AN INSIGHT: Whether anything happens in rehearsal and worship is a wondrous and mysterious combination of what we plan, what we bring with us, and what the Holy Spirit does with those two realities. The hymn that one of us deplores may be the hymn that touches someone else in a nearly life-saving way. The anthem one of us finds sluggish and boring may be touching someone else at the root of his or her being. The exuberant chorus which one of us finds distasteful and out of place may be something that someone else has been hungering for for years. So part of the music ministry of the church is a patient kind of participation in which we realize that even if what we're singing or hearing at this moment isn't lighting us up, the fact that we're singing it is helping to light someone else up,  and that is a sacred privilege!

DO YOU HAVE YOUR NAME TAG ON TONIGHT?  It's not fair to our new members to have to guess our names. (And it's especially embarrassing to those of us who have trouble remember names!) Let's advertise who we are by wearing our tags. If you have misplaced yours and need a new one be sure to write your name on an index card and give to John. Have you introduced yourself to our new family members? Have you welcomed them to our family? Remember our ministry of hospitality! Please remember to leave off the perfume, cologne, hair spray, shaving lotion, etc. on Thursdays and Sundays! The wonderful fragrance you love to put on just may be the fragrance that your singing neighbors can't tolerate because of allergies and sensitivities - especially when we're sitting close together and breathing so deeply.  Please think about this courtesy to those around you the next time you want to "smell good".

 

THE 5-MINUTE VOCAL WORKOUT - The following is a simple, 5-minute, basic regimen to provide daily exercise for your voice: Relax - mentally walk through your body and relieve it of all tension. Stretch - reach for the sky, roll your shoulders and head. Align - stand with feet slightly spread and align your body in preparation for singing. Open - inhale and exhale on an "oh" vowel shape, jaw unhinged, to open the singing area. Soft - gently, in a comfortable spot in your range, begin singing an "ooh", and move up  and down a few pitches while concentrating on relaxing and consistent tone. Support - glide your voice from a low, but comfortable pitch, up an octave and back  down again. Add energy and abdominal strength as you ascend. Move the starting  pitch up and try it again. Vowel - select a vowel (ee, eh, ah, oh, oo, etc.), and sing a five-note scale up and down.  Advance to an eight note scale. Concentrate on keeping all the vowels tall (soft palate  raised) and consistent. If you tried this for one week, every day, you would help your voice develop good vocal habits which would positively impact your singing on a regular basis.   HEALTHY BREATH SUPPORT breathe in slowly and deeply watch a baby - we are born breathing correctly. A baby's belly will rise and fall while the chest cavity remains slightly lifted. We learn to breathe incorrectly later in life. blow out a candle - while holding the pointer finger 8 inches in front of the mouth, imagine gently blowing on a candle. Progressively blow longer and stronger using deeper air (from the diaphragm) and move the "candle" further away from the mouth. unvoiced consonants - f-h-k-p-sh-s-t. These have only air behind them. Your belly should bounce in toward the spine with each consonant. feel the air go to the toes. Imagine you have a pinwheel 6 inches from your mouth and gently blow on the edge to make it turn. Who can keep their pinwheel rotating the longest without taking a new breath?

LET'S WORK ON MOVEMENT.....

LET'S WORK ON BREATHING.....

BREATHE IN GOD'S LOVE & LIGHT BREATHE OUT WHATEVER IS TROUBLING YOU REMEMBER TO BREATHE!

 

TEMPO (and expression) MARKINGS - from slowest to fastest Largo    ( 45- 55)   Very slow and broad Grave    ( 45- 55)   Slow, heavy, solemn Lento    ( 45- 55)   Slow, pliant, sluggish Adagio    ( 45- 55)   in an easy graceful manner Andante    ( 55- 65)   A moderate, graceful tempo Andantino    ( 70- 80)   Slightly faster than Andante Moderato    ( 85- 100)   In a moderate tempo Allegretto    ( 90- 120)   A lively, quick tempo Allegro    ( 110- 140)   Cheerful, merry, lively, brisk, quick or fast Vivace    ( 130- 200)   Lively, quick, brisk, spirited, vivacious Presto    ( 180- 220)   Very fast, quickly Prestissimo    ( 210- )   Extremely fast, as fast as possible TEMPO (and expression) CHANGE MARKINGS Accelerando:    Gradually Faster Ritard, ritardando, rallentando:    Gradually Slower Ritenuto:    Held back, Immediately Slower Allargando:    Slowing & Crescendo, Broader Morendo:    Dying Away, Slowing Rubato:    Free, Flexible Tempo MM = 100:    Maelzel's Metronome, 100 beats per minute Remember this important statement: TEMPO CHANGES ARE NOT A TIME FOR DEMOCRACY IN A CHOIR! LOOK UP & WATCH THE DIRECTOR!