Small children on long journeys often ask what the grown-ups are thinking – ARE WE THERE YET?? – and the question on all our minds is not are we there, but is it over yet?
Sadly not. The virus is still out there and although we have had some lovely weather, the days are looking both shorter and more grey (and soggy!) lately and the blissful small socially distanced gatherings in fields and parks might not be possible for very much longer.
Don’t worry! We are still hanging in there, and it is more important to make music now than ever before. We musn’t lose the music! However I am very aware that there also needs to be a goal, motivation, and a sense of community. After all, that is what ECCO is all about.
Over the summer we have met every week over zoom to catch up, talk about various composers, talk about practicing, musical questions, and even to arrange groups of 3 or 4 to meet up. Those online meetings will continue, and we do have tentative plans to resume in-person meetings in January. -of course this is if allowed by government guidelines. Our group is important to the university and they are making sure we can access the Chapel from January so if the possibility exists, we can indeed meet! If restrictions are lifted earler, I have access to space in Bosham that we can use. …watch this space.
In the meantime we have a plan!
David has written out Fly me to the moon in lots of different clefs and provided music for us on this DROPBOX LINK. The idea is that we have a go playing it. You can play along with the backing track, and if you would like to record any contribution – a few notes, a bass line, a verse of the tune, a solo, some version of arpeggiated accompaniment – anything is welcome and Laura (I) will compile them.
In discussion people pointed out that simply having a recording project was hard. It didn’t give a sense of ‘playing together’ and this at least starts with a backing.
The other thing we discussed on our Zoom calls and decided to put to everyone (there are about 15 who have come all summer, and it would be great if others wanted to dip back in either to chat or to take part in some of these ideas/tasks 🙂 ) was to prepare a couple of pieces for when we can get back together.We decided on these:
- Florence Price’s Symphonic movement Jubba Dance: The parts and an mp3 are here
- Mark’s Simon & Garfunkel arrangement: backing tracks are here and parts are here
- and I’m finishing the arrangement (with cuts!) of the 1812 so we can finally learn that once and for all!
🙂 (if we are allowed to meet outdoors, maybe we can have a real canon? -there have to be some perks to this situation!!!)
Any comments are welcome! If you need the zoom link for our 7pm Wednesday meets, please email Laura, Ray, Alex, or Sally.
Keep well! x
