Folka Voca Member Rehearsal History: 2011

This page simply records the songs sung, and the homework assigned,
at each of the Folka Voca rehearsals in 2011.

Homework for Between
Rehearsals in 2011

In mid November of 2011 Lee revised the status of the various songs in our active repertoire, classifying them into the following three groups: Current Songs, On-the-Fence Songs and Old Songs (that we almost never do now).
In her words, “Here is our repertoire, in order of what we sing most, at the moment:
the starred ones are sung at almost every gig.”

The Active Repertoire
(in order of what we sing most, at the moment)

1. Father Figure (*)
2. Close Your Eyes (*)
3. La Isla Bonita (*)
4. Calling All Angels (*)
5. Mamma Mia (*)
6. Time After Time (*)
7. Papa Was A Rolling Stone (*)
8. You’re All I Need (to Get By) (*)
9. Both Sides Now (*)
10. Drive My Car (*)
11. Fields of Gold (*)
12. This Land Is Your Land
13. Last Train to Clarksville
14. If You Could Read My Mind
15. Knowing Me, Knowing You
16. Sisters of Mercy
17. Tainted Love
18. Rock the Boat
19. Ain’t No Sunshine
20. Houdini’s Box
21. Crystal
22. Kimbieni (the short version)
23. O Canada (a staple)

These Were In Circulation For A Long Time
But Are Now On The Fence And Rarely Done

1. Cheap Hotel
2. Circus Girl
3. Time
4. I Wear My Sunglasses At Night
5. Helpless
6. Tears Of A Clown
7. Heart Like A Wheel
8. Going Home
9. Ice Cream
10. Come Home Someday
11. I Will Survive
12. Millbrook

These are Really Old and We Never Do Them Now

1. Is She Really...
2. Eleanor Rigby
3. This Is The Art
4. Lone Wolf
5. (That) Lonesome Road
6. Yo Seré Todo
7. What Is Love
8. Sympathique
9. There’s A Place
10. Vita Ljuser
11. Joe’s Goodbye
12. Magano Hayo
13. Imagine
14. Inside And Out
15. Woodstock
16. A Case Of You
17. Our House

Please make sure that you have your music and cheat sheets organized accordingly for rehearsals, and use these lists as guidelines for what songs to work on between rehearsals.

Rehearsals in December 2011

Notes on the December 28^th Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal this week, Lee was in Cuba.

Notes on the December 21^st Rehearsal

Because of truly appalling weather (heavy freezing rain) and other considerations,
the rehearsal was cancelled and we started the Christmas party early.

Much fun appeared to be had by all, and when the lights failed just as teams were wrapping up their answers to the quiz it is unclear just how sad most of us were. Instead we sang some of our songs with our eyes on an illuminated (by a bright little table lamp) Lee, and Lynnie satisfied our collective curiosity by telling us all the answers to the quiz.

The lights came on again after somewhat more than an hour, just in time for people to start the perilous journey home in the unabated freezing rain.

Notes on the December 14^th Rehearsal

We did not have a rehearsal at all, instead singing
our regular Christmas carol concert at Camilla Gardens.
We started with the following short set of our own songs:

1. Close Your Eyes
2. Last Train to Clarksville
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Drive My Car
5. Time After Time

We then sang all the Christmas music in the new lyrics book and members of the choir settled in beside individual seniors to help them sing along.

Lee had this to say after the event: “Hello Fab Ones; Thanks so much for last night; it was fabulous! One woman (I think it was Erik/Santa’s girlfriend) told me that it was the best show they’d had all year! I think we should go back and do another in the spring.”

“And thanks to those non-religious and/or non-christian singers for your tolerance; some of those verses are pretty intense. The first year we did this gig there was one verse (subsequently cut from the repertoire) which went on and on about the flesh of Jesus, yikes! I barely got through that one. And what happened in O Holy Night? Is there a part in the chorus we all forgot at the same time? I got hysterical and had to hide my face...”

“Murray, Bass Extraordinaire, what a treasure are your piano talents!
Wow, I didn’t want you to stop...
I hope you realize that now that we all know your secret,
we’ll be asking you to play all the time.”

After the gig we went directly to the Barley Mow.

Notes on the December 7^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on
the completed arrangement of our latest new song: Father Figure.
We sang through the song once, spent time working on difficult passages for each part
and then sang the song through again, performing creditably.
You are urged to study with the MP3 files.

In the second half of the rehearsal we worked through a number of songs
in preparation for our Christmas gig at Camilla Gardens next week:

1. Drive My Car
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Last Train to Clarksville
4. Mamma Mia
5. Time After Time
6. Close Your Eyes

Rehearsals in November 2011

Notes on the November 30^th Rehearsal

We spent the entire rehearsal continuing to work on
the completed arrangement of our latest new song: Father Figure.
We have now learned the entire song, although work is still needed
to make it performance worthy. You are urged to study with the MP3 files.

Notes on the November 23^rd Rehearsal

The first half of the rehearsal was a gig in New Edinburgh, where the acoustics were dreadful,
but despite which the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance, perhaps because they
had glasses of wine to hand! This is the set we sang:

1. Both Sides Now
   (Went OK, perhaps because most of us know it well.)
2. La Isla Bonita
   (We dropped a lot on this one.)
3. Drive My Car
   (Was a real disaster, with delayed entries and ragged timing.)
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Was mostly OK, perhaps because we had rehearsed it just prior to starting.)
5. Fields of Gold
   (Went OK, again because we had rehearsed it just before the performance.)
6. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (Not a really good performance, but acceptable.)
7. Close Your Eyes
   (We managed a good performance of this one.)
8. Time After Time
   (This was an absolute nightmare, with terrible timing throughout.)
9. Calling All Angels
   (Timing was a real problem in this one, too. We all need to watch Lee!)

Lee points out that when the acoustics are bad to the point where we cannot hear the other parts, it becomes vitally important to keep watching her for cues and signals.

We were comfortably back at the church by 8 p.m. and had a full second half of the rehearsal.
We first spent a little while reviewing the worst of the disasters from the performance:

1. Drive My Car
2. Calling All Angels
3. Time After Time
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)

The rest of the rehearsal we spent working on Father Figure, finally running through from start to finish, but we have yet to learn the ending of the song. Most of it is coming together really well.

Notes on the November 16^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal continuing to work on
the completed arrangement of our latest new song: Father Figure.
We have now made it through the transitions into the end section of the song.

In the second half of the rehearsal we sang through songs
that we will be singing at next Wednesday’s gig:

1. Both Sides Now
2. Drive My Car
3. Last Train to Clarksville
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
5. Time After Time
6. Sisters of Mercy
7. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
8. Calling All Angels

Lee says to study the MP3s to be confident for next week.

Watch the web site for details of next Wednesday’s gig.

Notes on the November 9^th Rehearsal

In the first half of the rehearsal we sang through the five songs that are
candidates for our Sunday performance at the Mayfair:

1. Close Your Eyes
   (An amazing performance that is definitely ready for prime time.)
2. La Isla Bonita
   (Another excellent performance – choir on fire tonight.)
3. This Land Is Your Land
   (Still has some weak spots, so not a candidate for Sunday.)
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (The dynamics need attention and we seemed weary in this one.)
5. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
   (Not a candidate because we’ve performed it in public recently.)

Lee decided that the two we will perform are Close Your Eyes and La Isla Bonita.

We spent most of the second half of the rehearsal working on
the completed arrangement of our latest new song: Father Figure.
We need to study the MP3s, especially the bar 88 to bar 89 transition.

We ended by singing through the two songs selected for Sunday’s performance:

1. Close Your Eyes
2. La Isla Bonita

Notes on the November 2^nd Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on
the completed arrangement of our latest new song: Father Figure.

In the second half of the rehearsal we sang through:

1. This Land Is Your Land
   (We were rather rocky – study your MP3s.)
2. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Our timing was badly off – we need to watch Lee!)
3. La Isla Bonita

We ran out of time to sing more. Study of MP3s required!

Rehearsals in October 2011

Notes on the October 26^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on
the first half of our latest new song: Father Figure.

Lee promises to finish the arrangement by next week.

In the second half of the rehearsal we sang through:

1. This Land Is Your Land
2. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
3. If You Could Read My Mind
4. Mamma Mia
5. Rock the Boat
6. Close Your Eyes

The announcement of Close Your Eyes triggered a spontaneous rendition of the Beatles’ song.

At the request of one Eric, we sang a belated happy fortieth birthday for the other Eric!

Notes on the October 19^th Rehearsal

Lee has come up with the start of another new song for us, Father Figure by George Michael,
and we spent the whole rehearsal working on the intro, first verse, and chorus.

Scores and MP3 files will come once Lee has finished the arrangement.

Notes on the October 12^th Rehearsal

We did not have a rehearsal, instead we performed at the Rockliffe Retirement Residence,
starting rather later than we usually do. We sang:

1. Both Sides Now
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Drive My Car
4. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
5. Fields of Gold
6. Close Your Eyes
7. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
8. Time After Time
9. Calling All Angels

We sang well to an appreciative audience.

After the performance we adjourned to the Barley Mow.

Notes on the October 5^th Rehearsal

We spent the rehearsal working trough the songs for next week’s gig:

1. Both Sides Now
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Fields of Gold (which we sang twice)
4. Drive My Car
5. Close Your Eyes
6. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
7. Sisters of Mercy
8. Last Train to Clarksville
9. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
10. Time After Time
11. Calling All Angels
12. Last Train to Clarksville (again)

Reminder that next week is a gig, and we will be going to the pub immediately thereafter.

Rehearsals in September 2011

Notes on the September 28^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal tackling:

1. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (which we sang twice)
2. This Land Is Your Land
   (which we also sang twice, and which everyone needs to drill with the MP3s)
3. Close Your Eyes
   (which we sang twice, too)

After the break we sang through several of our current songs:

1. If You Could Read My Mind
2. Mamma Mia
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Rock the Boat
5. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

We again saw a number of new faces, which is great.

Notes on the September 21^st Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working in detail on:

1. This Land Is Your Land
   (Both the entry and the “bap bap baps” (bar 50) need study.)
2. Close Your Eyes
   (Work needed – people have not been studying the MP3 files.)
3. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (Needs study plus dynamics – softer does not mean slower!)

After the break we tackled some of our other current songs:

1. Tainted Love
2. La Isla Bonita
3. If You Could Read My Mind

We ran out of time as we worked on the details of these songs.

Notes on the September 14^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working hard on:

1. This Land Is Your Land
   (which we sang twice)
2. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
   (which we also sang twice)
3. If You Could Read My Mind

After the break we sang through a number of our current songs:

1. Close Your Eyes
   (*Lee says study your MP3 for the outro!)
2. Knowing Me, Knowing You
3. Rock the Boat
4. La Isla Bonita
5. Calling All Angels

Notes on the September 7^th Rehearsal

We again spent the first half working on our newest song, This Land Is Your Land.

After the break we sang a set of songs that Charlotte chose, because this was her last rehearsal before departing to start her new life in Vancouver:

1. Mamma Mia
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Tainted Love
4. Time After Time
5. Kimbieni
6. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
7. Close Your Eyes

We had a pretty good turnout, and it was good to welcome some new faces.

After the end of the official rehearsal, the vocal harmony group sang a couple of songs for Charlotte: Last Dance, and Billy Jean Is Not My Lover.

Finally, Lee sat down at the piano to play and sing Circus Girl, accompanied by choir members still present, and then she and Charlotte finished with a performance of Siamese Girl.
Many goodbye hugs were exchanged at the last – we’ll miss you Char!

Rehearsals in August 2011

Notes on the August 31^st Rehearsal

This was our last rehearsal in the basement of the church for this year,
next week we will be back upstairs in the sanctuary.

We spent the first half working on our newest song, This Land Is Your Land.

After the break we tackled a goodly number of our current songs:

1. Close Your Eyes
2. You’re All I Need (to Get By)
3. If You Could Read My Mind
4. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
5. Time After Time
6. La Isla Bonita
7. Mamma Mia

We had an excellent turnout, and it was good to welcome some new faces.

Notes on the August 24^th Rehearsal

We were back in the basement of the church for this rehearsal, most of which was spent working on our newest song This Land Is Your Land, primarily to be ready to help out with the Ottawa Folk Festival choral singing workshop at the end of the week.

Lee had brought the scores for her arrangement which needed photocopying,
and this took some time. While waiting for the scores to arrive we worked on
Close Your Eyes and You’re All I Need (to Get By).

Not a very large turnout, but sufficient to cover all the parts.

Next week’s rehearsal will be the last tin the basement before we resume rehearsing in the sanctuary with the start of the new “term”.

Notes on the August 17^th Rehearsal

This was an outdoor rehearsal at Westboro Beach, and we had a fine turnout. The weather was terrific, with a light breeze to refresh us and keep the mosquitoes away.

We started off by being fools on the hill sitting up on a grassy bank,
and singing first Time After Time then La Isla Bonita.
A small audience gathered and appreciated our performance.

We then arranged ourselves under the Britannia Parkway bridge to take advantage of the acoustics, where Lee proceeded to teach us a new song from scratch and without music. This was This Land Is Our Land in an arrangement that Lee wants to use for the pick-up choir at the Ottawa Folk Festival. She is hoping that many of us will be at the festival to help out,
with the benefit of the evening’s practice under our belts.
By the end of the hour we had managed to get the song pretty much together.

Part way through the hour we paused to enjoy the extraordinary light on the water.

We finished up under the bridge singing Papa Was A Rolling Stone, and ending
with Calling All Angels. We sang both from memory because of the encroaching darkness,
and by the end it was almost too dark to see Lee’s arms. However, we attracted a modest audience, who were enthusiastic in their reception of our performance.

It then being too dark to see, we adjourned to the beach hostelry.

Notes on the August 10^th Rehearsal

We were downstairs again for this rehearsal.

Once again we spent the first half of the rehearsal working on Close Your Eyes, by James Taylor.
We finally mastered the entire song, both the ending and the troublesome spots.

We spent the second half working through several of our current favourites:

1. If You Could Read My Mind;
2. Drive My Car;
3. Houdini’s Box;
4. La Isla Bonita;
5. Mamma Mia; and,
6. Close Your Eyes (again).

We sang the last three songs with everyone mixed up, so that we were each of us either alone or with no more than one fellow section member beside us. As always, this was an educational exercise, on the one hand revealing very clearly how the parts fit together, and on the other just how confident we individually are of our parts!

We had a slightly larger turnout turnout than for the previous week, although only six men
(3 basses and 3 tenors), and we had an enjoyable time of it.

Notes on the August 3^rd Rehearsal

We were downstairs again for this rehearsal.

We again spent the first half of the rehearsal working on Close Your Eyes, by James Taylor.
We recapitulated the work of the two previous rehearsals, and came to grips with all but the outro.

We spent the second half working through four of our current favourites:

1. If You Could Read My Mind;
2. La Isla Bonita;
3. Knowing Me, Knowing You; and
4. Tainted Love.

We stopped to address details on each song, and in consequence ran out of time,
so we ended up skipping Ain’t No Sunshine.

We had a distinctly reduced turnout (21 women and 7 men),
which didn’t prevent us having a great time and performing well.

Rehearsals in July 2011

Notes on the July 27^th Rehearsal

We were downstairs again for this rehearsal.

We spent the entire first half of the rehearsal working on Close Your Eyes, by James Taylor.
We recapitulated the work we started last week, and then added the second verse.

We spent the second half on several of our current favourites:

1. If You Could Read My Mind;
2. La Isla Bonita;
3. Rock the Boat;
4. Tainted Love; and
5. Papa Was A Rolling Stone.

We had another reasonably good turnout, although we did start very late,
and just two stalwart baritones held their part up manfully and successfully.

Notes on the July 20^th Rehearsal

We rehearsed upstairs in the heat because downstairs was in use.

Lee has produced another new song for us: Close Your Eyes, by James Taylor.
We spent most of the rehearsal working on it, learning the first verse and the chorus.

We ended the rehearsal with a couple of our current favourites:

1. You’re All I Need (to Get By); and
2. La Isla Bonita.

We had another pretty decent turnout.

Notes on the July 13^th Rehearsal

We rehearsed downstairs, again in regular choir formation throughout.

We spent the entire rehearsal working through favourites:

1. You’re All I Need (to Get By),
   which we sang through twice;
2. If You Could Read My Mind,
   which we also sang through twice;.
3. La Isla Bonita;
4. Drive My Car;
5. Houdini’s Box,
   which needs some homework, with tricky bits for the sopranos and baritones;
6. Last Train to Clarksville,
   Lee may produce some MP3 files for this one;
7. Ain’t No Sunshine;
8. Rock the Boat.

We had another excellent turnout.

Notes on the July 6^th Rehearsal

We rehearsed downstairs in regular choir formation throughout.

We spent the entire rehearsal working through favourites:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine;
2. Houdini’s Box,
   which we took back to the basics and sang twice;
3. You’re All I Need (to Get By),
   which we also sang through twice;
4. Helpless;
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You;
6. If You Could Read My Mind;.
7. Tainted Love; and,
8. Papa Was A Rolling Stone,
   which we sang without scores, and managed moderately well.

Rehearsals in June 2011

Notes on the June 29^th Rehearsal

For the rest of the summer we will be rehearsing downstairs in the basement,
where it is substantially cooler than in the sanctuary.

We started this rehearsal by continuing to work on If You Could Read My Mind.
We worked through it twice, standing in our circular formation.
The most recent scores and MP3 files are on the website.

We then sang You’re All I Need (to Get By) twice,
first standing in our circular formation, then switching to our regular formation.

After the break we started working from scratch on another one of our old favourites, Helpless.
We worked on this without music, learning the parts as we went along.
Lee says that she will provide scores for this at some point; there are no MP3 files.

We ended the rehearsal with a run through of two of our current favourites:

1. Papa Was A Rolling Stone, and.
2. Knowing Me, Knowing You.

Notes on the June 22^nd Rehearsal

As Lee said we would over the summer, at this rehearsal we started to work from scratch on one of our old favourites, If You Could Read My Mind. Lee has produced a new version of the scores (musically identical, but much tidier and with larger words), which will be up on the website soon.

We spent almost the entire rehearsal working phrase by phrase through the song, and some of the old hands discovered that what they were singing automatically was not what is in the parts...

Having pretty much mastered the song, we ended the rehearsal
with a run through of three of our current favourites:

1. Tainted Love,
2. Mamma Mia, and
3. Papa Was A Rolling Stone.

We had an excellent turnout for this first rehearsal of summer.

Notes on the June 15^th Rehearsal

In the first part of the rehearsal we worked on You’re All I Need (to Get By), which we sang twice to clean up the details, and then split into two half choirs which each sang the song. We seem finally to be on top of this one.

Before the break we then sang Time After Time and Papa Was A Rolling Stone.

Nearing the end of the break a spontaneous flash mob formed, singing Drive My Car and then Knowing Me, Knowing You, at which point the entire choir had reassembled, and Lee decided that we would continue in this spontaneous format for the rest of the rehearsal. We sang through:

1. Mamma Mia
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Rock the Boat
4. Fields of Gold
5. Calling All Angels

This was an extremely interesting exercise, as many people discovered just how much they could sing from memory.

Notes on the June 8^th Rehearsal

We had a slightly shorter than usual rehearsal for various reasons.

In the first part of the rehearsal we worked on You’re All I Need (to Get By), which we sang twice, and then on Ain’t No Sunshine, which we revised before singing through.

After the break we sang Fields of Gold twice, Crystal twice, and finished with Time After Time.

Lee reminds everyone that if you miss a number of rehearsal through the summer, you need to check these rehearsal notes to see what you missed, and then do some serious homework to make sure that you are back in the groove.

Notes on the June 1^st Rehearsal

We sang downstairs because of the heat, which is always interesting.

We spent the entire first half working on You’re All I Need (to Get By), which we
ended up singing three times, achieving a real performance by the last time through.

After the break we worked on Fields of Gold, with the mezzos having
a sectional rehearsal first, followed by a small session with just the tenors.
After that we worked on La Isla Bonita, and ended with a run through of Drive My Car.

Rehearsals in May 2011

Notes on the May 25^th Rehearsal

We spent the entire first half of the rehearsal working You’re All I Need.
Although not perfect, we are finally able to sing it all the way through.

For the second half of the rehearsal we formed two choirs by splitting each section in half, and then each choir sang the same three songs while the others listened. The three songs were:

1. La Isla Bonita
2. Drive My Car
3. Fields of Gold

This is always an interesting exercise that shows up issues in a way that no other form of rehearsing seems to.

Next week, immediately after the interval, the mezzos will work on their own on Fields of Gold, then the tenors will do the same on La Isla Bonita, to address specific issues.

There is a possibility that we will be performing at the Ottawa Folk Festival (August 25^th to 28^th), but the festival is under new management and it remains to be seen whether we will be included.

Notes on the May 18^th Rehearsal

The first half of the rehearsal was a gig at the Landmark Court retirement community.

At the gig we we sang:

1. Both Sides Now
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Last Train to Clarksville
4. Sisters of Mercy
5. Drive My Car
6. Time After Time
7. Fields of Gold
8. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
9. Calling All Angels

We returned to the church for the second half of the rehearsal,
which we spent working on You’re All I Need (to Get By);
we are getting close, but are still having trouble with the ending.

We finished at 9:00 p.m. and retired to the pub.

Notes on the May 11^th Rehearsal

We spent the rehearsal working through all the songs
that are candidates for the concert on Sunday.

In the first half we sang:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine – dynamics are still a problem
2. You’re All I Need – not quite good enough for Sunday
3. Last Train to Clarksville
4. Crystal
5. La Isla Bonita
6. Time After Time
7. Rock the Boat
8. Sisters of Mercy

We experimented with a new formation (guys at the back) for Time After Time
but decided that it wouldn’t work for Sunday.

In the second half we sang:

1. Tainted Love
2. Drive My Car
3. Fields of Gold
4. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
5. Mamma Mia
6. Calling All Angels

Notes on the May 4^th Rehearsal

We spent the entire first half of the rehearsal working on You’re All I Need (to Get By);
We have now mastered all but the ending, which is still rocky.

We spent the second half working through material for our upcoming concert:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine (we sang this one twice)
2. Drive My Car
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Mamma Mia
5. Rock the Boat
6. Sisters of Mercy
7. Tainted Love (sung twice to fix issues)
8. Time After Time

Lee implored us to do some serious homework with the MP3 files
and also learning words wherever we are having difficulty with them.

Rehearsals in April 2011

Notes on the April 27^th Rehearsal

We spent the entire first half of the rehearsal working on You’re All I Need (to Get By);
We reached the end of the song and can now sort of sing the whole of it.

We spent the second half working through material for our upcoming concert:

1. Tainted Love (sung twice to fix issues)
2. Sisters of Mercy (addressed dynamics)
3. Fields of Gold (addressed dynamics)
4. La Isla Bonita

We were somewhat reduced in numbers because of an ongoing project that involved some of the choir members.
It was also interesting to note that, asked whether our last song of the evening should be Papa or Isla, the majority of the choir opted for Isla.

Lee has now provided a list of songs that we will be working on for our annual concert.
We will sing all of these next week, and she will decide which one(s) to drop.

Notes on the April 20^th Rehearsal

Your scribe was sick and did not attend the rehearsal, to avoid sharing his germs with everyone. Many thanks to whomever acted as recorder.

As promised, Lee did make MP3s and revised scores for You’re All I Need (to Get By)
available before the rehearsal.

This rehearsal was used to work through material for our upcoming concert:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine
2. Crystal
3. Fields of Gold
4. La Isla Bonita
5. Last Train to Clarksville
6. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
7. Sisters of Mercy
8. Tainted Love

Notes on the April 13^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on our latest new song:
You’re All I Need (to Get By).
Lee thinks that if we continue at this pace we will be able to sing it at our concert.

Lee has promised to make the MP3s and revised scores for this song
available before the next rehearsal.

In the second half of the rehearsal we sand through a number of our songs
in preparation for the upcoming concert:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine
2. Crystal
3. Fields of Gold
4. Sisters of Mercy
5. La Isla Bonita

After the end of the rehearsal, Los Cubanos had a rehearsal of their two songs.

Notes on the April 6^th Rehearsal

Lee produced another new song for us: You’re All I Need (to Get By),
and we spent just about the entire rehearsal working on it.

Lee has promised to make some MP3s for this song, and they will be posted,
together with the scores, when Lee has them all completed.

At the very end of the rehearsal, we sang through Mamma Mia.

After the end of the rehearsal, Los Cubanos had an extended rehearsal of their two songs.

Rehearsals in March 2011

Notes on the March 30^th Rehearsal

We started the evening singing a gig at the Colonel By Retirement Residence,
singing the following songs:

1. Both Sides Now
2. Last Train to Clarksville
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Ain’t No Sunshine
5. Drive My Car
6. Crystal
7. Time After Time
8. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
9. Sisters of Mercy
10. Calling All Angels

After the performance, Lee said that we seemed to have sung full throttle throughout the performance. She went on to say that even if the acoustics are poor at a venue, making it difficult to hear some or all of the other parts, it is important to sing the dynamics that we have rehearsed. Nonetheless, the performance appeared to have been much enjoyed by the residents who attended.

We then returned to the church for the rest of the evening, where we revived Fields of Gold, working steadily at it until we were able to sing it all the way through.
We then ended the evening with a run through of Mamma Mia before retiring to the pub.

The Cuba group stayed behind to work on their two songs for May 15^th.

Notes on the March 23^rd Rehearsal

We had a good turnout, and spent the rehearsal working through many of our repertoire,
in preparation for next week’s gig at the Colonel By Retirement Residence.

In the first half of the rehearsal we worked through:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine (twice)
2. Both Sides Now
3. Crystal
4. Drive My Car
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
6. Last Train to Clarksville
7. La Isla Bonita
8. Mamma Mia

After the break we sang:

1. Houdini’s Box
2. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
3. Rock the Boat
4. Sisters of Mercy
5. Calling All Angels

Reminder, next week we will be singing a gig at Colonel By Retirement Residence,
which is on Aylmer Avenue, just up Grosvenor Avenue from the church.
Park as usual and walk.

Notes on the March 16^th Rehearsal

We had a good turnout, and spent the rehearsal working through some of our repertoire,
looking forward to our annual concert that will be on the evening of Sunday May 15^th
(at the Sunnyside Wesleyan church).

Lee writes, “Hi Fab Ones; wow, you really blew me away last night.
So good! Makes me happy. Yay!”

In the first half of the rehearsal we worked on:

1. Tainted Love
2. Time

After the break we sang:

1. Time (again)
2. Rock the Boat
3. Sisters of Mercy
4. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
5. La Isla Bonita

For next week you will need music for I Wear My Sunglasses At Night and Millbrook,
neither of which we have sung for a while.

As we work toward the May 15^th concert, Lee has revised the status of the songs
that are in, out, or on the fence with respect to our repertoire.
Please spend some time with the homework section to make sure that you have
the music for each of the songs we are likely to be singing in the weeks to come.

Notes on the March 9^th Rehearsal

Because March 9^th was Ash Wednesday, the church was in use, so there was no rehearsal. We had planned to sing a gig at the Rockliffe Retirement Residence, but this was cancelled at the last minute because of an outbreak of a respiratory infection at the residence.

Despite the rapidly deteriorating weather, a fair number of the choir gathered at the Barley Mow for a convivial replacement evening.

Notes on the March 2^nd Rehearsal

We had a good turnout, and spent the rehearsal working through a large
selection of our songs in preparation for next week’s gig.

In the first half of the rehearsal we sang:

1. Both Sides Now
2. Drive My Car
3. Crystal
4. Knowing Me, Knowing You
5. Sisters of Mercy
6. Rock the Boat

After the break we sang:

1. La Isla Bonita
2. Last Train to Clarksville
3. Mamma Mia
4. Tainted Love
5. Ain’t No Sunshine
6. Time After Time
7. Calling All Angels

Lee will be issuing a song list for next Wednesday’s performance.
We will not be singing Tainted Love. We also need to revisit Sisters of Mercy.

After the rehearsal, the Cuba gang serenaded us with two works they had learned
during their week in the sun: Donde estas Yolanda, and Coco Cabana.

Rehearsals in February 2011

Notes on the February 23^rd Rehearsal

There was no rehearsal this week because Lee and a bunch
of the choir members were in Cuba for a singing workshop.

Notes on the February 16^th Rehearsal

We had another large turnout, and spent the rehearsal working through a large selection of our songs in preparation for an upcoming gig, and simply to have fun, which we did.

In the first half of the rehearsal we sang:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine
2. Drive My Car
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Houdini’s Box
5. Rock the Boat
6. Tainted Love
7. Last Train to Clarksville
8. Both Sides Now

After the break we sang:

1. Cheap Hotel
2. Knowing Me, Knowing You
3. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
4. Mamma Mia
5. If You Could Read My Mind
6. Time After Time
7. Calling All Angels

There will be no rehearsal next week, February 23^rd because Lee and a bunch of the choir members will be at a singing workshop in Cuba!

Notes on the February 9^th Rehearsal

We had a large turnout, including a number of relative novices, necessitating some shuffling to ensure that everyone new was close to a strong singer.

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working first on Sisters of Mercy, and then on Tainted Love.

Note: There are even newer new scores for Sisters of Mercy as of Thursday February 3^rd
because Lee found some additional errors in the second new version.
Please download the newest new version and print again
to ensure that you really do have the latest version!
The title includes the words “absolutely the latest”, so do please check yours.

In the interval, Lee’s quartet sang for a videotape record,
and you can see the results on YouTube.

We spent the second half of the rehearsal singing four of our songs:

1. La Isla Bonita
2. Last Train to Clarksville
3. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
4. Mamma Mia

Notes on the February 2^nd Rehearsal

We again spent the first half of the rehearsal working on Sisters of Mercy,
for which Lee has again produced new scores.
Note: since the rehearsal, there is an even newer new version, so please download
and print again to ensure that you really do have the latest version!

We started the second half of the rehearsal by singing Sisters of Mercy again,
then worked through three of our songs:

1. Tainted Love
2. La Isla Bonita
3. Mamma Mia

Despite the bad weather, we had a fair turnout at the rehearsal.

Rehearsals in January 2011

Notes on the January 26^th Rehearsal

We spent the first half of the rehearsal working on Sisters of Mercy,
for which Lee has produced new scores.
Note: since the rehearsal, there is a newer new version, so please download
and print again to ensure that you really do have the latest version!

We spent the second half of the rehearsal working through a number of songs:

1. La Isla Bonita
2. Crystal
3. Ain’t No Sunshine
4. Drive My Car
5. Rock the Boat
6. Papa Was A Rolling Stone
7. Time After Time

We sang everything on stage in our usual sections, concentrating on making sure that the newer members were standing where they could benefit most from the experienced members.

Notes on the January 19^th Rehearsal

We spent the rehearsal working steadily on a number of songs:

1. Sisters of Mercy
   (for which Lee will be issuing revised scores soon)
2. Ain’t No Sunshine
3. Cheap Hotel (which we sang twice)
4. Tainted Love (which we sang twice)
5. Knowing Me, Knowing You
   (sung with everyone mixed up at random on stage)
6. La Isla Bonita
   (sung with everyone mixed up at random on stage)

Singing a song with everyone mixed up on stage turns out to be a pretty exhilarating experience, despite the stress of singing alone. Lee thinks we may do this some more, at least when most people are comfortable with the song.

Notes on the January 12^th Rehearsal

Lee was away (in the Caribbean) so Charlotte took the rehearsal, which had a large turnout,
including several newcomers, and where everyone seemed to have fun.

We started with a warm up of Knowing Me, Knowing You sung in the pews,
before going on stage to work through:

1. Both Sides Now
2. Cheap Hotel
3. Time After Time
4. La Isla Bonita
5. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

After the break we started with Mamma Mia, again sung in the pews,
before going on stage and working through:

1. Crystal
   (sung with everyone mixed up at random on stage)
2. Drive My Car
   (sung with everyone mixed up at random on stage)
3. Kimbieni
   (which we sang twice, faster the second time)
4. Circus Girl
5. Last Train to Clarksville
   (sung with everyone mixed up at random on stage)
6. Calling All Angels
   (sung with everyone mixed up at random on stage)

Everyone is encouraged to visit the homework 2011 section and make sure that they have printed copies of the music for all the songs listed, because these are the ones on which we will most probably be working for the next while.

Notes on the January 5^th Rehearsal

For the first rehearsal of the new year, we spent the first half working on our newest song: Tainted Love. For some of the choir this was their first look at the song, but enough members had seen it already to make the rehearsal go well.

We spent the second half of the rehearsal revisiting a few of our regular songs,
thinking about our annual concert down the road:

1. Ain’t No Sunshine
2. Cheap Hotel
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Everyone is encouraged to visit the homework 2011 section and make sure that they have printed copies of the music for all the songs listed, because these are the ones on which we will most probably be working for the next while.