SUNDRE – The sun recently came to town during a sing-along put on by the Sundre Community Choir.
Hosted at the Sundre United Church on the evening of Tuesday, June 18, the informal affair with a fun flair was intended to offer not only an opportunity for members to practise but also to provide a chance for aspiring singers to learn how by introducing them to the basics through the famous Beatles track Here Comes the Sun.
More than 60 people ended up attending, which included a contingent of locals as well as visitors from out of town.
Organized by the Sundre Community Choir, manager Pauline Blech had reached out to one of her counterparts about the possibility of putting on the event.
Theresa Wasden, who conducts both the Olds Community Chorus as well as the Messiah Choir, has a number of years of experience under her belt.
But she had never before been to Sundre to lead a crash course introducing people to read sheet music and sing.
“I’m really excited to do this, I’ve never done anything like this before,” she told the Albertan during an intermission about half way through the class, which also included a social element with an opportunity to take a break and chat over a snack.
“I think they are surprising themselves,” she said when asked what were her initial impressions on how quickly the more novice singers were picking things up.
“It’s like a flash mob, except it’s not,” she added, with a laugh.
Providing musical accompaniment to help keep the beat and rhythm flowing were Spencer Brown from Calgary on drums, Wasden’s daughter Andrea Morton on piano, and Brent Hougestol from Didsbury on electric guitar.
Part of the class also involved exploring different styles of music.
“We did one little bit in an opera feel just to show them the different styles, and then we went into sort of that swagger of that 1970s pop thing, and they pulled that off too,” said Wasden, adding there seemed to be many naturals among the participants including some with near-perfect pitch.
None of the participants knew ahead of time coming into the class that they would be learning the lyrics of and singing Here Comes the Sun.
“It was a surprise,” she said.
And there was a good mix of experience in the crowd that included some who’ve basically never before sung except for perhaps to themselves in the shower, while others who have enjoyed singing since childhood.
“I think we’ve got it all. We’ve got some young people here, we’ve got a little more with a little greyer hair – including me – so, it’s everybody,” she said.
“And all different levels; I know that there’s people in the room that don’t read music, but they’re learning to follow with the words and the rhythm.”
Having Brown on the drums really helped out with a pop song, she added.
“It just brings the feel of it together,” she said, going onto praise the building’s acoustics as well.
“And it’s really fun to sing in this room.”
