Noticeboard: 27th March 2020
I do hope that everyone is keeping well and as unworried as possible. In case you have any time to fill, here are some offers and ideas.
The first new learning project is now available. It gets you started with score reading – following the music while you listen to it. It's a great way of learning more. Your eyes and ears help each other out, so whether you want to get greater understanding of the music, or improve your music reading, you'll gain a lot. This first project enables you to get going even if you have no knowledge at all about how music is laid out. You can skip all that if you do, take a quiz to check you know all you need and you're underway. My original intention that it would take an hour proved unrealistic once I got stuck into it. It's divided, though, into worksheets, and you can choose how far you want to go. It's best to have print outs of the worksheets. If that is impossible for you, email me and I'll deliver copies to your doorstep or put them in the post.
The plan is to add more score reading projects, gently challenging your growing skills. In the last update, I promised you there would be one a week. That was over-ambitious! There will be at least one a fortnight. Find the new project here Downloadable Resources – Score Reading. If we're housebound for the long haul you'll be up to conducting a movement of a symphony by the end!
Do you know about MOOCs? Free, short, well-designed, flexible on-line courses. If you don't you are missing wonderful opportunities to learn about numerous things. Find a selection of current music courses accessible for all here Learning – Learning Music with Other Providers. At least two of us have already enjoyed MOOCs – I'm sure there are more.
There's a Google Group for Drop Inners, and as many of us that can and want are singing along with Youtube for a few minutes at 7.30 on a Tuesday evening. Email if you'd like to join the group. On the 24th we had three Vera Lynn songs, stirring emotions for all sorts of reasons. We're aiming to be up beat on the 31st.
Better Recorder Course people will soon be invited to have a way of keeping in touch with each other and receiving the April materials.
This Saturday many of us would have enjoyed singing through “Showboat” in the Village Hall. The scores are relaxing in my garage, the keyboard is hibernating, and the hall's rafters (must be there somewhere) will be unrung. I had treated myself to two books to help me prepare. One is the novel of the same name, by Edna Ferber, on which the musical is based and the other, unread as yet is “Showboat: Performing Race in an American Legacy”. I'm going to indulge myself on Saturday evening by watching the 1936 black and white film so I'm well equipped when we can do it for real – which we will. Want to join me? https://www.youtube.com/watch. If you want the lyrics for the songs, they are here: www.allmusicals.com/s/showboat.htm
If I get the chance – where is all the time I thought we'd all have? there'll be a Showboat quiz too. I'll ask Hazel to put that on the Felton Music website page. If you aren't yet a visitor, it's https://www.facebook.com/groups/2301881236700497/permalink/2633714186850532/
Has anyone joined Gareth Malone's Great British Chorus yet? You still can – go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFgYqP2wUQU. It's just one of lots of great on line opportunities – definitely worth having a hunt around. Search the BBC Sounds and iPlayer indexes too, for interesting things to hear and watch.