Monthly Archives: April 2013

Fundraising update

I’m thrilled to be able to let you know that since April 20th, when Singsational Nottingham! took place, due to a fabulous one-off anonymous donation, we have raised more than £1100 for Water Aid!

I’ve also now received a copy of the evening on video and loads of photos – they all show people having great fun.  You can see some of the photos at

Wollaton Male Chorus

If you were at the event and would like a link to see all the photos that were taken, let me know and I’ll send it over to you.

You’ll have a to wait a bit longer to see the video – but having seen it, I can promise it will be worth the wait!

Here are a few images to whet your appetite:

Something funny Come on you reds Upstairs enjoyed it too

I’m working on the next project now.  Check out http://www.todayimsinging.com

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Back to normality

Now that Singsational Nottingham! over my family and I can get back to normality!

We’ve just eaten Sunday lunch at the dining table for the first time since mid-January (it was too full of script drafts, copies of music and endless “to-do” lists before) and I’ve actually been into the garden to see if there is anything growing out there (there is – mainly weeds and the grass)!

I hadn’t realised how much the organisation of the event had taken over my non-work life for the past few months and whilst there is not a Singsational Nottingham!-shaped hole there yet (there is still plenty of post-show stuff to do), I know that within a very few days I will be wondering what to do with my evenings.

However, after the success of last night I can’t believe that there will not be another performance sometime soon.  I’d like to do another one somewhere around Nottingham, but if anyone out there fancies using the script, format etc., somewhere else in the country (or in the world!), get in touch.  It really was a great evening and not too difficult to put on.  And the audience loved it – I’ve had emails and facebook messages from people of all ages saying what a brilliant time they had and asking when the next Singsational Nottingham! will be.

So the formula is well and truly tested and the public have spoken.  Time to get back in the shower now and see where I’m going to take Singsation! and Singsational Nottingham! next!

Singsational Nottingham! founder finds inspiration!

Singsational Nottingham! founder finds inspiration!

We did it!

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but Singsational Nottingham! is over and it raised the best part of £600 for Water Aid.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves and sung with as much enthusiasm as anyone could hope for.  “Mabel takes a shower”,the “playlet” that joins the songs together worked really well and the shower cubicle didn’t fall over!

The band played magnificently and the two leads, Mabel and Frank did a brilliant job at telling the story and leading the songs.  In addition we had two great guest choirs, “In Seventh Heaven” (a Ladies Barbershop group) and the Wollaton Male Chorus, who sang magnificently and added a real air of quality to the evening.

During the interval six choirs had “stalls” and we built a “musical map” of Nottingham,which showed that there were members of at least a dozen choirs at the event – no wonder the singing was so good.  And they would still have been chatting now if we had not dragged them in for the second half.

I’ve got so many people to thank  I don’t know where to start.  But safe to say, Singsational Nottingham! has really demonstrated what can happen when a community of people work together to get something to happen.  Thanks to everyone who helped and supported.

I’ll be posting pictures and video in the next few days.  In the meantime, if you want to do your bit for Water Aid, visit my Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/singsational-nottingham

Now I’m off to bed (I wonder how long it will be before I get the tunes out of my head and manage to get to sleep?)

Thank you and Good Night!

sleepy

The final countdown

Just back  from a run through all the songs with the band.  Went really well.  All the sound and lighting is set up too.  So I can sleep easy tonight, have a lazy morning and be ready for the final run-through at 3.00 in the afternoon.  Show is at 7.30.  Can’t believe it will all be over by this time tomorrow  😦

You Tube and flickr accounts set up ready for the results of tomorrow evening.  Watch out!

Singsational Nottingham! gets a new logo

singsational-logo-brv1.jpg

Ready for the show on Saturday night, we’ve got a proper logo (instead of clip art) to put on the programmes etc.  It has been created for me by a wonderful, talented, generous colleague, Emma.  Thanks Emma.

Now I need to go into facebook and update the various pages.  That’ll keep me busy for the next few minutes!

And my younger daughter has made me  a baton to conduct the singers on Saturday out of a garden cane-stuffed art straw, some drinks bottle lids and red insulation tape.  It looks brilliant and works perfectly.  Singsational Nottingham! is certainly pulling on talents from all directions.

Next up it’ll be the musicians that take centre stage – singers and instrumentalists from our community here in Nottingham.  That’s what the evening is all about.  That and fun!

Singsational Nottingham! is raising money for Water Aid.  If you want to give some money to support their work please go to http://www.justgiving.com/singsational-nottingham

Five days to go. Nearly there!

The final countdown has started. Here is what is going on!

We finally made the local paper on Saturday, so a few people may see that. I’ve written the programme and prepared the word sheets for those in the audience who don’t want to use the screen. I have created a “Just Giving” page for people who can’t come to be able to make a donation to Water Aid and I’m listening to BBC Radio 2 which happens to have a week of programmes dedicated to the voice, ending on Saturday! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p017q214

Friends have put all the words for the songs into a presentation package so they can be projected; collected numerous props (including a bucket, axe and several dozen shower caps); arranged to record and video the evening that it can be loaded on You Tube and built a “shower cubicle” (which has a significant role to play in the proceedings).

If you want to know why we need a shower cubicle, you’ll have to go onto You Tube next week. I’ll blog when there is stuff to see.

What am I worried about? Actually it is mainly the traffic and parking. Beeston is currently in chaos because a new tram line is being built – and it is this week that things have really “kicked off”. So no-one really knows what the traffic will be like on Saturday evening, but it is crazy during the day.

Here is my message to myself at 2.00 in the morning!

Here is my message to myself at 2.00 in the morning!

And some really good news. You may remember that I wrote to Helen Chadwick,the “Water Aid “composer”, telling her about Singsational Nottingham! and asking her what her favourite warm up is. She sent me a lovely email today, wishing us luck and telling me about a “call and response song” OLEO; I’m going to look it up!

One week to go. Let’s start raising funds

Over the past few weeks of organising Singsational Nottingham! I have spent a fair bit of time writing this blog (www.singsation.org), updating the Singsation! facebook page (www.facebook.com/singlikeyourintheshower) and sending out emails to my contacts via Mail Chimp. I know that everyone who has been “following” the development of the event would love to be here in Beeston, Nottingham, next Saturday, April 20th, but unfortunately for many of you, it will be too far to travel.

But fear not!

I have created a Just Giving page which will enable you, at the click of your mouse, to make a donation to Water Aid, just as if you had been with us!

After the event I will upload some photos (and hopefully video) so that you can see exactly what we got up to. They might inspire you to donate even more (there will be no refunds, whatever happens!), so expect to continue to receive these updates even after Singsational Nottingham! is over.

Here is the link to the Singsational Nottingham! page, on Just Giving, for Water Aid. Please use it 🙂

JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Getting the technical stuff sorted

I’ve just spent the evening with three friends, all of whom sounded as if they were speaking a foreign language, sorting out the technical requirements for making Singsational Nottingham! (www.singsation.org) a success.  There was a lot of talk of VGA splitters and composite feeds, but basically it means that we will be able to have the song words on screen for both the audience and the performers.

Plus (and this is the best bit), when the stars of the show (Frank and Mabel) watch the telly, what they will see is the audience!  We’ll have a video camera pointing towards the audience, so they will be the football crowd (singing “I’m forever blowing bubbles”) and the Proms audience (singing “Jerusalem”)!

Having the video cameras there means we should be able to upload Singsational Nottingham! on YouTube after the show – so then everyone, where ever they are in the world, will be able to join in a great sing-a-long evening of entertainment.

VGA splitter - not musical; but vital!

VGA splitter – not musical; but vital!

We discussed lighting and sound too. All in all, this is turning into a proper show. And thank the Lord for talented, generous friends.

Two weeks to go!

I can’t believe there are only two weeks to go until Singsational Nottingham!  I first had the idea for a “sing-a-long” cum “celebrate singing” event over the Christmas holidays and I was so inspired that I decided I had to commit to a date and “just do it”.  Well it has been hard work, but we are nearly there.

It doesn't matter what your voice is like. You are still welcome at Singsational Nottingham!

It doesn’t matter what your voice is like. You are still welcome at Singsational Nottingham!

I’ve not done anything on the blog for a while because I have been enjoying the Easter holidays instead.  But I have added some more words and music to http://www.singsation.org so that you can go and remind yourself how “Jerusalem”, Singing in the rain”, Show me the way to go home” and “I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair”.

I’ve also  got the musicians lined up.  We’re having a couple of rehearsals and the second one, at 7.30pm on April 19th at Chilwell Road Methodist Church, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 1EH, is open to anyone who wants to come along and sing through the songs.  I want to check that everything runs smoothly, identify any points that need to be explained to audience etc., plus the more people who know what should happen next at Singsational Nottingham! at 7.30 pm on April 20th  (in the same place), the better.

And, a friend has built me a “shower cubicle” so that Mabel (the hero of the show) can actually “sing in the shower”!  What a theatrical / musical experience the evening promises to be.

I’ll keep you updated on progress over the next couple of weeks.

Chris