19 March Update

Week 4 of 5 (Half Term 2)

In this week's bulletin, we have:

• Coffee Notices

• A rehearsal recap, including notes on A Million Dreams

• List of Dates for the diary

☕ Coffee Notices

In this week’s coffee notices, Lizzy shared updates on upcoming performances – see the ‘Dates for the Diary’ section at the bottom of this bulletin for more information.

West Norwood Feast

Next week’s rehearsal will be our final one before the Easter break and our performance at West Norwood Feast on 5 April.

We can now confirm the set list and running order:

• Run

• California Dreamin’

• A Million Dreams (TBC)

• Keep on Movin’

• Glorious (2-part lyrics)

Please come to the next rehearsal with these lyrics, as we will be preparing for the performance. Also, keep an eye on the Performing page for the event details and lyric packs when they are available.

🎤 Rehearsal Recap

Warm-up:

Lip trills

This week, Elena had us channelling the sound of a motorbike, using lip trills as we moved through ascending and descending scales. It might feel a little unusual at first, but it’s a really effective way to wake up the voice.

Our vocal cords play a vital role in singing. They create the vibrations that turn airflow into sound – whether that’s speaking or singing. Taking the time to warm up properly helps protect them and keeps everything working comfortably and efficiently.

As we explored pitch, we were reminded that it changes as the vocal cords adjust and tilt. Vowel sounds are shaped by how we use the space in the mouth, which is why we often practise patterns like ‘ma, me, mi, mo, mu’ across the full range of the keyboard.

Alongside this, it’s helpful to keep the lips gently closed (for trills), the cheeks relaxed, and the airflow steady. These small adjustments help support a more controlled and confident sound.

Lip and tongue trills are a great all-round exercise, engaging multiple parts of the voice at once. If you’re practising at home, it’s worth spending a few minutes exploring this – keeping everything relaxed, with a soft, slightly ‘pouty’ shape to the lips.

And...if you’re at all curious about what’s actually happening inside your throat while you sing, we’ve included a helpful graphic below.

Song 1: A Million Dreams

If you have a printed copy of the lyrics already, please note some word corrections (the online copy in the Music Library is correct). You can find a copy of the lyrics with the box numbers listed here. It can be helpful to refer to this when reviewing Lesha’s notes below.

Box 11 Word Correction: is as follows for all parts, with the words in bold

They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy

They can say, they can say we’ve lost our minds

I don't care, I don't care, so call us crazy

Runaway to a world that we design

Box 13 Word Correction  

However big, however small

Let me be part of it all

Share your dreams with me

You may be right, you may be wrong

But say that you’ll bring me along

To the world you see

Altos

• Box 14 - Altos are singing against both Sop groups. Try to be strong and sure in this line. The first 'eyes' feels out of tune, but it is designed to crunch against the Sops note.

Soprano Melody

• Box 12, line 7 - This is sung acapella (without accompaniment). Stress is placed on 'million' and 'world'. Make this sentence clear and crisp. It should pack a punch for the audience. 

Correction on the final Box 17 and the word 'oooh'

• Soprano melody has the lowest note. It is the same note as the final '-ke'

• Altos have the middle note

• Soprano harmony has the highest note

Dates for the diary

West Norwood Feast - Sunday 5 April

We're back, singing on the steps of St Luke's Church for the first West Norwood Feast of the year. Please see the Performing page for more details.

Penge Music Festival 2026 - April 24th

We've been invited to take part in Festival Friday at Penge Congregational Church. This event will take place as part of the festival launch and will be a celebration of local talent, including a selection of soloists and groups. We will have a 10-minute slot, so we'll sing around 3 songs. This will be a relaxed evening, and you are encouraged to bring your own drinks and snacks as you enjoy the friendly atmosphere.

It starts at 19.30 with our performance time tbc. This is an event for charity so performers and attendees are asked to pay a £5 contribution. More details and event registration will follow.

7th June - Winsford Garden Party

We have also been invited to sing at the Winsford Garden party - an event that will include other vocalists and musicians. Our performance will be some time between 12.15 -1.30pm. More details to follow.