Community choir - new comers all very welcome for a joyful sing-song!
Please email our music director Alice Guse at alicelovesharps@gmail.com if you'd like to get on the email list.
We meet every few weeks at 10am on Wednesdays, tea and coffee available after singing.
This terms rehearsal dates for your diary:
4/5/22
18/5/22
1/6/22
15/6/22
More Info:
The fee for each rehearsal/session will be £5, which will be collected on arrival at each session. This will cover the services of Alice and other running costs.
Upon arrival please place your £5 in the box and tick off your name.
Then collect your booklet and pencil and chose your seat.
Please return the booklets and pencils before leaving.
We meet every few weeks at 10am on Wednesdays, tea and coffee available after singing.
This terms rehearsal dates for your diary:
4/5/22
18/5/22
1/6/22
15/6/22
More Info:
The fee for each rehearsal/session will be £5, which will be collected on arrival at each session. This will cover the services of Alice and other running costs.
Upon arrival please place your £5 in the box and tick off your name.
Then collect your booklet and pencil and chose your seat.
Please return the booklets and pencils before leaving.
Origins of the AM Chorus
article by Alan R Irons
➡Click here to read⬅
Practise Zone!
Sheet music booklets:
| am_chorus_melody_booklet_2_complete.pdf |
| am_chorus_booklet_1_final.pdf |
| brians_favourites_melody_booklet.pdf |
Words only booklets:
| am_chorus_words_only_booklet_2.pdf |
| am_chorus_booklet_1_words_only_complete.pdf |
| brians_favourites_words_only.pdf |
Rehearsal notes:
4/6/22
We warmed up with our usual exercises and Loch Lomond. Then we had a look the new version of Do-Re-Mi in the new booklet and worked out the split between the two parts. Next we learnt a new little quick one called, Come Sing. We quickly became comfortable with it and even tried it as a round with great success! We also learnt a lovely new wee song called Banaha which we will try as a round soon...
Next we recapped a couple of Scottish songs which we used to sing a few years ago: The Northern Lights of Aberdeen and The Dancing in Kyle. We added a few bars of accompaniment from the piano between verses to give us a chance to breathe. Finally we learnt a new song: Summer Holiday, famously sung by cliff Richard, we focussed on some of the tricky rhythms and the part where we split in to 2 parts in bar 21. Such a fun one to get us into the spirit of holidays coming up.
We warmed up with our usual exercises and Loch Lomond. Then we had a look the new version of Do-Re-Mi in the new booklet and worked out the split between the two parts. Next we learnt a new little quick one called, Come Sing. We quickly became comfortable with it and even tried it as a round with great success! We also learnt a lovely new wee song called Banaha which we will try as a round soon...
Next we recapped a couple of Scottish songs which we used to sing a few years ago: The Northern Lights of Aberdeen and The Dancing in Kyle. We added a few bars of accompaniment from the piano between verses to give us a chance to breathe. Finally we learnt a new song: Summer Holiday, famously sung by cliff Richard, we focussed on some of the tricky rhythms and the part where we split in to 2 parts in bar 21. Such a fun one to get us into the spirit of holidays coming up.
13/4/22
After warming up we sung through Scales and Arpeggios, Do re mi and Ye Banks and Braes. We then looked at the Merry Widow Waltz, to iron out some of the confusion in the chorus, followed by looking at the timing of the Soldiers Dream. We finished off by singing Loch Lomond.
After warming up we sung through Scales and Arpeggios, Do re mi and Ye Banks and Braes. We then looked at the Merry Widow Waltz, to iron out some of the confusion in the chorus, followed by looking at the timing of the Soldiers Dream. We finished off by singing Loch Lomond.
30/3/22
We started off by singing through Ye Banks and Braes and Loch Lomond. Then we looked at a few songs we used to sing before covid, Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music film and a traditional Scottish song: the Eriskay Love Lilt. In Do-Re-Mi we recapped the melody and then we split into 2 parts and the lower voice held longer notes like a drone underneath the second time through on the chorus, and split an octave apart on the very last note of the song. We also added a big subito piano to a big crescendo for the last 2 bars for a little extra drama. We enjoyed recapping the Eriskay Love Lilt also, and worked a wee bit on the chorus as its a bit high for some of our lower voices. So we decided if the lower voices start the chorus each time an octave lower, then it is much more comfortable. We also looked over Walking on sunshine from last session, and became a lot more comfortable with singing over the baseline and the syncopation of the melody. Another tricky moment is the timing of the last "good" which we are feeling more comfortable with now. Finally we sung through A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes and La La Lu for fun. Then we enjoyed our tea and coffee for the first time since we've started back, very well deserved after a morning full of song.
We started off by singing through Ye Banks and Braes and Loch Lomond. Then we looked at a few songs we used to sing before covid, Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music film and a traditional Scottish song: the Eriskay Love Lilt. In Do-Re-Mi we recapped the melody and then we split into 2 parts and the lower voice held longer notes like a drone underneath the second time through on the chorus, and split an octave apart on the very last note of the song. We also added a big subito piano to a big crescendo for the last 2 bars for a little extra drama. We enjoyed recapping the Eriskay Love Lilt also, and worked a wee bit on the chorus as its a bit high for some of our lower voices. So we decided if the lower voices start the chorus each time an octave lower, then it is much more comfortable. We also looked over Walking on sunshine from last session, and became a lot more comfortable with singing over the baseline and the syncopation of the melody. Another tricky moment is the timing of the last "good" which we are feeling more comfortable with now. Finally we sung through A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes and La La Lu for fun. Then we enjoyed our tea and coffee for the first time since we've started back, very well deserved after a morning full of song.
16/3/22
After warming up we ran through Edelweiss. Then we went through A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes, and looked at the lovely rallentando (slowing down) at the end, and the section just before that (bar 26: no matter how your heart....) and worked on lightly passing over the high notes and reaching down to land strongly and warmly on "believing". Then we learnt Walking on Sunshine famously sung by Katrina and The Waves, and started to familiarise ourselves with the funky bass-line. Next we looked at Ye Banks and Braes, and worked on the quick notes (like 'bonnie" and "bloom" in the first line) to keep them nice and bouncy, and looked at the ending of each verse as it is slightly different each time. The first verse ends with 4 notes going up and the second verse ends with "wi' me" on the same note. We also went over La La Lu and added a bit of space and time after "pink cloud for you" before the next la la Lu's.
We finished off the session singing Brian Lockhart's favourite AM Chorus songs in tribute to him:
The Hippopotamus (mud, mud glorious mud)
The Soldier’s Dream
and The Merry Widow Waltz
Don't worry we will be looking at these again with a bit more detail in the future.
After warming up we ran through Edelweiss. Then we went through A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes, and looked at the lovely rallentando (slowing down) at the end, and the section just before that (bar 26: no matter how your heart....) and worked on lightly passing over the high notes and reaching down to land strongly and warmly on "believing". Then we learnt Walking on Sunshine famously sung by Katrina and The Waves, and started to familiarise ourselves with the funky bass-line. Next we looked at Ye Banks and Braes, and worked on the quick notes (like 'bonnie" and "bloom" in the first line) to keep them nice and bouncy, and looked at the ending of each verse as it is slightly different each time. The first verse ends with 4 notes going up and the second verse ends with "wi' me" on the same note. We also went over La La Lu and added a bit of space and time after "pink cloud for you" before the next la la Lu's.
We finished off the session singing Brian Lockhart's favourite AM Chorus songs in tribute to him:
The Hippopotamus (mud, mud glorious mud)
The Soldier’s Dream
and The Merry Widow Waltz
Don't worry we will be looking at these again with a bit more detail in the future.
2/3/22
A Disney day: after warming up, we did an exercise on the Scales and Arpeggios song. Then we learnt La La Lu from Disney's: Lady and the Tramp, and then we learnt A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes from Disney's: Cinderella. We also sung through L-O-V-E and Loch Lomond.
A Disney day: after warming up, we did an exercise on the Scales and Arpeggios song. Then we learnt La La Lu from Disney's: Lady and the Tramp, and then we learnt A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes from Disney's: Cinderella. We also sung through L-O-V-E and Loch Lomond.
16/2/22
We went over Edelweiss and Loch Lomond which we've sung in the past, and tidied up some of the consonants, and articulations. Then we learnt L-O-V-E, famously sung by Nat King Cole, and made the first 3 letters L, O, and V: extra staccato and the rest of the song very legato for a lovely contrast. Finally we looked at Scales and Arpeggios from Disney's: The Aristocats.
We went over Edelweiss and Loch Lomond which we've sung in the past, and tidied up some of the consonants, and articulations. Then we learnt L-O-V-E, famously sung by Nat King Cole, and made the first 3 letters L, O, and V: extra staccato and the rest of the song very legato for a lovely contrast. Finally we looked at Scales and Arpeggios from Disney's: The Aristocats.