So finally 2020 is no more. I guess its true to say that never before have so many people been glad to see the back of a particular year. 2021 can surely only get better?! Well, in spite of still being in the middle of a global pandemic, (one that back in the Spring, many of us confidently assumed would be over in a matter of months) at least now the vaccine is here, and the end is hopefully in sight. Lets hope that 2021 will include significant elements of the return of 'normal life'.
But as I have briefly touched on before in this blog, as far as my musical life is concerned, 2020 has actually been a rather positive year. And I would not want to have to turn the clock back in this aspect of my life -- yes it would be awesome to have been able to have been involved in all the musical projects for reasons other than a global pandemic, but the fact is, the COVID cloud had a silver lining for me and many others, as far as making music is concerned.
So as we embark on a New Year, I wanted to spend a short while looking back over what I have achieved this past year, as far as musicality is concerned.
2020 started off pretty much 'normal' for a couple of months. I had little spare time as I had two part time jobs. I went along to choir practice once a week and that was about it as far as music in my life was concerned. My choir (the Belstead Singers ladies choir) were learning a song that I had arranged last year - the first music I had written for this particular choir. We were due to perform it at our Summer concert (which of course did not happen). The song was 'With a Smile and a Song' (from Snow White) and I was rather pleased with the final page where three voices sing in counterpoint...
Then COVID 19 reached the UK, I gave up my interviewing job suddenly because of this (I had intended to work until June) so found myself with extra time, and we went into lockdown, meaning I was working from home with my remaining job (Suffolk libraries). So when I heard that Gareth Malone was starting up an 'online choir', meeting daily on YouTube, on the very first day it happened I tuned in at 5.30 for the Great British Home Chorus . Gareth taught us crazy warm ups, and a selection of songs, some of which we recorded. The whole process was totally new to just about everybody - at that time I think only Eric Whitacre had done any work with online choir recordings.
Gareth's YouTube sessions had people's comments appearing during the rehearsals. It became clear to me early on that there were people watching who did not have a clue about the basics of singing in a choir .... so I created my very first musical blog to provide some helpful tips and information. I tried to advertise this by posting the URL in the YouTube comments myself, but didn't attract many readers at this stage as the comments scrolled past so fast.
The next important development was when one of the GBHC participants, Derek J Wilcox had a great idea. He created a Facebook Group called GBHC Friends, where we could discuss all things GBHC related with much greater ease than via the YouTube comments. Once again I was one of the first to join, on its very first day, and have been active in that group ever since. I have made so many new friends there, mostly just 'online' but quite a few local ones have met in real life several times since we formed a Suffolk Group later in the year. And through the group I have been introduced to all sorts of wonderful things.
The one that has become enormous for me this year, to the extent that most GBHC friends think of it as my musical trademark, is an android app called Acapella Maker. I was first introduced to this by a fellow GBHC Friends member (Christine Worthington) and immediately saw its amazing potential for someone like me, who has always loved creating harmonies. It lets you record yourself singing harmonies with yourself - pure magic! It felt like I had been waiting all my life for something like this. I don't think there have been many weeks since then when I haven't created something with it. And I wrote another blog to act as a User Guide, as there was no help within the app. Here is the very first video I made with the app, based on one of Gareth's fun warm ups
The next project I was involved in was once again with the GBHC friends. We had decided to create a 'Thank You' song for Gareth, this was to be using new words to the Abba song 'Thank You for the Music'. People were invited to offer various skills, so I did mention that I had arranged some choral music. So one Saturday, I was suddenly asked to write a SATB arrangement by Monday ... no pressure or anything! I worked at it all day Sunday, I knew it wasn't brilliant, but I had never produced anything so fast before.....
Thankfully (unknown to me at the time) they had also approached two other people with the same request, and one of them was a professional. So little or none of my ideas made it into the song we actually recorded, but I was totally fine with that as Charlotte's arrangement was so much better! But the bonus was, as I had worked on it, I ended up with my name in the credits on the same page as Benny and Bjorn from Abba!
Somewhere along the way I started yet another musical blog, The Music of my Life ... not so much for others, more of a musical memoir for myself. But so far all I have done is a page about Easter music, and a page still in draft form with my Desert Island Discs.
I became conscious that my musical education was somewhat lacking - all I had was an O level, my Grade 5 theory, and clarinet exams up to grade 7. I looked into doing A level but the cost was prohibitive. So I looked for some free or affordable courses. I completed one called 'Foundations of a Musical Mind' with Musical-U and I am still working through one called 'Diploma in Music Theory' with a free provider called Alison.
Then I decided to compose a new song from scratch for my choir ... I have already written about that in this blog.
My last big project for 2020 was one of the more ambitious and got me learning more new skills, as well as leading a directing others for the first time. I intend to write a page about this in depth, but will just share here the final result - a video of 'O Holy Night' by Suffolk members of GBHC friends.
So that's been my musical Year! I wonder what 2021 has instore?