Posts Tagged ‘Music’
Easter Music
Posted on: 02/04/2013
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I promised you more about my musical shenanigans… and it’s been a very interesting couple of months on that front. In a good way! (It’s rare for me to not enjoy anything involving music. Unless it’s rap or hip-hop, of course. Oh, and terrible 90s club music. Ugh.)
The bad news is, our choir’s professional conductor fell ill and had to take time off for a couple of months. The good news is, he’s now fine. And in the meantime the choir kindly let me have a go at the helm. So I spent Friday afternoons waving at the piano to the music, Friday evenings waving at the choir singing the music, and finally last week waving at the choir performing the music in concert.
Steep learning curve doesn’t even begin to describe it. I had to re-learn how to conduct properly rather than just keep a beat ticking (even that was back in my student days), and I had to really know the music. As someone who’s been lucky enough for sight-reading to come naturally, that was a surprise.
But it was so worth it. I enjoyed the experience immensely. If I’m not mistaken and people did honestly appreciate and enjoy the concert, I was OK at it too.
And, even though I could never keep that kind of thing up while the kids are still young, it did ignite a spark of ambition to take this more seriously some time in the not-too-distant future.
I feel a summer school coming on one day …
Saturday music: No regrets
Posted on: 18/06/2011
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Remember my last post? Anticipating a no-show on my first singalong day?
Well it turned out just fine in the end. Totally not what I expected – it was supposed to be all about grown-ups doing grown-up music and playing grown-up instruments and singing grown-up songs.
What did we do instead? Kids songs.
Well, there were more children there than there were adults. And they didn’t want to join in if they couldn’t have some kiddie songs they liked. And we would have had virtually nobody if they hadn’t joined in. So kids songs it was.
Thankfully, I have some excellent Sandra Boynton music that everyone enjoyed. Top of the hit list was ‘I want to be your personal penguin’, and everyone strummed and sang and bashed and rattled. Great stuff.
Next time, however, I am hoping for more grown-up stuff. The kids are keen to play board games in the next room, and they can do that if they aren’t pretty much the only ones there. They are particularly keen to play with other kids that turn up. And I am particularly keen that they give us grown-ups some space to enjoy ourselves. On our terms.
So, though I have no regrets, next time I am looking forward to singing some grown-up songs. With grown-ups.
Can’t wait.
Ego blog: Me-time approaching
Posted on: 16/06/2011
I write this on the eve of a work-based trip to Manchester. A colleague is doing the driving; all I have to do is take in the sights – mostly of traffic jams on the M6 – and I get around 40 hours away from small people and loved one.
It’s at times like this that I have to remember who I am without all that other baggage. If I don’t identify myself as a mum, or as a wife, what I have left is music (not what the trip is about) and my training (entirely what the trip is about). I am going to spend two whole days behaving like an adult, or at least, behaving as if I were the most important person that I have to deal with on a regular basis.
Image courtesy of the NCT
If I have music and antenatal teaching to outwardly define me when I’m out on my own, what does that mean? I am using the words as if they were labels. I feel strongly that they are not, but nevertheless they are the two most important things in my life after family.
Since this trip is all about antenatal teaching – a study day and a national forum – perhaps I should try to work out why that in particular is so important to me. Earning money as an antenatal teacher is a bit of a joke; unless you compromise on family life, it’s very difficult to work for more than sixteen hours a month or thereabouts, and it’s quite difficult to manage even that much with the current bookings system. So, it couldn’t possibly be about the money.
Image courtesy of the NCT
What teaching antenatal classes means to me is the opportunity to help people find their way through such a special time in their lives. They come to the first class anxious, scared, knowing very little, and by the time they leave to have their babies, they feel revved up and ready to face the challenges and wonders that make up childbirth and becoming a parent. It’s amazing to be able to give people the tools to help themselves through what can sometimes be a very difficult period, and to see them make friends for life through the classes.
Nevertheless, when I go to these big forums or conferences, I do feel very intimidated. I, a mere student in a sea of qualified teachers, unused to the hustle and bustle, and not entirely sure I belong at times. Particularly on this occasion, when events have caused me to question things in a way I wouldn’t have dreamed of a year ago.
So, I’ll go, and I’ll feel small and insignificant, but at the same time I will revel in doing something that means a lot to me, and that has nothing to do with family.
I say that, of course, but…I would never have been inspired to teach if it hadn’t been for my family. Funny how these things come full circle, isn’t it?
A little treat..
Posted on: 04/06/2011
- In: Music
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Here’s another of my discoveries. It’s a full-length version of Toto’s ‘Africa’, done completely acappella by a large Slovenian choir.
Putting it like that, you might be inclined not to watch it. But do. I really can’t believe such a large choir can be this good at acappella. Also the start’s a bit of a treat too…
Singing: Getting enough of it
Posted on: 28/05/2011
- In: Music
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As you may have gathered from many of my previous posts, I am nuts about singing. I especially enjoy acappella, but I’ll sing anything just so I can get my singing fix. The kids are at that age where me spontaneously bursting into song is just a little embarrassing; I can’t possibly imagine why.
There are loads of opportunities to sing out there, but I haven’t found a single one that doesn’t require a childcare solution; that’s why I decided to set up a once-a-month Saturday singing group. People come for the day, the children run around playing with each other, it’s all very informal but a lot of fun.
Trying to get a bunch of other parents – and non parents for that matter – together on a sacred Saturday, is tricky to say the least. Let’s face it; most people have plans for most of their Saturdays. We have so far managed just the one Saturday, and since then either I have been busy, or everyone else has. (And you do tend to need a certain number of people if you want to sing acappella.)
I am struggling with this issue. I can’t see a way through. Sundays are also sacred in a similar way to Saturdays – you might even say more so – and weekday evenings require childcare. I can’t plan long-term until after we have successfully moved house, and until that happens we are at the mercy of short-notice viewings anyway.
Sigh.
I think I am going to have to revise my ambitions a little. What I’m going to do is keep holding one Saturday a month for singing, but not worry about the numbers – I’ll make it an open house instead. Whoever we get, however many we get, we’ll just sing along either to my guitar (or piano once we eventually move) or one of many backing tracks I have, jointly, individually, whatever people feel comfortable with. And on those occasions where we do get enough people to come along, then we can have another go at the acappella stuff.
That sounds to me like it has considerably more chance of success. I get to spend time with friends and sing at the same time. A vast improvement from having to cancel all the time.
Yeah. That should do it. I feel better already.
Arrangement Time
Posted on: 21/05/2011
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I’m feeling more and more of an urge to arrange a funky song into an acappella number. I have many possibilities to choose from, but I’m never going to get the time to do more than one, or at a push, two, before moving house. So I have a dilemma: what shall I arrange?
Firstly, much as I love Glee, I’m not inclined to copy anything they’re doing. It would be too samey. But I can think of many, many songs that are crying out to be sung by an acappella group.
Busy Busy Busy
Posted on: 06/05/2011
Currently we have been experiencing large doses of kiddie music. Mainly because there’s a particular CD in the car, and what with driving to France and back we’ve played it quite a lot.
To some people, listening to a kiddie CD is tantamount to hell on earth. But fret not. Many Americans have already cottoned on to the Ford/Boynton phenomenon that means that the music is entertaining for adults too. Not only that, but the songs are so original!
We have been listening to the Philadelphia Chickens collection. The title song is sung by the Bacon Brothers (yes, that Bacon), and is superb. I mean, who would think of writing a song about dancing chickens? And make it both cool and funny? If I could find it, I’d give you a clip…but alas, the song has not yet been discovered by a sufficiently enthusiastic you-tuber.
The song that’s sticking in our heads today, though, is one that Kevin Kline sings fabulously, and the other night I found a video to go with it. It’s terrible quality but if you can get past that I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do. The children have a tendency to act out the song every time it’s played, giggling uncontrollably by the end…
Unsurprisingly there are many, many more fabulous songs from the Ford/Boynton collection, which I will be delighted to entertain you with another time. Enjoy!
Another fun one…
Posted on: 26/04/2011
…and amid the landfill of other videos uploaded to YouTube, I found this. Apparently five million people have already seen it; if you are one of them, apologies for not being original on this occasion.
You may have gathered that my music uploads tend to have an acapella theme (you know, singers take place of instruments). This is no exception. But for sheer entertainment factor, and amazing vocal performance, it’s well worth a watch.
If you can get over the alien thing, anyway.
A little interlude
Posted on: 11/04/2011
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You may notice that a lot of my posts are more frivolous while I’m away.
I scratched an acappella itch with this one. Every so often I search YouTube for good acappella videos. Many of them are done with one person doing the whole lot…it’s weird but wonderful.
Here’s a very well thought-out homage to John Williams and the Star Wars story.
Enjoy!
braindribbles 