Come on up the hill to Randolph for the third in our series of shape note singing schools!
We'll meet tomorrow, Saturday August 10th, at our house in Randolph, NH.
Send me a message if you need directions!
3 - 6pm
We'll go over the basics of shape note singing, including practicing the shapes and singing our little hearts out!
Bring a snack to share if you're able.
Come sing your face off, no matter what!!
Enjoy this awesomesauce video my friend Kev made of our buddy Ted leading at the Keystone Convention a couple years back. Good folks sing this music, guys. Really good folks.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Help Me To Sing, P.M.
We spent this past weekend singing at the 11th Annual Maine All Day Singing and the D.H. Mansfield's American Vocalist Singing, both in Union, Maine.
We drove about three hours to get there and sang in a near-perfect, 40 foot square space.
D.H. Mansfield's grave is nearby, and on Sunday morning a smaller group of us gathered around it to sing, and to learn a little more about him.
We also splurged and stayed at a super sweet bed & breakfast in town. One of our hosts, Laura, even came by the singing on Sunday and tried it out!
Here's a short video of Bill Holt (of Massachusetts) leading the shapes on page 376, Help Me To Sing.
Don't forget, the next in our series of Shape Note Singing Schools is Saturday, August 10th from 3 - 6pm at our home in Randolph, NH. Message us for details!
We drove about three hours to get there and sang in a near-perfect, 40 foot square space.
D.H. Mansfield's grave is nearby, and on Sunday morning a smaller group of us gathered around it to sing, and to learn a little more about him.
We also splurged and stayed at a super sweet bed & breakfast in town. One of our hosts, Laura, even came by the singing on Sunday and tried it out!
Here's a short video of Bill Holt (of Massachusetts) leading the shapes on page 376, Help Me To Sing.
Don't forget, the next in our series of Shape Note Singing Schools is Saturday, August 10th from 3 - 6pm at our home in Randolph, NH. Message us for details!
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Upcoming Singing Opportunities!
We have just a few notes to share with you all about upcoming singing opportunities!
First!
We had mentioned squeezing in a house singing before the next scheduled singing school... We've decided on Thursday, July 25th from 6:30 - 9 or so. We'll be glad to offer instruction, depending on what folks are up for, but this will not be a formal singing school.
**Please let us know if you can make it because if we only have a couple people, we'll probably just hold off until the next singing school.**
Second!
The Maine All Day Singing and American Vocalist Singing will be held a week from today, on Saturday and Sunday, July 27th and 28th in lovely Union, Maine. This is an EXCELLENT opportunity to get some real solid singing in with a whole group of folks who know what they're doing! This singing usually gets around 80 - 100 people. Chris and I will be there. For more information, head to maineshapenotesinging.org.
Third!
WE HAVE CHANGED THE LOCATION OF THE THIRD SINGING SCHOOL!!
Due to a scheduling conflict at WREN921, we will hold the third in the Singing the Shapes series of singing schools at our home in Randolph.
Please send us a message for directions.
This singing school will be held on Saturday, August 10th from 3 - 6pm at our home. Please bring a snack to share. And your voice!
Please stay tuned to www.northcountrysing.com for news, updates, and wacky anecdotes from your favorite singing school teachers.
If you have any questions (and to rsvp for next week's singing), email us at carlygoss -at- gmail -dot- com.
Fa La SOL!!!
Friday, July 12, 2013
THIS is your Sacred Harp Singing!
The second in our series of formal singing schools was Wednesday night, and we had a lovely time once again (despite the stinking rain)! Sure, we sing inside, but that barometric pressure... man, oh man. I felt it weighing on my soul.
We had nine singers--one of them brand new. Again, we employed the Shape Note Machine (TM) to go over scales, practicing the shapes and practicing intervals. This time, I used a wooden sword as a pointer.
Don't cross the singing school teacher!
We talked a lot about the book itself--why it's a good idea to have one, what the numbers and letters after the titles are. We talked a little more about why we wave our arms around, and about what to expect at a regular singing.
When one of our singers cried out, "But how can we GO to a regular singing?! There aren't any near here..." What was our answer?
Oh yes there are! THIS is a regular singing in the making. And we can't wait for it to really take off.
You have to start somewhere, and we're basically starting from scratch here. Exciting things are happening.
But there ARE exciting, established singings all over New England (and the country. and the world), and once you get hooked, I guarantee you will travel far and wide to get to them.
I wanted to share with you a very sweet radio piece that our friend, Aaron Henkin (in Baltimore) did about our group there a few years back. This, I think, will give you all a sense of what on earth we're doing, and why. Plus, you get to hear my nervous radio voice!
Keep an eye on this space, and on the Facebook event page for updates on the next singing! We MAY change the location, due to a conflict at WREN921 in August, so pay attention!!
We had nine singers--one of them brand new. Again, we employed the Shape Note Machine (TM) to go over scales, practicing the shapes and practicing intervals. This time, I used a wooden sword as a pointer.
Don't cross the singing school teacher!
 |
| Here's my book, incidentally. It's well loved. |
When one of our singers cried out, "But how can we GO to a regular singing?! There aren't any near here..." What was our answer?
Oh yes there are! THIS is a regular singing in the making. And we can't wait for it to really take off.
You have to start somewhere, and we're basically starting from scratch here. Exciting things are happening.
But there ARE exciting, established singings all over New England (and the country. and the world), and once you get hooked, I guarantee you will travel far and wide to get to them.
I wanted to share with you a very sweet radio piece that our friend, Aaron Henkin (in Baltimore) did about our group there a few years back. This, I think, will give you all a sense of what on earth we're doing, and why. Plus, you get to hear my nervous radio voice!
Keep an eye on this space, and on the Facebook event page for updates on the next singing! We MAY change the location, due to a conflict at WREN921 in August, so pay attention!!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The Golden Harp
The first in our series of singing school workshops was a great success! Fourteen singers showed up--all women except for Chris and a brave, brave soul (Bill) who sang bass with me. Ha! I'm a treble. And I was kinda sick. Poor guy...
We had a lovely visit from an old singing friend who now lives in Portland, Maine. Yay! Thanks, Alexa! I think the alto section was really glad to have you! Sadly we did NOT have a visit from another expected Maine singer because she got lost in the New Hampshire wilderness. I blame her lack of a sense of direction, and not the North Country roads. Better luck next time, Emily! We missed you!
Have no fear... it's much easier to get to our singing location than it is to get to oh, say, the Chattahoochee Convention in Georgia. And people have been going there for more than 150 years.
We took things slow and we went over scales using my Shapenote Machine (TM). Our resident quality assurance associate, Nuala, is pictured inspecting the Shapenote Machine (TM) below.
We went over all four parts to several songs including Old Hundred, Russia, New Jerusalem and Loving-Kindness. We practiced shapes. We sang our faces off.
The class seemed particularly smitten with 274t, The Golden Harp. And that's good because that's the one song we got a recording of! Not bad for a bunch of beginners! Aw, yeah!
Chris and I tried to embed the sound right into the blog post, but we were having *ahem* technical difficulties, so you'll have to just click on this link, which will bring you to my Google site, where you can then download the mp3 (by clicking on the blue arrow next to The Golden Harp).
Don't worry. Once we have our fancy new website up and running we'll have an easier way to embed sound files, and we won't have to send you on a wild goose chase just to listen to some dang music!
We're really looking forward to the next in the series. We'll go over all the basics again and introduce a few new concepts, such as leading (!).
Hope you can join us! And bring a friend!
Singing the Shapes, v. 2.0
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
6pm-9pm
921 Main Street
Berlin, NH
We had a lovely visit from an old singing friend who now lives in Portland, Maine. Yay! Thanks, Alexa! I think the alto section was really glad to have you! Sadly we did NOT have a visit from another expected Maine singer because she got lost in the New Hampshire wilderness. I blame her lack of a sense of direction, and not the North Country roads. Better luck next time, Emily! We missed you!
Have no fear... it's much easier to get to our singing location than it is to get to oh, say, the Chattahoochee Convention in Georgia. And people have been going there for more than 150 years.
We took things slow and we went over scales using my Shapenote Machine (TM). Our resident quality assurance associate, Nuala, is pictured inspecting the Shapenote Machine (TM) below.
We went over all four parts to several songs including Old Hundred, Russia, New Jerusalem and Loving-Kindness. We practiced shapes. We sang our faces off.
The class seemed particularly smitten with 274t, The Golden Harp. And that's good because that's the one song we got a recording of! Not bad for a bunch of beginners! Aw, yeah!
Chris and I tried to embed the sound right into the blog post, but we were having *ahem* technical difficulties, so you'll have to just click on this link, which will bring you to my Google site, where you can then download the mp3 (by clicking on the blue arrow next to The Golden Harp).
Don't worry. Once we have our fancy new website up and running we'll have an easier way to embed sound files, and we won't have to send you on a wild goose chase just to listen to some dang music!
We're really looking forward to the next in the series. We'll go over all the basics again and introduce a few new concepts, such as leading (!).
Hope you can join us! And bring a friend!
Singing the Shapes, v. 2.0
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
6pm-9pm
921 Main Street
Berlin, NH
Monday, June 3, 2013
Old Hundred
About a week ago we held the second North Country Sacred Harp singing. This time, we sang at WREN 921, the space in Berlin where we will hold our upcoming singing school series. We had seven singers, all of them women, but one. Most of these gals had only sung shapenote music a couple of times, or not at all, so I think this is a pretty killer start!
I made this recording with my iPhone and I have NO IDEA what I'm doing, so it's basically just a black screen that I uploaded to YouTube, but hey... you get the picture. Maybe next time there will be actual moving images!
I'm really looking forward to teaching the first singing school in the series this coming Saturday evening! We'll meet at WREN 921 and sing our faces off from 6 until 9pm. Quick break for snacks around 7:30. Bring something to share!
Singing the Shapes: A Singing School in Four Parts
Saturday, June 8th 2013
6pm - 9pm
921 Main Street
Berlin, NH
I made this recording with my iPhone and I have NO IDEA what I'm doing, so it's basically just a black screen that I uploaded to YouTube, but hey... you get the picture. Maybe next time there will be actual moving images!
I'm really looking forward to teaching the first singing school in the series this coming Saturday evening! We'll meet at WREN 921 and sing our faces off from 6 until 9pm. Quick break for snacks around 7:30. Bring something to share!
Singing the Shapes: A Singing School in Four Parts
Saturday, June 8th 2013
6pm - 9pm
921 Main Street
Berlin, NH
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Singing the Shapes!
Singing the Shapes:
A Singing School in Four Parts
A Singing School in Four Parts
Saturday, June 8th
Wednesday, July 10th
*Saturday, August 10th
Wednesday, September 11th
6pm - 9pm
*except for August 10th… 3 – 6pm that day, folks…
Wednesday, July 10th
*Saturday, August 10th
Wednesday, September 11th
6pm - 9pm
*except for August 10th… 3 – 6pm that day, folks…
Learn to sing this
uniquely American music, a capella and in 4-part harmony.
All are welcome. No experience required.
All are welcome. No experience required.
 |
| Carly & Kev lead page 196 at the 2013 Western Mass Convention. Fabulous photo by Kelly B. Taylor. |
WREN921
921 Main Street
Berlin, NH
…at the former
Congregational ChurchFor more info, visit northcountrysacredharp.blogspot.com,
or email carlygoss@gmail.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)