Written by: Brody Rodriguez
G’DAY, Cardinal Chorale (and esteemed readers who may have stumbled across this blog)!
Welcome to the third day of the Cardinal Chorale workshop. Today was an absolute blast! It was definitely better than running off on three hours of sleep from the day before because I arrived late. Speaking of running, this morning, I started by going on a run with a couple of the chorale members. I enjoyed getting some extra activity in for the day. I definitely need to get some in for all the food I’ll be eating this week. The meals at Muskingum are top-notch, and there’s nothing I’ve had so far that has disappointed.
Today, we got into the nitty-gritty of some of our selections for this year. Many of the songs I’ve never seen before, but I was able to pick up on fairly quickly. One song in particular was “O Praise the Lord with Heart and Voice.” There were lots of moving parts in it, but having that individual sectional time definitely helped in solidifying much of the song. My voice has started to waver a little bit, so I’ve been doing my best to take good care of it because I don’t want to be lacking the ability to sing at the end of the week for our big premiere concert. We actually got to learn all about vocal care from some of the Chorale staff through an entertaining skit where we played a game called “WATER you doing?!” Anytime they said this phrase, we took a drink of water while also learning about ways to be responsible vocally.
I very much enjoyed the elective I had today. Mrs. Heading taught us how to craft some bracelets and keychains, which took me a little bit to get a hang of, but when I did, I was very much enjoying the process of getting crafty. I initially wanted to make a keychain, but I ended up landing on making a bracelet for another singer ;).
After our electives, we had another full rehearsal and ended up putting a lot of the music we’ve been working together. Tomorrow marks the halfway point through the week, and having that in mind makes me realize how far we’ve come, but also how much farther we need to go in the following days.
Moment of appreciation for some fantastic, tasty potato wedges and peach cobbler, that I may or may not have overindulged in…but I would say that it was worth it.
As we head into the heart of the week, I’m feeling more energized, more inspired, and more grateful to be surrounded by such an incredible group of musicians, leaders, and friends. Here’s to the music still to be made, the memories yet to form, and hopefully — just hopefully — a few more servings of cobbler or other tasty treats.
Until next time — stay hydrated, sing boldly, love others, and take care of yourself. Peace out Girl Scouts!