All posts by Chris K

NMM Newsletter

Lins Emails
Hi there,
Firstly, here is a message from Chris regarding this week’s rehearsal:-

Hi all,
So far in our rehearsals we have covered the following. Do try to practice these with the tracks on the website to consolidate what we’ve done or catch up if you have missed anything  – 
1. Let’s Dance! The Songs of Irving Berlin Medley b1-109
2. The Sound of Music Medley b1-132
3. Believer
4. Fix You
5. Bohemian Rhapsody
6. Shine
7. Circle of Life
8. The Parting Glass
This week we will look at the following
1. Let’s Dance! The Songs of Irving Berlin Medley b117-end
2.The Sound of Music Medley b147-196 *Note there is an incorrect lyric in this – b155 v3 says “Soon her name with a gleaming gloat heard” – it should read “Soon her Mama (pronounced “Mum-are”) with a gleaming gloat heard.*
3. Celebration
4. Let the River Run
5. All Things Bright and Beautiful
Run through Believer and Fix You at the end if time.
We are only two rehearsals in and we are getting through a lot of music at a good pace.  We will be going over things regularly so don’t worry if you’ve missed something or aren’t sure of certain bits! Have a good week and I look forward to seeing you again next Thursday.
Chris
Secondly, we have heard that one of our founding members has passed away, and Chris has sent us the following:-
I have been asked by Frank Parker if we could pass the following information on to the choir about a Founder Member, Sue Knight, who passed away just before Christmas.  I know Sue from church but didn’t ever realise she was a founding member of NMM!
There is a committal service at the Wessex Vale Crematorium Hedge End at 2pm on Monday 2nd Feb and then a Thanksgiving Service for her life at King’s Community Church, Hedge End at 3pm.  People are welcome to either service.

Well, that’s all for now, so I will either see you at Local Vocals on Wednesday at Rosewood, Woolston, or at rehearsal on Thursday.

Bye for now.
Eric

Fw: NMM email this week

Lins Emails
Hi there,
Here is a message from Chris regarding next week’s rehearsal.

Dear NMM
Well done with all the new songs in our first rehearsal back!  For those who were poorly, out of the new music we covered – 
Let’s Dance (Irvin Berlin Medley) “Puttin on the Ritz” b 7-46
The Sound of Music Medley – “The Hills are Alive” b 1-50
Believer b1-45
Fix You b1-27
If you can go over these sections with the practise tracks before next week that will help consolidate what we have done so far.
In our second rehearsal we will look at – 
Let’s Dance (Irvin Berlin Medley) – “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” b49-108
The Sound of Music Medley – “My Favourite Things” b63-136
Believer b45-end
Fix You b30-end
Let the River Run
The Parting Glass
Circle of Life
I’m looking forward to the term ahead and learning these new songs! Have a good week.
Chris
Well, that’s all for now, so I will either see you at Snowdrop Place on Tuesday, for Local Vocals, or next Thursday’s rehearsal.
Bye for now.
Eric 

Charity Collection

Lins Emails
Hi there,
Just to let you know that we managed to collect £337.82 in the three tins we had for our charity, Hants & IOW Air Ambulance, and together with the profit from the raffles at our concerts, which was £522.00, we will have made £859.82, so far.
We will be giving the profits of the raffles at our Summer Concert and Summer Spectacular to the same charity.
See you tomorrow night.
Bye for now.
Eric

NMM Next Thursday

Lins Emails
Hi there,
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and are looking forward to our new season of songs.
Here is a message from Chris regarding Thursday’s rehearsal:-

Hello New Music Makers!
I hope that you all had a good Christmas and New Year.  I also hope you are looking forward to starting singing again on Thursday evenings.  We have a great programme of songs for the next 6 months and I’m especially excited about the new songs we have to learn.
This week we will look at –
NEW SONGS
1) Let’s Dance Medley – song 1 Puttin’ on the Ritz
2) Sound of Music Medley – song 1 The Sound of Music
3) Believer
4) Fix you
SONGS BROUGHT BACK
5) Let the River Run
6) Can Can
7) Bohemian Rhapsody
8) Shine
 
Many thanks to Jerry who has put practise tracks online and if you do get a chance to listen to any before Thursday please do so you start to get an idea of the songs.
I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
Chris
I enclose a copy of the songs that we will be singing this summer in case you have mislaid the one we sent in December. 
Well, that’s all for now, so I will either see you at Sunnybanks, Fair Oak, on Tuesday for Local Vocals, or at our rehearsal on Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric

doc icon Summer-2026-Programme.docx

NMM Newsletter

Lins Emails

Hi there,
Firstly, thank you to everyone that turned up at Bishops Waltham last night.  Although it was not the best place to sing, from the comments that I received from various members of the public afterwards, they felt that we had done ourselves proud.
Hello Everyone
We are now hitting our season of taking our songs out and about, and our final two rehearsals before our Christmas concerts.  I am really excited about how far we’ve come with these songs and how they are sounding, so now lets enjoy performing them as we let people hear what we’ve done and spread a bit of festive cheer!
For those singing in John Lewes on Saturday and in Haskins in a few weeks time we will run our songs in the following order – 

Sing We Now of Christmas.
Carol: Deck the Hall p72
Mele Kalikimaka
Carol -Away in a Manger p61
Carol – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – p83 in the carol book with vs 1 in unison, v2 in harmony and vs5 with descant
Carol-  Hark! The Herald Angels Sing p107
I believe in Father Christmas.

All I want for Christmas is you
Carol: Joy to the World p202
Carol: O Come all Ye Faithful p226
Fairytale of New York.
Carol O Little Town of Bethlehem p234
Carol Once in Royal David’s City p260
Jingle Bell Rock.
Carol: See Amid the Winter’s Snow p283
Carol – We Three Kings p370
We wish you the Merriest.

In our final two Thursday rehearsals my aim is to sing through our entire programme working mainly on dynamics and engaging the audience -otherwise known as looking and smiling! 😀
Thanks for all your hard work!
Chris
Secondly, I enclose a copy of the photos for the uniform that we will be wearing tomorrow at John Lewis and at our concerts.  We have added black jackets for the men and either black jackets or black cardigans for the ladies for tomorrow’s event, in case it is cold in the store, but if we are starting to get warm we can always take them off. Please bring your Christmas hats which we shall put on for the last number. It is reported that there are several cruise ships in tomorrow, so traffic will be heavy in town, so please make sure you leave enough time to get there ready for 11.30 for starting to sing at midday. We will be singing on the third floor, facing the atrium, as we were last year.
Thirdly, we are singing at the Hawthorns on Wednesday, for Local Vocals, and as we will be singing our Christmas music, we will be wearing Christmas jumpers and hats for all the outings in December.
Well, that’s all for now, so I will see some of you tomorrow at John Lewis, or at Local Vocals on Wednesday, or at our rehearsal next Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric


This Week’s Newsletter

Lins Emails

Hi there,
 Here is a message for the choir this week, from Chris:-

Hello Everyone
Once again well done everyone for covering so much ground in our last rehearsal.  I left feeling that even songs we had been struggling a bit with were sounding a lot better.  This week I want to spend time on the songs we still need to get absolutely right.  Please see the list below and as always try to practise them with the tracks to make the most of our rehearsal time together.   On Thursday evening we will look at –

Shepherds Farewell – Dynamics
That’s Christmas to me – notes/rhythms
All I want for Christmas is You
Sussex Carol
Away in a Manger – p61 in the carol book singing all verses in harmony
Hark The Herald Angels sing – p107 in the carol book with v1&2 in harmony and v3 in unison with soprano descant
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – p83 in the carol book with vs 1 in unison, v2 in harmony and vs5 with descant

NMM Newsletter

Lins Emails
Good afternoon to you all,

Firstly, here is a message from Chris for next Thursday’s rehearsal
Hi all
I hope you’ve recovered from our last rehearsal!  We achieved a lot going through all the songs in the second half of our concert and some of the trickier pieces from the first half.  With only 4 rehearsals left before our concert we will be try to go through our whole programme each week.  I want it to look good as well as sound good! That means knowing our words and music well so you are watching me for cues of when to come in, when to come off and singing with expression; engaging with the audience and at the same time looking confident and enjoying what you are doing!  Do keep practising to tracks to help achieve this.  Here is a reminder of our running order with notes on the carols.  We will start from the beginning again this week.
RUNNING ORDER

Sing We Now of Christmas.
Step into Christmas.
Midwinter

Carol: See Amid the Winter’s Snow (Sing v1, v2 and v6 in unison.  Chorus is in 4 part harmony using the harmonies on p283 each time).

Mele Kalikimaka
A Muppet Christmas Carol Medley.
Somewhere in my Memory.
I believe in Father Christmas.
Shepherds Farewell.

Carol – We Three Kings (all verses singing the harmonies all the way through as in the book)

Ladies Small Group – Holly Jolly Christmas
That’s Christmas to Me.

(interval).
All I want for Christmas is you
Sussex Carol

Carol –
Afternoon -Away in a Manger (As in the book with harmony on all 3 verses)
Evening – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (As in the book with v1&2 in 4 part harmony and v3 in unison with soprano descant).
Solo – Afternoon When a Child is Born (Roy Hogben)/ Evening All I Want (for Christmas) (Craig)

(Ladies only) A La Nanita Nana

Carol – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (V1 in unison, V2 in harmony and V5 with the descants as written)
The Wexford Carol
Fairytale of New York.
Jingle Bell Rock.

Raffle and Thank Yous

We wish you the Merriest.
Thanks for all your hard work and I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
Chris
Secondly,  here is a list of the carols that we will be singing when we are out and about, which Jerry has kindly loaded on to the website so that you can listen to them before we go out on Thursday, 27th November at Bishops Waltham’s Christmas Fayre.
Away in a Manger
Deck the Hall – page 72 in 100 carols for choir
God Rest, Ye, Merry Gentlemen
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Joy to the World – Page 202
0 Come all Ye Faithful – Page 226
O Little Town of Bethlehem – page 234
Once in Royal David’s City – Page 260
See Amid the Winter’s Snow
We Three Kings

If you want some Fish & Chips etc between the concerts, then you will need to put your name down om the lists which will be on the table as you come into the rehearsal.

The Local Vocals will be rehearsing again this Thursday after the normal rehearsal has finished, just to go over the four songs that we will be singing from our library.
 
Well, that’s all for now, so I will either see you at Local Vocals on Tuesday at The Firs, Parkgate, or at rehearsal next Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric