Full on day!

Posted on March 21, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Choir, Choir practice, Enjoyment, Happy, Music, Singing, Spode, the factory floor, YogaLeave a comment

I started out today at the Factory Floor at Spode singing with our choir and another choir. We were with the Boat Band who played cajun music first. Two of the band are our choir leaders. We sang before lunch was served and then again afterwards. It was great fun.

Then I went home for a rest, but I decided I felt well enough to go to yoga class. I haven’t Bern for a couple of weeks. I do chair yoga because I can’t get down on the floor and I can’t do inverted postures. My blood pressure is too high for that. Even so I felt tired afterwards, but it made me realise I have got over the cough and chest infection I’ve had for a few weeks.

Straight after yoga I sang with the other choir I am in. Each song was fun. I felt my voice getting clearer and I was able to hold notes I hadn’t been able to last week. We are learning some new songs and I was pleased that I could hear the tunes and pick them up. I had a really good day. I hope it carries on like this. X

Was that YOU singing?

Posted on March 21, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged compliment, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1881, Memory, Music, Odd, Piano, Singing, StrangeLeave a comment

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

Years ago, I was in my twenties, my friend and I were staying somewhere on a residential course. She was a musician and there was a piano in lounge of the house we were staying in. I asked if I could try singing something (it was before I had singing lessons).

I’d just finished singing ‘Over the Rainbow’ and a man came in. He looked at us both and said to my friend ‘you have a lovely voice’ . To which she replied that it was me that had been singing! Then the man said something like ‘was that YOU singing?’ I think he was surprised because I wasn’t pretty and I had big glasses and probably didn’t look like a singer (what do they look like?). He said ‘you were very good’ again and left! I take that as a big compliment even if it was a bit strange…

Back to singing

Posted on March 13, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Choir, croaky, Found, Fun, Harmony, Lost, Music, Rings, Singing, Tired, Torch, voiceLeave a comment

🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶

After a couple of weeks off I went back to choir practice tonight. I still have a tickly cough and every time I tried to sing with any volume it set it off. It’s annoying because it’s hard to harmonise with a growly voice! It was throwing it down with rain, but there was a good attendance there. The first thing that happened though was I shook my hands because they were wet from the rain running down them from my coat, and the three rings on my right little finger shot off my hand and into a dark corner. I wouldn’t have realised that it had happened but they twinkled as they fell. Luckily the choir leader had a torch so I found them with a couple of other choir members help. I’ve lost weight and my fingers have got a bit thinner. Anyway, despite the problem with losing my rings, and the croaky voice, I’m glad I went out. It’s such a nice atmosphere there.

Singing for mental health

Posted on February 8, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Choir, Harmony, Joy, Life, Memories, Mental health, Music, pleasure, Singing, Time2 Comments

I went to another choir practice last night and we sang some old songs from our repetoir including ‘La Para Deiu’ (I think that’s how it’s spelt). We haven’t sung it for at least five or six years, and if you had asked me what the tune was I would not have been able to sing it. But as we started to sing it flooded back. Soon we were singing in three part harmony and I was getting goosebumps down my spine. We sounded very good, better than we used to I think, and this was with new choir members joining in. I can’t explain how it lifted my mood. People were grinning and laughing. We sang a couple of other older songs, one we hadn’t done for maybe twelve or more years, from when we moved from our old venue. I hope the choir keeps going, it truly is good for mental health, raising our spirits and exercising our memories.

Went singing!

Posted on February 6, 2023February 7, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Australian, Choir, Chorus, Ghana, Illness, lungs, Music, Sea shanties, Singing, Songs, world music6 Comments

I went back to choir practice tonight after about six weeks off. My chest infection seems to have finally subsided and I’m just left with a tight feeling in my chest and my voice is a bit growly so I was coughing a bit after trying to sustain notes.

I did have fun, we sang some sea shanties, including Haul away Joe. A Ghanaian song, a song from Australia and one about a Low bridge on the Erie canal.

Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Bass singers were all there and we harmonised really well together. I’m really sorry I missed the Christmas Carol pub crawl and the Wassail in January. I’m glad to be back!

Performance

Posted on January 30, 2023January 30, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Choir, Memories, Music, New Victoria Theatre, Performance, pretty little thing, Singing, TimeLeave a comment

The choir I was in performed in the play Beautiful Thing in 2018?. We all really enjoyed singing and basically backing the drama that we were immersed in. The story is about a young man and his growing relationship with his boyfriend. It is thoughtful, life affirming, and optimistic. We had to sing songs like Teen Spirit which was fun for a group of older performers. This came into my mind as I delivered my two paintings to the New Victoria Theatre this morning. There are probably thirty pieces of work on show from tonight.

Flaming torches

Posted on January 14, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Choir, Crowds, Dancing, Fairy lights, Fire, flaming torches, Music, Singing, Village hall, villagers, WassailLeave a comment

When I dropped my hubby off at Penkhull it was amazing to see three or four hundred people crowded on either side of the road getting ready to set off on the Wassail. There were people carrying lit flaming torches which Sent sparks up into the windy air. I let hubby out of the car next to the Domesday Morris dancers, they were dressed in their costumes with fairy lights wrapped around their hats. The sun was about to set and I wished I was going with them down the hill to the ancient apple tree to beat its boughs so that it will be fruitful in autumn. They would be walking around some of the boundaries of the village and stopping off to dance on the church green then calling in at the local pubs and the choir I am with would be singing Wassail songs outside them. Unfortunately I missed all of that. But I went home and had a rest instead.

Musical instruments

Posted on January 10, 2023January 12, 2023 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Drawing, Felt pens, Life, Music, Prompt, Recorder, SketchingLeave a comment

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was musical instruments, I drew a recorder. I have a plastic one, but when I was a kid I had a lovely wooden one. The wood was golden and had an amazing grain to it. I’ve tried to remember how it looked. I didn’t do much music as a child and it was one of my sisters that tried to learn more complicated instruments such as the violin.

Oh I do love singing

Posted on December 12, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Carols, Choir, Christmas carols, Clay Chorus, Fun, Music, Singing, the mystery singersLeave a comment

Christmas Carols tonight, a rehersal for a few little perforover the weekend and on Monday. We will be visiting the local hostelries to sample their brews and encouraging the regulars to join in with us! Part of the reportoir include :Gaudete, Jingle Bells, Good King Wenceslas, While Shepherds watched their flocks (Cranbrook version), which is to the tune of on Ilkley Moor Bah’tat. (I think there are videos on YouTube). Its a lovely way to celebrate the season. We usually sing as Clay Chorus but at this time of year we come together with other singers as the ‘Mystery Singers’.

Tuning in…

Posted on December 5, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Carols, Choirs, Christmas, Christmas carols, Fun, Music, Mystery singers, SingingLeave a comment

I have a loud voice, and I love singing, so I’m in a couple of choirs. Tonight we were practicing our Christmas songs, mainly Carol’s for our annual singing performances. We are called the Mystery Singers and different groups of singers come together in November to practise music for the season.

We sometimes have people join who haven’t done this before and tonight as one of those occasions. I was standing next to a new singer and my friend on the other side of her encouraged her to listen to me. That would usually be fine, but tonight I was making some mistakes! I couldn’t catch the tune, I’m used to singing with louder singers and the group I was with were being drowned out a bit by the Sopranos, Tenors and Basses. Most of them already knew the songs, so I found myself trying to tune in and sing louder to make myself heard. It’s funny how you can suddenly become nervous about something you are usually capable of doing. Even so I really enjoyed the experience.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Music