Choir Camp
On Saturday, I took my daughter to a birthday party. Afterwards, we were in Seattle Center for some food and there was an event where a number of summer camps were advertising their programs at booths. On the stage were the kids from choir camp.
They sang the typical stuff you might expect from a choir, with a couple of madrigals, hymns, and the like. The harmonies were decent, but watching them, I felt like they were kind of flat on an emotional level. I couldn't really put my finger on it, so I tried to sit back and just enjoy the voices.
And then, they did it. They explained for me exactly what they needed. The next number, for which I solely and completely blame the choir director, was a classic "jazz choir" tune.
"It don't mean a thing
If it ain't have that swing."
And it didn't. At all. The words were perfectly enunciated, the notes clipped to end right on the beats. Absolutely no swing at all. I worked hard not to break out laughing, and I was a bit embarrassed for finding it so funny. But it was hilarious to me. I've sung in choirs, and this was just a prime example of a director having a blatant lack of understanding of the genre. Sometimes, technique just has to take a back seat to art. Think of an early music concert, and then imagine....
"It. Don-tah. Mean. A. Thing-ga
If i-tah ain-tah go-tah tha-ta swing-ga
Do. Wo-pah. Doo. Wa-pah. Do. Wa-pah. Dew Wa-pah. De-WaPah. Da. Waah.
They sang the typical stuff you might expect from a choir, with a couple of madrigals, hymns, and the like. The harmonies were decent, but watching them, I felt like they were kind of flat on an emotional level. I couldn't really put my finger on it, so I tried to sit back and just enjoy the voices.
And then, they did it. They explained for me exactly what they needed. The next number, for which I solely and completely blame the choir director, was a classic "jazz choir" tune.
"It don't mean a thing
If it ain't have that swing."
And it didn't. At all. The words were perfectly enunciated, the notes clipped to end right on the beats. Absolutely no swing at all. I worked hard not to break out laughing, and I was a bit embarrassed for finding it so funny. But it was hilarious to me. I've sung in choirs, and this was just a prime example of a director having a blatant lack of understanding of the genre. Sometimes, technique just has to take a back seat to art. Think of an early music concert, and then imagine....
"It. Don-tah. Mean. A. Thing-ga
If i-tah ain-tah go-tah tha-ta swing-ga
Do. Wo-pah. Doo. Wa-pah. Do. Wa-pah. Dew Wa-pah. De-WaPah. Da. Waah.