Stay in the Zone

The choir was asked to nominate a local charity for consideration for the proceeds of our Winter Concert.

Please send suggestions to info@inflagrantechoir.com with Charity in the subject line.

Sops and Altos (well some of them) have had the benefit of Jan’s vocal coaching sessions.  They really do make a difference, so please, Tenors and Basses, turn up for your session next Tuesday at 18:15.  You will not be disappointed.

Generally, it is a case of feeling confident in your voice and singing out to be heard.  Never be afraid to sing a wrong note, we all do it at some point.  However, if you are constantly mumbling a wrong note and keep doing it you are never going to correct it.  Sing strong and wrong and then it can be put right.

If you do your part and learn your notes and words and practise at home, it will get into your muscle memory and become second nature and then you will gain confidence to sing which in turn gives confidence to those around you and you all sing louder.

Get in the zone and rather than criticizing your own voice concentrate on the story telling and emotions of the songs.

We have such an eclectic mix of styles and it was suggested to mark your score with an emotional, meaningful word to you that will put you in the right frame of mind for that song so there is an easy transition when changing from one song style to another very quickly.

Stay in the Zone. Some songs have long intros and long outros. These are not times for you to look bored, turn pages in your folder or scratch your nose!  Focus on the Musical Director, look engaged and be ready to come in when your part starts.  With the long outros while the piano is still playing you will be sure to have The Glare from Eamonn if you so much as move or turn a page until he has released you just before the applause.  Some scores end at the very bottom of a page, so mark The End so you are not tempted to turn over the page just in case.

The main things to remember are:

·       long vowels – this prevents the dreaded hissing sound especially in Christmas Children

·       singing strongly to the ends of phrases – don’t let them peter out so the note can’t be heard to the end like in Scarborough Fair

·       Sometimes add the last sound of a word onto the next one like  ‘dim a san ember’ for ‘dim as an ember’.  This technique works well in all the songs.

·       Tell the story – everyone will sing the right notes (I’m sure), but it is up to you individually to put the emotion into the song to keep the audience engaged.

·       Make the songs sparkle and put a different emphasis on parts that are repetitive to give them a different sound.

·       With very well known songs like Daydream Believer, don’t make it sound like a sing a long, make the verses sound interesting and give lots of energy to the chorus

·       Ensure the timing and rhythm is correct – don’t be tempted rush ahead or go too slow as this will put everyone out of synch as in Song for a Winter’s Night

·       Changing volume doesn’t change the speed – if the phrase gets quieter, don’t slow down unless you are specifically told to do so.

·       If there are cannons – come in confidently on your part so it doesn’t sound as if you’ve made a mistake and come in too early or too late.

We went through Have You Ever Seen the Rain and Make Me Feel Your Love.  Remember, these are Eamonn’s arrangements and may differ from the originals.  It is not karaoke, so sing the notes on the page. Listen to the vocal tracks for your part.  Once you know your part well, you might want to try singing against another vocal track e.g. if you’re a Sop sing your part against the Alto vocal track

We also recapped Christmas Children which was well remembered. 

Next week will be Elliot’s last.  Do your homework and we can then go through as many of the songs as possible and Elliot can report back to the ‘Dark Lord’ accordingly.

The strength of the choir is each member. The strength of each member is the choir