[musictlk] choir question

Wed May 7 16:41:18 UTC 2014

Yes, my dog is now retired and lives with my mom.  But I am also no
longer in that choir because I graduated last year.  I was fine with
not bringing her on stage for concerts if that was best, but my
director didn't do a great job of telling me when we would have risors
in rehearsals after making me stand on the top row.

Oh, another note about choral seating...  If you go through a time
when your director is changing seating charts frequently for whatever
reason, the best I can tell you is that I hope you have a good
relationship with your director.  We were doing a video last year
about choral positioning, so the entire year we were experimenting
with different seating charts.  My director never provided me with my
positions ahead of time, despite my many attempts, explanations, and
reminders.  Yes, you can rely on other people, but it slows everyone
down when a choir is moving and someone else has to look on the chart
for you as well as themselves.

I guess my point in this is that advocating directly with your
director is very very important.  Some will be difficult to work with,
but most really want to help you learn.  I had a unique experience, to
say the least.  Most directors are open and have the time to talk to
you about whatever you need.

On 5/7/14, Rob Kaiser <rcubfank at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Thanks loads.
>
> Even the choir director had to laugh about what happened.
>
> Everybody loved Nuggett.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: josh lester
> Sent: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 8:39 AM
> To: Music Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [musictlk] choir question
>
> LOL!
> Wow!
> That reminds me of the Wendy Bagwell piece, "Three German Police Dogs,
> and a Yellow Cat!"
> Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 5/7/14, Rob Kaiser <rcubfank at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> All of those ideas sound good.
>>
>> I also believe when learning a new peace it is inportant to really listen
>>
>> at
>>
>> first to get a good idea of the tempo ETC. Also, when I (in a choir) and
>> have an orchestra rehearsal, I usually don't sing full out because with
>> an
>> orchestra, things sound so much different.
>>
>> I need to tell you a good I need to tell you a story about what hapened
>> happened onc\e concert with my leaderdog, Nuggett. I was in the choir for
>> the American Conservatory of Music. We were doing our Christmas concert
>> at
>> the Scottish Right Cathedral in Chicago.
>>
>> There really wasn't a lot of room on the stage for Nugget and usually, in
>> concerts, I would either leave her home or she would sit with mom and
>> dad.
>>
>> Dad locked Nugget up in one of the offices of the Scottish right Building
>>
>> on
>>
>> the other side of the facility. 'somehow or another, Nugget got out and
>> ran
>>
>> through the entire building to get to me. We were singing A BOY WAS BORN
>> IN
>>
>> BETHLEHAM by Bengamen Britton (a very quiet peace.) durring the peace,
>> nugget came running down the ile to get to me. Needness to say, everyone
>> in
>>
>> the choir broke out laughing and we had to do the peace all over again.
>>
>> I'm sure that is a rare ooccurence, but it did happen.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Julie McGinnity
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 8:12 AM
>> To: Music Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [musictlk] choir question
>>
>> Hi Kelsey and all,
>>
>> Interesting discussion.  I will try not to write a novel on this topic
>> as I have a lot of experience with various choir situations!  :)
>>
>> I am interested to hear how many of you use assistance from others for
>> tempo changes and other cues.  I have never done this.  I think once I
>> did, but it was a smaller ensemble situation.  I have found that if
>> you listen to the people behind and next to you, you can hear these
>> things.  Listen to their breathing, their anticipation, and use the
>> first rehearsals to get used to tempo changes.  Learn to feel them in
>> your bodies as you blend with others, and they will come naturally.
>> You may not be perfect at first, especially if you are working with a
>> particularly difficult piece or a new director, but if you get used to
>> how your director does things, then you'll begin to feel music the way
>> he does.  Random tempo changes may be difficult, but they're difficult
>> for everyone.  If there is something you have trouble with, the people
>> around you could help.
>>
>> It might be good to remind the director that if he puts a rehearsal
>> order up on the board to always speak it out loud.  That way you can
>> arrange your music accordingly or keep the order in mind as you
>> rehearse.  Do you keep your music in a binder?  I found that to be the
>> easiest for me to flip through it quickly.  The most I ever needed
>> assistance from others was with knowing where we were in a piece,
>> since I didn't have measure numbers in my Braille at the time.
>>
>> Please don't think I'm discouraging you from asking those around you
>> if you need it.  I think it's a great way to gain information, but
>> know that it's not the only way.  You can use your ears and your sense
>> of rhythm and intuition to sing successfully as well in a choir
>> situation.
>>
>> A note about risors and blind people: if you use a music stand, being
>> on the top row of the risors may not be ideal.  Also, if you use a
>> music stand, be sure to have a system in place so that getting it
>> before concerts isn't more difficult than it needs to be.  I struggled
>> with that a lot, since my director would forget, refused to let me
>> handle my own music stand, and then wanted me to rely on others to
>> find it for me.  Eventually, I came up with my own system.
>>
>> My choir director at my undergrad was a bit different.  Not only did
>> he make me go to the top of the risors, but he wouldn't let me when I
>> asked to go back to the front row.  I asked him because with the music
>> stand, it was difficult to easily use it without it getting in the
>> others' way.  When he said no, I accepted that but asked him that if
>> in class rehearsals I could remain in the front row because I had a
>> guide dog at the time, and I really didn't want to subject her to the
>> top row of the risors.  He said for some rehearsals this was fine,
>> which was unhelpful for planning purposes.  Let's just say I had a
>> really brave guide dog.  :)  She climbed up there and laid herself on
>> the top of the risors like a boss.  Oh, and I am barely over five feet
>> tall, so I have rarely sung at the top of the risors before.  I have
>> to say I am not a fan.  A lot of my listening intuition abilities were
>> gone up there, and I found myself coming in at wrong places and being
>> unable to blend well, which defeated the purpose of him putting me
>> there in the first place.
>>
>> Anyway, I wish you luck in your choirs everyone.
>>
>> On 5/6/14, Ixchel, Jackie <starsandhearts2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Josh and Linda,
>>> Thank you for the help.
>>> Jackie
>>>
>>> On 5/6/14, Kelsey Nicolay <piano.girl0299 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hi Jackie,
>>>> Please write me offlist.  I think I can help you.  My email
>>>> address is piano.girl0299 at gmail.com
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
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>>>
>>> --
>>> Currently Reading: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Julie McG
>> National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
>> Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
>> Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
>> and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
>> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
>> everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
>> life."
>> John 3:16
>>
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-- 
Julie McG
National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16