Director's Notes
Updated: 2 days ago
*This will be updated each week following the most recent Monday night rehearsal. NOTE: the most recent post can be found just below here at the top of this blog.
10/12/2026 Seventh rehearsal at LCOC
We welcomed back former WCC member Christie. The purpose and goal for this rehearsal was to allow all those that had previously signed up or intended to sign-up for a Line Solo by the end of the rehearsal to practice the line solos that they were interested in. During the process people were noticing that some of the songs that we looked at were not fully prepared by the choir. I agree there were quite a few spots needing work by the choir but spending time on that was not the intent of this rehearsal. We still have seven more rehearsals at LCOC before we have the on-sight rehearsal and two concerts at the Ferlazzo building auditorium. Following that with an appearance at the National Museum of the Marine Corps., two weeks later. During the remaining rehearsals at LCOC we will endeavor to tie up all the loose ends and fix everything that needs to be fixed before concert time. Also, I encourage you to spend some time each week listening and singing along to the Voice Tracks provided on the WCC webpage. Please let me know if you have tried but have been unsuccessful at accessing the Voice Tracks. To find out more about Voice Tracks click here.
I will be calling for one person from each section to serve as a Peer Judge. The job of the Peer Judge is to adjudicate the auditions on the Peer Judge Tally Sheet of each person trying out for a specific Line Solo and provide a ranking for each candidate on each Line Solo. I will compile the results indicated on the tally sheets and announce the results at the following weeks rehearsal.
Next Monday there will be no review, but we will sing each selection while allowing those that have signed up to try out for one or more Line Solos to audition and be adjudicated by the Peer Judges. Note also that the end of this rehearsal is the deadline to sign-up for a Feature.
10/5/2026 Sixth rehearsal at LCOC
The review of selection #2 was mostly okay but we must focus on the swing style. That is when there are two eighth notes in sequence they must be sung as a quarter + eighth triplet figure. In selection #6 the accented quarter notes are coming along nicely but we need to smooth out the rest of the notes and particularly observe the tied notes such as at 36, 40, 46, etc. and start paying more attention to the dynamic markings. (What a Tie Does: A tie adds durations together: the second note is not re‑articulated; the sound continues from the first note.) Selection #16 was a near disaster and needs a lot of work on getting those syncopated rhythms correct. In the focus for selection #8 more attention needs to be applied to observing the rests, even the short eighth notes rests and sustaining note values for the full amount indicated. Once that is fleshed out, we need to concentrate on dynamics. Focusing on #7 be sure to observe the tied notes and syncopated rhythms and don't let the page turns catch you off guard. For the focus on #4 once you get the feel for the 6/8 measures things improved immensely. We will need to distinguish the different articulation markings. The high sopranos parts on the last two pages need to be in tune. It is better to leave it out if you are not hitting the correct pitch.
Next week is the deadline to sign up for a Line Solo. There will be no Review. We instead will focus on all the songs that have line solos in this order 15, 11, 12, 5, 3, 16, 6, & 8. Line Solo tryouts are the following week.
9/28/2026 Fifth rehearsal at LCOC
After completing normal start of rehearsal activities, we reviewed the selections: #14, #3, and #9. Allow me to emphasize once again that although in keeping with the theme of this concert season "Traditional Christmas Music" I did select songs with titles of traditional Christmas songs, but the arrangements are modern for the most part with lots of rhythm and harmonic changes that are catching many of you off guard. In The Little Drummer Boy many of the phrases begin on the 2nd beat of the measure and the tenors and basses have a repetitive rum pum pattern requiring consistent focus so as not to shift off the beat pattern and other times where you carry the melody line and then go into a brief four-part SATB harmony. O Come, All Ye Faithful a Pentatonix arrangement having lots of colorful rhythm and harmonic effects is just going to be a lot of fun to sing once we pull it all together. The all but forgotten original 1940 arrangement of White Christmas has been revitalized with this more recent 1995 arrangement. It is sure to invoke some heartwarming memories. For the Focus portion of the rehearsal, we looked at selections #16, #6, and #2. The 2012 arrangement of Home for the Holidays is almost completely syncopated and will test our resolve to perfect it. The emphatic "Fear not for we bring good news of great joy" of the song God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is such a dynamic piece and is sure to bring us and our audience great joy when we perform it. The beautifully simple arrangement for Silent Night is quite new but the many nuances will make it difficult to learn.
Ending the rehearsal a little early those that stuck around were able to share some great snacks and get to know others a little better. Ultimately, it is intended to help build a camaraderie so that we can work together as a team.
Next week (10/5) the Review will be selections: #2, #6, & #16. The Focus will be selections: #8, #7, & #4. This will complete the first round of focusing on individual selections. Not to worry we will continue to work the individual selections in the weeks to come.
9/21/2026 Fourth rehearsal at LCOC
As will be the norm for this and all future rehearsals, we begin the rehearsal with some brief comments then a warmup exercise. Following that we did a review of selections: #5, #10, and #1. In Joy to the World there was an immediate train wreck at measures 8 & 9. The melody is nearly the same as what you grew up singing but there are several extra-long sustained notes and rests interspersed that threw several people off. There were similar problems with The Christmas Song where a lot of "got chu" rhythms caught you off guard. The melody in the Do You Hear What I Hear song was considerably closer to the original, but the basses and tenors were struggling a bit with the "Rrm-pm-pm-pm" part.
Moving on to the focus part of the rehearsal we looked at #9 first where rhythms and chord structures were a bit more complex than you might have remembered. Next, we looked at #3 and when I looked out at the choir it was like a herd of deer staring into the light of an oncoming vehicle. The rhythms seemed impossible at first, but we got through them, mostly and as someone pointed out there are 14 distinct voice parts on the last 3 pages of the piece. I am confident that you will be able to pull it all together after spending time listening to the Voice Tracks. We finished out the evening working on #14 with more "Rum Pum's" but in this case slightly syncopated. No problem, right?
The sign-up sheets for Line Solos and Features were available and will continue to be until the respective tryout dates. There were a couple of people that signed up. The Line Solo tryout date will be October 19 if you wish to tryout you must sign up by no later than October 12. For the Feature tryout the deadline to sign up is October 19 and the Feature auditions dates will be October 26 and November 2.
Next week (9/28) the Review will be #14, #3, & #9. The Focus will be #16, #6, & #2. The social will follow the shortened rehearsal. Mix and meet new friends.
9/14/2026 Third rehearsal at LCOC (Final Open Registration date):
Our Event Coordinator Debbie brought in a bag full of Kazoos which were distributed to the choir. After some brief opening comments and the warmup exercise, we did a review of selections #12, #13, #11, and #15. Except for the missing horse winnie Sleigh Ride went well. The kazoo song (#13) sounded amazing. Rudolph is coming along nicely. Frosty needs a lot of work but there was some progress made. Next, we turned our attention to the focus of selections #1, #10, and #5. Do You Hear . . . has a very high soprano part that will be a bit of a challenge. The Christmas Song arrangement is just a little off of what most people are accustomed to and that will take some getting used to. The Joy to the World arrangement is quite different but manageable.
IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!
Those that are interested in trying out for a Feature (see the Feature Tryout information below) must be prepared to audition October 26 or November 2. You may pick the date, but applicants must be equally divided between the two dates i.e. if one person signs up for October 26 the next person to sign up must select November 2 and so on. To audition you must signup by the close of rehearsal on October 19. Look for the signup sheet to appear in the next week or two. There will be only one date for the Line Solo (also see below for more details) tryouts on October 19. The deadline to signup for a Line Solo is October 12.
Next Monday folks can still join the choir, but they will be subject to a brief interview with me before approval. After the rehearsal there will be a regular monthly WCC Executive Board meeting, which is open to anyone that would like to sit in and observe. The review will be on selections #5, #10, & #1 and the focus will be #9, #3, & #14
9/7/2026 Second rehearsal at LCOC (Open Registration):
Hope everyone had a great Labor Day celebration. Many thanks to those that finished out the day with us at the WCC rehearsal, to include four returning former members. Meredyth was among those returning but it is not clear yet if she is able to resume her position at the keyboard and sharing the responsibility with Patrice. In the meantime, she has taken up a position in the tenor section.
After the warmup we did an initial reading of the selection #10 which arrived this past week. Note that at this point only 10 copies of the #3 selection have yet to arrive. After that we began the review of selections #4, #7, and #8. Things really bogged down trying to read the difficult arrangement for #4 so we spent a considerable amount of time working through that selection before moving on to the other two selections that were to be reviewed. Finally, we got to focus on the hip selections thumpity, thump, thump #15, red-nosed #11, kazoo #13, and sleighing #12. Be sure to bring a kazoo next week that we will use while reviewing #13. A fun time will be had by all. It is really difficult to play a kazoo while smiling but give it your best shot.
Line Solo opportunities:
3) O Come, All Ye Faithful - Male voice + descants
5) Joy to the World - Any voice
6) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Male & Female voice
8) O Holy Night - Male & Female voice
11) Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Any voice
12) Sleigh Ride - horse + Any voice
15) Frosty the Snowman - Female & Male voice
16) No Place Like Home - Male & Female voice
Next Monday we will review selections: 12, 13, 11, & 15. Then focus on selections: 1, 10, & 5. If you can before next week or as soon as you are able, please acquire (beg, borrow, buy, or commandeer) a kazoo. If you are interested I will be playing my tuba with the PWC Band at their concert on Saturday, September 19 at 7:00 PM Connaughton Plaza (in the McCourt PWC Gov. complex).
8/31/2026 First rehearsal at LCOC (Open Registration):
We are off to a great start for the season. Welcome to all the new members joining us this season and the many returning members. There was a slight snag as board members were scrambling to come up with some writing implements so everyone could fill out the registration forms. Just to clarify everyone should be seated in the first four full length pews: sopranos are on the right, basses and tenors in the middle with basses on the front row, and altos fill in on the left side. Our WCC Executive Board Chair, Billy gave an overview about the rehearsals and what to expect. Next, we introduced the new pianist Patrice and electric bassist Ed. Then according to plan, we did a complete readthrough of the full concert program in order by singing along with the sample recordings. We also attempted to sing excerpts from most of the selections using our live instrumental combo. As was the intent it gives the choir and idea of what the finished product should sound like and some of the challenges ahead. Fear not, if you were not able to follow along as we will be spending the next several weeks learning the individual voice parts to include pitches, rhythms and other nuances associated with the voice lines.
Next rehearsal we will be reviewing selections: 4, 7, & 8. Note that during the review we make no attempt to fix anything just read it the best you can. Then we will focus on selections: 15, 11, 14, & 12. Please plan to arrive early so you can spend some time visiting with your friends and then be prepared to start at 7:30 PM.
What about the Christmas 2026 concert Season?
First rehearsal as is the custom will be the last Monday in August specifically the 31st of August at 7:30 PM. Registration begins at 7:00 PM.
The countdown: 0 day until first rehearsal.
Things to be aware of:
Sample recordings of the concert music are available on the WCC website
First day to register is August 31 between 7:00 & 7:30 PM.
You may participate in one rehearsal without registering but you must return the music at the end of the rehearsal
If you complete the registration process (fill out registration form and pay registration fee of $45 you may keep your music packet).
On your registration form be sure to include the email that you intend to use to access the Voice Tracks (many people have more than one email but only one will be granted access to the Voice Tracks)
Completing the registration process is the first of many steps to complete that will eventually allow you to access the Voice Tracks (see below for an explanation of Voice Tracks).
Complete registration process
You will next receive an invitation to join the "Current Season" group
Accept that invitation
As time permits your login ID (email address) that you identified on the registration form will be added to the "Current Season" group. You will receive a notice when this is done.
After you receive the notice log on the WCC website using the ID that you included on your registration form (if you have never logged on to the WCC website before, you will be prompted to request permission to be added to the website).
Once successfully logged on to the WCC website you can select More/Voice Tracks from the main menu bar and if everything is in order the Voice Track page will open for you.
At 7:30 PM the rehearsal will begin and then end at 9:30 PM. Rehearsals will continue every Monday (including holidays) up until the first concert date.
The first rehearsal may invoke a variety of emotions as we read through each selection in concert order. If you are a veteran WCC member you will be reminded that there is much work ahead of you to learn all of these songs but if you are brand new to WCC you might be horrified at what may seem to be an insurmountable task ahead. In seasons past many faint of heart have left the first rehearsal never to return. Let me add a bit of comfort to those in the last group. We go to great lengths to learn each voice line in the coming weeks to follow and also the Voice Tracks are an invaluable tool for learning your voice part. So be brave and stick it out we will all learn together and not leave anyone behind.
At the bottom of this blog you may add a comment or question
For the 60th Anniversary concert season entitled “WCC 60th Anniversary Traditional Christmas Music” we will have a selection of 8 sacred and 8 secular choral arrangements from the top 100 most popular of all time traditional Christmas songs. The Criteria: Chosen for ongoing popularity, impact, importance, and strong association with the holiday. "Traditional" is defined as encompassing all pre-rock styles of popular music; Christmas songs include both religious and secular songs as well as songs about winter which are associated with the festive season. There will be a brief medly of popular Traditional Christmas songs not currently one of the selections on the program for which all former WCC members in the audiance may come on stage to join in the singing.
Voice Tracks
There will be Voice Tracks available for all selections except "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Home for the Holiday". Access to the VT will be limited to those included in the Current Season group. Becoming a member of the Current Season group is a three-step process. First you will have to complete the registration process including filling out the registration form and paying the registration fee. On the registration form you must provide a valid email address that will serve as your login ID to be added to the Current Season group. Second you will have to become a member, if not already, of the WCC website using the same email address. (Note: many people have multiple email addresses, but you may only use one to access the Voice Tracks and that should be the address you include in your registration form.) Third you will receive an invitation to join the Current Season group. Once you accept the invitation your ID (email address) will be added to the Current Season group, which can then be used to access the Voice Tracks page on the WCC website. If you have satisfied all the preconditions, then you can access the Voice Tracks by selecting it from the Main Menu bar. Current WCC Executive board members and instrumentalist will automatically have immediate access to the Christmas VT page. All selections that have Voice Tracks available on our Christmas 2026 season have already been added to the Voice Track page of the WCC website. Members of the Current Season group may access the VT from the Main menu or click this Voice Track link.
Sample recordings media
Unlike in the past the sample recordings will not be provided to you on CD. However, if you bring in a blank USB drive or other media the sample recordings can be copied onto it for you. Be sure to include your name on the media device. For those of you that have an operable CD/DVD device or perhaps an older automobiles that have built in CD players you can request a CD with sample recordings of the songs be made at no cost to you but there is no guarantee that it will be successful as the technology is rapidly transitioning away from that media.
Line Solo Tryouts
A Line Solo is a designated solo part in this season’s program, with over half the selections featuring them. If you’re interested, refer to the Important Dates handout for the single tryout date (October 19)—no alternate dates are provided unless that rehearsal is cancelled. You must signup by the end of the rehearsal on Octoberr 12 to participate in the tryouts. Prepare independently, but you may practice any Line Solos during rehearsals with others who are interested.
Feature Tryouts.
IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!
Those wishing to try out for a feature presentation will participate in a tryout to be judged by current members of the choir serving as peer judges and are encouraged to select from the list of the top 100 most popular traditional Christmas songs that are unique from those selected for the choir. (Note: for your first visit to this shared location, you must request permission to access the shared folder. Once permission is granted you may visit at will.) As a reward for selecting a song from the top 100 list the applicant will receive a one-point bonus on their peer judge rating score. Otherwise, the applicant may select any song of their own choosing in line with the season. A Feature to be added to the program is intended to showcase an exceptional individual or a small ensemble talent. Due to the special nature of this concert season there will be at most one Feature accepted to perform on the program and it must be above and beyond average talent. The tryout dates for a Feature have been postponed until October 26 and November 2. To tryout for a Feature you must signup no later than October 19.
Keyboard Accompanist.
We have a new keyboard accompanist. Her name is Patrice Householder. Meredyth took a fall and has broken one or more bones associated with her left shoulder. She has since had an operation but reports it is not mending as quickly as she had hoped. She will join us when she is healed well enough to play.
Final music selections: (from the Main menu click More/Music to listen to samples)
Choir sacred selections
Do You Hear What I Hear? [VT added] - includes two choirs
Silent Night [VT added]
Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful) [VT added] - includes Line Solo
Hark, The Herald Angels Sing [VT added]
Joy to the World [VT added] - includes Line Solo
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen [VT added] - includes Line Solo
Go Tell It on the Mountain [VT added]
O Holy Night [VT added] - includes Line Solo
Choir secular selections
White Christmas [VT added] - includes Line Solo maybe
The Christmas Song [VT added] - includes Line Solo maybe
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [VT added] - includes Line Solo
Sleigh Ride [VT added] - includes Line Solo
A Holly Jolly Christmas [VT added] - includes kazoo
The Little Drummer Boy [VT not available]
Frosty the Snowman [VT added] - includes Line Solo
There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays [VT not available] - includes Line Solo
I hope to see you all back for the WCC Christmas "WCC 60th Anniversary Traditional Christmas Music" concert season. Check back later for any additional updates or important announcements prior to the first rehearsal August 31. Enjoy your summer season break.
9/14/2026 Third rehearsal at LCOC (Open Registration):
9/21/2026 Fourth rehearsal at LCOC (Verbal interview required to Register):
9/28/2026 Fifth rehearsal at LCOC (Verbal interview required to Register):
10/5/2026 Sixth rehearsal at LCOC (Verbal interview required to Register):
10/12/2026 Seventh rehearsal at LCOC:
10/19/2026 Eighth rehearsal at LCOC:
10/26/2026 Nineth rehearsal at LCOC:
Next week will be the last of the Feature tryouts. The focus will be on selections 8, 9, 13, 4, and 1.
11/2/2026 Tenth rehearsal at LCOC:
Next Monday, 3/23 we will be Touching Up selections #7, #10, #3, & #6. Immediately after the break there will be two Feature Tryouts: Andrea and Winnie.
11/9/2026 Eleventh rehearsal at LCOC:
Next Monday, the results of the Line Solo tryouts that were based on the votes of the peer judges will be announced.
We will begin to revisit each of the songs starting with 2, 12, 5, and 11.
Oh, one other thing: if you tend to ignore emails coming from Andrea or myself, you are very likely missing valuable and timely information.
11/16/2026 Twelveth rehearsal at LCOC:
Next Monday the plan is to go through the full program and conduct Line Solo tryouts during the process. Please do not ask to tryout for a Line Solo if you did not sign up in advance before the announced deadline. This will also be the deadline for signing up for a Feature, the tryouts for which will be distributed evenly over the following three weeks.
11/23/2026 Thirteenth rehearsal at LCOC:
Next week the Review will be selections 2 and 5. The Focus will be selections 12 and 7. The deadline for signing up for a Line Solo is the at the close of this rehearsal. The actual Line Solo tryouts will be during the rehearsal on March 9. If you are having problems accessing the Voice Tracks let us know so that we may help you resolve them.
11/30/2026 Fourteenth rehearsal at LCOC:
Next week we will review selections #1, #3, & #10 and focus on #2 and #5. If you are interested in trying out for a line solo be sure to add your name to the Line Solo Signup sheet. Also Feature tryouts will follow in the three weeks after the Line Solo Tryouts which will be 3/9/2026 for Line Solo tryouts.
12/4/2026 Fifteenth rehearsal at Ferlazzo:
12/14 or 12/21 Auxiliary Concert:
Marine Corps Museum
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