Post #149 - Choir Reprise

Regular readers will be aware that, although I love to sing, maintaining a suitable place in any choir is difficult for me - I refer to these related posts:

General choir woes:

https://faspie.blogspot.com/2015/10/post-12-more-insomnia-choir-musings.html

What happened after the Easter 2017 concert: 

https://faspie.blogspot.com/2017/05/post-106-some-people-aint-got-no-sense.html

So, it's now 2019, I'm enjoying watching Glee on Amazon Prime Video and decide that it's time to get my voice out of storage.  I'm a fairly competent singer and with practice, I can improve.  So, I've heard about a singing group which meets on Monday lunchtimes and is located approximately 3.9 miles away from Chez Logic, and after a bit of finding out about what its all about from a member of my previous choir whom I'd recognised in a group shot, I contacted the Choir Director.  The Director was lovely and when I said that I had quite a lot of choir experience, was a tiny bit concerned that I may be pitching myself too low (not literally, although I am a soprano who often moonlights as an alto, so that might actually be true.) 

I went along, the church hall was located in the same road we once rented a flat in back in 2003 (that's one for the property fact fans amongst you.)  I arrived about ten minutes early, but the room was almost full, which is bizarre because in my other choir, people turned up late and it never started on time, but maybe that was because it took place between 19:30 and 21:30 and these people had jobs?  And lives.  The Choir Director was really friendly and welcoming and handed me a song sheet with lyrics on ... hmm, OK.  OK, please excuse me for being a bit of a musical snob here, but I do like to sing from a musical score as it makes working out the harmonies so much easier if you can see if the notes are going up or down for starters and whether they're crotchets, minims or triplets etc.  Also, the dynamics of a piece are totally lost without it - how would you know when to speed up, slow down or get louder? 

I did explain to the Choir Director that I had autism and it had affected me in earlier choirs.  She was duly sympathetic.  I squeezed myself into a soprano seat, as indicated, but nobody around me even said a simple "hello", in fact, the whole group seemed downright standoffish.  In my other choirs if I'd been sat next to a newbie I'd take the time to ask them their name, if they'd sung before and other such pleasantries (without sounding like a weirdo) - it's just good manners. 

Needless to say I won't be going back; it's great for people who just like to sing in a casual manner, but I like I said before, I want to improve.  Also the timing's all out of whack as the end of it coincides with school kicking out time, which as we all know is a nightmare on the roads and buses.   

Post #106 - Some People Ain't Got No Sense Of Humour (sic)

Tonight heralded my final concert performance with my (now) former choir. Why? Well, as regular readers of this blog will know, group activities are almost impossible for me to involve myself with and it came to a bit of a head. Sometimes, to prove a point, I'll push a situation to see what, if anything, breaks.

We have been rehearsing a series of songs for months now. I'm continually struggling with singing alto (I'm a soprano) because the harmony line always sounds flat to me, altos never get the tune and well ... the vocal, ahem, quality of the choir could be so much better.

Anyway, the choir has a WhatsApp group to ping messages at one another.  Being a predominantly female group, after the performance there were the usual sycophantic crappy messages on there "Ooh, the choir sounded amazing ladies ..." I thought that, to cut through the cloying platitudes, I'd attempt to inject some humour into proceedings, by suggesting that a prominent member of the choir had been elected Head Chorister ... but it went down like a cup of cold sick with messages such as 'you're cruel and that's not funny' directed at me. I then left the WhatsApp group and indeed, the choir ... That'll save me the princely sum of £7 per week.

I have now recycled my musical scores.

Post #38 - Better and (Un)Twisted!

I am starting to feel much better about myself, which is great.  The weather's getting cold (brrr!), but it is the middle of the winter in the UK.  As for me, well, let's just say that I'm reaching out and trying to do more.  Tomorrow I'll try to attend the monthly NAS Coffee Morning and maybe Choir in the evening?  Friday, I'm planning to go to a Carers' Conference which is being held in the Council Offices and then Saturday - London.  Yes, the smokin' Metropolis, somewhere I haven't been since early November.  I've even signed up to a short Creative Writing Course - the first session of which is being held next Tuesday afternoon.  I'm trying to follow my GP's advice about putting a routine back in place.  Watch this space!

Post #26 - What Does That Even Mean?

I find that many of the issues surrounding being an Aspie stem from miscommunication and misunderstanding.  Yesterday I received this email from the head of my choir and have cut and pasted this bizarre sentence from it:

The concert is a "bring your own food and drink (booze)" to drink and eat during the concert - the tickets are on the door and are going to be £8 for adults and £5 for concessions. 

Eh?  Does that mean I have to bring a sports bag full of wine and mince pies?  Will we all be munching throughout the performance and spitting crumbs at one another?  Like many things in life - je ne comprehend pas.

Post #12 - More Insomnia + Choir Musings

Oh for goodness sake, this is driving me crazy now. It's nearly 3:30am and I cannot sleep.  Again. Yes I know that I shouldn't be on a screen, but hey, writing's good - yeah?

I'm a member of a local choir. It's fun, I adore singing and was studying for my Grade 4 with the choir leader/music teacher until my fragile mental health forced me to stop. I started singing back in 2010; I used to sing in a church choir as a child but gave it up for decades. I began with a few beginners' group courses and then joined a central London choir for about eighteen months in total and then my work ensemble. Actually, I think I'll detail my experiences on one of my other (many) blogs.

Right: ASC. Singing's great for the soul, but I do struggle somewhat with the logistics involved. For example,  I walk the three miles there as I haven't driven for many years now because of extreme anxiety. I often get a lift back, but I don't wish to be a burden. The room itself, which is the music department of a grammar school can get very crowded and last week one of the other altos was behind me and her continual chewing and talking was vexing me. She's a nice woman and we've spoken many times; she even has a grandchild with ASC. It's not easy for me though as some of the other choristers are flat; this is because you don't have to audition to get in, which is a double-edged sword.

Oh dear, I sound like a right old moaner don't I? I'm not, honestly.