One chorus concert is in the bag, in the record books, wrapped up. The second one is in less than four hours. I’m hoping it will go as well as yesterday’s, which was not perfect on my part.
In my defense, I woke up with a splitting eye headache, a runny nose, and lots of coughing. I’m already way ahead today, health-wise.
What I didn’t realize but found out last night, the lyrics I thought I knew, sometimes failed to come to me. Was it the Dayquil? Nerves? The director looking at me? All of the above?
All of the above, but also not enough muscle memory for certain lines. Driving around singing to the chorus app (Choir Genius) is a great help, but sometimes I would cheat on a line (never really learning it) and keep going because after all, I was traveling 65 mph and a guy just swerved in front of me.
Singing at home was a safer bet, but when you share the household with another, one who happens to sleep all day, it makes it awkward. So back to the car I’d go, buying too many teacups up and down the 680 corridor on all those senior discount days, while happily singing along to the 32 songs we touch on in our many medleys.
These lines still confound me – War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions. Yesterday, I couldn’t pull up bellows, and I lost the rest of the line.
Also, Lulled by the moonlight, have all passed away. Lulled is the trip word for me. Without lulled, I have nothing.
In restless dreams I walked alone. Come on, Susan! You’ve sung that song 1000 times.
Anyway, I’m hoping that this post will help me nail these lines later today. This semester has been a challenge, mostly because of all the tiny changes week after week. I was supposed to be reloading the revised versions of the songs on my phone, but Choir Genius crapped out on me weeks ago and wouldn’t let me change anything. I probably have to uninstall it and re-install it.
And all those entrances –
Women, don’t sing. It’s just the men!
Altos, only sopranos sing!
Altos, why aren’t you singing?
I vote for more weeks singing entire songs instead of bits and pieces, so that we can learn our entrances better and sooner in the season.
I’ve got some bad habits to break for next semester. Practice more at home with the current version reflecting the changes, where half notes are now dotted half notes, or where the low altos drop down to the tenor line.
I also need to practice more while looking at the words and not relying solely on my auditory method of memorization. It clearly isn’t working well enough.
The songs that I think I know like Great Balls of Fire, I don’t really have all the grunts and stuff down pat. Again, Choir Genius failed me, or I failed it. Half of the 50s songs appeared halfway though the season, since our director was making up the entire medley, which by the way, was a big crowd pleaser last night.
As for the silly choreography, that is one thing that I don’t have trouble with. I guess all my years of swing dancing has helped me walk and chew gum at the same time.
I have vented enough, and maybe now I will get those three lines right today.
Kiss me, Baby! Ooh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Feels good.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 