All posts by Chris K

New Music Makers this coming Thursday

Lins Emails

Hi there,
Here is a message from Chris for this week’s rehearsal:- 
Hi NMM
I’m looking forward to being you again this coming Thursday and thanks to Hilary for all she covered last week.  It looks like you got through a lot!
This week we will be working on the following. If you have time to practise prior Thursday I would especially like you to listen to and work on the Beatles Medley from b66 and Nella Fantasia.

First Half: (7:30- 8:30pm)
Galway Girl – Revising all of the sections we have covered so far and learning b54-57
The Beatles: Abbey Road Medley learning b66 to the end
Second Half (8:40pm – 9:30pm)
Nella Fantasia
From about 9pm we will revise as many of the following songs as we can
Conquest of Paradise
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
The Parting Glass
Old Macdonald

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!
Chris
If any of you are coming to dinner on the 15th March, I need your choices in this week as I need to hand them into the Prince Consort on Saturday.
The email address I gave for Eunice was not correct.  The correct email is eunicemdeuchar@icloud.com.
We have Pat Jenkins joining us this week, so it will be good to see her back.
Well, that’s all for now, so I will see you on Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric

This Week’s Rehearsal

Lins Emails

Good Evening,
Firstly, here is a message from Hilary regarding this coming week’s rehearsal:-
Hi there! 
As Chris mentioned at last week’s rehearsal, this week we will be looking at some of the more familiar pieces in our summer programme, running through these and giving us the opportunity to refine. Bring your whole summer pack in case I change my mind (and a pencil) however, these are at the top of the list: 
Always look on the bright side of life
Annie’s song
Bohemian Rhapsody
Conquest of Paradise
To make you feel my love
The parting glass
Come what may
Comedy tonight
Old McDonald. 
Please have a look at the dynamics, how long we hold notes on for, where we don’t breathe or do breathe for the phrasing etc. 
Any questions, please let me know. 
Hilary
Secondly, here is a message from Chris:-
 

Here are some practise tracks for the second verse of Galway Girl. Build up from the spoken track to the 60bpm track, 70bpm track and finally the 80bpm track.

For now I want everybody to learn all of the words and ‘tune’ for all three verses (b9-17, b25-33, and b45-53).  Because our soprano, alto, tenor and bass sections are different sizes it’s not going to work splitting lines around the choir as the music does. I have a few ideas for how we can make this piece work best for us but to try these out I need everyone to learn the verses. Bear with me! There will be method in my madness!
All other sections (the introduction and choruses) will be sung in parts as written, just with soprano 1 doubling the tenor melody in b18-21,33-37, 53-57.
Hope this helps to bring a bit of clarity to what we are doing with this and well done for where we’re at with it!
Well, that’s all for now.

Bye for now.

Eric

Galway-Girl-v2-80bpm.m4a
Galway-Girl-v2-70bpm.m4a
Galway-Girl-v2-60bpm.m4a
Galway-Girl-v2-Spoken.m4a

Annual Dinner

Lins Emails
Hi there,
Just to let you know that Rebecca has managed to get a choice for the dinner on the 15th March of either two courses or three courses.
The cost for the two courses will be £30, and for the three courses £36.
Regards
Eric

NMM next week

Lins Emails

Hi there,
Firstly, here is a note from Chris regarding this coming Thursday’s rehearsal:-
Hi all 
 
Well done for another really productive rehearsal last week.  I’m really pleased with where we are up to after just one month of practising!  Below is the plan for Thursday 13th Feb.  Any time you have to listen and practise these songs/sections with the practise tracks will be greatly appreciated and will really help us in the rehearsal.  Look forward to seeing you next Thursday!  Chris
First Half: (7:30- 8:30pm)
Galway Girl – Learn b25-44 //  Revise other sections
The Beatles: Abbey Road Medley 
Rocket Man Medley
Second Half (8:40pm – 9:30pm)
Come What May
Nella Fantasia
Thank You For The Music
From about 9pm we will revise as many of the following songs as we can
Bohemian Rhapsody (we will start by looking at b34-74)
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Secondly, we now have a confirmed date for the Annual Dinner which will be held on the 15th March, at the Prince Consort in Netley, and I enclose a copy of the menu together with the form to fill in your choices.  The cost of the 3 course meal will be £36 per person, and there is a couple of supplements that you need to take notice of for the Crusted Rump Lamb and the Cheese and Biscuits if you choose any of these.  We need to have your choices back by the 27th February together with a £5 deposit per person.  I will bring some copies of the menu and Choices Form with me on Thursday.

We hope as many of you will be able to come to this event as it is a chance to get together outside of our normal rehearsal, and is usually a good evening.

Don’t forget that there is Local Vocals at Anacaster House, Park Gate on Wednesday afternoon if you are free.

Well, that’s all for now, so I will see you later.

Bye for now.

Eric

pdf icon Annual-Dinner-Menu-2025.pdf
pdf icon Annual-Dinner-Choices-2025.pdf

NMM Songs for next week’s rehearsal

Lins Emails

Hi all,
 Here is Chris’s plan for this week’s rehearsal…
First Half: (7:30- 8:30pm)
Galway Girl – b9-25 //  Revise b57-end
Alexander’s Ragtime Band – Revise b58-91 and run through the whole song
The Beatles: Abbey Road Medley 
Second Half (8:40pm – 9:30pm)
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Learn
From about 9pm we will revise as many of the following songs as we can
Conquest of Paradise
The Parting Glass
Bohemian Rhapsody
Old MacDonald
Well, that’s all for now, its a quiet time of the year.
Bye for now.
Eric 

Thursday’s Rehearsal

Lins Emails
Hi there,
Here is a list of the songs that Chris wants to rehearse next Thursday:-
Conquest of Paradise
Bohemian Rhapsody 
Annie’s song
To make you feel my love
Old Macdonald Had a Farm
The Parting Glass
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
Regards
Eric

Next Thursday’s Rehearsal

Lins Emails
Hi there,
Happy New year to you all, and I hope that you have gone down with this flue bug that is going around.
Here’s a message from our new MD regarding the rehearsal next week:-
Dear all,
I hope that you had a good Christmas and New Year and that you are looking forward to singing together again this coming Thursday!  We’ve got some great new music and we are bringing back some old favourites and I really want us to build on the excellent work that Lillian did with us as I take on the role of MD.
This week we will be practising the following –
Bohemian Rhapsody
Chattanooga Choo-Choo
Annie’s Song
The Music’s Always there with you
Shine
Circle of Life
Conquest of Paradise
Come what May
Tell me it’s not True 

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
Chris
For those of you that sing for Local Vocals, don’t forget that we ae at Alcason House, Eastleigh on Tuesday afternoon, and if you have not already done so, can you let Eunice if you are available.
Well, that’s all for now, so I will see you either on Tuesday, or if not on Thursday, where we will be hearing our prospective new pianist, Kaziah, playing for us.
Bye for now.
Eric

Last Newsletter of the Year

Lins Emails
Good morning to you all,
I thought I had better let you know that we have managed to raise £359.81 for our chosen charity “Southampton City Mission” with the collections at Bishops Waltham and Haskins, and the half of the profit from the raffles at our concerts.
Speaking of Haskins, there were a lot of comments on whether it was worthwhile doing the two events, but we have got our “foot back in the door”, and after speaking to the Restaurant Manager on Friday night, who thought that the small number of us (14) had made an excellent job of the singing, he would be very happy for us to go back next year on two Sundays before Christmas, as we did before covid, during the lunchtime, and sing in the restaurant. So some good has come out of doing the two events.

What a success our own concerts were, and I have heard many comments that it was the best we have sung, so congratulations to you all for a very good performance, and many thanks for all those who can to help set up and pack away afterwards, its was greatly appreciated.

Well, we ended the year on a high, and we start the new year on the 9th January with a new Musical Director, Chris, and we will have a prospective new pianist joining us that evening. The pianist’s name is Keziah Jacomb, and she comes from Vietnam, but is in England looking after her elderly parents.  She had studied music at Southampton University, and played for the Chantrell Singers under Marianne Templeman, who used to be our Musical Director.  She went back to Vietnam for a while, but is now back in this country and wishes to get involved with a choir again. When asked if she would like some music so that she could practice before coming to our rehearsal, she replied that she would be able to sight read the music!

Well, that’s all I have for now, other than to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Bye for now.

Eric