Director's Notes

Lee Irwin Culbreth
Aug 30, 2022
9 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

*This will be updated each week following the most recent Monday night rehearsal. NOTE: the most recent post can now be found just below here at the top of this blog.

3/9/2026 rehearsal:

This rehearsal served two objectives. First all of the Line Solo tryouts were completed. Then we read through all of the remaining selections that do not have line solos within them. Must of these went pretty well with a few minor glitches here and there. However, when we got to selections #7 & #8 it was sort of like this. Unfortunately, we do not have Voice Tracks for those two selections. I recommend you spend some time listening and singing along to the sample recordings that are available on this website. The good news is we still have eight more rehearsals to fix any lingering problems.

Next Monday the results of the Line Solo tryouts based on the tally sheets of the peer judges will be announced. We will begin to take a second look at each of the songs starting with 2, 12, 5, and 11. Oh, one other thing if you tend to ignor emails coming from Andrea or myself you are very likely missing some important and timely information.

3/2/2026 rehearsal:

Mother nature has provided a test of the resolve of the current members of WCC to do what it takes to prepare for the upcoming WCC Spring “What About Baby?” concert season. Prior to the rehearsal it was announced that each one was to use their own discretion as to whether they personally felt they could make the trip to the rehearsal and return home afterwards safely. No one would be faulted for making the decision to not venture out in the threat of possible heavy snow fall. Even so I pleased to see that most people were present for the rehearsal except for 2 or 3 people.

As the rehearsal began there was a discussion to review the details of Line Solo and Feature tryouts to include the deadline for signing up for a Feature will be next Monday and the deadline for signing up for a Line Solo was to be this rehearsal but that has been extended through the coming Friday to accommodate those who were not present due to their discretion to avoid any risks attributable to the extreme weather conditions Monday. So, then the firm deadline for signing up to tryout for a Line Solo is Friday, March 6. To meet that deadline, you must notify me either through the website or a direct email. Those failing to meet this deadline will not be permitted to tryout for a Line Solo. At this point there is no change to the deadline for signing up for a Feature which is the close of rehearsal next Monday. I will be calling on representatives from each section to serve as Peer Judges for the tryouts.

Continuing with the rehearsal we proceeded with our standard warmup exercise than did a review of selection #5 that includes several quarter note triplets and even one eighth note triplet. The challenge here is to keep each of the notes in the triplet equal in duration value. The first of two selections for focus this evening was selection #12 the relatively recent popular hit song recorded by Ed Sheeran in which we were able to correct several rhythm issues. Before the break there were some announcements by members of the WCC Executive Board including details about the restaurant fund raiser this week at Red Robin, the return of Loretta adding another needed soprano, receipt for metal collection and other ongoing activities and once again the deadlines for signing up for Line Solo and Feature tryouts. I would ask that you please respect these announced deadlines. Following the break there was a review of selection #2. For this most of the choral parts are simple, it is the solo lines that will offer the biggest challenge in the form of intricate rhythms. The second selection for focus was #7 a Top Ten hit from 1975 many of us are familiar with, which went very well despite the heavy syncopation throughout.

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.

2/23/2026 rehearsal:

I had a nicely printed plan for the rehearsal tucked into my folder but then noticed it needed some minor changes. So, I removed that from my folder and edited it to make the corrections needed in the word processor and sent it to the printer. Got busy doing other stuff and walked off and left it on the printer. This I discovered as it was time to begin the rehearsal. The workaround was to use the Master Reheasal Plan sheet that I keep in my folder. This turned out to be a good thing because the plan sitting on the printer did not allow for an early dismissal time to begin the social following the rehearsal. Some of the folks unfortunately did not bother to stay for this very important team building event. There was a bountiful supply of food and an excellent opportunity to meet and get to know others that you might not otherwise have an opportunity to talk with.

As for the actual rehearsal we reviewed selection 1, 3, and 10 with no major issues. The focus then was on the newest addition number 2, which was not bad at all for a first look. The other selection for focus was number 5 which continues to improve each time we read through it and has no major issues.

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.

2/16/2026 rehearsal:

It has been reported to me that some folks have successfully played the sample recordings on the CD that I made but was not positive that they would work. Give them a try if you have not already. An additional song has been added to the Listing of line solos in the 2/9/2026 note. If you are interested in tryout for one of those line solos, be sure to add your name to the Line Solo Signup sheet that will be available on the back table during the next two rehearsals.

During this rehearsal after the opening comments and a warmup exercise, we reviewed a couple of songs using the sample records then live. Number 4 went well but we will have to concentrate some on the balance of the three voice parts. In number 6 there are some rhythm issues and balance problems otherwise it was mostly good. We followed this up with a focus session on number 10 where there were a lot of syncopation issues that will be resolved in time with repetition. After the Executive Board announcements and break we reviewed number 11 which has a very problematic rhythm pattern but will after everyone gets the "feel" of it become easier. The final focus session for the rehearsal was on the two selections #3 and #1. In #3 we need to nail down the swing pattern for the 8th notes and work on balance. The final selection #1 is relatively easy with some rich harmonic progressions which should come together nicely.

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.

2/9/2026 rehearsal:

The review was on the three selection ( #13, #9, & #8 ) that were the focus of last week's rehearsal. The focus this week was on selections #11, #6, & #4. Number eleven is going to require concentration on the individual voice lines that are often totally independent of the other voice lines. In number six there is a long male voice solo at the beginning of the song that the bases and tenors were struggling with a bit. Number four is for the ladies only and includes a soprano 2 part that jumps back and forth on the two staffs. It is still early in the season, and we will work through these issues in time.

Below is a listing of the Line Solos:

Song	Measures	Voice
Sweet Baby James	Page 2	Male
. . . Baby One More Time	Page 2, 8, & 10	Female and small mixed group
Start a Fire	Page 2	Any
Meant to Be	Page 2, 5, 8, & 9	Male, Female, and Descant
One For My Baby		Male & Female
Photograph	Page 10-13	2 part Descant

Next Monday we will Review selections #4, #6, & #11 and the Focus will be on selections #10, #3, & #1. The Voice Tracks are available to everyone that have met the condition for accessing them on the WCC website. If you need additional help let me know.

2/2/2026 rehearsal:

Welcome everyone to the WCC Spring 2026 "What About Baby?" season. I think there were about 25 in attendance. I am sure there were a few people that opted not to attend including our other keyboard accompanist, Nancy because of continued hazardous driving conditions. We began the rehearsal with a few introductory comments followed by a brief warmup exercise. We then reviewed a couple of selections. Unfortunately, this was a bit painful since the recorded samples were not available to sing along to. We then went to work focusing on three selections, with a brief interim of Executive Board member remarks and a break. We had to remain together as a single group for the focus session since we had only the one keyboard accompanist, Meredyth on hand. With two accompanists we would normally split into two groups for the focus session. This then serves as a pattern for the upcoming next four rehearsals as we have the initial focus session for each selection on the program.

Next Monday we will Review selections #13, #9, & #8 and the Focus will be on selections #11, #6, & #4 and hopefully more people will trickle in to join us. The Voice Tracks should be available on the WCC website by the end of this week.

1/26/2026 rehearsal:

Regrettably, this rehearsal was cancelled due to the severe weather conditions. This would have been dedicated to introducing members of the WCC Executive Board, the instrumental combo, and each of the songs on the program.

Next Monday we will Review: "Who Loves You" and "Photograph". We will then Focus on the selections "Baby, What a Big Surprise", ". . . Baby One More Time" and "Meant to Be". Normally, I would refer to these selections by number but since most of you have not received the program listing I have used the titles instead.

12/21/2025 final performance of the WCC "Sing We Now" concert season:

With the closing of the performance today marks the end of the WCC Christmas "Sing We Now" season. It was a great run with some of the most challenging selections ever attempted by WCC. You all have reason to be proud as you did a superlative job reflecting the attentiveness, dedication and hard work in mastering your voice parts. Now relax and enjoy a few weeks off and come back fresh and ready to begin work on the WCC Spring "What About Baby?" concert season. The next rehearsal will be January 26, 2026, at 7:30 PM at LCOC. Come early to register beginning at 7:00PM. See Upcoming Events page for more details. Music selections have been made and samples have been posted on the Music page. It is music with the word "Baby" included in the lyrics and possibly title.

3/16/2026 rehearsal: