We started as usual with warm up exercises.

The particular aim for parts of the rehearsal was for the choir to sing alongside soloists and/or with Charlie the drummer. It seems from Mary’s message the following day that Charlie will not be accompanying us for the concerts.

We then practised the following pieces:

This is Me

• We sang through the entire piece as in concert style, capturing the rhythms and style of the song.
• Solo at Bar 5 -Bar 12 starting p, sops and altos join at Bar 12, all voices in at Bar 16but still at mp
• Altos at Bar 35 singing f .  All in at Bar 38, with big f impact for ‘we are bursting through the barricades etc ’ in top line.
• Back to p at Bar 71, solo/ female voices
• Unison singing f at Bar 78 to end. Small group singing upper line from Bar 81 to end  

Let love shine through

• Be sure to be in position with your correct group; Melody, Backing 1, 2 or 3 
• Check the ‘geography’ of piece and mark up score for your own parts

For reference this is:

• Sing Bar 1 to Bar 35 (1^st time), back to Bar 8 and sing to Bar 35 (2^nd time)
  • All sing the Bridge section Bar 36 to Bar 52
  • Melody line from Bar 52 to end first time bar and then repeat
  • At p9 Bar 52 to end – first time – Backing groups sing Harmony 1,2 3. At Bar 59, all go back to Bar 52.
  • From Bar 52 -second time – Backing groups sing Backing 1,2,3. Harmony in top line sung by sops and tenors 1&2. 
  • NB. After Bar 58 second time, cut to second time Bar 59 and finish together on ‘Yeah’.

Halima pakashola

• The concert will start with this – maybe as the Response groups walk on
• There are 5 verses. These are:

v1 – Call group (Melody 1 line) and single beat of drum. Call group to extend the last crotchet beat on ‘o’ of ‘pakasholo’

v2 – Call group (Melody 1 line) but with drum rhythm

v3 – Call group (Melody 1 line) adding Response group of sops and altos

(Melody 1 line) and drum rhythm

v4 – As v3 but add Response group of tenors and basses (Melody 2 line) and drum rhythm

v5 – As v4 but no drum at all

v6 – As v4

God so loved the world

• We practised the notes for the benefit of those not singing this before
• Be careful to extend vowels, and shorten consonants putting them as gently and quietly as possible throughout
• Sing with meaning and expression eg emphasise the last syllable of ‘conDEMN’ in Bar 28
• Observe dynamics carefully as marked
• Observe the ‘breathing’ marks carefully, and places where the phrase continues eg Bar 20 to Bar 21
• Finish the piece on rall and ppp
• Hold up your copy and watch Mary – watch for dynamics, for phrasing and for singing TOGETHER. 

West Side Story

III America (p 45 and p50)

• Note changes to which voice is singing what:

Bar 220 sops, Bar 222, altos, Bar 225 sops, Bar 227 altos

Bar 276 sops, Bar 278 altos, Bar 281 sops, Bar 283 altos

      IV Somewhere (p53)

• We sang through the piece starting with soloists at Bar 2 to Bar 10
• All join in 4 part harmony at Bar 10.
• Bar 19 sing through and crescendo to Bar 20
• Be careful to observe the changing dynamics

Les Miserables (Do you hear the people sing? p17)

• We sang through this piece to revise what we had learned previously.
• Solo/Bass voices from Bar 133 and then all in Bar 147 in 4 part harmony.
• At Bar 155 cut to p29 at Bar 252. Start p with a very long sustained crescendo through to the end at ff
• In Bars 283/284/285, sing ff and break after each ‘Ah’. Watch for final phrase together.