Voces8 Education Day at Bedford School (5.10.09) - Prep School workshop

Taken almost straight from my notes on the day, the write-up of the Prep School workshop:

Straighten Up and Fly Right
Q: meaning of a cappella? Who sings what instrument?

Paul's warm-up:
- Movement (watch, together) + sounds -> deconstrict face
- pitch+movement – rollercoaster
- watch: stop (obvious signals)
- hearty laughing [gets diaphragm etc. working]
- copy rhythm: clapping
+ movement
+ clicks
- simple sequence --> extend --> accelerate
(click x4 L, R; clap x4; thighs x4 + shins x2, thighs x2 + more)

(Gave choice for next song: classical or jazz)
Feeling Good [had to recount votes b/c chn kept changing their minds!]

- Group into 2 teams (already sitting with aisle between chairs; natural division)
- 2 volunteers to be pulse + Charles -> + more volunteers as need arose for louder pulse
- Andrea – vocal rhythm (L team)
- Dingle – percussive rhythm (R team)
- Andrea and Dingle can change; chn have to change also. [ => WATCH]
- Basic conducting [obvious signals]: cresc. / dim. Team dynamics different (f / p at different times) [encourage musicianship; parts]
- then into four groups. Faster tempo
+ actions for rhythms
- (Rob and Chris periodically going round to the back of the groups to check everyone was okay)
- In the middle of my page I wrote ENERGY underlined three times in a box. I cannot emphasise enough just HOW energetic Paul was, and therefore the children. It was brilliant fun even just to observe :D

There was a boy at the back of the R-hand group (Dingle's) who kept turning around to look at me, and who didn't really seem to be participating. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I made sure I was moving my leg with the pulse, so he could see that I was engaged, in a way, even though I was 'only' there in the capacity of observer.

Madrigal: context.
Hark by the Crystal Fountain (I think that's the title; I couldn't quite hear)

Hand over to Charles:
- stretch, shrug & relax [deconstriction!]
- shake top to bottom + voice
- characterisation: black holes / supernovae
- muscles: breathing and support
- Cowboy! Theme tune, toffee
- boom-chica-boom [characterisation]
- voice: core of the earth up to infinity. 'Follow the hand' “he, not she” (ended up as a catchphrase; the kids finished Charles' 'he' with 'not she!' ) [hard palate 'ee'; pharynx]
- watching hand – smaller intervals, up and down [setting up for R.o.B]
=> Rivers of Babylon; notes+hand
+ harmony. 'Follow the hand!'
- Crossed legs and leaning on the back of the chair -> stand up and shake [any tension can and will be transferred!]

The same boy was still turning round and not really participating, so when we got onto the exercises with words I made sure to be mouthing along at the very least (when I wasn't grinning!). Eventually he started to join in – at the very least he started mouthing the words; one hopes he was singing along but of course I can't know whether or not he was. His friend had started to participate a little sooner and wasn't turning all the way around quite so often.

I Got Rhythm
(Interesting moment: Paul points during his solo on 'you won't find him' and that particular time he pointed to me. It was one of those split-second moments that feel like ... well, much longer! I wasn't sure if indeed he was pointing to me or not, but all of the boys were sure; the majority of their faces just turned and Looked at me. It was a moment filled with, in equal amounts, confusion, bewilderment, and abject terror. 'WhatDoIDo?!WhatDoIDo?!' so I ended up deciding just to shrug and hope they stopped looking at me! The look on Paul's face was an amusing kind of apologetic – which is only when it dawned on me that um, yes it was me at whom he'd pointed. The reason it was such a terrifying moment is my fear of people Looking at me ... mm, stupid, I know. But again, I survived ( ... just)! However, it's very amusing now and I just chuckle when I think about it; and he did apologise very profusely afterwards, which was quite sweet.)

I had to laugh; some of the teachers who found themselves worn out after only a few minutes of participation! I did sympathise as my knees had given me quite a lot of gyp during our Take the Lead! Session ... it was still amusing though; they themselves were laughing anyway :)

During the half hour between workshop and masterclass I joined Voces8 in the staff room (nearly losing my balance on the way down the stairs – oops) and had an interesting conversation with Paul about, well, in short, nerves and how the only way to learn to deal with them is to get on and do whatever it is that causes the nerves. Think that may be a subjct for an entire post in itself, just because I've been thinking about it a lot since then. Still, it reinforces my 'don't think, just do' motto (which is much easier said than done, but most days it's the only way I get myself out of bed if the truth be told. I digress). Anyway, they seem a thoroughly lovely bunch of people, and Paul and Charles made me feel welcome, rather than someone just tagging along.

Senior School masterclass to follow ...