Category: Arts

Welcome to Tour 2013: France and Spain!

Happy Canada Day!

We are so thrilled to be leaving tomorrow (July 2nd) for our 10 day tour of France and Spain! Stay tuned to the ‘News’ section of our website to keep updated with the tour blog that we will be keeping! The daily blog posts will start on July 3rd, and will also be found on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
We are very excited to have our choristers writing the blog posts. Several of them have volunteered to share their pictures, and impressions on the blog, to keep everyone updated with their musical adventures!

The choir is also excited to announce our new mascots, designed and handcrafted for us by our amazing Creative Consultant, Kat Long. These mascots are named Piano, and Forte, and are going to accompany our choristers on tour! Make sure to keep an eye out for them in our tour pictures!

On Saturday June 29th, 2013, we had our touring choir workshop, followed by a casual concert. During the workshop, the choristers had some fun playing games outside in the gorgeous weather!

The casual concert was a great way for the choir to perform tour music in front of a live audience before we head off on our grand adventure!

So, what do you think of our new mascots? Will you be following along with our adventures in Europe? Tell us in the comments below!

July 1, 2013
6 Great Resources For Choristers

The internet is full of so many valuable resources, and nowhere is that more evident than in the myriad of websites designed to help musicians! Here are a number of great resources for choristers of all ages:

#1. Virtual Piano:

It can be difficult for singers who don’t have a piano, or keyboard at home, to practice their music independently. This website has a great virtual piano, to help choristers practice their music at home! There are a variety of free virtual piano apps for iphones, ipad, and other smartphones too, as well as more basic pitch pipe apps!

#2. Ear Training:

A good singer, is also a great listener. A singer’s ears are every bit as important as their voice, and needs to be trained as well. This website has great exercises, that can be modified for beginner singers through to more advanced singers!

#3. Music Theory Exercises:

Music theory is another incredibly important aspect of musical education. This website has a variety of different musical theory exercises for different abilities – for free!

#4. Public Domain Scores:

While many musical works are still under copyright, there are also several that are now within the public domain. The Petrucci Music Library has compiled a fantastic repository of these public domain scores!

#5. The Science of Music:

This is a great website to help choristers discover the links between science, math, and music!

#6. Incredibox:
This is a great website to help get choristers interested in different aspects of composition in a fun, and lighthearted way!

What do you think about these resources? Will you try some of them out?

June 17, 2013
What Choir Means To Me

At our Annual Spring Banquet Sunday June 2nd 2013, our board president, Dan Link, asked our Artistic Director, Marni Strome, to discuss what choir means to her. The following is the transcript of Marni’s speech:

Choir is: many voices making beautiful sound. LIVE. The whole thing is alive, happening in the moment – it’s spontaneous – and free.

You can’t hide yourself when you sing. It’s one of the purest forms of self-expression. When you sing with others who also love to sing, there is nothing more validating or supportive. Singing in a choir allows us to fully experience ourselves. It makes us feel good, and happy. When we feel good and happy, we feel confident and strong.

This was the effect of choir on me, growing up as a chorister.

Choir got me through school.

And now, choir (aside from my husband, family and close friends ), is my life. I didn’t plan for it to be that way – I actually didn’t aspire to be a choir director. I had a lot of encouragement from people like Rosemarie Sherban, founder of the CCC. But looking back, and sitting here now, I don’t know what else I could have done that would be anywhere near as satisfying as working with kids like all of you on beautiful pieces of music. I can’t think of anything more worthwhile as a human experience.

The strong relationships that develop among people who sing together tend to be lasting. I see that in our choristers, and I certainly experienced it as a chorister. But I am learning that the relationships I form with choristers in my choir are also lasting. Not only with other staff members like Susan Woodward, Alena Naumchyk, and Linda White; but also with choristers who grow up and work with us – Like Rachael Mollison-Read, Kristine Woodward, Kat Long, and Jessica Lutzak.

I’m always sorry to see people leave choir – because often I’ve gotten to know you through many of your formative years, and I feel pretty invested in each of you. But as I spend more years conducting choirs I am learning that things often circle around and our paths will cross – maybe if you join us at Nutcracker, or come to the next reunion, or drop in to a rehearsal, or even keep in touch through the our website, or facebook or other media forms. I know now that I don’t really have to say goodbye. But the fact that I miss you when you leave speaks exactly to the depth of the relationships we form in choir. It is a family.

What does choir mean to me? Choir is all of you. And you all mean the world to me.

June 10, 2013
5 Life Lessons From Choir

#1. Always Bring A Pencil:

It’s a pretty good rule of thumb that in choir, you should always have a pencil. This is pretty good advice in life as well; always be prepared!

#2. Work as Part of a Team:

The great thing about singing in a choir is that you’re singing with many voices, all with the same goal of making beautiful music. Working well with others, towards a common goal is a great life skill!

#3. Help Each Other:

Helping out the people around you is a great skill to have!

#4. Be a Great Communicator:

Music is all about great communication, and so is life!

#5. Have Fun!:

Do you have any more life lessons from your experience as a chorister? Tell us in the comments below!

June 3, 2013
3 Different Types of Vocal Scores

Vocal scores have had a myriad of different incarnations as the art of musical notation has developed since music first began to be transcribed. There are different types of vocal scores from all regions of the world, with many varied notation systems. They are all fascinating, and many of them are aesthetically stunning.

Here are just three examples:

#1. Neumatic notation:

This first vocal score is an example of one of the earliest Western forms of musical notation. It was used primarily in monasteries to aid monks in remembering the different forms of Gregorian chant. The symbols used in this type of chant are referred to as neumes. The earliest form of this type of notation denoted the form of music, and the contour of the line, but was vague about pitch. To solve this problem, the staff was introduced to this notation, providing context so that the intended pitch was clearly marked.

#2. Modern notation:

This type of notation is the one most commonly used in modern music, and was standardized during the Classical Period (~ 1730-1830). Like the neumatic notation, modern notation includes a musical staff, and notes ares placed on that staff to denote pitch. The notes are given different duration values, and key signature, time signature, tempo, and dynamics are all clearly marked. This type of musical notation is so complex, learning to interpret it is often considered to be like learning an entirely different language.

#3. Graphic Notation:

The piece in the image above is called Snowforms, written by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. His inspiration for the piece was the many kinds of snow he experienced while living in Canada. Schafer’s use of graphic notation aids in the realization of this piece as a soundscape; an auditory experience, intended to immerse the listener into the landscape of sound. The score denotes time, although the exact rhythm is open to interpretation, and the notes to be sung are quite explicitly stated. This type of score is very useful for the many nuances of the human voice. You can listen to the Calgary Children’s Choir perform Snowforms here.

Tell us which score you think is the most interesting in the comments below!

May 27, 2013
3 Reasons Why Singing in a Choir is the Best Thing Ever

#1. Many Voices as One:
One of the goals of quality choral singing is to blend the unique sounds of different voices into one seamless sound. This is very technically challenging, given that each individual voice has a unique timbre, but it is such a rewarding feeling to achieve that beautiful blend of sound! Even more fulfilling, is singing choral music written in different parts, a feat that cannot be achieved with solo singing!

#2. Health Benefits:
There are a myriad of different studies examining not only the psychological benefits of singing in a choir, but the physiological benefits as well. Singing in a choir can improve memory, provide relief from stress, and aid in respiratory problems, to name only a few benefits. So join a choir – for your health!

#3. Community:
The sense of community experienced when singing as part of a choir, is one of the most important reasons to join a choir. Being part of a group working towards a common goal, and having a goal as wonderful as creating beautiful music together, is a uniquely satisfying experience. The friendships formed when singing together in a choir can last a lifetime!

What is your favourite aspect of singing in a choir? Tell us in the comments below!

May 20, 2013
Thom(p)son Grey Tartan

One of the most important symbols of the Calgary Children’s Choir is the iconic kilt worn as part of our dress uniform.

Our kilt is made from an authentic Scottish pattern called a tartan. The specific pattern we use is called the Thom(p)son Grey tartan, and it was registered with the Scottish Tartans Authority in 1958 by Lord Thompson of Fleet. Tartans (as opposed to checks) have three hues, and are registered to a particular clan, or family. Thus, the Thom(p)son Grey Tartan, is associated with the Thom(p)son family, and it is just one of a number of different tartans associated with the Thom(p)son clan, all of which can be seen here.

The Calgary Children’s Choir adopted the Thom(p)son Grey tartan for our dress uniforms in 1997. Our artistic director, Marni Strome, wanted to use a kilt that incorporated the red, white, and black choir colours that had already been established at the time. The board president, Pat Fahie, found the Thom(p)son Grey tartan and the choir has been using it ever since!

Material for our kilts is ordered from Scotland through Halpern’s, a company that specializes in making school uniforms. Halpern’s then makes the choir kilts from this material. Each one of the Calgary Children’s Choir kilts have to be custom made, because the pleats of our kilts are only one inch wide. Most school uniforms have much wider pleats. The cost of a single kilt custom made for the Calgary Children’s Choir costs $300.00!

Did you learn something new about the Calgary Children’s Choir kilt? Tell us in the comments below!

May 6, 2013
Blogging For the Joy of It!

Hello and welcome to the Calgary Children’s Choir blog!

This will be a space where you can access all kinds of important and interesting information about the Calgary Children’s Choir, and our community.

As many of you know, the choir now has a Facebook page, and Twitter account, as well as a LinkedIn company page! If you use any of these social media services, make sure to follow the Calgary Children’s Choir, so that you can keep up to date with all the latest CCC happenings!

You can expect blog posts at least once a week, featuring content about choir news, the inner workings of the CCC community, as well as tips and techniques for the best vocal experience you can have with the CCC!

We have started working on the Fauré Requiem, and it’s going well! For those of you wishing to practice at home, Cyberbass is a great resource! We are so excited to have parents, as well as alumni join us for this exciting concert.

Our choir banquet this year will be held on June 2nd, 2013 and it will feature a silent auction! If you have any items you would like to contribute to the silent auction, please email Linda White! Choir uniforms do not need to be worn to the banquet (Yay!) and we encourage everyone to dress in smart casual attire, and to have fun with it!

We are starting to get very excited for the upcoming tour, which will take our touring choir to France, and Spain! During that time, we will be featuring a tour blog, right here, where you can access daily updates, and pictures while our choir is on tour!

Which Calgary Children’s Choir event are you most excited for this spring/summer? Tell us in the comments below!

April 29, 2013