Walking between the beats. 

It's definitely summertime in CT. The weather has been gorgeous for days, and like so many others, I've been outside a lot. 

One of my favorite things about summer weather is the chance to walk outside...briskly...as in deliberate exercise walking. There's something wonderful about fast walking -- working up a sweat and really getting those endorphins going. I move at a 15 minute/mile clip (pretty impressive, right?)...but I can only do this while listening to great music. 

At least 99% of the time, the music that inspires my walks comes from our choir's repertoire. Much of it I'd never heard before actually starting to learn it during rehearsals. But as you know from your own choral experience, that music becomes part of you. It's as if you've never NOT known Lauridsen's, O Nata Lux, or Tavener's, The Lamb...or Rheinberger's, Abendlied, or Stopford's, For the Beauty of the Earth.

It's easy to understand how walking to Haydn's, The Heavens are Telling, can raise that pulse rate. Just standing in one spot and singing it is aerobic! 

But how is it possible to get a MAJOR aerobic work-out by listening to a slow, melodious piece like Elder's, Ballade to the Moon?

The answer is simple. You must walk between the beats...and the music must be utterly breath-taking.

What kind of music energizes you?

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Singing from Stage Right

Harmony -- it's a beautiful thing!

This is a blog for people who LOVE to sing with their choirs, or are considering joining a choir. It's about singing as a group. It's about how music affects us choir members and everyone else. It's about the unique place that choral singing has in our world.

For me, singing with my choir is a singular, most magical experience. I could never have imagined the effect it's had on my life. 

My choral group requires auditions, so I had to summon my emotional strength -- really push myself -- to (1) make the appointment and (2) actually show up. I got lost on the way to the audition and arrived late (all I had at the time was a little flip phone -- no GPS). Some might think that there was an unconscious desire to mess it all up before I even got to audition. I don't know -- that might have been the case! Regardless, our director was understanding...and she somehow put me at ease quickly. 

(More about our artistic director at another time.)

Singing with this group is my favorite thing in life. That's saying a lot because I have a lot of favorite things. But this really does trump everything else.

Boredom becomes thrill, depression turns to joy, stress turns to calm, loneliness fades away. I'm certain this comes as no surprise to other choristers reading this blog (and I hope that there will be many of you!). It's the instant cure -- isn't it? 

And the effects are long-lasting.

The reference in this blog title to singing "from stage right " relates to altos, since that's often where we find ourselves. I'm an alto. There will definitely be some alto commentary along the way...but we're all in this together. So -- sopranos, bass, baritones, tenors -- you will not be left out! We all need each other to make that mind-blowing, glorious sound.

There is just nothing else in this world like choir singing.

Stef

Tales from the Alto Section