[Sing! Rehearsals] Split Songs and Concert Poll

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Dear Sing!ers, 

Welcome back this week after our half term break. There are lots of links in this email – please check them all out!
This Week's Rehearsal
We will be meeting at Hills Rd 6th Form college in the Recital Room this Thursday 7th November from 7:30-9:15. We will start by recapping Let It Snow. We are learning some more of Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake, which has some challenging lyrics and rhythms, so please make sure you listen to the new track here and practise before you come. 
Split Songs
Finally, we have some new split songs to learn: Joy to the World and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. This is where we split the choir into 2 groups to experience singing in a smaller group. Previously we've split ourselves into Sop/Alto and Tenor/Bass, but this time we'll be splitting into two equal choirs each made up of SATB. So please check this list here to find out which song you are going to be singing before the rehearsal on Thursday. 

This week it will be Tenors' and Basses' turn to bring snacks. 

Concert Charity Poll
Please vote on both your preferred concert name (as suggested by choir members) and the charity which we will support. This year, the committee has come up with 2 suggestions for you to choose from. Use the link to a poll here by Friday 8th November to vote for your favourites!

Solo Opportunity
There is still a chance to sing a solo in Mrs Fogarty's Christmas Cake. There are 2 solos, which would suit either a Tenor or Soprano voice. Please reply to this email if you would like to have the opportunity. 

That's all for this week – we look forward to seeing you all again on Thursday!

All the best, the Sing! Team

[Sing! Rehearsals] No Rehearsal today

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Dear Singers, 

Please remember that we are currently taking a break this week for half term and we will be back at Hills Rd as normal next week, Thursday 7th November.
All the best, 
the Sing! Team. 

[Sing! Rehearsals] Call for Charity and Concert Name Suggestions!

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Dear Singers, 

This week, we will be meeting as usual on Thursday 24th October in the Recital Room at Hills Rd 6th Form college from 7:30 – 9:15 before having a break next week for half term. We are going to learn a new song: Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake followed by learning some more of Let It Snow and Winter Song. 

This week it is the Sopranos' turn to bring snacks please. 
There is still no update on the QR code situation so continue as normal please. 

Suggestions for concert name and charity to support

We are now open to suggestions from choir members of:

a) A charity to support with the profits from our concert

b) A name for the concert

Charity: If you'd like to nominate a charity for us to support, please write a short paragraph (max. 150 words) to describe what the charity does and any personal link you have to it, plus a link to its website. 

Concert name: We usually give each concert a name to help with publicity. This is often drawn from a song title or lyric that we're singing. Have a look at this term's lyrics sheet if you'd like some inspiration! 

Please email any suggestions to singcommunitychoir@gmail.com by Tuesday 29th October. We may shortlist suggestions if we get a lot. Then look out for a poll next week to vote for your favourites!


That's all for this week,

See you on Thursday!

Love, the Sing! Team.


[Sing! Rehearsals] Rehearsal this week

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Dear Sing!ers, 

We will be meeting as usual this Thursday 17th October in the Recital Room at Hills Rd 6th Form college from 7:30 – 9:15. We will have 2 longer teaching slots for 2 new songs: Winter Song and Let It Snow! 
This week it is the Altos turn to bring snacks please. 

1. Another Call for cabaret acts for concert on Saturday 14th Dec!


We are still short of cabaret acts for the concert so please do let us know if you'd like to do one. They are usually songs performed as a solo, duet or small group, rather than by the whole choir. They provide variety in the concert programme and give a chance for smaller groups to showcase their talent!  

If you’re interested in offering a cabaret act, please email musicteam@singcommunitychoir.co.uk by end of Sunday 20th October, letting us know what song you’d like to do and roughly how many people will be involved. 

If you need to recruit other singers, please make an initial effort to do this before putting your idea forward (e.g. chat to others at rehearsals or post in our Facebook group). Also do think about what will be realistic to get together to a good standard in the time you have available. We’ll be in touch after the deadline to confirm which acts will be in the concert!


2. Jazz Festival: choir workshop

Here's a message from Jon: 'There's a choir workshop coming up as part of the Cambridge Jazz Festival on Saturday 16th November at the Junction, J2 from 1-3pm. 

Andi is a member of the London Vocal Project led by Pete Churchill who ran the excellent ones we've been to the last couple of years, so I'm sure it will be great! If you'd like to come, please go ahead and book your ticket(s) to avoid disappointment. 

Please let me know (hello@jonwilson.coach or WhatsApp 07950434645) if you'd like to come for food and/or drinks afterwards!'

That's all for this week! See you on Thursday!

Love, The Sing! team. 

[Sing! Rehearsals] Rehearsal this week

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Dear Sing!ers, 

We will be meeting as usual this Thursday 10th October in the Recital Room at Hills Rd 6th Form college from 7:30 – 9:15. There are still no updates on the QR code situation so continue as normal with entering the site please. We will start by recapping Don't Stop Me Now, and then we will finish learning both Livin' on a Prayer and Hallelujah for Today. 
Here is the link again if you are still having trouble receiving the links at the end of the email – do check your attachments as well please: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q95xCYf1eP66Eev6P65ii-zE6HcO8I58?usp=sharing'
We currently have the rather wonderful situation of a backlog of biscuits, so no more snacks this week please! We will use up what we already have first. 

1. Call for cabaret acts for concert on Saturday 14th Dec!


As usual, we'd like our concert to include a few 'cabaret' pieces – these are songs performed as a solo, duet or small group, rather than by the whole choir. They provide variety in the concert programme and give a chance for smaller groups to showcase their talent!  

We can only fit a certain number of these in each concert. Usually we have space for all offers, but occasionally we have to be selective. So, if you’re interested in offering a cabaret act, please email musicteam@singcommunitychoir.co.uk by end of Sunday 20th October, letting us know what song you’d like to do and roughly how many people will be involved. 

If you need to recruit other singers, please make an initial effort to do this before putting your idea forward (e.g. chat to others at rehearsals or post in our Facebook group). Also do think about what will be realistic to get together to a good standard in the time you have available. We’ll be in touch after the deadline to confirm which acts will be in the concert!


2. Solos


Thanks to everyone who has put themselves forward for a solo – we will be in touch with you soon. We are still looking for an alto or soprano to sing the solo in Never Gonna Not Dance Again, so do get in touch if you're interested in that one.


3. Final Call for Subs


Subs are now OVERDUE. Here are the details again if you haven't paid yet:


£35 for the term or £17.50 for concessions. Please pay whichever you can afford, concessions are self-declared with no questions asked.


Please pay by bank transfer using the details below asap. Please remember to add your name as a reference! Thank you!!

Any issues please catch Claire (Treasurer) or a member of the committee at rehearsal or send us an email.

Bank: The Co-operative Bank

Account name: Sing! Community Choir (leave the exclamation mark out if needed)
Sort Code: 08 / 92 / 99
Account Number: 65694684

Reference: <Your Name!>


4. Dates for your diary again if you missed last week

  • Mill Road Winter Fair – Sat 7th Dec, 2pm – St Phillips Church, Mill Rd. We'll sing a selection of the songs we've learnt this term, plus some sing-along carols.
  • Christmas Concert – Sat 14th Dec, 7.30pm – Netherhall School, Queen Edith's Way. Our main performance of the term – get it in your diaries now!
  • Winter Social “Sing's Got Talent!” – Thurs 19th Dec, 7pm – Cass Centre, Shaftesbury Rd. End-of-term celebration and talent show

That's all for now,

see you on Thursday! Love the Sing! team


Subs, solos and dates

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Dear Sing!ers, 

Here is everything you need to know for our rehearsal on Thursday and more…
1. This Week
We will be meeting as usual in the Recital room at Hills Road 6th Form College this Thursday 3rd October from 7:30 – 9:15.  This week, we will be recapping Harbour, finishing learning Never Gonna Not Dance Again and Barbara Ann. 
If you miss a rehearsal or just need a bit of a reminder, it is really helpful to us if you practise using the pre-recorded audio tracks. The links to these can be found at the bottom of each rehearsals email and should look like this: 
'Find music, part tracks and lyrics for our current term on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q95xCYf1eP66Eev6P65ii-zE6HcO8I58?usp=sharing'
This week it will be the Tenors and Basses turn to bring snacks. 
2. Still no need for QR code this week

It looks like we will continue to enter without QR codes for a few weeks – just watch this space for updates! The code for the car park is 8945.
3. Please pay your subs if you haven't already
Subs for this term are now due – £35 for the term or £17.50 for concessions. Please pay whichever you can afford, concessions are self-declared with no questions asked.

Please pay by bank transfer using the details below by Friday 4 October. Prompt payment to help with planning would be greatly appreciated, and please remember to add your name as a reference! Thank you!!

Any issues please catch Claire (Treasurer) or a member of the committee at rehearsal or send us an email.

Bank: The Co-operative Bank

Account name: Sing! Community Choir (leave the exclamation mark out if needed)
Sort Code: 08 / 92 / 99
Account Number: 65694684

Reference: <Your Name!>


4. Dates for your diary!

  • Mill Road Winter Fair – Sat 7th Dec, 2pm – St Phillips Church, Mill Rd. We'll sing a selection of the songs we've learnt this term, plus some sing-along carols.
  • Christmas Concert – Sat 14th Dec, 7.30pm – Netherhall School, Queen Edith's Way. Our main performance of the term – get it in your diaries now!
  • Winter Social “Sing's Got Talent!” – Thurs 19th Dec, 7pm – Cass Centre, Shaftesbury Rd. End-of-term celebration and talent show
5. Solos
If you would like to try singing a solo this term, the following are available. Either have a word with one of the Music team or else reply to this email to let us know. 
  • Harbour – 2 solos available – would suit any voice part
  • Hallelujah – 1 or 2 solos available – would suit an alto or mid/high tenor
  • Never Gonna Not Dance Again – 1-2 solos available – would suit a soprano or alto
  • Livin' On A Prayer – 2 solos available – would suit a soprano or alto, or possibly a bass
That's all for this week – we look forward to seeing you on Thursday, 
Love, the Sing! team. 

Sing! Weekend Away 2025 quick survey

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Hi Sing!ers,

We’re excited to let you know that the next Sing! Weekend Away will most likely be 9th-11th May 2025! 🎉

— Action required

Save the date and help us secure an amazing venue by completing this survey by Friday 11th October – it’ll take you less than a minute!

Survey: https://forms.gle/kANBuN6q97sQRaeU6

We need to pay the deposit for Letton Hall fairly soon, hence this early survey to gauge interest. This does not commit you either way, simply answer as honestly as you can at this time. Even if you can’t attend, your response is still really helpful!

— What we have planned

We have provisionally booked The Hall at Letton Hall (https://lettonhall.org), an incredible venue and quite a step up for us in terms of the social spaces, number of rooms, and sleeping arrangements (spacious bedrooms and no bunk beds!).

We would love love love to go here! For it to work financially we need to charge a little more (£110) and we need at least 40 people to sign up for the whole weekend. The price includes accommodation, food, soft drinks, snacks, choir member led activities on Saturday, and a full-day choir workshop on Sunday!

To whet your appetite (especially if you’re new to Sing!) please take a look at Alex’s great write up from last time: https://singcommunitychoir.co.uk/notes-from-the-forest-our-thorpe-woodlands-adventure

— Next steps

Please complete the survey by Friday 11th October, even if you know you can’t make it: https://forms.gle/kANBuN6q97sQRaeU6

Please also let us know if you would love to come but the price is an issue for you. The Weekend Away is big part of how we live out the “community” part of our name and we will do our best to get everyone there who wants to go.

Jon

Weekend Away and Socials Coordinator

Subs are due for Sing!

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Dear Sing!ers, 

We have now finished our 3 taster sessions so if you are receiving this email, you are in!
1. This Week
We will be meeting as usual in the Recital room at Hills Road 6th Form College this Thursday 26th September from 7:30 – 9:15.  This week, we will be recapping Hallelujah for Today (don't worry if you've never heard this one before – it is very easy to pick up with a call and response style and you can find the music in a link at the bottom of this email); we will then learn some more Livin' on a Prayer and will finish learning Don't Stop Me Now. 
This week it will be the Sopranos turn to bring snacks. 
2. No need for QR code this week

The college is still having some teething problems with the QR code entry, so access to the site will be as normal this week. The code for the car park is 8945.
3. Subs are now due!
Subs for this term are now due – £35 for the term or £17.50 for concessions. Please pay whichever you can afford, concessions are self-declared with no questions asked.

Please pay by bank transfer using the details below by Friday 4 October. Prompt payment to help with planning would be greatly appreciated, and please remember to add your name as a reference! Thank you!!

Any issues please catch Claire (Treasurer) or a member of the committee at rehearsal or send us an email.

Bank: The Co-operative Bank

Account name: Sing! Community Choir (leave the exclamation mark out if needed)
Sort Code: 08 / 92 / 99
Account Number: 65694684

Reference: <Your Name!>


4. Weekend Away Survey


Look out for a separate email to follow with exciting information about next year's weekend away. We need you to take a survey to gauge interest.


See you all on Thursday!


Love, The Sing! Team.

Sing! Summer Concert – Puttin’ On The Ritz

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Not long now until our Summer concert! We’re back at Netherhall School on Saturday, 13 June from 7.30pm at Netherhall School in Cambridge for an evening of joy and music, celebrating the power of song!

Tickets are £10 (£5 for concessions) – under tens go free. All proceeds to Red Balloon Learner Centres, Cambridge providing an alternative to school which enables young people to re-engage with education.

Click here for more info and ticket booking