All posts by Chris K

Week 6 and still no choir. Page 1

Lins Emails
Hi All

Again Hope you are all safe and well.  I had to check the calendar to see how many weeks it has been since we all saw one another and cannot believe it has been six weeks.  I hope you are all keeping well and finding things to keep you occupied.  
We have two birthdays during next week Ros Plain’s is tomorrow.  We don’t have a picture of Ros as she only joined the choir in February so unfortunately do not have a photograph of you but:-
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Hope you have a great Day Ros.
We also have Roy Hogben’s birthday, on the 25th not only a bass but a poet and we didn’t know it. We have lots of photographs of Roy as you can imagine.
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There are many more and some of them are even serious.  To quote Roy “after too much at the bar”.  Hope you can have a good day Roy at least you wont have to make bread pudding this year although we will all miss it.
Lillian is well and says:-
Nothing new here.  We’re just getting ready for the birth. I’m 37 weeks yesterday, and am already feeling really big and ready to have a baby!  I’m so grateful for the garden and have been growing onions, potatoes, tomatoes, rocket, spinach, sweet corn and more.  
That’s sounds like a proper Percy Thrower garden.  Although Lillian and you youngsters will probably not know who that is.  Thanks Lillian looking forward to hearing when it is born.  I am going for a girl.
At Last we have a name for Beccy and Mats little girl:-
So, the ‘not so’ official naming of our daughter…..drum roll please 🥁 🥁 🥁 


        👶 👶 👶 Edie (Edith) Charlotte Lily(maybe) Coppen 👶 👶 👶 

We couldn’t decide between Edie or Lottie, so we’ve gone for both then she can always choose when she gets a bit older.

Matt’s family have a tradition for male children to have 2 middle names including a family name (father, grandfather etc). I wanted to call Ollie ‘Oliver Ambrose Matthew Coppen’ but Matt has always hated having so many names to write every time he has to fill in a form. It came down to a coin toss at the registry office, and Matt won!

So this time, Lily is a nod to the great grandmother’s on both sides, and as we can’t register her at the moment, I’ve got a bit of time to work on Matt😉

Hope everyone is keeping well. Love to you all.

Beccy x

Again Congratulations to you both it was lovely seeing Edie last week on Zoom hope her feeding is going better.  

Talking of Z00M don’t forget tonight,  it is the same code every week but here it is if you have lost it.  Chris has set us a quiz again so don’t forget your pen and paper if nothing else it was nice for me to doodle when I couldn’t answer the questions?

Topic: New Music Makers virtual choir
Time: Apr 2, 2020 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/667379474

Meeting ID: 667 379 474



 
Stay safe everyone and hopefully see some of you tonight.


Lin 

More to follow

Sending on from our Roy.

Lins Emails

A Lock Down Ditty by William Shakespear


O I do miss Thursday choir

Those voices so sublime

The soaring of Soprano’s

each perfectly in time.

Their phrasing, O so beautiful

so tender, so divine

Each voice so lubricated

it must be all that wine.


Those sultry alto voices

blending sweet and rich and pure

their sound so overwhelming 

it’s too much to endure.

The silky, slinky sound they have

what ecstasy divine.

There’s only one thing I can say

it must be too much wine.


And now, those strident tenors

all strongly beating time

their brilliant intonation

the sound is most refined.

Each note a thing of beauty

to one’s heart it brings a tear.

There’s only one thing causing it

I’m sure it’s too much beer.


And finally, the basses

so sonorous and round

their melody so haunting

so resonant the sound.

These basses so profundo

how professional they are

they sound like Ross Edmundo * (see Wikipedia)

after too much at the bar.


I can’t miss Chris and Lillian

whose guidance we adore.

Their patience and musicality

brings out our best I’m sure.

But after all is said and done, you know, 

if singing makes you frisky 

every night before you go to bed

have a great BIG DOUBLE WHISKY

To everyone. Please keep well & love from Roy. xxx


If you would like to reply to Roy do so on – roywhogben@yahoo.co.uk

Sad News about Martin Small

Lins Emails

Hi All
Not everyone will have known Martin but he has been associated with New Music Makers from almost the beginning. He used to do front of house on the technical side, and videoed our performances. He was very artistic and made things for the pantos and also did some great picture quizzes when we had quiz nights. He came every week and made the tea for us with John Smart, they were a great team. The other thing that Martin did was archived all of the New Music Makers events and kept them meticulously in files. He was also an ardent fan of The Saints and had a season ticket and he kept every programme, ticket and Echo write up in dozens of files.
Sadly Martin passed away yesterday, he left the choir a few years ago because he was struggling with Parkinson’s and when it became apparent that he could not cope in his own home he moved to a care home. He has been in and out of hospital recently with respiratory problems, was tested four times for Coronavirus but was clear, but unfortunately became very frail and passed away peacefully yesterday.
Rita and Andy will be organising the funeral but they have been told that it will not be for at least three weeks.
Sorry to be the bearer of such sad news on this beautiful day.
Lin

Sent from my iPad

Week 5 After the Breaking News

Lins Emails
Hi All

After All the excitement of yesterday with the lovely news from Beccy about the birth of her beautiful daughter I had my own exciting day.  I had the window cleaner clean the windows, (not very well as it turned out) and I had an ASDA delivery (didn’t quite  get everything I ordered)  I guess my exciting day wasn’t quite on the same scale as Beccy’s news but hey, it was more exciting than Tuesday! 
I have a quote from Granny or as we know her Margaret Whale
“Beccy and baby came home yesterday at 5pm.  She is gorgeous I think she will have Beccy’s brown eyes and dark hair. No name yet and we are trying not to call her baby bottom, what Ollie called her before she was born.  Steve and I now have four grandchildren two of each.  There is some confusion to the weight of the baby by a few pounds whichever way she was very tiny considering how huge she was.”
Thanks for the update Margaret how lovely having two of each how clever your girls are.  Lots of lovely times ahead.
I will pass on all of your congrats messages from yesterday to Beccy.
Lillian has given me an update on her and the the family:- 
Hello everyone! We are still doing well, I’ve been using my time at home to perfect the art of cooking a roast duck, roast potatoes, and roast pork loin. My husband is very pleased 🙂

I’m 36 weeks pregnant today, and we’re thinking that there may only be 3 weeks left until baby is born (here’s hoping). Our home birth plan is still going forward. I haven’t been doing much singing, but we just started voice lessons with my daughter last week. She’s learning “Caro mio ben” and she has an almost 4 octave range!! Stay safe and healthy, any guesses to when the lockdown will be lifted?

Lillian
“Wow when can your daughter join the choir?”
Richard Close has a birthday next Wednesday, hope you have a lovely day.
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Nice tie, can’t work out what it is on it?? ?
We have a ZOOM meeting tonight, a bit different.  Chris has got a quiz on New Music Makers songs from the current programme.  Guess the song from the Lyric, fill in the missing lyric and general knowledge on the songs.  I bet I don’t get any of them, but a bit of fun.  Perhaps we can have a quiz to find out what is on Richards tie as well.  
Topic: New Music Makers virtual choir
Time: April 16  2020 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/667379474

Meeting ID: 667 379 474


I think that is all for this week.  Stay safe everyone and hope to see you tonight on zoom.

Lin

Week 5 and *BREAKING NEWS* More News to Follow Later

Lins Emails

Hi All
Some wonderful *Breaking News* Beccy and Matt are the proud parents of their little girl, name to be decided.
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Quote from Beccy “It was a very speedy birth. About 1hr 45mins from start to finish. We are at the midwife lead unit at Princess Anne. They have had to close the birthing centre in Ashurst to consolidate midwife numbers at the hospital. It was going to be a pool birth, but they couldn’t fill it quick enough! All went well. She has a strong pair of lungs on her”.
She was born at 10.37pm and weighed in at 7lbs 3.
Hopefully will have Quote from Granny in the next Newsletter following later today.
Some Good News at Last.
Lin

Week 4 And Happy Easter for the third time

Lins Emails
Hi All (Again and Again). Chris still couldn’t open it so have sent for the 3rd time!!!

Hi All (Again for some). 

I have taken off the attachments as it would seem people could not open them.  And in fact some people (my Chris included had a blank email?). One attachment was an Easter Card from Jacque Lawson which played Morning Has Broken.  It was really nice shame if you couldn’t open it!!!!

And there was another attachment at the bottom which was reallllllly realllllly funny!!

Anyway just thought I would resend, as you see there is not a lot of  news but I wouldn’t like anyone to miss out.  

Nice to see some of you on Zoom on Thursday with a few new faces. Hopefully see you next week

Hi All 

I hope you are well and safe.  We don’t have any birthdays this week, or so I believe so am sending you an Easter Card instead.  Hopefully you can open it!!

Not a lot to report from last week but I do hope you will be able to join us on the ZOOM tonight.  Same link as before.  7.30 pm. 

Chris Allison is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

To Join the  Zoom Meeting Click on this link:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/667379474  

Topic: New Music Makers virtual choir

( BTW This will be the same link for next week).

Lillian has sent a message:-

Hi Lin!

Things are the same.  I still haven’t recovered my sense of smell, but taste at least has come back.  It’s strange not being able to smell the food I eat.  Other than that, we are all healthy! Xx

Thank you Lillian glad at least your taste has come back.  Some things are better not to smell?

Beccy  has sent a message:-

I’ll be 39 weeks tomorrow. Nothing new to report here. Work finished for me on Friday. We are all keeping well here. Today (Wed) is Ollie’s 4th birthday. We are celebrating in construction fashion, dressed in hi-vis jackets and hard hats! And Mum has made a great chocolate digger cake. (I’ll post some pictures on the WhatsApp later). I’m enjoying the choir WhatsApp chat and hope everyone else is keeping well. Keeps me going through the day. Lots of love to you all Beccy C x

Can we see you tonight dressed in your construction gear please !!!

That’s about it folk for this week I hope you all have a lovely Easter at home and enjoy the sun.  For all those that had planned to go away the little video is for you.  It’s down the page a bit I couldn’t make it move!!! Hope you can open all of my little links.  

Stay Safe and well.

Lin


Sent from my iPad

Email for Sharon re Gift Aid

Lins Emails

Hi All
It was nice chatting to some of you last night on zoom. Thanks Chris A for setting it up again. Sorry if I cut some of you off a bit short I was conscious of the time, and then we finished early, must change the time on my clock in my room it was a bit fast. So sorry to Ann for cutting you off a bit early, we will start with you next week and you can have as long as you like, well until I move on!!!
It is nice to hear what everyone is doing with their time, some of you are far to organised!!!
Shame some of you did not manage to get on Pat Jenkins, we did all wave to you lets hope you can make it next week. Get working on that computer.
Eileen didn’t manage to get on either as her computer was playing up so at least this gives me the opportunity to wish you Happy Birthday for today. X a {CAPTION}

Lin ps Happy Birthday to Margaret and I can’t get rid of that random (a) x

Sharons Email
Please respond to her on sharont471@gmail.com Please note this may be a different email address .
We have reached the end of our accounting year, and the time is approaching to send in our claim for the gift aid against our donations. If anyone who normally does gift aid has changed address in the past 12 months and not already notified me or Sharon, can you please email me with your new address. Also, if anyone who has previously done gift aid on their donations has now found they are no longer in the taxable bracket, could they also let me know, as we will not be able to claim against their subs. Thirdly if any member has not signed up yet to do gift aid, is a tax payer and would now like to, we can arrange for a form to be sent to you to complete and scan back.
Thank you!
Kind regards Sharon

NMM Week three in the Big Brother House

Lins Emails

Hi All

Hope everyone is fit and well and looking after yourselves.

My Chris and I are well and still have not got up in the loft, or actually done many of the jobs that are planned but Chris has made the bar for the new Summer House, we have our priorities sorted. 🍷 🍺 🍻 

Chris A has the  Zoom set up again for tomorrow night 7.30 pm.
Topic: New Music Makers virtual choir
Time: Apr 2, 2020 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/667379474

Meeting ID: 667 379 474

If everyone is happy I will go through like we did last week and let everyone have a little chat if you don’t want to speak just let me know with a wave or some other signal.  We will finish sharpish so that we can show our appreciation at 8.00 pm to the NHS by clapping hands 👏 outside.

I have an update from Lillian

Dear Choir,

I am missing our Thursday evening rehearsals very much, as I’m sure most of you are as well! 

We have been keeping well. I’ve been self isolating for two weeks now since pregnant mums are ‘high risk’ and have been advised to do so for a total of 12 weeks! By then, the baby will have been born 🙂

Besides getting a little sore throat, cough, stuffy nose and losing my sense of taste and smell, I’ve been in full health, haha! No fever, and nothing serious. It only took two days for my minor symptoms to go away, but who knows, my husband may have brought coronavirus back on one of his trips to the grocery store! 

As we are apart physically, I am so pleased to see many of you using technology to stay in touch. Just a few reminders as you keep singing during this break:

1. Always warm up your voice, starting with your body first, then your breath, then your vocal range.

2. Drink lots of water and eat well. Try to keep exercising every day!

3. Use this time to keep your mind active, I challenge you to learn a new song, or pick up an old instrument you may have played once, or follow YouTube videos to learn a language.

I hope to be together again with you all soon, probably with a baby in arms 🙂

God bless,
Lillian


“Thank You Lillian”

I have also got a Whatsapp message from Beccy Coppen
I’m doing ok. Still fat and preggers! My chocolate consumption has gone up considerably, and stocks are starting to run low. Booked into the birthing centre in the New Forest so don’t have to risk coronavirus infected hospitals. We are all staying home, (except Matt doing the shopping). Dad has been making deliveries to us. Although he should be staying home aswell really as M&D are on emergency Ollie duty for when I go into labour.
Also trying to plan some sort of celebration for Ollie’s Birthday next week, it’s not easy!
“Wishing you all the best, not sure when Ollie’s Birthday is, are you aiming to having a joint birthday????”
What some stories they will have to tell the babies about the year they were born.!!!

We have some older birth days!  They will also remember them this year

Eileen Eyers is Friday on the 3rd April
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So colour coordinated.  Looking Lovely as always, you must share a photo of your amazing GOLD shoes you wore at the dinner.  

And Margaret Ballard on the 6th Aprilimage1.jpeg
Shake those maracas Margaret!!

Happy Birthday to both of you I hope you can have a good day. 

Breaking News.
I have a date for your Diaries,  Saturday 5th June 2021 Delayed Golden Concert (Need a better name than that)!  Not only one Concert but two Concerts!!!!
It will be twice as good as it would have been in 2020.  Think of all the time we have to learn the music and words 🎶 🎶 

There has been lots of fun on the NMM Whatsapp Group sharing some rather dubious videos, I will not name who is responsible? and some lovely thoughts and music.  Jerry has also been helping technically with getting onto the Gareth Malone Site Great British Home Chorus   Jerry has given this advise below. I haven’t tried it yet but you might like to have a go.

From Jerry:-
Re Gareth Malone, the main issue most people seem to be having is downloading the music as PDF, so I’ve uploaded them both to the OneDrive. (“You Are My Sunshine” & the new one, “I’m Still Standing”).  I did some Harmony Assistant files for You Are My Sunshine.  However, he then made some backing tracks available, with a key change edit that isn’t on the music at Bar #52, where it goes up & everyone in unison.
Anyone who wants to upload a file needs to record themselves singing their part, using Headphones / Earpieces, so that the backing track can’t be heard & upload them to FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter or Instagram using the Hashtag #GBHCPart (eg #GBCHSoprano).  They will then find the files with those hashtags to download them for editing.
The deadline for “You Are My Sunshine”, though, is tomorrow.  We’ve only just started doing “I’m Still Standing”, which is a lot more complex, and a lot longer (16 pages).
To get updates emailed you need to register at https://decca.com/greatbritishhomechorus/
“Thank you Jerry”
Reading a few messages from tonight that it might not be going as planned but you still you may like to give it a try.
If anyone would like to be added to the WhatsApp group let me know and let me have your mobile telephone number.  It is easy to come off of the group if you want to by just leaving at any time.  
If anyone would like to share any news with the choir, send it to me on email and I will gladly add it to my weekly news email.
If anyone would like to get in touch with fellow choir members and would like their details let me know and I will check with the person and ask for permission to pass on their details to you.  If anyone is feeling they just need a call, again let me know and we can get in touch. We are all here for each other.
Hope to see some of you tomorrow night.
Keep safe!
Lin x