Loved this post - we must be kindered spirits...Broadway loving and loving to sing! I belt out all the shows...in the car! I'm very good in the car by myself haha!! Enjoy your singing! This design with the little girl singing is darling! I'm going to look into this one a bit more. My granddaughter is 2 1/2 with the craziest curly red hair ever! Looking forward to making her all the things. I started w/your dragon, rabbit and little bear (of which she has a small collection of now). I enjoy your talents, thanks for sharing! <3
Hello Wendi. I'm thinking I might like to try making an applique from your "sweet happy girl" drawings, and do the "bubble" designs in embroidery. I think these would make really cute "pictures" for my little great-granddaughters. Any thoughts?
I had that exact thought as I was drawing the new music girl! When I was coloring the image I realized I had created a bit that would be tricky for applique (the way I did the hair around her ear would lead to a weird over/under situation) but I thought about redrawing it with applique in mind and making it a clip-art black and white line drawing that people could use for applique, embroidery, and more.
I'm so excited for you and your family Wendi!! I live in southern California and love traveling to Portland to visit friends who live there. Your body won't know what to do without the humidity🤣, congratulations! 😊
Hi Wendi -- I don't know where you're located, but I have perhaps just the thing for you. I've been singing with Encore Creativity for Older Adults (older being 55+) for over 2 years now, and I really enjoy it. There are more than 1500 singers in, I dunno, a bunch of states and maybe there is a group located near you. https://encorecreativity.org/
No auditions! There are 3 different styles of music: Chorale, which is more of a classical style of choir; Rocks, which sings rock music; and then there's one for memory care people and their companions singing standards that they'd remember from when they were younger.
This is my 5th "semester" in my local Rocks program, and I really enjoy it. And every year on December 26th we get to perform onstage at the Kennedy Center, which is so so very cool. There have even been Encore members who came from California to sing there. Here's a link to last month's performance -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bxv6KVdpN4&t=1227s.
This looks amazing! None of them are in my area - but I've been inundated with emails from people looking for similar singing programs and I'm directing them all to the comments here. 🥰 Thanks so much for sharing!
They are non-auditioned choirs (you don’t have to read music either) for people who sing for the joy of singing. I’m fortunate to live near one of the choirs; it looks as if there may be one near you! 🎶
Wendi, do you have or have you thought about . . . Ukulele??? I sing my heart out when I play! One of the joys of life! I got one about 8 years ago when I was teaching 4th grade. Guess what the kids’ favorite song was? Build me up, Buttercup! Retired now, I have several hobbies, including quilting, singing/playing uke, and writing. Thanks for this post -- going to check out the Low Bar Chorale next time I visit my Portland buddies! ❤️Linda
I love the ukulele! You may have noticed that I use ukulele music behind a lot of my time lapse videos. 😁 And my husband actually built one in a class several years ago, but neither of us play. I may have to remedy that!
Aaah! I've been hearing from Melissa about the Low Bar Chorale for ages and I'm so glad you got to go! Portland is such a... well, it's just the kind of place that a group like Low Bar could flourish. And don't stop looking for your singing people - in NorCal we started a group like Low Bar as an offshoot of our chamber group, just for the people in the community who wanted to sing - and I know of a church here who meets at a pub to sing folk songs. Maybe https://www.weringlikebells.com/ and https://www.wildashevillecommunitychorus.com/join-us have more of what you're after?
All of the psychosocial benefits of music and togetherness that come from singing make it worth the search. It took us a minute to find a good choral group - something I could duck in/out of with this stupid autoimmune drama - but once we found a spot, it was perfect, and I get that same floating feeling every. single. time. Good luck finding your people.
We are actually moving to Portland this spring! We went there on vacation about ten years ago and wanted to move then, but couldn't afford it. This trip was a house-hunting trip and we found something and I am so danged excited! In addition to Low Bar Chorale, we found an AMAZING board game cafe, lots of fun and interesting movie theaters, amazing hiking trails right in the city, excellent public transportation, great pizza, and more. We've never lived on the west coast before and I'm so excited to explore a whole new part of the country!
Love your story about the chorus. It reminded me of the time that my daughter's choir directed invited parents to join a Parent Choir for the Christmas concert. I found a "real alto" and stood next to her, so I could follow her in the harmony. We sang several Christmas carols. The only one I remember is Carol of the Bells. I practiced and practiced the alto part . . . I played the part on the piano and recorded it on a cassette tape (mid 1990s), then played it in the car to practice.
Loved this post - we must be kindered spirits...Broadway loving and loving to sing! I belt out all the shows...in the car! I'm very good in the car by myself haha!! Enjoy your singing! This design with the little girl singing is darling! I'm going to look into this one a bit more. My granddaughter is 2 1/2 with the craziest curly red hair ever! Looking forward to making her all the things. I started w/your dragon, rabbit and little bear (of which she has a small collection of now). I enjoy your talents, thanks for sharing! <3
I totally agree about Only Murders in the Building . . . great show.
We just finished season two last night. So much fun!
Hello Wendi. I'm thinking I might like to try making an applique from your "sweet happy girl" drawings, and do the "bubble" designs in embroidery. I think these would make really cute "pictures" for my little great-granddaughters. Any thoughts?
I had that exact thought as I was drawing the new music girl! When I was coloring the image I realized I had created a bit that would be tricky for applique (the way I did the hair around her ear would lead to a weird over/under situation) but I thought about redrawing it with applique in mind and making it a clip-art black and white line drawing that people could use for applique, embroidery, and more.
I'm so excited for you and your family Wendi!! I live in southern California and love traveling to Portland to visit friends who live there. Your body won't know what to do without the humidity🤣, congratulations! 😊
Hi Wendi -- I don't know where you're located, but I have perhaps just the thing for you. I've been singing with Encore Creativity for Older Adults (older being 55+) for over 2 years now, and I really enjoy it. There are more than 1500 singers in, I dunno, a bunch of states and maybe there is a group located near you. https://encorecreativity.org/
No auditions! There are 3 different styles of music: Chorale, which is more of a classical style of choir; Rocks, which sings rock music; and then there's one for memory care people and their companions singing standards that they'd remember from when they were younger.
This is my 5th "semester" in my local Rocks program, and I really enjoy it. And every year on December 26th we get to perform onstage at the Kennedy Center, which is so so very cool. There have even been Encore members who came from California to sing there. Here's a link to last month's performance -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bxv6KVdpN4&t=1227s.
I hope you find this helpful!
This looks amazing! None of them are in my area - but I've been inundated with emails from people looking for similar singing programs and I'm directing them all to the comments here. 🥰 Thanks so much for sharing!
Wendi, have you heard of the Ubuntu Choir network? https://www.ubuntuchoirs.net/
They are non-auditioned choirs (you don’t have to read music either) for people who sing for the joy of singing. I’m fortunate to live near one of the choirs; it looks as if there may be one near you! 🎶
Thanks so much! I'll look into this!
Wendi, do you have or have you thought about . . . Ukulele??? I sing my heart out when I play! One of the joys of life! I got one about 8 years ago when I was teaching 4th grade. Guess what the kids’ favorite song was? Build me up, Buttercup! Retired now, I have several hobbies, including quilting, singing/playing uke, and writing. Thanks for this post -- going to check out the Low Bar Chorale next time I visit my Portland buddies! ❤️Linda
I love the ukulele! You may have noticed that I use ukulele music behind a lot of my time lapse videos. 😁 And my husband actually built one in a class several years ago, but neither of us play. I may have to remedy that!
Aaah! I've been hearing from Melissa about the Low Bar Chorale for ages and I'm so glad you got to go! Portland is such a... well, it's just the kind of place that a group like Low Bar could flourish. And don't stop looking for your singing people - in NorCal we started a group like Low Bar as an offshoot of our chamber group, just for the people in the community who wanted to sing - and I know of a church here who meets at a pub to sing folk songs. Maybe https://www.weringlikebells.com/ and https://www.wildashevillecommunitychorus.com/join-us have more of what you're after?
All of the psychosocial benefits of music and togetherness that come from singing make it worth the search. It took us a minute to find a good choral group - something I could duck in/out of with this stupid autoimmune drama - but once we found a spot, it was perfect, and I get that same floating feeling every. single. time. Good luck finding your people.
We are actually moving to Portland this spring! We went there on vacation about ten years ago and wanted to move then, but couldn't afford it. This trip was a house-hunting trip and we found something and I am so danged excited! In addition to Low Bar Chorale, we found an AMAZING board game cafe, lots of fun and interesting movie theaters, amazing hiking trails right in the city, excellent public transportation, great pizza, and more. We've never lived on the west coast before and I'm so excited to explore a whole new part of the country!
*incoherent flailing*
You lucky ducks! That's going to be so much fun!
When I'm not panicked about packing and getting our current house on the market asap, I'm absolutely GIDDY. 😁
Love your story about the chorus. It reminded me of the time that my daughter's choir directed invited parents to join a Parent Choir for the Christmas concert. I found a "real alto" and stood next to her, so I could follow her in the harmony. We sang several Christmas carols. The only one I remember is Carol of the Bells. I practiced and practiced the alto part . . . I played the part on the piano and recorded it on a cassette tape (mid 1990s), then played it in the car to practice.
A Parent Choir is such a fun idea!