something unexpected i've lost during shutdown:

[unblock]

my singing voice.

now, grant you, i'm not joy to listen to under normal circumstances, but with given 5 days a week singing in my car during the commute, i can at least carry a tune in a clear voice well enough.

i went out on to the pharmacy yesterday for the first time in a month and, ooooh, boy, my voice was rough. really rough.

i was embarrassed, even though i was all alone in the car.

[mn9driver]

1. I've started joining virtual choirs. It helps.

I just finished two video and audio tracks for the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club Alumni virtual choir and am going to start working on Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Choir 6 later this week. The due date for tracks is May 22, so there’s time for you to do it if you’re inclined.

Nothing fancy is required, just a desktop/laptop and a smart phone. And a tolerance for doing many takes until you get one you feel ok uploading. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or even mostly. Your own voice is blended with hundreds of others and you are the only one who will ever know that you blew it on that high note

https://virtualchoir6.com/

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. I'll have to check this out! Thanks!

I'm still taking voice lessons via the Internet so I'm not too rusty, but I miss my choir. I don't know when (or if) we can get back together since singing is one of the best-known ways to spew viruses around.

[MissMillie]

2. Sing like no one is listening!

Something fun...

maybe

[EndlessWire]

6. I remember this. Loved it! n/t

[woodsprite]

3. I'm right there with you!

Usually I sing in the car and go through lyrics websites with my daughter for fun a couple of times a week. My husband and I sing both in church choir and an independent choral group, so 2 hours 2x a week. I haven't opened my mouth to seriously sing in 6 wks, when both groups shut down due to churches closing and the age of both our group members and audience.

Apparently hubby volunteered our family to provide music for our Zoom service on Pentecost Sunday so I'll have to seriously practice. Both kids (27 and 20) play the violin, so maybe it won't all fall on the "olds" to supply the music.

[Freddie]

5. This is tough for musicians

Especially those of us who play or sing for fun. I’m in a community concert band. We haven’t rehearsed since March 5, cancelled our formal concert March 29, and we’re on a kind of indefinite hiatus. Getting 50 people in a room is the worst thing you can do now. Our summer concerts, mostly concert-in-the-park series or church festivals, are probably all cancelled (and should be). I’m the business manager and have the unpleasant job of contacting people to tell them we won’t be ready to play a concert even if their event goes ahead. I know this is a trivial problem in the scheme of things but we’ve been around 143 years and is this virus going to end us?