!

3. The Heavenly Aeroplane

- It's supposed be really groooooovy so make sure you try to get that vibe! Here's a video of a choir who seems to be singing the same arrangement as us. There are mixed versions on youtube if you click around.



4. Let there be peace on earth

- Use D for the do

Another video! I couldn't find any good videos of an all-female choir but if you find one feel free to post it in the choir facebook group, or send me the link and I'll put it up here.




In the spirit of getting the overall big picture please note that you shouldn't be following these videos and using them to learn the piece exactly. Rather these videos are just to let you get the feel of the pieces and how they should (vaguely) sound when finished.

Also, if you didn't hear Ms Ng say so, on 23 March there's the SYF choral showcase at Dunman High School, from 9am to 12.30pm, and it's compulsory.

See you next week!

Anthea

practice on 27/2/2013

HEY IT'S KEETS!

runs: can y'all please please please run properly? this means:
1. hurry up and line up in twos AS FAST AS POSSIBLE when jane (or whoever's leading runs) calls for it
2. trying YOUR VERY BEST to RUN for the WHOLE TIME. if you really, really cannot, then you can run a little slower or even jog or something but just DON'T STOP
3. this goes without saying, but you have to run the entire distance. meaning that you can't just skip the last round because you came late and  everyone's already a lap ahead of you and because you THINK we won't notice. we do. everyone does. All the time.

Warm-ups
Don't decrescendo too fast. Decrescendoing at the last third of the (line? Phrase? PHRASE!) phrase is a pretty good guideline for doing this.
Terms to google: golden proportions and tenor syndrome
Mr Tay explained a bit about the second one. He said that it was something like 'tilting your head back gives the illusion of being able to reach high notes but you're actually just hurting yourself. SO it's just better to tilt your head forward as if you're trying to make a double chin so that you're actually made taller and there's more space for the air to circulate around and makes the higher notes sound better and more rounded

Ecce:
At the very beginning of the piece, we're supposed to get our note from the G that'll be played on the pitchpipe
Sop 1s, at C, please be more 'wayang'
A few sop 2s were moved up to the sop 1.2 note at the very last bar.

BREAKING NEWS: there's a change in the rhythm before part E

Ave Maria
We worked on the musicianship part of the piece today. Such as: dynamics, which section has to be louder at a particular time, etc.
Remember to phrase off. Meaning that you can't just end really abruptly. You have to let the note ring in the air for a bit.

GOOGLE GREGORIAN CHANTS. Or search for it on YouTube. They sound kind of creepy. But in a nice way.

We also got 4 new scores: dona nobis parcem, laudate, the heavenly aeroplane song (heehee) and let there be peace on earth. If you don't have them, come to me :)

❤Ankita

Practice on 14 Feb

So here's what went down on our Valentines' Day practice!

Mr Tay taught us a simple warm-up piece that he composed that very morning, sung to the lyrics "Won't you be my Valentine" throughout.

DDR    MF MR MF MR MF  MR  D
ti-te-te  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ta
MMF   SL   SF  S L  SF  SL  SF   M
ti-te-te  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti  ta
S   S  S           SS  SD  DD  S
ta  ta  ta-ah     ti-ti  ti-ti  ti-ti   ta
D   D   D        SS    SLT   DD D
ta  ta  ta-ah    ti-ti  ti-te-te  ti-ti ta

Nope, the ti's and te's and ta's aren't some aboriginal language, they represent rhythms. Look it up under the rhythm section of your choir booklets :)

So first we started off reciting the rhythm alone using the metronome. This is called metronome practice (wow who would've guessed it) and fosters a common sense of pulse. Then we added in the solfege, lyrics and finally sung the song in canon. The whole point of this exercise was to sharpen our rote learning (learning by ear and repetition), internalisation and dictation (translation of what one hears into notation) skills.

Next, we (tried to) put these improved musicianship skills into practice as we worked on improving our ensemble in the SYF set piece. The main problem was that we didn't keep internal subdivisions resulting in inaccurate offbeat rhythms. Remember that the vowel of a word always comes before the main beat (e.g. 'moon' at bar 31), and at the bars where we sing in unison our hearts must beat as one, to quote Mr Tay. We also worked on the last two bars, as we tended to break in between 'our home', did not bring out the cobra strike enough and were inaccurate in our tuning. We also need to be more conscious of phrasing, especially at bars 18-19 where the expression marking is 'legato, very intense'. This piece, along with Ave Maria, is to be memorised by 14th March.

For Ecce Crucem Domini, we managed to cover the entire piece with the soloists! The A section is especially difficult (namely for sop 1s who have to belt out high Gs) as our ensemble has to be perfect, with clean and precise entries and cut-offs, whilst maintaining a 'sempre f' dynamic and bringing out the tension. We worked quite a bit on section H, polishing up on the tuning of the two chords. This section should evoke an other-worldly atmosphere, and the soloists represent angels in heaven while the chorus represents the men on earth. The final chord of the piece also required some fine-tuning (pun intended). Sop 1.2s, be bold and don't be afraid to clash. On the whole, we have yet to bring out a lot of the dynamics and expression that is required of this piece, but now that we have the notes and tuning sorted out we are well on our way! This piece is to be memorised by the start of choir camp. :D

-Quianna

8FEB2013

HI ERRYONE

during practice on 8th Feb we mostly cleaned up and polished what we'd learnt for Ecce and Ave Maria, especially the rhythms for Ecce.

Warmups:
remember the ribcage exercise! you need to have the muscles to push your ribs out so that you can breathe better and sing better. you should be exerting the same pressure as when you had your partner to help. It will help you get the right amount of tension and air flow so you can keep the air spinning and get a nicer, fuller sound!!! woohooooo!!!

Ecce:

sforzandopiano - spit the consonants out, and then go soft, then loud.
the trio shouldn't be blasting, instead just creating a sortuv sound texture. choir - take note that your words ARE IN CAPITALS SO YOU SHOULD BE LOUD LIKE HOW YOU'RE (hopefully) READING THIS IN YOUR MIND
remember to put in the fixed up rhythms and dynamics!!

Ave Maria:

open up vowels, and remember to tone down during the "windows" for the soloists to *~SHINE~* through.
again, remember to put in the dynamics as written.
stagger your breathing, don't breathe between syllables of the same word, or all at once.
SOPS remember to sortuv draw an arc to the high notes, so you hit it from the top instead of straining from the bottom.


for both of the songs, remember that it's not enough just to have the correct notes and rhythms, we also need musicality - the songs' meanings need to be carried across to the audience too. this applies to all songs!

woohooo okay I think that's it! If I missed anything out feel free to let me know. As far as I can tell I think we've been having pretty productive rehearsals lately! Yay! Keep it up y'all (:

lurrrrve,

anthea

practice on 6th feb

SALUTATIONS MY LOVELIES

so this is what we did on wednesday:

warm-ups
we were introduced to 'messa di voce' a technique that was apparently used in the stone ages to make italians sing louder. it's basically just a crescendo into whatever you're singing, with your loudest being smack in the middle of the warm-up and decrescendoing (is that a word?) at the end. so it looks like this:

< >

to do this you need to pace yourself REALLY REALLY well.

terms learnt
compass: range of notes
tessitura: where most of the notes are located
GOOGLE them for a clearer explanation.

Ecce
WE MANAGED TO GET THROUGH THE ENTIRE PIECE! AND IT SOUND REALLY NICE! creepy, and weird. BUT NICE.
 beware of the rhythm on the second pag, first bar. draw sticks, they help! don't listen to huai jin. they help.
A1s, don't be shy to do your whispering part at part B and everybody else, don't just die off anyhow. keep whispering till you have to come in for the actual singing parts
we also learnt the solo parts until B, and they sound AWESOME. just remember that it's not a competition to be the loudest or whatever, even though it can help when somebody else is blasting into your ear a different part from yours :)

Singapore our home
precise notes when entering please! be strong when you come in! don't be scared! be confident, like a diva
pay attention to dynamics, we've put those in to some extent already.
at bar 10, make sure you sound choppy and rhythmic.
prosody is also really important, PRONOUNCE E-VER-Y-THING CLEAR-LY. with enD consonanTS as well :)
at bar 18, come in WITH AN OOMPH quality
and END WELL! just like this blog post!

bye bye!
ankita

30 January 2013:

Hello choir! It's ANTHEA here.

Okay so today we had a choir briefing. Hopefully everyone's clear on expectations and requirements, yea? You should also know the proper procedures if you need to be excused from practice by now. If you  got lost/ are still kinduv confused about things, do check the choir booklet that was printed for you.

There's also some information on rehearsal etiquette etc that you should at the very least skim through. Remember to bring it for every practice! Someone's already left theirs in the chapel today - if it's you, get it from Ankita. Label your booklets and don't lose them please.

Also remember A4:
[in order of importance]

Attendance
Attitude
Ability
Auditions.

So today we had a mini-workshop on how rehearsals work, and then put all the things we learnt into practice when we actually, uh, practiced. Our music, that is. We worked on the last 2 pages or so of the set piece, and cleaned up the consonants on, "Looking to that place, moving to a greater stage."

We need to remember to have crisp consonants, especially on the downbeats, so it should sound like "Looking to that place, moving to a greater stage." Also, put the 's' right before 'moving' so it sounds like Smoving to a greater staaaaaage. Also please remember when to do ending consonants, and the work we did on the dynamics - if unsure, check with your seniors/SLs!! It's important!!

Emphasis should be on moving lines, and when we sing in unison it's important that we're VERY TOGETHER. Like, MORE TOGETHERER. As in. Making a conscious effort to match with other parts and listening to them!

Things for you to do/remember!

- google IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
- begin to internalise and memorise the set piece
- when pushing the pews back into place, please take note that there are markers on the floor for the pews to be aligned to.
- practice on the 13th Feb (Wednesday after CNY) is cancelled as it is an official school holiday.
- because we had such a productive rehearsal today, tomorrow's sectionals are cancelled!! woohoo!!!

As Mr Tay said, sectionals will only be held when they're necessary, and there is something that needs to be worked on. Today's rehearsal was a good one, and I really hope we keep this up, and improve!

Good job!

-anthea

Friday (26/1/13) practise

Hey guys !!!
Its me again, my second post this year. I hope that the first one was of help, especially for those who were unable to make it.

This is what we did:

For warm ups (and this is really helpful to fix rhythmic problems)

We used the tune of Frere Jacque (Are you sleeping brother john)
that goes like this...


(1     2     3     4 )  (1   2      3    4) ...
Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing
Ding dang dong, ding dang dong.

...and clapped the 4/4 rhythm ...
 1  2  3  4

1+ :  "slap" your left thigh

2+: "slap" your right thigh

3+: clap your hands in front of your chest

4+: do the "macarena" , use your right hand to touch your left shoulder and vica versa


and attempted to sing the tune to an offbeat rhythm ---I'll get back to you on that, 'cause I'm not very clear myself


then we sang 4 different variations in canon.

Next, for practice itself...

We spent most of our time correcting rhythmic problem for the set piece, Singapore Our Home

Focal points:
Bar 10-15--- we worked on both the alto and sop parts

Main concept; SUBDIVIDE that's the trade secret for really clean, precise rhythms
Count-sing in semiquavers (thats how it looks like)


So an example would be
using the SOP 1 part------ "one/1" represents 1 semiquaver

12    1    12       12      12        12     123
ci  - ty    lights    will     guide    our    way

1         1           12       1          12    12    12      12   123 
down   these   streets   we've   me - mo - rised   by   heart

12        12          1      123        12    12     1    12345
where   dreams   are   shaped   our   lives   re - made

I hope you understand what I mean... the numbers above the words tell you how long to hold each note. You can apply the same concept to your own part. You may also want to use a metronome to check that you are singing in the right speed.

Bar 18-19--- for all sections since we are singing to the same rhythm
So, depending on what you are singing, another way to count-sing  is by counting in

1 e & a     2 e & a     3 e & a     4 e & a

Below is the subdivision :

1 e      &      a 2       e &     a 3 e &    a 4     e & a    1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Red    and    white    the      moon       and    the        stars

The characters in pink refer to the change in notes for the sop 1s. What I wanted to point out using this example is that while singing the subdivisions you must be aware when you have a change in note okay?



That's the "dirt" for the set piece. Practice makes perfect , so don't give up if you can't master it now!
It's a little outdated but we were tasked to memorise the set piece by 30/1/13, still try to start now if you haven't already done so.
I know the deadlines may be quite tight, but first of all believe that you can do it. A positive attitude and mindset will make the seemingly impossible possible! Moreover, by memorising the piece as soon as possible you are really helping yourself: you can avoid stumbling during page turns, and Mr Tay can work on the finer details more easily.



Just a summary of the rest of practice...
For Ave Maria, (sung in  sofage)
Ms Tham (PW) said that the notes and rhythm were impressive (yipee, you guys deserve it!).

All we needed to do was to add in the dynamic contrasts
- highlight/circle on your score please!

and phrasing (messa de voce)

messa de voce--- (Italian, placing the voice) is a musical technique that involves a gradual crescendo and decrescendo while sustaining a single pitch.^[1] That is, a note is sung at a very quiet volume, gradually and smoothly made louder until it reaches a high volume, then similarly made quiet again.)

Ecce
Also well done .
One thing I learnt is that the purpose of us stamping the pulse, is for internalising it.
Actually once you've internalised it, stamping should come naturally.

Hope that helps
Love, April

our first Thursday practice 2013!!!

Its April, the "good"!
I'm quite new to posting "what we did during rehearsals" so through the course of the year, do guide me along... (●⌃ٹ⌃)

Sectionals

So, basically what we did from 3-4pm was split up to have sectionals. I'll start off by writing what my section, the first 'soppies' did during our sectionals .

Soprano 1s

Hey sop 1s,
today what we covered Ecce Crucem Domini section B to E, SYF set piece, Singapore Our Home and Ave Maria (Angelus Domini). Huai-Jin lead us today | (• ◡•)| (❍ᴥ❍ʋ)

Musical Details (what we did)
ECCE CRUCEM DOMINI

1. As you know it, the sop 1s have never really had a very good sense of pulse... so, today when we ran through Ecce, we decided to stomp-clap the 6/8→2/4 →9/8→ 4/4 rhythm

translated into sticks and "+" : 1++ 2++, 1+ 2+, 1++ 2++ 3++ , 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+

Firstly, half of us stomp-clapped the rhythm while the other half of us whispered the Mysterioso section (page 4, 1st system ---aka stanza, 5-8 bar) 

Next, we exchanged roles and those who beat the rhythm previously whispered the text. 

The whole point of this exercise was to try to instill a common pulse in all soppies. We didnt use a metronome though...

2. Next, we worked on the start of section B the rhythmic "fugite partes adversae" whisper leading into Mysterioso. One problem we faced was not knowing when to come in for Mysterioso.

How we fixed it: Huai-Jin sang the sop 2 part for us to use as a reference point.

A point to note: how to enter correctly;

(1) we enter at the same time when the alto 2s sing "gi", so start to prepare for our entry after you hear them sing "Fu" at Mysterioso

(2) count the upbeat to our entry (a.k.a 6/8 rhythm: 1++ 2++, beats in red refers to the entry of "fu")

 3. Lastly, we worked on section C. 

This section is generally well sung, JIA YOU'S to everyone!!! Continue giving your best juniors, you're doing good ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Problem spots: accidental at page 4, 2nd system, 2nd bar

The accidental does not interrupt the rhythm of "te",  that means "te" should still be on the (1++ 2++ 3++ 4++)







Next up will be the sop 2s followed by alto 1s and alto 2s sectionals. I owe this section to the efficient, enthusiastic section leaders of all sections. Thank you everyone!!!

Soprano 2s

Heyy sop 2s! 
Danke (german) Ren Ai and Chrystie for leading sectionals !
This section is done by Ren Ai;
Okay, during sectionals we covered Ecce Crucem Domini and ran through the syf piece, Singapore our home.

Musical details (what we did)
ECCE CRUCEM DOMINI
1. We stamped + clapped the rhythm of part B to the end of part D
(page 4 to page 5, first system)

We didn't have time to stamp the best for part E, though we did sing through it and made sure people knew the rhythm and notes

Problem faced:
We get confused when we have to coordinate the stamping of the rhythm while singing. (Mr Tay wants us to stamp)





Solution: I guess we have to practice on our own at home.
You could try to use Mr Tay's method of downloading a metronome app on your phone, or on your computer (whichever is more convenient), set it to 90bpm in quavers and count! (clap on strong beats and tap on the weak beats;
e.g 1++ 2++ , 1+ 2+ , 1++ 2++ 3++ , 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+
red beats represent strong beats- clap, black represents weak beats-tap)

Remember excellence is not an act but a habit, so you have to consciously keep working on these weaker spots for mastery!

• If you are using an i phone, I recommend that you use this app called 'Metronome' by Steinway & Sons

After Ecce, we sang through the syf piece to make sure that everyone knew their notes and rhythm. We fixed some note problems as well.

Alto 1s:

Jane helped me out with this section ╰( ^ ㅂ ^)╯ Thank you!!!

Hiyaa alto 1s,  this is what we did during sectionals,
we managed to go through Ecce Crucem and Ava Maria and the set piece,

For Ecce Crucem,  
we worked on sections B to E for Ecce Crucem Domini with text and some dynamics put in.We also practiced coordinating singing with stamping our feet on the main beats of each bar.

Tips: 
It really helps to draw ARROWS on the main beats so you know when to stamp, especially since the time signature  changes rather often

•  You can use the suggestion I gave earlier for the soprano 2s, draw the arrows on the beats in red

For the set piece, 
we worked on some tuning and rhythmic problems. 
We also worked on enunciating the consonants and putting the s's and t's before the next word. 

• For example "rests" in bar 7

Lastly, for Ave Maria,  
we just went through the piece and worked on dynamics.


Something to work on during the weekends/ for the next week ahead 
(if you are facing problems):
Enunciation --- try to think through when you need to place the consonants. 
Using "rests" as an example, after "re" you need to place the first "s" before "t (te sound)" and the second "s" after "t". That would mean that you can't combine both "s" 's and ignore the "t".

• If you do need extra help, do approach your section leaders, we are always there to teach you guys. You don't need to feel embarrassed or scared; we don't bite.
• Alternatively, you can check out an online dictionary's audio recording of the word to be doubly sure that you're pronouncing the word correctly. I recommend the "Cambridge Learner's Dictionary".

Don't be discouraged if you can't seem to get it correct now, learning is a journey and 'failure is only an opportunity to more intelligently begin again'~ Henry Ford

Alto 2s:

Danke to Rui Jun and Kim who helped me with this portion! ( ˘ ³˘)♥ hehe

A high five to all Alto 2s, keep fighting to do your best!
What we did was to run through all three pieces: Ecce, Ave Maria and the set piece.

ECCE- stamp clap clap 

Stamp the main beats and clap the subdivisions. 
It helps to clean up the rhythm which is very messy right now. 
Also remember to count during the rests, cause the "sae" in B still comes too early



Set Piece-Problem spots ( don't be disheartened, they are just opportunities to learn)

Bar 10 rhythm is still off for some people, 
Newbies 人◕ ‿‿ ◕人, you're almost there! Just remember to learn your parts at home okay?

One observation is that some people who are not so sure of their parts, follow behind others, making them late and out of tune.

What we need to work on: 
(1) cut at "home" (bar 15)
(2)hold the "streets" (bar 11) for the full crotchet count

AVE- We practiced the last page
On the whole, juniors jia you! 
Familiarise the last page because there are still quite a number of stumbling over notes that we have worked on during previous practices.

We also ran through the solo part. It was better than the choral part (GOOD JOB!)




｡◕ ‿ ◕｡ General comments for our combined practice:
The syf set piece was well done,only some rhythm problems present. Remember to count during the rests to know your entries!
Ecce was well done too. Good job everyone!
Ave Maria, the notes and rhythm are in place (wohoo!) but on the whole, the piece sounds quite flat due to a lack of dynamic contrasts/shape.