Love Changes Everything...

We spent the weekend making music.

Friday - Tech Rehearsal from 3 - 6 pm (I know. LONG!)
Saturday - Chorale Concert at the Performing Arts Center
Sunday - Soundsations at Harbor Cove Community Center
Monday - Chorale Rehearsal (new music to learn) 7-9 pm
We had a great time!
Handsome accompanied both groups.

I'll be rehearsing with the Soundsations again today from 1-3 pm. Then, I'll spend time this week working on those two quilts.

This post will be short. To tell the truth, I'm a little tired. I'd like to remind you about the Giveaway (link here) in case you haven't entered yet, and then leave you with a video of one of our pieces from the Saturday concert. I hope you enjoy it. (Sorry for the closeup. I asked my girlfriend's husband not to do that. He didn't listen. Now you get to see - close up - just how nervous I was for my first public singing performance in over thirty years.)

Here's a link to another number, in case you just can't get enough. lol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW8CnLaaE_k And, here is the code for the embedded video, which doesn't appear on my Facebook posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDY3MPLdjSM

*Lunch Changes Everything...

I participated in Debbie's Heart Swap at Mosaic Magpie. We were to create a heart that could be hung, and send it off to Debbie. She would then take all the collected hearts, trade them around and send them out to another participant.
This is the beautiful wool felt heart I received from Sherry of Blessings From Our Nest Tiny ribbon roses, a heart, lace and a button. She hand stitched one of my favorite words, "Joy". When I owned my shop in Wisconsin, I always closed my newsletters with "Joy! Donna". (I chose a word that started with the same letter as the silent "j" in my last name. "Joy" was just a natural choices for me.)

Sherry didn't know this, and she didn't know who would receive her creation, so this was a lovely surprise for me. Thank you, Sherry. I'll treasure it always.

Debbie also included a little heart, cut from a vintage quilt. I'm sure I'll find something special for this, too! Thank you, Debbie.
I want to share a short story with you to explain the title of this blog post. You know that Handsome is an accompanist with the Chorale and The Soundsations. We're currently rehearsing our February program for a concert on the 26th. In keeping with a Valentine's Day theme, there are a LOT of songs with "love" in the title and lyrics. We were commenting on this with Pat (our director), and she was laughing at some of her choices. (They're not all happy. In fact, some are downright tragic! Like "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, for one.)

Handsome decided to share a story with all of us. Being an accomplished jazz musician, as well as enthusiast, he has listened to, accompanied and seen performances of a wide variety of jazzers (the great and the near-great) through the years. He tells this story about a wonderful pianist by the name of George Shearing.

Mr. Shearing was going to sing a love song called "Love Walked In", but having performed it for a long time, he did what many musicians do (including Handsome)...he fiddled with the lyrics. He invited the audience to help him with this song, and whenever he said the word "love", he wanted them to imagine using the word, "lunch" instead.
As Handsome told this story to the Soundsations singers, they all started to giggle. One of the guys who will sing a solo in one of the numbers immediately said, "Lunch Changes Everything", which just cracked up Pat. Then another said, "How about Endless Lunch?" Now they were getting the hang of it! We laughed about it every time we pulled out another piece of Valentine's Day sheet music. Someone would share the "revised" title.

So, how 'bout a little Valentine's Day fun? Choose your favorite love song and share the "new" title in the comments section. I'm sure everyone will have a good laugh. I'll choose my favorites to share with you tomorrow.

* By the way, I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but the real lyrics of my title, "Lunch Changes Everything" and "Endless Lunch" are actually "Love Changes Everything" and "Endless Love". Puts a whole new spin on the song, don't you agree? I can't wait to read the titles you choose.

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends
and
Thanks again, Sherry and Debbie.
Hearts and Hugs to all of you.

We're Gonna Put On A Show...

These are all the music pieces I'm learning for the Soundsations performances. We don't sing every single number for each show, but we sure sing most of them...and some with choreography. Oh, yeah...they all have to be memorized, too! It's a good thing that I know the words to a lot some of the pieces. It gives me a tiny head start on the work I need to do.

We rehearse every week on Tuesday afternoons, but I'm also rehearsing the numbers at home. Thank Heaven for online links which play either the entire piece and/or offer recordings of the separate parts. In some cases, it's like singing with my own alto section at home!

One of the fun things for me is finding that my voice range is expanding as I get more practice. I'm able to sing some of the notes that, only a few weeks ago, I was unable to sing at all. I still sing low alto, and sometimes I even sing with the tenors, but now I'm also able to sing some of those high alto (more like second soprano) parts that were out of my range only a short time ago.

My first performance with the Soundsations will be in our Performing Arts Center as part of the Chorale concert on February 26th. We'll only be singing three or four of our numbers that evening, but it will be just twenty or so individuals - including this ever-so-slightly nervous me - center stage. Of course, all of the Soundsations will also sing as part of the Chorale. (We do double duty.)

On February 27th (the next evening), I'll be part of our performance at another, smaller venue. The Soundsations are actually the ambassadors for the Chorale, so we perform for local and area churches, organizations and gated communities. I'm working especially hard to learn all my parts and moves. I'm having a ball, and am excited to have this challenge.

I'll be asking a friend's husband to record our performance on the 26th, and hope to share part of it with you. If my plans to get a recording work out, you'll be able to hear us sing, see all the moves, the sparkles, and catch my debut with the group.

I'll be rehearsing every day now. If anyone makes a mistake or misstep, I just want to be sure it's not me! See you tomorrow. I'm off to warble and wiggle! (giggle)
Before I close today, I want to note that I'm getting very close to holding a 600th Follower Giveaway. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that my giveaways are fairly generous. I guess I'd better start thinking about what I'm going to offer to celebrate this milestone with my faithful friends. Any suggestions?

Fezzik Friday - 31 Weeks...

Hi, everybody!
Welcome to another Fezzik Friday!

Sorry. Mom said that's a helicopter.
It's pretty noisy, and it distracted me for a little while.
Ahem. Where was I?
Oh, yes. I remember.
You may have noticed my fancy tie today.

I'm wearing it because I want to tell you Mom'a exciting news this week. She was invited to sing with The Chorale's smaller performing group called The Soundsations. They wear fancy clothes that sparkle, and Mom has a scarf that matches this tie (Dad wears this tie when he plays drums for their performances), as well as a pink one and a red one, too!

She went to her first rehearsal on Tuesday and said it was a lot of fun. I wasn't invited, so I'll have to take her word for it. All I know is that she was glad to see Kessie and me when she got home, and we both got biscuits when she came in the house. If she does that after she gets back from every practice, it's alright with me!

So, come on. Admit it. This tie is me, right?
It makes me even more adorable, right?

'til next week...

Fezzik Inconceivable

*** The sign-up for the Mug Mat Swap is open until February 1st. Mom is going to do a tutorial over the weekend. You can link here to read more about it. A list of the participants who've signed up so far is in the left sidebar. You don't have to have a blog to participate, either. If you want to play and your name isn't there yet, please send Mom an email (Please put MUG MAT SWAP in the subject line).