Tag: music
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3 Ways Singers Can Manage Illness
Getting sick at some point during the singing season is inevitable, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that a singer is completely out of commission. Here are three ways that singers can manage illness: #1. Be proactive: The best thing a singer can do is to prevent themselves from getting sick by being proactive. This can…
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Welcome to 2015!
Welcome back to 2015 everyone! We have a very exciting year ahead of us, and we’re thrilled for you to join us! At the end of January, our Children’s Choir, and Youth Choir will be returning to Bragg Creek for a Winter Choir Camp retreat! This is the first time we’ve held a winter retreat, and…
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A Child’s Carol 2014 – Christmas Concert Roundup!
On Saturday December 13th, we were thrilled to present The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey in concert with VoiceScapes! The evening was a wonderful combination of storytelling and holiday music. The beautiful Rozsa Centre was decorated by our amazing Creative Consultant, Kat Long, who crocheted 385 stars for us by hand! We were also very excited…
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The Value Of Singing In Different Languages
Since the Calgary Children’s Choir is a Canadian choir, a large portion of the music we sing is in English. We have also sung in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Finnish, Japanese and several other languages! Singing in your native language is great, because you already understand the text. But there is a great deal of…
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The Purpose Of Choir Workshops
For every major concert that we have, we also have a choir workshop. These choir workshops occur on the Saturday two weeks before the concert. They are an essential aspect of our choir year. Here are several reasons why choir workshops are important: #1. To work the music: This is the number one reason why…
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Organization In Choir – Perfecting the Music
Preparing music is not just about learning words, and notes, and rhythms, it is about how all of those elements come together to make a piece of music. Here are three things to think about when it is time to fine-tune our music: #1. How the sound blends together: Choral singing is not just about…
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Organization In Choir – Learning Music
Sometimes learning all that music can feel overwhelming! Here are several tips to help organize learning your music: #1. Attend rehearsals: This is the single best thing a chorister can do to learn their music. Attending rehearsals reinforces the music regularly, and ensures that choristers can learn their music, and feel successful performing. Paying attention…
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Organization In Choir: The Music Binder
Our music binders are one of the most important aspects of our choral lives that we need to keep organized. Because of the high volume of music that we learn, especially music that we work on throughout the year, there are several steps we take to ensure our binders stay organized. The first step is that…
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Spring Concert Roundup! Songs of the Cinema
On Saturday May 10th, 2014 we had our final concert of the year – our annual spring concert at the Rozsa Centre. This year, our theme was Songs of the Cinema, and we paid musical tribute to all of our favourite music from movies! Featuring music from The Lord Of The Rings, The Lion King,…
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Songs Of The Cinema: How Film Orchestras Work
In preparation for our upcoming concert, Songs of the Cinema on May 10th 2014, we are starting a blog series of the same name, which will focus on a different aspect of ‘movie music’ each week! A film orchestra is a very specialized type of ensemble musical group. For the most part, orchestras that have been…
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Songs Of The Cinema: The Role of Music in Movies
In preparation for our upcoming concert, Songs of the Cinema on May 10th 2014, we are starting a blog series of the same name, which will focus on a different aspect of ‘movie music’ each week! Music plays an important, and often essential role in creating the appropriate atmosphere in a movie. The score of a…
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Songs Of The Cinema: Famous Film Composers
In preparation for our upcoming concert, Songs of the Cinema on May 10th 2014, we are starting a blog series of the same name, which will focus on a different aspect of ‘movie music’ each week! With the advent of sound in cinema, composers became of paramount importance in establishing the mood of the movie. Their work…
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The Benefits of Learning Music Aurally
Often, when we’re learning music in choir, we receive sheet music, and learn the piece by reading the essential information contained in that sheet music. While learning to read music is a vital part of being a good musician, there are also several benefits from learning music aurally. Learning music aurally is often referred…
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3 Techniques To Memorize Music
All musicians must memorize music at some point in their careers, and singers have an extra bit of work to do when it comes to memorizing music, because there is the added layer of text that needs to be memorized. #1. Repetition: This seems quite basic, but one of the best techniques for memorizing music…
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Flamenco Guitar
Continuing our posts about Spanish music, and in particular the Flamenco style from the Andalusian region, in today’s post we will be looking at the flamenco guitar! The Flamenco guitar is quite similar to a classical guitar, in its structure, and sound. There are subtle differences, however, including the use of lighter woods than…
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Flamenco!
As our Spanish folk concert approaches, we are getting very excited about many of the interesting elements of Spanish culture that our touring choir experienced on our recent trip to Spain. One of those elements was the Spanish tradition of Flamenco! Many people associate Flamenco with a style of dance, but that’s just one…
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The Olympics and Choral Music
The Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics are often a great occasion to demonstrate fun and unique choral music. In celebration of the Opening Ceremonies of the XXII Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, here is a look at some of the great choral music from the Olympics! Calgary Winter Olympics 1988 – Can You Feel It:…
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A Brief History of Folk Music
Come and check out our annual Folk Concert on March 8th, 2014 at the Rozsa Centre, and hear some great examples of Spanish folk songs! Folk music has a long history, and because of the nature of the music, it has no definitive historical date of origin. It is widely considered to be the ‘music…
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The Value of Touring
Tour is just one of the many exciting benefits of joining a choir. The Calgary Children’s Choir tours every two years, and we carefully select touring destinations that enhance our music knowledge, and our cultural experiences. Here are three reasons why going on tour is such a valuable experience: #1. Exposure to new cultures:…
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Christmas Concert Roundup!
On Saturday, December 14th, 2013, we had our annual Christmas concert, A Child’s Carol, at the Rozsa Centre! We featured Benjamin Britten’s, A Ceremony of Carols, as well as some traditional holiday tunes! Our day started at 9:30 in the morning with our dress rehearsal, on the Rozsa Centre stage. We are so fortunate to…
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The Five Senses In Singing – Taste
Welcome to our series, The Five Senses In Singing! For the next five weeks, we will be examining how the five senses – sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste, are all related to singing! Taste is a very important sense in singing. As singers, our instrument is an integral part of our bodies, which means that any food…
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The Five Senses In Singing – Touch
Welcome to our series, The Five Senses In Singing! For the next five weeks, we will be examining how the five senses – sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste, are all related to singing! Our sense of touch is an important sense in singing. Touch is what allows us to feel the muscles in our abdomen support…
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The Five Senses In Singing – Smell
Welcome to our series, The Five Senses In Singing! For the next five weeks, we will be examining how the five senses – sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch, are all related to singing! The human ability to smell is the hardest sense to relate to the area of singing, because olfactory perception is not…
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The Five Senses In Singing – Hearing
Welcome to our new series, The Five Senses In Singing! For the next five weeks, we will be examining how the five senses – sound, sight,smell, taste, and touch – are all related to singing! Hearing: Our ability to hear is one of the most obvious senses involved in singing. It’s also one of the…