10/14/2006:

        Saturday afternoon at <st1:time Hour="13" Minute="45">1:45</st1:time>, walking up to a rehearsal for the gospel group Visions of Light, not knowing what to expect was an interesting experience.  Rehearsal was in the “Soap Suds” room at the UC/SUB and when I walked up there were 5 African Americans and Brian Gravell, my group member.

         Walking into an alien environment with people who have never seen you before is much more daunting experience than I expected it to be.  Brian, who had been to a rehearsal before and who knows a member of the organization from previously, was already there so that made the introduction into the group slightly less turbulent.  However, since he had been to a previous rehearsal they didn’t look at him quite the same way as they did me, the “new kid.”  The ensemble members were very polite and accepting and while none of them just came right up and talked to me, I didn’t receive very many looks conveying “who is he, and why is he here?”

         Singing in this setting was very unusual for me, as a classically trained musician.  The parts weren’t laid out evenly and the alto’s outnumbered the rest of the choir put together.  The choir also didn’t read from any kind of octavo so that was another part of the rehearsal that caught me off guard.  When the leader walked in, he set up his cd player and it up to rehearse from.  One thing that really caught my attention was the vocal prowess that the leader has.  His range was unreal singing tenor, alto, and some of the soprano parts in chest voice.  Just listening to him made me tired but he was able to keep it up for the full two hour rehearsal.  The group set up in two rows with ATBS starting the choir’s right.  There was a piano at the front of the room, but it was touched only by the video camera set up by Brian to record the rehearsal.  The camera only caused a small scene as some of the ensemble members made a “big deal” but it didn’t seem to affect the rehearsal very much once we got started, since the leader kept such a fast pace and moved around so much that the members had to constantly pay attention to him. 

         Singing in the gospel style is very different than anything I have ever experienced.  The only previous music experiences I have had have been in my school choirs, and singing out of the Episcopal hymnal with church choir’s and in the congregation.  Gospel was very interesting because it seems to come from the soul so much more than any music I’ve performed.  Many of the singer’s didn’t appear to have much formal training, but they still sang with as much conviction and power as a university choir member singing out of the score.  The music actually pulled me in too, to the point that I felt the music and the words, which had just been spoken too us a couple of times, seemed to flow naturally along with the music.  It was a very interesting experience.

         After the closing prayer, I introduced myself to the two leaders of the organization and several other members of the ensemble approached me and introduced themselves.  They even were to the point where they were joking around and laughing with me, stating that I should join since the “heard ya’ll (Brian and I) singing.”  They gave me a form to fill out my general information so that I could be on their email list and invited us back to all the rehearsals and seemed to immediately accept me, not as one of them, but as a white boy who had a common love for the music and God.  While it was awkward for the first tiny bit, they made me feel at home, welcome, and in a totally friendly environment by the end.  I am really looking forward to next weeks rehearsal and the chance to hopefully interview some of them.

I left the South Plains Fair after my impromptu fieldwork and set out to go to my original destination... the Soap Suds room in the UC (SUB for those who don't know UC).

      I debated on taking my camera or video camera, but since it was my first time in this setting, I opted for notes only. 

      I arrived at about 1:55 and frantically fast walked myself to the room. I met my friend R. who sings in the group and he showed me where the rehearsal was. I walked up the stairs and walked into the room and sat down in one of the back rows of chairs. I sat and waited. 

      I felt very out of place because a) I was a giant white kid in a room full of black people, and b)everyone else knew I was this giant white kid in this room. I didn't see much eye contact made with me, but then a girl in front of me turned around and greeted me, which made me feel more at ease. 

      There was also a piano to my right as I walked into the room. I surveyed the room and saw that in a group of about 15 people; only 3 of these people were guys. One of the girls was white, but the rest of them were black. The girl who greeted me then got up and started the rehearsal off with some discussion of different bible verses. She went on to say that the singers need to realize the purpose of the music is for praise and to praise God's name. A male then walked in with a boombox and told everyone to come to the front two rows.

      I was still hesitant about what they would think of me being there, so I moved to the third row behind the tenors.

      The singers were divided up into Soprano, Tenor, and Alto, sitting in that order. There were no basses. Another man wearing a purple silk shirt and nice shoes asked the choir who was singing tomorrow. Four girls raised their hands and they proceeded to rehearse a song called Giants.  They went over the lyrics and then the director started the cd. There was a tiny bit of conducting done by the man, but not much.

      What was very interesting was that he knew the part. He knew every single part and if he could tell the section was off, he would immediately start singing their part, in that octave. He had a very commanding presence and a loud singing voice.

      He rehearsed that one song and then left. Like the novice I am, I did not get his name. The other director then started rehearsing more songs. They then rehearsed a song called Grateful. They stood to rehearse the song. C. went over the lyrics before they started the music. There were also two dancers that danced behind the singers when the song was being rehearsed. All of this rehearsal was done with no written music. It was only done with a cd. I believe there was a cd with words and a cd with just accompaniment. C. then talked about next weeks rehearsal and how they might not have it because of the homecoming game. They then started rehearsing another song.

      Throughout this rehearsal, I tried to sing the tenor part with the rest of the tenors. Some of the people looked back to see who was doing it, but I still kept trying. It was hard to discern the tenor part because I didn't know the melody or the harmony. C then looked at me to see if I wanted to sing too, and one of the girls said, "Yeah, come on, you have been doin' it back there, sing with us."  I sighed a breath of relief and moved into the second row behind my friend Randon.

      We rehearsed some more songs and then C. said that we could get out early because we were getting out early. After rehearsal I introduced myself to him and he was very eager to help me in any way possible. He gave me his number and told me to get in touch with him so we could have a meeting over what I might need. I thanked him and then left at 3:20.

      In hindsight, I would want to make sure that I had the entire choir in the shot, but after viewing the tape, I realized that I did not. Live and learn.

      I sat down in the back row and waited for rehearsal to begin. 

I was glad to have Bob there because he was a familiar face and it was nice to have another teammate there for another perspective on the rehearsal process.

      We learned a new song that I believe was called Enter In. We went over the lyrics before we even started learning the melody or parts. 

      I still find this very difficult as a trained singer because I don't have any lyrics or music in front of me. I have to learn the melody on the spot as well as remember the lyrics. Sometimes it's difficult.

      We then went over the Blessing of Abraham. We had previously practiced this song at the last rehearsal I attended, so I had a better grasp on this song. We also went over these lyrics to refresh our memories before getting into the music again. 

      I am amazed at the talent that D possesses. He is able not only to know all three parts of the harmony, but he also sings them. I alone have a tough time picking out the tenor line, let alone knowing the alto part and the soprano part and having the falsetto to actually sing these parts. 

      We also rehearsed the song Giants. D went over the lyrics before we rehearsed with the music. 

      I like the fact that we sing not only sitting down but standing up as well because standing up is always good for good vocal production. 

      The altos were having a difficult time with their part in Giants, so D stopped and played the cd to make sure he knew the right part and then sang it to them and they all practiced until the altos had their part learned. We also went over another song called In the Fellowship. At that time I did not have a cd so I was having a tough time with this song. I struggled with the rhythm along with the lyrics, but after repeating a couple times, I managed. We ended rehearsal by gathering in a circle and a girl, who is the groups chaplain, saying a prayer for everyone. 

      The rehearsal was a lot like my church choir rehearsal in these respects. We pray for everyone before we leave as well. It was a comforting feeling to know that other groups go through the same things.

I immediately started off the evening by searching for the Lubbock room for over 20 minutes. I could not for the life of me find out where it was. I walked upstairs around all the conference rooms at least 3 times. I continuously searched until I saw someone who was in the choir. Of course the Lubbock room was the only conference room that was not labeled. I walked into the conference room and again searched for the best place to set up my camera. The chairs were facing the wall opposite the door, and there was nothing high in the room for me to prop my camera on. I ended up taking one of the chairs and placing it in the corner of the room, facing the rows of chairs. I positioned it so that I could gain the best perspective from the room by making sure I could see the choir as well as the directors. I did wish that I had a better view of the whole choir but I would have needed someone to be filming the whole time or have a tripod to gain better access to the whole choir. I did good with the resources that I had I think.

      VOL starts off every rehearsal with some time of worship and the chaplain gets up and quotes a scripture and talks about how that scripture affects everyone’s lives. She might also just explain something and how the members can be more in tune with God and Christ. This lets me remember that this rehearsal is very deeply rooted in religion and in worship. One rehearsal she talked about a relationship with God is like a marriage with God. There is also what Dr. Smith would call "class business."  There if VOL business that happens during each rehearsal. C asked the members if they would be able to perform at The Edge that next Friday. The Edge is part of the Trinity Church and is part of the youth ministry at Trinity Church. There were enough people that could make the performance, so it was settled that VOL would give a performance on that following Friday. I was very happy that I could attend because I wanted to perform with this group and see what it was like. 

      Rehearsal also did not start till 6:20. Most times there are people who are late during every rehearsal that I have attended. We did not start singing until about 6:40. We were going to run through all the music that was to be performed the following week. The music that would be performed would be Giants, Blessing of Abraham, and Grateful. We also incorporated the choreography that we would use during the performance. In the Blessing of Abraham we clapped and swayed and during Grateful we slowly swayed back and forth. During Giants we also swayed and clapped to the beat. 

      I was surprised how a simple clapping on the beat and swaying really got me into the music. It is true that you have to put your whole body and soul into the music. I felt the clapping and swaying helped merge the choir into a more tightly knit group. It was an experience. I also like the fact that we could also have fun while making music at the same time. There was a time in the rehearsal where the song splits into three parts and when we were done a girl asked, "What is ham?" She was of course asking about the last note of Abraham, but C took the time to inform her about the deliciousness of this ham product and how it goes well with rolls. Everyone had a good laugh about that.  C also informed us on the right and wrong ways to clap because some people look lackluster in their performance and others' just shouldn't clap. 

      The rehearsal ended with C telling us when and where to show up for next Friday. It was a successful rehearsal.