…was a total washout in word count. I’m doing what I do best and taking the 7000 I’d hoped to accomplish and parsing it out to other days. I’m going to add 700 a day to the next ten days and make it up that way.
You fall, you pick yourself up, you keep plodding.
Saturday’s scratch choir was fun, stressful, and exhausting. The choir director held herself back. A lot. She’s a professional, obviously expects professional-level results, and had to remind herself that many of us weren’t the regular choir. I’m sure she collapsed at the end of the night–it’s hard being that ‘on’ all day.
The fun was learning new music, of course. The stressful bit was also learning new music. We zoomed through the music. Zoomed. Sight reading was a must and while we practiced a few difficult bits, the song “Rent” was tough. At the end of the first two-and-a-half hours, we’d made it through the first half of the concert. The second rehearsal time we zipped through the second half (far more familiar musicals for some people–West Side Story and My Fair Lady) and then returned to the earlier stuff. A slightly longer break followed for dinner and change into concert attire, and then showtime.
The soloists were spectacular, which was good, because the choir was–oh, in and out as you’d expect for something so thrown together. Even the regular members who showed up voluntarily were learning the music for the first time. Still, we made it through, the audience seemed to enjoy it a lot, and we were happy to get off the risers.
About an hour and a half on risers. Let me tell you the pain. Even twitching muscles throughout, bending my knees, rocking a little, adjusting my foot position–it doesn’t give you the true meaning of standing on the risers. I’m grateful that I’d sat in the second row of chairs during rehearsal time, which meant I was on the first riser, and not say, the fifth.
If I do this again next year (which I might, it’s actually a great stretch for me) I’m sitting in the front row. There may be other issues with the front row (you can’t wiggle as much during the soloists’ performance without the audience noticing) but I won’t have to worry about pitching forward or keeping my music out of someone’s hair.
Think packed like sardines.
Yesterday’s morning mass was one of those you hate when you’re the people up front singing. We were all late for various good reasons. Mine was I couldn’t find my glasses. I searched for six minutes until I woke up people who could actually see to search with me. Three searchers and ten minutes later, I had them on my face. They’d fallen from my computer desktop, bounced off the keyboard, and dropped to the wiring space below in the back.
Whew. So we sing the first song–which all of us knew based on the title–and flipped to the correct page. Kevin, our director and pianist, stares at it in horror and plays the chorus twice in the hopes we’ll all catch on.
Yeah, so not the song we knew. At least we’d had a little time to run through the responsorial. This is why I hate summers off. You show up, you sing, and you hope like hell it works. Sort of like the scratch choir but with no rehearsal at all.
Last night was more music, because my voice teacher had a studio class. For that, we show up and sing something we’ve been working on. I’m a little more comfortable singing in front of the group–it’s a safe spot. So although I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped (totally lost the high, which sucks when you try to hit the note and you strain and fail miserably) I made it through. Paul had me go back on sing with my chest and head voice, and there’s definitely a difference when I let go and sing.
The overall consensus was that I should not hold back. I swear I am convinced I will blow them all away when I let loose.
But, ooooooooooookay. I’ll work on that some more.
And now, off to walk the dog and get started on those words. The day won’t last any longer.



