February 3, 2021 by Melissa Sweeney 247

02/01/2021 – Due This Week – DCYC’s first Virtual Choir Collaboration!

Dear DCYC Families,

I hope that you are all doing well and that your kids have had a chance to get outside and enjoy the snow! We have had 3 great rehearsals so far – thank you to everyone for all you are doing to help our DCYC kids continue to “Sing Safely”. While we are still a few months away from outdoor performances, I’m SO excited for our DCYC singers to be a part of a virtual choir with our DCC & Goucher Choir friends. At this time in our season, we would normally be preparing for our festival together at Goucher College. This special video of “How Can I Keep From Singing” will bring our choirs together even though we are apart.

DCYC Learning Files

Please encourage your child to start practicing their DCYC music! Please help your singer find a way they can consistently access these recordings – either through downloading or bookmarking the google folder. Click here to access the google drive folder for our DCYC Learning Files. Under “Spring 2021”, you will find 2 folders – one for each voice part. Our 5:15pm singers are all Soprano/Treble 1 and our 6:30pm singers are Alto/Treble 2.

Our first Virtual Choir Video – Submissions Due February 8th!

We are so excited to give our DCYC singers the opportunity to add their voice to a special virtual choir collaboration with the Deer Creek Chorale & Goucher College Choir. This will be a fantastic way to share some of their musical accomplishments this year with friends and family near and far who have been missing concerts & other traditional performances.

In an effort to keep singing during a virtual year of rehearsals, the Deer Creek Chorale produced 2 fantastic Virtual Choir Videos in 2020: Light of a Clear Blue Morning & Roots. Virtual Choir Videos have become almost a rite of passage as a singer in this pandemic, and I’m glad our DCYC singers will have an opportunity to participate and memorialize this crazy/special time in their life in this way.

Here are the Important Details:

Song: How Can I Keep From Singing (we have been practicing this – but they will need to practice 5-6 times with the learning file before recording)

When: Recordings are DUE FEBRUARY 8th (ONE week from tonight!)

What: Your child records themselves singing, using a cell phone in portrait orientation (not landscape), while listening to the learning file recording with headphones from a separate device – usually a computer. Headphones are preferably worn in just one ear so they can both hear the track and themselves as they sing.

When: Recordings are DUE FEBRUARY 8th (ONE week from tonight!)

Recording Attire: solid color shirt – green, blue, pink or yellow and record with a plain contrasting background (plain wall).

Upload your Recording HERE by Monday February 8th : Please label your file as “voice part – first and last name” ex: Soprano1-Julie Culotta. All DCYC Sopranos are singing “Soprano 1” and all DCYC Altos are singing “Alto 1”.

Questions?? Check out the attachment with great tips & tricks for recording for Virtual Choir Videos.

And of course don’t hesitate to let me know if you have other questions or concerns!

Thank you so much for helping your child with this recording!

Julie

Additional note:

Here’s a video of Dr. McDavitt from Goucher College conducting How Can I Keep From Singing, which would be helpful to practice with prior to your child making their recording.

HOWEVER, this video includes ALL voice parts – equally balanced. The Learning files for How Can I Keep – in the google folder I linked – have your child’s voice part highlighted (louder than everything else). They shouldn’t attempt to sing with this video until they are confident on their voice part (soprano 1 or alto 1).