Here is Chris’s email for next week’s rehearsal:-

Hi all

We did it! We’ve got all the way through the Pentatonix Christmas Medley!  So far we have sung through 11 of the 16 performance songs in our Christmas Programme so this week I would like to look at the remaining 5.

We will start by singing through the 3 carols we are doing in the Pentatonix Medley (Hark the Herald, Coventry Carol & O Come all Ye Faithful).

We will then look at – 

Midwinter Chill

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Step Into Christmas

Grown Up Christmas List

The Shepherd’s Farewell (100 Carols for Choir No89. p344)

As always try to listen through parts before Thursday so that we can make the most of our time together.  Thanks for all your hard work.

See you on Thursday!

Chris

Here’s Chris’s rehearsal plan for next week:-

Hi all

Well done on Thursday.  We are near the end of our Pentatonix Medley (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is an “optional song”; we will include that in the medley when we bring it back for Christmas next year).  I’ve done a quick count up – we have 8 rehearsals left before our first Christmas event (Bishop’s Waltham Christmas Fayre on 26th Nov) and 10 before our main Christmas concerts.   My aim is to finish all the teaching of songs in the next 4 weeks so we then have a clear 4-6 week period to consolidate and feel confident with everything before we perform.  

Do make sure you are going over things with the tracks as this means we get the most out of our time together on a Thursday.

Here is the plan for our next rehearsal – 

FIRST HALF
Finish off “O Come All Ye Faithful” from the Pentatonix Medley.

– Learn bar b257-end Sop1 and Alto1 will take the top stave; Sop2 & Alto2 will take the middle stave. (Men just follow what’s written for you!)

– Run through the medley

Cradle Song – 100 Carols for choirs No41, p178 (especially focussing on the last verse)

SECOND HALF

Fairy Tale of New York

Somewhere in My Memory

The First Noel/Pachabel’s Canon

Walking in the Air

Thanks for all your hard work – see you Thursday!

Chris

Here is a message from Chris regarding next week’s rehearsal:-

Hi all,

This week we will continue working on our Pentatonix Medley but then I want to do some easier/more familiar songs that are on our programme.  I can almost hear the relief!  Here’s the plan…

FIRST HALF

Revise Pentatonix Medley 

– Hark the Herald Angels Sing (b1-71)

– Coventry Carol (b152-205)

– O Come all Ye Faithful (b206-236 – basses are now singing the melody with the tenors in b210-226 and practise tracks will be changed accordingly)

– Learn b238-261 (from b240-253 the choir splits.  Sops 1&2 will sing the “Mixed Small Group part” (though at times I’ll have to divide you into 3!); altos 1&2 will split to take the two treble parts of the main choir; 

-at b254-257 we all back to normal; 

-in b257-end Sop1 and Alto1 will take the top stave (again at times I will need to divide you into 3); Sop2 & Alto2 will take the middle stave. (Men just follow what’s written for you!)

SECOND HALF

Walking in the Air

Cradle Song (final verse)

Fairy Tale of New York

The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth

We Wish You The Merriest

Thanks for all your hard work and I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Chris

Dates for the Diary

• Bishop’s Waltham Christmas Fayre – 26 November 2026 from 5.00pm
• Freegrounds Infants School Christmas Fayre – 28 November 2026 – 11.30am and 12.45pm

·         Break -up for Christmas – 10 December 2026

• Christmas Concert – 12 December 2026 (1.00pm for sound check, 2.30pm and 7.00pm performances)
• Haskin Garden Centre – 13 December 2026 – 1.30pm
• Haskin Garden Centre – 20 December 2026 – 1.30pm

·         Return for Spring Term – 7 January 2027

• Summer Concert – 12th June 2027(1.00 for sound check, 2.30 performance)
• Summer Spectacular – 17 July 2027 (1.00 for sound check, 2.30 performance)
• Christmas Concert – 11 December 2027 (1.00 for sound check, 2.30 and 7.00 performances)

·         ‘All dates and information as known for forthcoming Events can be found on the website Calendar | New Music Makers.’ 

  ·         All the dates for the Local Vocals can be found on the website. Local Vocals! | New Music Makers

Here is a massage from Chris regarding next week’s rehearsal:-

Hi all

Great work in our last rehearsal!  Two weeks into the Pentatonix Medley and two songs done!  This week we will do the following – 

First Half

Pentatonix Medley O Come all Ye Faithful b206-the end  

– from b240-253 the choir splits.  Sops 1&2 will sing the “Mixed Small Group part” (though at times I’ll have to divide you into 3!); altos 1&2 will split to take the two treble parts of the main choir; 

-at b254-257 we all back to normal; 

-in b257-end Sop1 and Alto1 will take the top stave (again at times I will need to divide you into 3); Sop2 & Alto2 will take the middle stave. (Men just follow what’s written for you!)

By the end of song we will be singing in glorious 8 part harmony – can’t wait! 😃 

We will then sing through the medley from the start.

Second half

Cradle song (Carols for choir p178) – Revise

Midwinter Chill – learn

Fairy tale of New York.

Look through as much as you can before Thursday and listen to the tracks so you’re ready for what’s about to happen!

See you Thursday.

Chris.

Hi all,

It was great to be back together on Thursday!  Fantastic as well that we had three new men come to check out the choir.  Speaking to them all at the end they really enjoyed it so we will wait to see what this means to boosting the number of men in the choir!

Well done as well for a good start to our Christmas music.  Do go over what we covered (see below) as we will build on it this week.

This week we will be looking at – 

FIRST HALF

The Pentatonix Christmas Medley – Hark the Herald Angels sing (learning b49-71 and then revising the b1-48)

Cradle Song – Learning the third verse b65-96 (We will try Sop 2s singing the “Choir 1” Part with Sop 1s, Altos, Tenors and Basses singing the 4 part harmony “Choir 2” part).  We will then revise the whole song

SECOND HALF 

Pentatonix Christmas Medley – Coventry Carol (b152 – 205)

Fairy Tale of New York (Revise from last Year)

We Wish You the Merriest (Revise from last Year)

I look forward to seeing you again on Thursday.

Chris