NEWS & NOTES - WEEK #1
September 11, 2020
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Everything you need to know to have a great season with the Mystic Chorale.
Miss an issue? Each week's News & Notes will be posted online every Friday evening, in the Members section of the website, HERE.
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Producer's Corner
From Gale Batchelder, Fall Season Producer
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Welcome to Mystic Chorale Fall 2020!
We welcome long-time and new members from near and far. Thank you all for joining us as we endeavor once again to stand together and SING! in the face of pandemics, politics, and other disturbances human-made and otherwise. HOW CAN WE KEEP FROM SINGING?
We have lots of information to share this week, including resources for how to make your virtual rehearsal experience run smoothly, so please read all the way through News & Notes.
See you Tuesday!
Gale Batchelder
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First Session: Tuesday, Sept 15, 7:30pm
HERE'S THE ZOOM LINK TO SIGN IN
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We begin this Tuesday, Sept. 15, 7:30-9pm, EST
Click here to join:
Sign-in will begin at 7:15 to test your connection and have a little time to say hello before we begin.
For those who plan to dial-in by phone (for audio connection only), instructions are below in the full Zoom invitation.
The Zoom link will remain the same for the whole 10-week season. If you wish to import the dates & link into your calendar, see the full Zoom invitation below.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES?
If you have trouble logging in on Tuesday, call one of our Mystic "Tech Team" members for help:
Peter Schmidt (mac) 781-883-4818
Amy Fitzgerald (mac) 781-726-0362
Paula Tussler (PC, iPad, mac) 617-416-2617
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Nick's Notes
From Nick Page, Mystic Chorale Founder & Artistic Director
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Welcome.
It is important that we read the News & Notes each week as each week’s schedule will be different. Sometimes we'll begin with a soprano/alto sectional and other weeks we'll begin with Tenors and Basses or with everyone together.
In the middle of each rehearsal there will be some kind of group activity. Sometimes it will be a sing-along where we explore different traditions and styles and just fun-to-sing songs. Other weeks we will have guests. For our second rehearsal, for example, we'll be joined both by our slam poet friend Regie Gibson and by the Teaneck Community Chorus, a chorus we performed with on one of our NYC area weekend trips. I wrote "A Promise I Will Keep" for them.
Some rehearsals will end with tech time where we talk about recording the virtual choir videos. It is essential that those involved with making the videos not miss rehearsals. Everyone is welcome to help create the virtual choir videos. You will need headphones or ear buds. Videos can be recorded a number of ways including on a single-device system using Zoom or with secondary devices like smartphones.
Beginning Wednesday, September 16th, I will be welcoming scheduled zoom sessions with any registered fall singer who wants advice about their voice. What voice part am I? Am I good enough to help record the videos? These will be short ten minute sessions where I give positive guidance through what, for some, can be sensitive issues. Remember that the heart is the singer, but there are a lot of wounded hearts out there. Singing can heal us in many ways.
Schedule for this week - Tuesday, 9/15/20:
7:30 Vocal class & warm up with Marty Swisher.
I met Marty in 1983. We were conductors at the Chicago Children's Choir. She will be joining us from Chicago where she leads choral groups and teaches voice. Besides teaching us breathing/support and good singing practices, she and I will workshop one of the songs we'll be singing, "Thanks Be To Thee." The pdf of the score is available at our website, here. It is the only song we'll need written music for. The eventual recording of "Thanks" will feature fiddle and pedal steel guitar plus our voices. Here is a rough video of Nick singing the parts. Please note that most of the practice videos will feature sopranos singing the soprano part and altos singing the alto part. I and others will be featured singing the tenor and bass parts.
8:05 I will introduce the principal songs from this season teaching "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" and "My Long Journey." Also, Linda Shoemaker, our administrator, will demonstrate how to access lyrics, pdf downloads, audio files and video links from our website. We will have several files mounted by then including lyrics.
8:30 Break-out sessions where we introduce ourselves and welcome our new singers. We'll be asking new singers to put the word "NEW" in front of their names in the Participants section of Zoom. This will help Linda divide the groups up.
We will, from time to time, we'll have impromptu events where we just get up and dance or share positive good news to bring us together as a community.
Rough Schedule for Tuesday, 9/22/20
7:30 Everyone together learning Rhiannon Giddens' "We Rise" and another song TBA.
8:30 Tech session for those involved with making videos. Everyone is welcome.
Rough Schedule for Tuesday, 9/29/20
7:30 Soprano/Alto Sectional
8:00 Sing-Along Time for all
8:30 Tenor/Bass Sectional
Nick Page
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"Will the Circle Be Unbroken" - Preview
A sneak-peak at where we're headed this season...
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This week's "Tech Tip"
Improving our Zoom experience, one step at a time!
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This week: How to Rename Yourself in Zoom
During rehearsals, we'll often be asked to rename ourselves in Zoom. Why? To indicate our voice part, to say we're new to the chorale, or for when we have guest choruses.
How to rename yourself:
- Once you're in the Zoom meeting, click the "Participants" icon. This will open a list of all the participants in the meeting.
- Find your name on the list.
- Hover over your name and click "More"
- A box will open with your current name. Add or edit here, then click "save" You're done!
- Alternatively, on some devices, you can find your video, go to the upper right corner, and click the icon with three dots [...]. From here, click "Rename" - that's it!
NOTE: Zoom is slightly different on PC, mac, iPads, and phones. If these methods don't work on your device, we can help during rehearsal.
TRY THIS: This week, we'd like all new singers to add "New" before their names so we can welcome you!
Volunteer Opportunity - are you a Zoom Pro?
Want to help create our weekly tech tips?
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Help Broaden the Mystic Community!
It's not too late to sign up!
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Do you know people who have wanted to sing with Mystic but have lived too far away to make it to rehearsals or who have worried about bus service, parking, or having to drive after dark? The advantage of singing as a virtual choir is that none of those concerns should hold them back this fall – anyone with access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone can join!
Please spread the good news far and wide to at least 5 friends and family members (anyone over age 14) that there’s a place for them in the choir!
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FULL ZOOM INVITATION
for those who prefer, here's the full recurring invitation for the season:
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Complete Zoom Invitation for the Season:
Topic: Mystic Chorale "Will The Circle Be Unbroken"
Time: Sep 15, 2020 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Tue, until Nov 17, 2020, 10 occurrence(s)
Sep 15, 2020 07:30 PM
Sep 22, 2020 07:30 PM
Sep 29, 2020 07:30 PM
Oct 6, 2020 07:30 PM
Oct 13, 2020 07:30 PM
Oct 20, 2020 07:30 PM
Oct 27, 2020 07:30 PM
Nov 3, 2020 07:30 PM
Nov 10, 2020 07:30 PM
Nov 17, 2020 07:30 PM
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZ0pcOmorj0jHdZhaGElmE9k9LKvHsWyT8G0/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGhqjwqGtSTuR6FRpx5Bo_Cc_TziCFEgqdnlB7CJixeR1r9b85pJJpsJ8Hk
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89470006972?pwd=WWpwUmpZRmg3U2JwS1RrSHE5bVNCUT09
Meeting ID: 894 7000 6972
Passcode: 030885
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,89470006972#,,,,,,0#,,030885# US (New York)
+13017158592,,89470006972#,,,,,,0#,,030885# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 894 7000 6972
Passcode: 030885
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keCY8NIvYg
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BONUS VIDEO
Thanks for reading the whole News & Notes!
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"ONE DAY" performed by the Family Folk Chorale and Pihcintu Multicultural Chorus
This week's Bonus Video comes from our friends at the Family Folk Chorale led by Chris Eastburn, who has conducted and collaborated with the Mystic Chorale in the past. Enjoy!
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