Embro Thistle Singers

Tonal Tuesdays - Can I Really Sing?

2012-02-21T01:00:00.002-05:00

Some years ago, I had moved to a new school and one hot August day was unpacking, sorting and organizing for the new term. A couple of young ladies questioned through the open window as to whether I was the new music teacher. I answered in the affirmative and they stated quite firmly that I had no chance whatever of getting them to sing alone so not even to think of asking. I accepted their words but added that before the year was over, they would have sung by themselves but only because they wanted to. They guffawed and said something like, "that will be the day," and off they went.

That fear of singing by one's self is equal to the fear of public speaking, in my view. I think people feel vulnerable and exposed and fear making mistakes. That is one of the reasons I have never required auditions for choir membership. I know that if you have a very specific sound requirement or a professional paid position then auditions are a must. However, my choirs have been peopled by volunteers.

It is often said that everyone can sing. And indeed, most can. Some have not had as many opportunities to explore making musical sounds as others and thus are not as adept at reproducing adequate pitch etc. Apparently, only 1 in 20 has amusia or tone deafness. My Uncle Ed was one. Aunt Peggy would play the piano and Uncle Ed would happily sing up a storm. He had no idea he wasn't singing the right notes. He just couldn't hear it. A sing song with Uncle Ed was like the clash of the titans. You certainly learned how to sing through the dissonance.

More often people haven't had the chance to learn to tone match. That is, they need to learn to be able to reproduce the tones they hear. One year, I was blessed with an extraordinary grade 7 class. They worked together well and were exceptionally supportive of one another. They had decided that they wanted to enter the Music Festival as a grade 7 classroom choir. That meant that all the students had to agree to participate. One of the boys, had come from a school outside Canada and had not sung much in his former school. He truly couldn't tone match but was willing to learn. Now, 12 and 13 year old males are all ready dealing with voices that can squeak and squawk at will but they were not deterred. The boys on either side and behind him made a concerted effort to sing towards him.

The day he finally found his voice was so exciting. His partners stopped and shouted that he had done it. He had sung the right notes. We did it again and this time he heard it. We had quite the celebration.

So, yes YOU can sing. If you are willing to learn some basic skills and practise them, you can sing all you want. Remember the young ladies I met at the window. Indeed they did sing by themselves but it was during a project and the students were working together to write jingles. They sang their creations to one another in a relaxed and non-judgmental situation so they indeed didn't realize they had "sung by themselves" until I told them during evaluations. They were totally surprised and declared that it hadn't hurt a bit. I love it when a plan comes together!

Tonal Tuesdays - Why we do it!

2012-02-14T07:00:00.003-05:00

Banks of Doon is not an easy piece to sing. But sing it we did, last practice. Oh my knees went weak and the final cadence brought tears to my eyes. This was at the end of a busy practice working on newer music and yet, the singers just nailed the harmony, dynamics and emotion needed to make the song come alive.

The Robbie Burns poem is beautiful. The music by Donna Gartman Schultz flows and ebbs with the those words, so well known by so many. This arrangement is four part S.A.T.B. and although we are just under twenty members the balance is wonderful. This version is not perhaps as well known as "Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon" which is considered the second version of the poem. Here is a lovely presentation of the Banks of Doon with an oboe rather than the usual violin obbligato.

The Embro area of Ontario from which our choir and many of its members originate, has Scottish roots and in fact has a very famous Highland Games every July 1 rain or shine. Check out a bit of the Embro historical background from the library archives.

We have had a lot of fun with an old pub song, A Wee Deoch and Doris. I remember my Scottish grandma singing it at every visit. Now I know what it means. The last line, "If you can say, "It's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht", Then yer a'richt, ye ken" was a test of sobriety. You indeed have to be sober to say those lines. Even then it takes concentration.

We certainly sing a plethora of music from modern to ancient, and serious to funny. No matter what we sing, we do it until we are all happy with the result. And sometimes, my knees go weak and my heart sings. That is my WHY! Thanks, Embro Thistle Singers.

Tonal Tuesdays - Soloists

2012-02-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

Last night we went to a hockey game. As you know, before every game, the national anthem is sung. They had a "choir" of young people. In this case, a single soloist would have been a really good choice. These young children weren't given a starting point and thus became a group of soloists singing at roughly the same time. Cacophony was the result. (A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds). Oh dear.

I am not a big proponent of soloists used with a choir unless of course you are singing music written with choral and solo sections such as Handel's Messiah. Some choral pieces are written with a "solo" which often sounds better with a unison section of singers. The balance is usually much better especially with amateur groups.

Please, think long and hard before insinuating soloists into a choral concert. It seems to me a, dare I say, a lazy way to fill in space. The soloist does a lot of work to prepare and leaves 3 or 4 spaces the choir doesn't need to fill. There are always exceptions of course but I firmly feel that you can create interest and variety by using various arrangements, styles, and dynamics before just throwing in a solo or two.

In a choir, you work hard to work together and create a blended, united sound. When you pull soloists from your choir, you can put that group dynamic in jeopardy. Bringing soloists from outside, can bring a host of challenges including how to work that into practice time. If your concert is a variety show, then we are talking about a whole different animal.

As I sit writing this post, I am listening to a concert by Josh Groban. As a soloist, he uses many arrangements, instruments and styles to create variety. A choir or chorus might serve as accompaniment but he is what the audience came to see.
Here Josh is singing one of my personal favourites, You Raise Me Up.

Your choir is great and with more practice will become even greater. The audience deserves their music and your best efforts and your happy faces. That of course, means you perform from memory. Yes, you CAN!!

Comments and Lions and Bears - Oh my!

2012-02-01T12:05:00.000-05:00

Comments, we love to hear them. However, apparently there has been an issue with our blog sponsor and sometimes you may not have been able to leave a comment or pages have frozen etc. Our apologies if you have had that issue.

Our technical adviser, Colleen, has adjusted the settings and we should be good to go. Please give it a try.

If you ever have issues with the comments in future, would you do us a favour and let us know by e-mail?

Tonal Tuesdays - Satisfying the Singers

2012-01-31T07:00:00.005-05:00

Whenever there is an artistic endeavor, there will be divergent opinions. A choir is no exception. As a choir member, it is not always easy to be positive about each and every piece you get to sing. We all have songs we like better than others for many reasons. Sometimes we don't know what that reason is.

The only time I had to use music I wasn't always pleased to do would be for music festivals with set pieces. I helped alleviate that problem by volunteering to be on the music selection committee. That turned out to be myself and the Festival Secretary. Darn. Then I didn't get to grumble.

That reminds me of the story of the fellow who opened his lunch box every day and declared, "Peanut butter again." After weeks of this, one colleague suggested perhaps he ask his wife for a different kind of sandwich to which the chap replied, "Oh, I make my own lunch." You see some of us grumble just to hear ourselves grumble.

As a director, how do you keep everyone happy. The short answer is that you don't but you can make everyone comfortable with the music. Our choir often makes suggestions for selections we could use. I think at one point or another, we have used all. I truly believe in a collaborative effort in a choir. If you have a set agenda or style for your choir, that may be harder to accomplish. Eclectic choices really float my boat.

The way that choir directors I have had over the years got me on side was to tell me WHY we were singing that song. Sometimes, it fits a theme. Other times it is perfect to show off one section or another. I also loved hearing historical facts about the music which put it in context or information about the composer or lyricist that made the music more meaningful,

As directors, we must do our homework and try to choose music that fits our singers. Sometimes, the words are a challenge like Purple People Eater or the harmony. You must have challenges but never so much that the choir feels defeated. It is a fine line but worth exploring.

Above all, HAVE FUN. Love the music and enjoy your singers and together you will create music that will please your audiences.

If you would like to leave a comment, please do. Just click on the word, 'comment', below. It may have a number or zero beside it. Click on it and it will open up to give you a box in which to write you own comment. Then you will be asked to type the funny looking letters in another box. This is just a protection from "invaders" from cyber space. Try it with our thanks. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tonal Tuesdays - A Song to Sing

2012-01-24T07:00:00.013-05:00

If you have ever participated in music festivals, you know that the adjudicators can be - well let's say - interesting. I remember so clearly my sister and I getting ready to leave for a Music Festival Competition and Mum saying that it was important to make our best effort and that winning was not as important as feeling good about our singing. My sister took it all in and simply said, "---but mummy, I'd rather win." And of course, she did.

However much positive thought you use, adjudicators are very subjective in their judging. One year, my choir was up against some particularly fine choirs. One of my rules has always been that the choir watch me and sing what I directed. If a mistake was made, then it would be mine. The piece we were singing had 3 verses and wouldn't you know that I went right into the 3rd verse after the first. It had different accompaniment and harmony, the works. Oh dear. Well we had an amazing accompanist who took all of 3 seconds to realize where we were and the choir followed with only a raised eyebrow or two to show their discomfort.

The dear adjudicator in his summary said that our choir was amazing. The only critiscism he had was a few words were indistinct and went on to point out 3 words that were in the missed 2nd verse. Now, my eyebrows went up to warn the students to stay mum. You guessed it, we earned first place.

We were lucky that the adjudicator hadn't picked up on our mistake. However, I am convinced that he was enjoying the music and thus, not tied to the copy. The song choice in this case kept the interest high and let us perform well if technically somewhat deficient.

Another year, I had a 12 and 13 year old boys in a choir. As you know, changing voices are fun to work with because what you have today is not what you may have tomorrow. I had to choose something that would keep the boys' interest, remain possible for them to sing in 3 part harmony no matter what their voices did, and create a fun performance. The song was a medley of television commercial jingles. We had such fun and yes, they aced it.

In the adjudication, we were told that the choice of song was a dangerous choice. He felt that such popular songs could be hard to present as the audience would have a mind set as to what they should sound like and the performance might not be able to replicate that sound. The headline in the paper was, "Teacher Makes Dangerous Choice to Sing". Really.

Chris Rowbury has a great article on why singing "pop" music is not a good idea. He feels strongly that most popular music isn't worth considering. I agree that you do have to be careful that the songs you choose have good musical qualities. We in ETS have sung some fun popular songs including Purple People Eater. It is repetitive but it is the story that is the point of this song. We didn't wear costumes but we really worked to get the words clear. It was suggested that we play kazoos at the end in place of the saxophone. It was fun. Sha Na Na does an acceptable job and the words here are the focus as well.

I think you can severely limit our options when you make pronouncements such as "no pop music" or conversely "no classic music". There is good and bad in all musicial genres. Like the adjudicators, conductors get to use their subjective judgement in music choices. Personally, I like a wide range of musical styles and eras. Try it, you'll like it - or not. Like Mum always said about your veggies, "If you don't taste it, how will you know you don't like it." She was so right. So go ahead and "taste" lots of kinds of music and see what kind of sound banquet you can create.

If you would like to leave a comment, please do. Just click on the word, 'comment', below. It may have a number or zero beside it. Click on it and it will open up to give you a box in which to write you own comment. Then you will be asked to type the funny looking letters in another box. This is just a protection from "invaders" from cyber space. Try it with our thanks. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tonal Tuesdays - Accompaniment for Singers

2012-01-16T07:00:00.012-05:00

In 2009, my hubby and I were celebrating our 40th anniversary. Our wonderful daughter,Colleen, and much loved son-in-law were coming to Canada for Christmas that year and we were asked to meet them in Toronto. Upon arrival, our car was whisked away by the valet at the hotel and then later off we went in a taxi first to our surprise, dinner at the Wayne Gretzky Restaurant. Even if you don't follow hockey, it has great food and a fun atmosphere.

Then we were off again to our next surprise and I burst into tears when we arrived at the Roy Thompson Hall and found out we were going to see a Christmas Il Divo concert. Wow!!
These four young men sing amazingly well together and their harmony and style are a treat. We did have to remind the ladies behind us to listen during the concert. They had come from Vancouver just to see these four handsome men and kept talking about them. Imagine spending all that money and not taking the time to listen.
Someone else who didn't seem to be listening was the conductor of the Roy Thompson Orchestra. There were a few times when one of the singers actually tried to get the conductor to notice that he wasn't working WITH them. Truly this conductor thought he was the centre of attraction. Under those difficult conditions these professionals still put on a wonderful show.
This is one of my favourite Il Divo concerts and the orchestra is such a support and addition to this concert. See if you agree.

Accompaniment for a singing group is so very important. Luckily, the ETS has a wonderfully talented accompanist in our Kristy VanKooten-Bossence. She has the rare talent of being able to keep us on time and in tune without my even having to think about it. Over the years, I have worked with many pianists who are very talented but not able to accompany. A great accompanist works in tandem with the conductor.

Recently, I was able to see a performance by Theatre Kent, of The Sound of Music. The accompaniment was a volunteer band directed by Carol Revell. Even though these are all amateurs, the accompaniment never overwhelmed the singers. I happened to be sitting near the band and yet never noticed their playing but just heard the final product. When you read the above review, Carol and the musicians go virtually unmentioned. That is a true sign of great accompaniment.

If you would like to leave a comment, please do. Just click on the word, 'comment', below. It may have a number or zero beside it. Click on it and it will open up to give you a box in which to write you own comment. Then you will be asked to type the funny looking letters in another box. This is just a protection from "invaders" from cyber space. Try it with our thanks. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tonal Tuesdays - Conducting or Directing?

2012-01-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

Mr. Bean a.k.a., Rowan Atkinson, is so creative. His stint here as a conductor of Beethoven's 5th Symphony is funny. He really is re-interpreting the music. You must watch. Okay, go ahead. Do it with him.

A conductor or director also interprets the music but all that happens long before the actual performance.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the difference between the words conductor and director were worth discussion. In many cases the words are used interchangeably. However, I feel the director is as also the one who helps the group to interpret the music while they practise.

Leonard Bernstein is my favourite director. I loved watching his sessions with all sorts of musical groups and even on the old shaky 16 mm film and noisy projectors, you could see his passion and better yet his transference of that passion to the musicians before him. He explained and allowed the players to explore the music. The collaborative effort was a beautiful thing.

There are certainly accepted standards for how to move your hands and arms to express the music. Watching YouTube sessions of conducting classes is interesting indeed. Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner were most influential in setting modern standards for the art of conducting accepted today. This picture of Berlioz shows how, when he started to conduct, he used overly large movements. He worked very hard to make his future movements more understandable and less flamboyant. He and Wagner also wrote extensively about how to conduct correctly.

Conducting can be like dancing. You can learn the moves but until you put your heart into the movement, giving life to the music, you are just making some interesting movements. Have you watched the movie, Shall We Dance? Now, there are some fine dance moves and a great understanding of effects of passion.

The musical direction part of conducting is the trickiest but to me the most fun. One must not be so bent on having the music played or sung in a preconceived form that there is no room for collaboration.

Bernstein famously worked with Glenn Gould whose interpretations were very different from the norm. Although Bernstein did not agree with Gould, he was fascinated by his talent. He accepted that Gould had a different view and his respect for that allowed them to create some profound musical moments.

You can just conduct by waving your hands in time to the music or truly direct with understanding between you and the musicians so that you create a unique musical presentation. Then, of course, there is always the Rowan Atkinson method. Tee, hee.

Tonal Tuesdays - Vocal Fry or Just Fried

2012-01-03T07:00:00.007-05:00

Something I have noticed for quite some time, particularly in young females, is the use of a "raspy" style of talking. The voice is placed at the back of the throat in many cases and to me, sounds very uncomfortable. In fact, I can hardly stand to listen to it. Many of these young ladies positively sound as if they have a permanent cold.

A few weeks ago, a new choir member was concerned because his voice felt scratchy after singing. What was actually happening was that he wasn't "placing" his voice correctly. After working on understanding of correct posture and the feeling of the voice placed "forward" as opposed to back in the throat, he was amazed at the difference. We know that we need to use breath control to carry our voices but physical stance enhances that ability.

Let me simplify this whole idea. When I taught young singers, I would tell them that their sound didn't come out of their mouths but out of the magic whale spout on the top of their heads. When little hands would creep up to check I would remind them that it was indeed MAGIC and only worked when they were singing. Of course, when I taught adults and teens, I would tell them what I told the young ones and they managed that same physical stance.

Note that even this cute little cartoon has his chin down, his eyes up and thus the back of the throat more open and less restricted allowing for greater air flow and support for sound.
This may not be scientific, but it works. Once you feel the difference, the sound is more stable and the singer more relaxed.

The general term for that scratchy sound is Vocal Fry. Some rock singers use it to create a unique sound. Again, it must be placed correctly or damage will ensue. I remember when our daughter was playing the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz in high school, she created a really nasty cackle but practised placing it correctly so that she wouldn't damage her vocal chords. Any sound can work, but correct placement of sound is essential for the comfort of both the listener and singer or speaker. If in doubt, read and practise or take some lessons. The result will be more than worth it.

P.S. Children who shout to music are not singing and it is not cute!! Children can place their voices correctly and make a great sound. Just let them be whales and away they go.

Tonal Tuesdays - To a Capella or not to a Capella

2011-12-27T07:00:00.004-05:00

When you sing in the shower, unless you have one of those waterproof radios, you are singing a Capella or without accompaniment. This can be very tricky for both singers and directors or conductors (now that delineation is a topic for another Tuesday).
There are groups such as the Nylons who have made their names based on singing without any accompaniment other than percussion (things like drums and sticks etc.). They sing in tight harmony as do Barbershop singers and this harmony, in my opinion helps the singers stay in tune.

The Nylons make it look easy in this clip but you have to pay attention to realize that there are only percussion instruments and clapping as accompaniment.
However, it can be very tricky to stay in tune when singing without accompaniment especially for amateur singers. Personally, I almost always opt for accompaniment especially for soloists and usually for choirs. Children in particular can benefit from being able to hear the sounds they want to replicate. The piano has a full range of overtones to help fill any voids in sound but also has clear tones. The pipe or even electronic organs can sound "muddy" and make singing in tune a bit trickier especially if you are trying to hear a specific part.
Chris Rowbury has a quirky but very sane view on a capella singing that merits a read. Tell me what you think. Why I don't like "a capella".

Tonal Tuesday - Excitement vs Nerves

2011-12-20T07:00:00.003-05:00

Many times people will say that they are nervous when they really mean they are excited. There is a vast difference.

Excitement is an energy you can use to make a performance sparkle. That isn't to say that there aren't people who get nervous. While searching out other choir blogs I came across a great article on how to deal with those nerves that can stop some people from even attempting something new. Check out 5 Ways to Deal with Nerves. I couldn't say it any better.

In any situation, as Elena suggests above, when the butterflies start flying in formation the nerves become excitement which you can then share with your audience. Smile, and sally forth.

Tonal Tuesdays - Tips for Singers & Directors

2011-12-13T13:58:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Tuesday. Each Tuesday I will share a tip or two about songs, singing and directing. Sometimes they will by Kitty's and other times we will welcome guest posts.
If any of you have ideas to share from your experience as a singer, director or audience member, please pass them on. We will share them here.

Today's Tonal Tuesday Tip
SMILE - One of our guiding principals for the ETS is to HAVE FUN. The way to pass that on to all around you is to smile. Yes you can smile and still have a round, well placed sound. Smiles are like measles and are easily caught. When you have fun so does your audience.
Watch these young people and decide whether they are having fun. Is it catching?

You will have to agree that their sound is superb but I think they are having a ball. What do you think?

Singing for Our Supper

2011-12-09T20:27:00.004-05:00

The Embro Thistle Singers had a great night at the Red Cross Wellness Dinner. We were fed a fabulous dinner, which of course can be a bit of a problem just before singing. However, in this case, it didn't diminish the results one bit as they let us go to the buffet first. Cool.

Our songs were very well received and the Red Cross Red Cross Oxford group were fabulous at singing along.

Embro Thistle Singers Sing for the Red Cross

2011-12-08T09:37:00.003-05:00

The Embro Thistle Singers are celebrating the Volunteers of the Red Cross at their annual Wellness Dinner. We are singing songs that lift up the spirit while also joining our voices with winter songs. Stay tuned for pictures and more news.

Singing Let It Snow but It Didn't - Whew!

2011-11-29T20:28:00.001-05:00

We did get asked to return to Cambrocourt Manor to sing again this year. Wonder of wonders, it did not snow. Now one of the songs we were singing was called just that and contained many well know winter songs such as Marshmallow World, Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells and of course, Let It Snow. Although we couldn't help glancing at the windows throughout our presentation, we had so much fun. There were a number of singers that we encouraged mightily to join us in January for practices.
You can join us too. Our next practice is January 8th at the beautiful Knox United Church 7 p.m.

Singing for the Oldest Birthday

2011-11-06T12:48:00.001-05:00

Reverend Douglas Peck asked in the children's message who had been to the oldest birthday. Some grandmas' birthdays were offered and Rev. Peck was adept at making sure ages weren't disclosed. I am certain there were more than a few with bated breath while that happened. St. Andrews United in Brooksdale was marking its 125th birthday and that definitely won the prize for the oldest much to the relief of the grandparents present.
ETS was fortunate to be invited to provide some special music and what a treat it was for us. We filled the choir stalls and the small but very pretty church was filled. Our Hallelujah, Wonderful World and You Raise Me Up were well received and a joy to sing.
The lunch to which we were invited afterwards would take another whole post to describe. Oh yummy.
Congratulations to the wonderful people of Brooksdale and many thanks for your kind words and smiles.

The 50's and 60's Embro Style

2011-09-17T20:39:00.002-04:00

The Embro Fair decided to have a Talent Show this year following the theme of 50's and 60's. Oh we were excited. One member really wanted to sing Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. Well, just try to find that one in 4 parts to sing. Of course, one of our talented members, Elaine, arranged it for us. What fun but challenging. Of course, Kitty took the chance to create a costume that got more than a little attention.

Purple People Eater was our next choice. What a fun song it is but the words are many and fast so it takes some doing to get them to be understood. The ETS was up to the challenge and away they went. Of course, it was Elaine again who found the kazoos that we used to play the final chorus.

Our medley of 60's like songs My Boyfriend My Cola and Me was sung with the slides of pictures that Kay put on DVD for us. The computer wasn't terribly co-operative but our intentions were good.
This time Kristy didn't have baseball but we still got chosen to be the finale.
If you check the Embro Fair web site you will see that next year's theme is Seaside Rendevous. Hmm. Sea songs, sailors and fish come to mind. Any suggestions.

On Stage for Relay for Life

2011-06-07T21:00:00.002-04:00

We were asked to be part of the entertainment for the Relay for Life event in Ingersoll. This annual event of a none competitive relay 12 hours long, has raised more than $1,000,000 Relay for Life Ingersoll 2011. Now, remember that Ingersoll is a town of just 11,000 people Town of Ingersoll.
We thoroughly enjoyed our singing especially because Kitty was the only one getting wet in the drizzle that was falling. The stage thankfully, had a protective roof. The ET Singers stayed dry and their slightly damp director happily waved her hands and arms as they sang to the very enthusiastic reception of the Relay participants.
Well done to all volunteers and participants. You do make a difference for so many!!

Concert for Japan Relief

2011-04-13T19:17:00.003-04:00

The Elm Hurst Inn and Spa Elm Hurst Inn and Spa is a gorgeous facility in Ingersoll. We have been asked to take part in the concert to raise money for helping the Japanese recover from the devastating tsunami they recently experienced. We were sharing the stage with the likes of Ingersoll's mayor, Ted Comiskey, (yes his family is part of the the Comiskeys of baseball park fame) and the Chamber Orchestra of Orchestra London.
Wow!! We are only just one year old and felt very honoured to be included but we needed to look like the united group of singers we are. Hence, we ordered our shirts for performance. We didn't have time to have the new logos embroidered before the performance but Steve Walters at Brand It Promotional was just wonderful. He got our shirts ordered with the promise to embroider the logo after our performance.

Way to go ETS. You looked wonderful and we had great comments afterwards. Over $60,000 was raised for the Red Cross to use to help our Japanese neighbours.

Let It Snow. We Sang Anyway.

2010-12-05T19:04:00.005-05:00

Service is our middle name. No we don't fix cars but we sing in service to others.
Cambrocourt is a lovely seniors' apartment complex in Embro and we went over to sing some Christmas music for them.
Now let me tell you that this winter so far has had more than its share of snow even though by the calendar it isn't even winter yet. So here we are, 16 days before winter and off to make music to bring some Christmas cheer. The flakes (snow that is) were coming down but didn't look too dangerous as we parked at residence. However, as we sang, the picture outside the windows got very white and thick.
We sang our few known songs and then did a Christmas sing along, but quick glances to the windows showed that the snow was ever heavier.
Although there was some lovely cider and cookies to be had, those of us who had to drive opted to get out to our cars. Everyone helped get each car on the road because as soon as you had one part cleared it filled in again. It was at least a 2 person job.
We all got home safely and hope we get asked back next year. We will be checking the weather forecasts carefully if we do.

Hope for Haiti

2010-10-24T18:16:00.003-04:00

ETS is growing and living up to its philosophy of service to the community. We volunteered to participate in the second of the Hope for Haiti concerts to raise money for the rehabilitation of Haiti after the recent hurricane.

Joining with other community groups at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Ingersoll was a treat and wonder of wonders, no one of us sang the same songs. Thanks to Dave McDonald who made a DVD of our performance, we were able to see our performance afterwards. However, the singers decided we needed improvement before we made it public. That will be soon I am certain.

Embro Fair Talent Contest

2010-09-18T18:26:00.006-04:00

We could earn our first money!! One of our tenors, Doug, is on the Embro Fair Board and asked if we would consider entering the Embro Fair Talent Contest. Well, of course we would.
The theme is Down Home on the Farm so we chose a couple of fun songs to sing. We have an SAB arrangement of Oh What a Beautiful Morning and an SATB arrangement of Grandma's Feather Bed. Now this is a fun song to sing. Check out the lyrics and you will see what we mean.

But wait - 'cause that is what we had to do before we could sing and look as cute as we are above. Kristi, our accompanist, had a championship ball game to play and they were later than they expected to be. We had to be put last on the list and our audience and organizers were ever so patient. In ran Kristi in her ball uniform, sat at the piano and away we went.
And - WE WON!! We got the $100 prize for first place. Mind you we had all ready spent $15 to enter so we netted $85. That went a long way to paying for the music we had all ready purchased. Yahoo. Way to go ETS.

Our First Concert

2010-06-06T21:00:00.005-04:00

The Embro Thistle Singers began with our first practice, Sunday, February 28, 2010. It turned out to be a very balanced SATB sound and we had much fun experimenting with sound.
Because we started with no budget never mind money we borrowed our music. We were given permission by the amazing, Ron McNutt to use some of his arrangements and thus one of our first pieces to perform is Memory from the musical Cats.
We were asked by the Knox United Church, an active and vibrant congregation meeting in an historic building, Knox United Church to sing at a talent night and what fun it was.
Our modus operandi is to sing without using our sheet music and WE DID IT!!
We got rave reviews on our Memory, and Hallelujah (yes indeed the Leonard Cohen gem).
We know that Embro is full of talented people and we got to share the stage with many of them including a senior who is now taking piano lessons and played oh so well.
We enjoyed Scottish dancing and original song sung by the young composer while she played her own guitar accompaniment.
And so it begins----!