Chamber Choir: Debussy Help

Look here.

recording session 10/18

Choir,

Take careful note that I've asked you to reserve Thursday, October 18 from 7 - 10 p.m. for a recording session, probably at Bluff Park Methodist.

I'll try to remind you in choir today. Someone help me remember.

Concert Choir and WebCT

Choir,

I'm going to upload the mp3's of the skipping tracks from the CD I distributed. I can't remember the tracks that are skipping.

Was it 8, 9, 17? Something like that?

I'll give info on how to access the WebCT for concert choir once I figure it out for myself.

So . . . . a little help . . . let me know what tracks are skipping.

Thanks!

A Fantastic Day

Tremendous job today, everyone!

Super big thanks to Jonathan: Retriever of the Donuts
And Erin: Dispenser of Juice and Milk
Starbucks: Who doth supply milk and honey and dark ale whenever asked

I had quite a caffeine and sugarbuzz there for awhile . . .

The rehearsal was incredibly beneficial. There were 1-2 from every section not there and I knew about every absence, I think. For those of you not there, here's what we did:

Most note chasing work on:
Lay a Garland (Pearsall): Fantastic work on this piece. We know all the notes 93% solid. Will solidify and memorize very soon.

Worked notes on certain sections in these pieces:
1. Black is the Color (Clausen): Opening pages, solidified notes. Some breath marks--get those from neighbors when you return. Go over the notes on your own time.

2. O Sacrum Convivium (Miskinis): Worked "Mens . . . . " through bottom of next page.

3. Laura (Liebau)

4. Garden of the Seraglio (Stenhammar)

Introduced these pieces:
Dresden Meditation (Bernhardt). This looks like a real winner and wonderfully matched to our choir's abilities.

Abandoning

I'm abandoning the outing of the freshman. It felt mean.

I'm not mean.

Well, not today, anyway.

memory test: "Song of Triumph" due Wednesday, Aug. 29

Memory Testing for "Song of Triumph" will be on August 29th.

Map to Hulsey for Auditions

Everyone . . . does the map that is now on the sidebar work for everyone?

I'm trying to incorporate some new tech on this blog site.

Freshman blog report

A certain freshman has a blog that I discovered this morning. This particular freshman looks to have professed secret love for another member of the choir.

What should I do?

Chamber Choir CD

I've not burned the 35 CD's yet, but here is what it will be. Click the image for a better look.

Singers needed - one time only paid gig

Choir, I have this request for 4-6 paid singers on a Sunday in October. Let's talk about it after class if you are interested and available:

A description of the opportunity:

My church's celebration of its 140th Anniversary is October 7th . Worship begins at 11:00 and we will carry out the theme of the 1860s in music, dress, etc. The suggested music for worship is "Amazing Grace" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and anything else you think would be appropriate for that time in history.

I suggest a quartet of strong voices. The participants will be paid for coming and are also invited to the luncheon that will follow worship which will include old time hymn-singing. Please let me know ASAP.

For Meredith

And others:.

Tracks from the CD I distributed today:

Chamber Choir audio links

Look here:

Silence of Time

Simple Gifts

Florence Foster Jenkins 2006

Dr. Kris pointed this "outstanding" singer to me a few days ago. Read more about her here. The YouTube comments state that this is a woman performing like FFJ, who died in 1944.

Tasks in Concert Choir Today

What a fabulous Concert Choir we will have. Such strong auditions in every section.

1. On eliminating some Friday rehearsals with extended extra rehearsals:
Twelve people said they couldn't do an extended rehearsal this coming Saturday. I will take a measure of the group for an extended rehearsal this Friday, from 2-5 or 2-6 to see if we can get most everyone. Every hour of rehearsal is equal to a Friday we can delete. Please come ready to tell me your availability for this Friday.

2. Only 8 people had a problem with the Saturday, September 8 day. We'll see if an extended rehearsal on Friday, September 7 or Friday, August 31 will gather us some time off.

3. We'll need to get music and CD's passed out. Bring a 3-ring binder for your music.

4. We'll need to correct the contact information that we gathered yesterday.

UAB Women's Chorale 2007-2008

Beck, Ashley
Cabaniss, Alisa
Daniel, Kelsey
Endsley, Suzanne
Fraser, Brittany N.
Ford, Bianca
Holler, Madison C.
McNeil, Shona
Miller, Holley
Reese, Lydia

UAB Chamber Choir 2007-2008

Soprano
1. Sam Pace
2. Erin Pair
3. Meredith Foster
4. Sami Ashley
5. Ashley Arrington
6. Roxy Nelson
7. Dana Palmore
8. Jackie Roche
9. Elizabeth Bannister

Alto
1. Katie Movelle
2. Kellie Parks
3. Rhea Reuter
4. Aislinn Glennon
5. Jenny Smith
6. Whitney Cummins
7. Jennifer Thorp
8. Cherith Parrish
9. Emily Fledderman

Tenor
1. Kiyoshi Sccissum
2. Brian Denton
3. Lindsey Lingerfelt
4. Mark Travis Kunkel
5. Jonathan Hood
6. Lincoln Parrott

Bass
1. Howard Hall
2. Brian Bastow
3. Ron Baxter
4. Jason Leger
5. Justin Beatty
6. Chris Josof
7. Chris Reid
8. Andrew Granlund

Audition Results - UAB Concert Choir 2007-2008

Congrats to all who auditioned. It was the strongest group ever.

Soprano
1. Arrington, Ashley
2. Ashley, Sami
3. Bannister, Katherine E.
4. Foster, Meredith L.
5. Fussell, Katie R.
6. Harmon, Jennifer M.
7. Harris, Katherine E.
8. Mason-Smith, Sadie A.
9. Nelson, Terri R.
10. Nolen, Lauren K.
11. Pace, Samantha L.
12. Pair, Erin
13. Palmore, Dana E.
14. Prime, Keisha T.
15. Roche, Jacquelyn M.
16. Whatley, Crystal

Alto
1. Ayler, Lori M.
2. Cummins, Whitney S.
3. Davis, Ashley
4. Fledderman, Emily
5. Fleischman, Rachael C.
6. Glennon, Aislinn T.
7. Hardy, Danielle
8. Kirby, Barbara L.
9. Lewis, Nancy
10. Movelle, Katie
11. Parks, Kelli L.
12. Parrish, Erica H.
13. Reuter, Rhea E.
14. Smith, Jenny R.
15. Smith , Katie E.
16. Thorpe, Jennifer
17. Verchot, Mary Beth
18. Wittkop, Caitlin E.

Tenor
1. Bales, Christopher
2. Concepcion, Anthony
3. Dees, Michael
4. Denton, Brian K.
5. Hood, Jonathan W.
6. Kunkel, Mark T.
7. Lingerfelt, Lindsey
8. Parrott, Rodman L
9. Richey, Jake
10. Scissum, Kiyoshi

Bass
1. Bastow, Bryan
2. Baxter, Ronald
3. Beatty, Justin H.
4. Bodiford, Matt
5. Cantor, Matthew
6. Dowdy, James
7. Edwards, Patrick L.
8. Fecanin, Alexander L.
9. Hall, Howard J.
10. Josof, Christopher L.
11. Lane, Steven R.
12. Leger, Jason M.
13. Loggins, Stephen M.
14. Miree, Harrison M.
15. Reid, Christopher G.
16. Riddle, Jonathan L.
17. Roberts, Joseph M.
18. Schulz, Martin

Audition Information, again

Audition Schedule: Monday, August 20, 2007

1:00 p.m. Singers who have not had a private audition
1:30 All Male Singers (new and returning)
2:30 All Female Singers (new and returning)
5:00 Choir list posted, call backs for Chamber Singers posted on door of Hulsey 308
5:05 Call back auditions for Chamber Singers

No preparation is necessary. Students will need to add all appropriate ensembles to their schedule on Tuesday, August 21 to avoid drop/add fees. Classes begin on Wednesday, August 22.

Sign-up Information

If you make UAB Concert Choir:

· You must sign up for BOTH courses:

o MUP 220 Section 1 G CRN 52001 (MWF, 2-2:50)

o MUP 220L Section 2 E CRN 53342 (TuTh, 2-3:15)

If you make UAB Women’s Chorale:

· Course information:

o MUP 321 Section 1 M CRN 52174 (MWF, 3-3:50)

If you make UAB Chamber Singers:

· Course information:

o MUP 320 Section 3 A CRN 52173 (MW, 4-5:15)

Drop/Add Information:

If you are signed up for a choir and did not pass the audition, you must drop the course by Tuesday, August 21 at 5:00 p.m. or you will incur fees.

Opera Auditions:

Auditions will occur on Monday, August 20th from 7-9 p.m.

To participate in opera scenes, please prepare one song or aria in any language that shows your voice to best advantage. When possible, sing an aria. Please have your music memorized and a clean, unfolded copy for the accompanist.

Opera questions: Dr. Kris can be reached at khw@uab.edu or call 205.934.8906

For the organizationally challenged

Hi, I'm organizationally challenged.

I was not born to organize but I have learned some skills in that area (and continue to learn). If you need help, you might want to check out this blog: Unclutterer. It's had quite a bit of impact on me lately and it talks about college student organizing today in "managing collegiate paperwork."

From the post:

My first piece of advice is to get your hands on Captio’s CollegeCase or a similar product. I wish I would have had something like this back in my undergraduate days. In times of emergencies, being this organized would have really helped. If you’re ever burglarized, in a car wreck, curious as to which cafeterias your meal plan includes, you can find all of these answers in one well-designed notebook.

My second piece of advice is to read David Allen’s Getting Things Done and implement his system. Instead of dragging a large filing cabinet around with you, though, I suggest using a portable file case. A concise review of the system and how it can be applied to a college student’s needs can be found on the Colorado College website here.

Check it out.

Recording Session Results - April 2007

I finally got to this task. Here are mp3's of our April recording session.

Ave Maris Stella - Trond Kverno
Flower of Beauty - John Clements
Si ch’io vorrei morire - Claudio Monteverdi
Rise Up My Love - Healy Willan
Beautiful River - William Hawley

O Sacrum Convivium

O sacrum convivium, in quo Christus sumitur recolitur memoria passionis ejus; mens impletur gratia et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.

O sacred banquet! In which Christ is received The memory of his passion is recalled; The mind is filled with grace And the pledge of future glory Is given to us.

Witness

Witness (SSAATTBB) Jack Halloran

Who'll be a witness for my Lord?
Oh I'll be a witness for my Lord.

There was a man of the Pharisees,
His name was Nicodemus and he didn't believe.
The same came to Christ by night,
wanted to be taught out of human sight.
Nicodemus was a man who desired to know
how a man can be born when he is old.
Christ told nicodemus as a friend,
"Man, you must be born again"
He said, "Marvel not, If you want to be wise,
repent, believe and be baptized."
Then you'll be a witness for my Lord.
You'll be a witness for my Lord.
You'll be a witness for my Lord, soul is a witness for my Lord.

You read about Samson, from his birth
he was the strongest man that ever lied on earth.
Way back yonder in the ancient times
he killed ten thousand of the Philistines.
Then old sameson went a wandering about.
Samson's stregth was never found out.
'Til his wife sat up on his knee.
She said, "Tell me where you strength lies, if you please"
Well old Samson's wife, she talked so fair
Samson said,"cut off a my hair" "Cut it off"
"Shave my head just as clean as your hand,
and my strength will come like a natural man."

Samson was a witness for my Lord. Samson was a witness for my Lord. Samson was a witness for my Lord, soul is a witness for my Lord.

There's another witness, there's another witness, there is another witness, there is another witness for my Lord! My soul is a witness for my Lord!!

Audition day approaches

Audition day approaches, everyone!

I'm very interested in not having most of our Friday classes in Concert Choir. For that to happen, we all would need to commit to a Saturday choir retreat at the beginning of school.

The best date for that is after the first few days of class: Saturday, August 25th.

Possible?

Mr. Bean

Memphis Teacher Presentation

Decoding the National Standards
Teaching Principles instead of Notes and Rhythms

Presentation to Shelby County Teachers: Memphis, TN
To be presented on Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The complete PowerPoint presentation on National Standards is here. It is here in PDF form.

The PowerPoint presentation on Lessons My Father Taught Me is here. Here in PDF. Handout version in PDF.

Handout #1: Evaluating "Experiencing Choral Music" (pdf)

Articles I referenced in the presentation:

First Things First: Selecting Repertoire
Hilary Apfelstadt
Music Educators Journal, Vol. 87, No. 1. (Jul., 2000), pp. 19-22+46.

Repertoire Is the Curriculum
H. Robert Reynolds
Music Educators Journal, Vol. 87, No. 1. (Jul., 2000), pp. 31-33.

"Standards in Action: The National Standards in the Choral Rehearsal."
Kaschub, Michele E. The Choral Journal 38, no. 8 (Mrch 1998): 63-72.

Implications of National Standards
Paul R. Lehman
Music Educators Journal, Vol. 80, No. 3. (Nov., 1993), pp. 25-28.

Composition in the Choral Rehearsal
Michele Kaschub
Music Educators Journal, Vol. 84, No. 1. (Jul., 1997), pp. 28-33.

Using Improvisation as a Teaching Strategy
Janine Riveire
Music Educators Journal, Vol. 92, No. 3. (Jan., 2006), pp. 40-45.

Teaching Ensembles to Compose and Improvise
Maud Hickey
Music Educators Journal, Vol. 83, No. 6. (May, 1997), pp. 17-21.

Church positions available NOW

From Rick Phillips:

I have several openings in my choir at Highlands United Methodist Church located in Five Points South. I have a bass and a soprano opening in each section.

The responsibilities are Wednesday nights (6:30 - 8:30 p.m.) and Sunday mornings.

The pay is $30.00 for rehearsals and $30.00 for each service. The Choir sings with the ASO three times a year. The Choral Scholars (paid positions) are section leaders and have the opportuninty for solo work.

My contact info is:
Rick Phillips, Director of Music/Organist
Cell 910.3540
Church 933.8751

The Big Audition Day - Choir & Opera

Greetings, great singers.

There is much to look forward to this year:

• A great new voice teacher (Dr. Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk) AKA Dr. Kris
• Christmas at the Alys
• Brahms Requiem with Alabama Symphony
• International Competition in Ireland (that one is up to you!)

As always, all new and returning vocal students will attend choir placement auditions--the auditions will occur on Monday, August 20th on this schedule:

1:00 p.m.
Singers who have not had a private audition

1:30
All Male Singers (new and returning)

2:30
All Female Singers (new and returning)

5:00
Choir list posted, call backs for Chamber Singers posted

5:05
Call back auditions for Chamber Singers

No preparation is necessary. Students will need to add all appropriate ensembles to their schedule on Tuesday, August 21 to avoid drop/add fees. Classes begin on Wednesday, August 22.

OPERA INFORMATION:

To participate in opera scenes, please prepare one song or aria in any language that shows your voice to best advantage. When possible, sing an aria. Please have your music memorized and a clean, unfolded copy for the accompanist.

Auditions will occur on Monday, August 20th from 7-9 p.m.

If you have any choir questions, contact Dr. Copeland: philip.copeland@gmail.com or call 205.335.5353

Opera questions: Dr. Kris can be reached at khw@uab.edu or call 205.934.8906

It's going to be a great year! Now . . . spread the word.

Course numbers

I'm trying out a program called "Jing."

It has allowed me to clip the course numbers that I teach at UAB and share them with you here.