We met in our new venue, music room at Gateacre School. It was a tight fit but warmer and easier to hear Mary and other members of the choir. Mary was concerned that we would have to adapt to the acoustic of a larger and higher room later for concerts.

1. Let love shine through
2. We started by sorting out singing parts and positions. We all practised all parts as a warm up.
3. Note melody section starts at Bar 51 last 3 notes and into Bar 59. Note for melody line singers to sing the rhythms accurately and observe the rests
4. From p9 to end – first time backing groups sing Harmony 1,2 3. At Bar 59, all go back to Bar 52. Backing groups sing Backing 1,2,3. Harmony in top line sung by sops and tenors 1&2.  After Bar 58 second time, cut to second time Bar and finish together on ‘Yeah’
5. We practised the notes and rhythms for the Bridge section Bar 36 -Bar 52. Count carefully and observe the rests. Listen to each other.
6. Keep the word ‘through’ as short as possible eg ‘thru’

• West Side Story

II One Hand, One Heart Bar 34.

• Put in phrasing – breath marks in Bar 37, Bar 41, Bar 53, Bar 57, Bar 59 (crescendo in Bar 58), Bar 63, Bar 65.
• At Bar 66, sing pp. Keep the ‘s’ at the end of hands and hearts as short and quiet as possible.
• From Bar 74, note the phrasing and breath marks – Bar 77, Bar 81, Bar 83, Bar 87, Bar 89. Sing through and crescendo Bar 85 to 86. Note breathing in Bar 93 for top parts and for men
• Sops and altos practised the 3part harmony Bar 85 – end. For top sops, Bar 94 to end sing very high notes on open vowel.

IV Somewhere p53

• We sang through this piece to check notes and rhythms. For the word ‘place’ keep the ‘ce’ as late as possible

• Halima pakashola
• We learned this new piece. For now, first time round sops sing the ‘call’ and altos sing the ‘response’ from the melody 1 line.
• T&B to sing the accompaniment from melody 2 line for 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th times

• Gypsy Rover
• We learned the notes and rhythms for this piece and how parts fit together.
• Note mp at Bar 14
• Basses and tenors sing out the tune throughout with crisp dotted notes
• Note key change at the bottom of p3

• The beat of a different drum
• Note which part is singing in each line
• Men to sing out the words over the ‘dum tikka’ accompaniment.
• Throughout – count, observe the rests and the rhythms
• Watch the page turn p7/8