Oh my goodness! I have not posted in quite a while! Well not much has happened so I guess you guys haven't missed out on much. No worries! This Thursday we didn't have choir for some reason.... I don't know why though, so it shall remain a mystery. This Thursday we were supposed to bring our uniforms but I forgot mine. All I need is the shirt!!! Then, my uniform will be complete! YAY! On Thursday we did a big review of 'Read 'em John!'. We also reviewed "There is no rose' and this song...... I forgot its name. FORGIVE ME FANS! We didn't do much, though. We just reviewed many Jingle Bells songs and songs we've sung before. How sad. My first blog in a long time and I have noting worthwhile to post..... How depressing....
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Read 'em John!
Yesterday we sang a slave song called 'Read 'em John!'. It;s about how these slaves find a paper about the Emancipation Proclamation and they can't read, but they know it's important. They tell a guy named John to read it for them. This is all we have so far.
READ 'EM JOHN
Read 'em John! (x5) Oh John! Read 'em to us John!
Then we practiced a song called 'There is no Rose'. We will sing that song with the adult choir and we just have to sing random parts like " Hallelujah, Resmiranda, Paresforma, Gaudeamus, and Transeamus." Not bad. It sounds very pretty. We also practiced taking out our sheet music for the famous 'Hallelujah Chorus' song we're going to sing. We practiced some more Jewish Jingle Bells and some 'Wolcum Yole!'. It was basically just practice, practice, practice. It took us quite a while because lots of people kept getting stuck and lost- We were moving at a very impressive pace. I'm looking forward to practice tomorrow. Lately there hasn't been much to write about, so I hope tomorrow is a breakthrough. I'm getting tired of posting these bleak, gary, short blogs. I hope I'm not chasing all my fans away! (Just kidding.) STAY TUNED!
READ 'EM JOHN
Read 'em John! (x5) Oh John! Read 'em to us John!
Then we practiced a song called 'There is no Rose'. We will sing that song with the adult choir and we just have to sing random parts like " Hallelujah, Resmiranda, Paresforma, Gaudeamus, and Transeamus." Not bad. It sounds very pretty. We also practiced taking out our sheet music for the famous 'Hallelujah Chorus' song we're going to sing. We practiced some more Jewish Jingle Bells and some 'Wolcum Yole!'. It was basically just practice, practice, practice. It took us quite a while because lots of people kept getting stuck and lost- We were moving at a very impressive pace. I'm looking forward to practice tomorrow. Lately there hasn't been much to write about, so I hope tomorrow is a breakthrough. I'm getting tired of posting these bleak, gary, short blogs. I hope I'm not chasing all my fans away! (Just kidding.) STAY TUNED!
The Jingle bell Hora
One of the things we are focusing on in choir is how many composers stole the song 'Jingle Bells.' We sang it in Gregorian and Lydian chant. It was fun! Then, we stood up and danced a Jewish dance. It's very complicated, but when someone else does it, it looks easy. Yes. It's one of THOSE things. HAHA! We practiced the "Jewish version" of Jingle bells. (I DONT MEAN TO BE RACIST OR ANTI SEMITIST.)
We also reviewed some 'Vela, Vela'. It was an easy day, as we'd all been singing for 2 or more hours for three days straight already. Not much happened that day. It was like..... Like when you're really looking forward to something and it comes. You're left like "Now what?" and you feel sort of bored. That was Thursday. I apologize for the dullness of this post. Thursday was not very exciting. I'm being honest aren't I? Isn't that what adults want kids to be these days? Besides revolutionists I mean? Just kidding. Lame out of place joke... More later.
We also reviewed some 'Vela, Vela'. It was an easy day, as we'd all been singing for 2 or more hours for three days straight already. Not much happened that day. It was like..... Like when you're really looking forward to something and it comes. You're left like "Now what?" and you feel sort of bored. That was Thursday. I apologize for the dullness of this post. Thursday was not very exciting. I'm being honest aren't I? Isn't that what adults want kids to be these days? Besides revolutionists I mean? Just kidding. Lame out of place joke... More later.
THE PERFORMANCE!
Wednesday was FAN-TAS-TIC! We got there early- we were the first ones- and the security guard kicked us out of the building because according to him, there was no choir that day. So, we waited an hour and baked in the sun. By the time Ms. Fowler came, five other people ha arrived. She took attendance and we waited another hour for the rest of the choir to come. We waited, a group of hot, thirsty children dressed in jeans and red shirts standing around and looking bored. BECAUSE WE WERE BORED. There was nothing to do but wait as the people trickled in one by one. FINALLY, when everyone arrived, we got on the bus. A parent chaperoned us. I sat next to Veronica and Karen sat with Janet in the seats across from us. We sang all the way! It was so much fun! We sang 'Rolling In The Deep', 'Party Rock Anthem', 'Vela,Vela', and 'Someday'. Most when I wasn't singing, I was waving to random people on the street, laughing at the surprised looks on their faces when they saw me and waved back. Casa Central is very close to Navy Pier, so it was not a long ride. We got off and walked to the 'Grand Staircase' , singing 'Eiololo Fatsa' until Sheila told us to stop. "We can't give previews!" Haha! After waiting for all of the sections to arrive, we stood there and waited for the audience to settle down. Then, one of the conductors said " Why don't we warm up with a little 'Vela, Vela'?" HM! More like " Why don't we SHOW OFF OUR MAD SKILLS with a little 'Vela, Vela?'" So.... we did. It was so fun! I found my mother and the twin's mother in the audience. GUESS WHO ELSE CAME?! MY MUSIC TEACHER MS. KOFFMAN! (I'll just call her Ms. K) That made me VERY happy. My music teacher is a very special person for me and it felt great to see her waving to me from the audience.
Then Mr. Wallenberg came. When he arrived, everyone started clapping. He smiled, looking surprised, and took a bow.
Finally, after waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, the performance began. First, we sang 'Yen Yere Guma'. Let me tell you this: singing and dancing on a puny staircase with 20 people around you is hard. It was cramped, I thought I was going to fall and be laughed at.... Thank goodness that did not happen!
Next, we sang 'Jubilate Deo' in a round... It sounded beautiful! Heavenly, in fact...
When we sang 'Shosholoza', I almost screamed. There were soloists from the concert singing with us, and during the 'Shosholoza' song, a girl sang a VERY HIGH,LOUD note because the song is about a train. She was supposed to be imitating a train whistle and when I saw the vid it sounded awesome. But on stage, I thought someone was being killed! :D
Then we sang another song and, unfortunately, I don't know the name.
RANDOM SONG
Hallelujah! Salvation and glory!
Honor and power unto the Lord our God.
He is great! And the Lord he is omnipotent!
(SHAME ON ME! I FORGOT THE REST! AND I LEFT THE LYRICS IN THE CAR....)
Then we sang 'Seasons Of Love'. It's my mom's favorite!
There was something I was TERRIFIED ABOUT. We had to sing a 9/11 song. Every time we sing that song, I cry. I sob uncontrollably. I don't know why, though. I was only three when it occurred and I don't know anyone who died or was involved. I'm a very emotional person, so I guess the word got to me... When we sang that song, I stretched the bottom of my shirt so much and squeezed so tight I thought it was going t rip. There were a few tears, but I blinked them away.
We also sang 'Someday'. I've loved that song ever since I heard it on a U.S. Cellular commercial last year.
SOMEDAY
Sometimes in my tears, I drown.But I never let that get me down
And when negativity surrounds
I know someday it'll turn around
Cause all my life I've been waiting for, I've been waiting for
for the people to say
that we don't wanna fight no more. There'll be no more wars
And our children will play
Someday, someday, someday
'Dona Nobis Pacem' was sort of funny. During each song, the conductors were telling the audience the words and encouraging them to sing along. There was an elderly man with glasses that stared at us, eyes bulging out of their sockets, and sang as if he couldn't open his mouth wide enough for us to make out the words. HILARIOUS! I almost started laughing!
However. there was one thing about the performance that rattled me quite a bit. We were to sing ' We shall overcome'. The only problem with that was... WE NEVER LEARNED THE SONG!!! But when the soloist started singing, we all just jumped in and it was a miracle. We said the words correctly and no one made a mistake! What a relief!
Another song we sang-I'm not going in order, by the way, so those of you who were there and are reading this and going "WHAAAAAAAAA-" can calm down now.- was called 'Shalom'. It was in Hebrew and I had no idea what it was saying. (Not a surprise anymore.)
At the end, we were told that we were going to be on the news. WGN NEWS AT 9. OH MY GOODNESS! HOW EXCITING!!
As soon as we got off stage, I ran towards my father. ( RANDOM OUT OF PLACE FACT: My parents are divorced.) I'd seen him come in during 'Jubilate Deo'. He said I sang beautifully and that he was proud of me. Then I spun my 9 year old step brother and 6 year old step sister in a circle and got kissed on the cheek by my stepmother. After that, they left.
The Hernandez Family went ahead when they saw my mother, Ms. K, and Mr. Wallenberg talking. I hugged my music teacher and thanked her for coming. Then, I said goodbye to Mr. Wallenberg and we walked aimlessly through Navy Pier.
UNTIL I SAW A HAAGEN DAZS.
I was STARVING, so I asked for ice cream and the three of us walked in, looking at the long line like "UGH." After a while, my wish was granted! I got a fudge brownie caramel and chocolate thing and held it triumphantly in the air. The three of us ate our ice cream and stared at the lake, chatting between bites. Unfortunately, Ms. K had to leave after that. We caught up with the Hernandez family and went to dine at......
Mc Donald's.
I fell asleep in the car and we got home exhausted. BUT I STILL HAD HOMEWORK TO DO. I finished it quickly and fell asleep before I hit the mattress.
The concert was amazing! I'm doing what I love and I am so happy! More later!
Then Mr. Wallenberg came. When he arrived, everyone started clapping. He smiled, looking surprised, and took a bow.
Finally, after waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, the performance began. First, we sang 'Yen Yere Guma'. Let me tell you this: singing and dancing on a puny staircase with 20 people around you is hard. It was cramped, I thought I was going to fall and be laughed at.... Thank goodness that did not happen!
Next, we sang 'Jubilate Deo' in a round... It sounded beautiful! Heavenly, in fact...
When we sang 'Shosholoza', I almost screamed. There were soloists from the concert singing with us, and during the 'Shosholoza' song, a girl sang a VERY HIGH,LOUD note because the song is about a train. She was supposed to be imitating a train whistle and when I saw the vid it sounded awesome. But on stage, I thought someone was being killed! :D
Then we sang another song and, unfortunately, I don't know the name.
RANDOM SONG
Hallelujah! Salvation and glory!
Honor and power unto the Lord our God.
He is great! And the Lord he is omnipotent!
(SHAME ON ME! I FORGOT THE REST! AND I LEFT THE LYRICS IN THE CAR....)
Then we sang 'Seasons Of Love'. It's my mom's favorite!
There was something I was TERRIFIED ABOUT. We had to sing a 9/11 song. Every time we sing that song, I cry. I sob uncontrollably. I don't know why, though. I was only three when it occurred and I don't know anyone who died or was involved. I'm a very emotional person, so I guess the word got to me... When we sang that song, I stretched the bottom of my shirt so much and squeezed so tight I thought it was going t rip. There were a few tears, but I blinked them away.
We also sang 'Someday'. I've loved that song ever since I heard it on a U.S. Cellular commercial last year.
SOMEDAY
Sometimes in my tears, I drown.But I never let that get me down
And when negativity surrounds
I know someday it'll turn around
Cause all my life I've been waiting for, I've been waiting for
for the people to say
that we don't wanna fight no more. There'll be no more wars
And our children will play
Someday, someday, someday
'Dona Nobis Pacem' was sort of funny. During each song, the conductors were telling the audience the words and encouraging them to sing along. There was an elderly man with glasses that stared at us, eyes bulging out of their sockets, and sang as if he couldn't open his mouth wide enough for us to make out the words. HILARIOUS! I almost started laughing!
However. there was one thing about the performance that rattled me quite a bit. We were to sing ' We shall overcome'. The only problem with that was... WE NEVER LEARNED THE SONG!!! But when the soloist started singing, we all just jumped in and it was a miracle. We said the words correctly and no one made a mistake! What a relief!
Another song we sang-I'm not going in order, by the way, so those of you who were there and are reading this and going "WHAAAAAAAAA-" can calm down now.- was called 'Shalom'. It was in Hebrew and I had no idea what it was saying. (Not a surprise anymore.)
At the end, we were told that we were going to be on the news. WGN NEWS AT 9. OH MY GOODNESS! HOW EXCITING!!
As soon as we got off stage, I ran towards my father. ( RANDOM OUT OF PLACE FACT: My parents are divorced.) I'd seen him come in during 'Jubilate Deo'. He said I sang beautifully and that he was proud of me. Then I spun my 9 year old step brother and 6 year old step sister in a circle and got kissed on the cheek by my stepmother. After that, they left.
The Hernandez Family went ahead when they saw my mother, Ms. K, and Mr. Wallenberg talking. I hugged my music teacher and thanked her for coming. Then, I said goodbye to Mr. Wallenberg and we walked aimlessly through Navy Pier.
UNTIL I SAW A HAAGEN DAZS.
I was STARVING, so I asked for ice cream and the three of us walked in, looking at the long line like "UGH." After a while, my wish was granted! I got a fudge brownie caramel and chocolate thing and held it triumphantly in the air. The three of us ate our ice cream and stared at the lake, chatting between bites. Unfortunately, Ms. K had to leave after that. We caught up with the Hernandez family and went to dine at......
Mc Donald's.
I fell asleep in the car and we got home exhausted. BUT I STILL HAD HOMEWORK TO DO. I finished it quickly and fell asleep before I hit the mattress.
The concert was amazing! I'm doing what I love and I am so happy! More later!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
TUESDAY!
On Tuesday we received our tee shirts!!! They're red and they say ' Creating a better world' and on the back it says 'Chicago children's choir' . SWEET! :D
When we walked in, Ms. Cole said " Where's your slip?" In my mind, I screamed. "OH GOSH I FORGOT!!!" That's what I said-in a quieter, calmer voice of course- and I asked Ms. Cole if I could go downstairs to tell my mother. I ran down the three flights of stairs and sprinted to the corner, where my mother was parked. " QUICK! SIGN THIS! FAST!" In a flash, the slip saying whether I would go back with the choir bus or a parent was filled out and I ran back up the stairs to give it to Ms. Cole. After that, we got our SUPER AWESOME TEE SHIRTS and sat down with the rest of the choir. Nothing really happened that day, We just reviewed the songs we were going to sing on Wednesday. We also went over some rules. Mr. Wallenberg was going to go to Navy Pier with the Rogers Park choir, so a parent was going to chaperone us. He said that if we gave the parent any trouble, there would be serious consequences. Serious consequences as in " You won't perform in the next performance." WHOA.
We were to be quiet on the bus and if we wanted to sing, we had to be quiet while doing that too. Those who were returning on the choir bus had to stay after the performance and they had to follow one of the teachers. It was basically one huge review. The only thing that stuck out was the fact that our performance was the very next day!!! I was so excited!!!!
OH WAIT! THERE'S ANOTHER THING! WE SANG EIOLOLO FATSA AGAIN!!! *sigh* Such a fun song!!! After that we left. It was a slow Tuesday. Not much going on.
That night, I dreamt of the choir singing at Navy Pier....
When we walked in, Ms. Cole said " Where's your slip?" In my mind, I screamed. "OH GOSH I FORGOT!!!" That's what I said-in a quieter, calmer voice of course- and I asked Ms. Cole if I could go downstairs to tell my mother. I ran down the three flights of stairs and sprinted to the corner, where my mother was parked. " QUICK! SIGN THIS! FAST!" In a flash, the slip saying whether I would go back with the choir bus or a parent was filled out and I ran back up the stairs to give it to Ms. Cole. After that, we got our SUPER AWESOME TEE SHIRTS and sat down with the rest of the choir. Nothing really happened that day, We just reviewed the songs we were going to sing on Wednesday. We also went over some rules. Mr. Wallenberg was going to go to Navy Pier with the Rogers Park choir, so a parent was going to chaperone us. He said that if we gave the parent any trouble, there would be serious consequences. Serious consequences as in " You won't perform in the next performance." WHOA.
We were to be quiet on the bus and if we wanted to sing, we had to be quiet while doing that too. Those who were returning on the choir bus had to stay after the performance and they had to follow one of the teachers. It was basically one huge review. The only thing that stuck out was the fact that our performance was the very next day!!! I was so excited!!!!
OH WAIT! THERE'S ANOTHER THING! WE SANG EIOLOLO FATSA AGAIN!!! *sigh* Such a fun song!!! After that we left. It was a slow Tuesday. Not much going on.
That night, I dreamt of the choir singing at Navy Pier....
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Uniforms
Today, we went to get our uniforms. It's a red vest with the CCC's logo written on it, a long-sleeved office shirt, and EXTREMELY LOOSE black pants that look like they are a thousand sizes too big. They say that's how it's supposed to be. Whatever. I'm not going to complain. I get my pants on Tuesday! Hurray! :) I am also very excited for Wednesday! I wonder what the tee shirts look like.... hmmmm.... Only three days left! ;)
CRAMMING
We had to learn a whole bunch of songs in just one hour. When we walked in, Ms. Cole told us to assemble our binders. She pointed to a table with a pile of papers and black binders. We put our names on our assigned numbers-I was #28- and filled the binders with: a packet of songs, a small book with songs from Benjamin Britain, a paper with about seven different songs on it, and the same foreign language song we sang last time. I know the name now! *VICTORY DANCE!!* It's called 'Or Zarua'. You know the song that ended with 'Hallelujah!'? I know the words to it! Tell you them later. LET'S GET BACK ON TRACK. We sat down with the rest of the group and the rest was just a blur. We learned A LOT of new songs.
VELA, VELA (African)
Vela, Vela sikubone (come, let us see you!)
Thina ma CCC! (we are the CCC!)
ANCIENT MOTHER
Yen Yere Guma
Buena Noche, buena noche
Yen yere guma
buena noche
como/eta/ute
yen yere yen yere yaaaaa buena noche
buena bunea noche como/eta/ute!
9/11 song
I need you, You need me
We're all a part of God's body
It is His will that every need be supplied
You are important to me, I need you to survive (x2)
I pray for you, you pray for me
I love you, I need you to survive
I won't harm you with words from my mouth
I love you, I need you to survive (repeats)
It is His will that every need be supplied
You are important to me, I need you to survive (x2)
SHOSHOLOZA (African)
Shosholoza
Kulezontaba
Stimela siphumone South Africa
Wernuybaleka
DONA NOBIS PACEM (Latin)
Dona nobis pacem pacem
Dona nobis pacem (x5)
CCC THEME SONG
Jubilate deo jubilate deo Hallelujah!
Why are we cramming? BECAUSE OUR FIRST PERFORMANCE IS ON OCTOBER FIFTH! These are all the songs we're going to sing. SURPRISE!
For those of you who want to know, it's at Navy Pier's Grand staircase at 5:30 PM. October fifth is a Wednesday. After practicing, Mr. Wallenberg gave us some more info. There was no practice on Thursday because of a Jewish holiday. Next Tuesday, we had to arrive early because that was the day we would get our performance shirts. (A red tee shirt with the CCC logo, I think) On Wednesday, we had to come at 3 because the bus leaves at 4. For the performance, we have to wear blue jeans and the red tee. I am sort of nervous because we were going at a very fast pace and there were some songs I didn't understand. Wish us luck, because our last practice is this Tuesday. THEN, A DAY LATER, WE WILL BE DRAGGED TO OUR MUSICAL DOOM. MUAHAHAHAHA! (Just kidding! :) ) SO EXCITED! I'll post more later!
VELA, VELA (African)
Vela, Vela sikubone (come, let us see you!)
Thina ma CCC! (we are the CCC!)
ANCIENT MOTHER
Yen Yere Guma
Buena Noche, buena noche
Yen yere guma
buena noche
como/eta/ute
yen yere yen yere yaaaaa buena noche
buena bunea noche como/eta/ute!
9/11 song
I need you, You need me
We're all a part of God's body
It is His will that every need be supplied
You are important to me, I need you to survive (x2)
I pray for you, you pray for me
I love you, I need you to survive
I won't harm you with words from my mouth
I love you, I need you to survive (repeats)
It is His will that every need be supplied
You are important to me, I need you to survive (x2)
SHOSHOLOZA (African)
Shosholoza
Kulezontaba
Stimela siphumone South Africa
Wernuybaleka
DONA NOBIS PACEM (Latin)
Dona nobis pacem pacem
Dona nobis pacem (x5)
CCC THEME SONG
Jubilate deo jubilate deo Hallelujah!
Why are we cramming? BECAUSE OUR FIRST PERFORMANCE IS ON OCTOBER FIFTH! These are all the songs we're going to sing. SURPRISE!
For those of you who want to know, it's at Navy Pier's Grand staircase at 5:30 PM. October fifth is a Wednesday. After practicing, Mr. Wallenberg gave us some more info. There was no practice on Thursday because of a Jewish holiday. Next Tuesday, we had to arrive early because that was the day we would get our performance shirts. (A red tee shirt with the CCC logo, I think) On Wednesday, we had to come at 3 because the bus leaves at 4. For the performance, we have to wear blue jeans and the red tee. I am sort of nervous because we were going at a very fast pace and there were some songs I didn't understand. Wish us luck, because our last practice is this Tuesday. THEN, A DAY LATER, WE WILL BE DRAGGED TO OUR MUSICAL DOOM. MUAHAHAHAHA! (Just kidding! :) ) SO EXCITED! I'll post more later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)