In one of my previous blogs, I mentioned that due to the pandemic, clubs and societies have been finding creative ways to maintain active in a remote environment. Throughout the year, my A Cappella group – The Scopes have been searching for creative way to release content throughout the year. This includes releasing different music videos throughout the past two terms, while also engaging in different social sessions with other A Cappella groups around the UK.
After not being able to see one another for more than a year, we are now finally able to rehearse outdoors together and sing live for the first time with our new members. This was especially exciting as we had been socialising with some new members for almost a year online, getting tight together as a group, but have still yet to meet each other in person.
Group of six rehearsals
During early April, we had to adhere to the government guidelines still and rehearse in small groups of six. This proved to be more difficult for us in terms of training as it was difficult to get a full sound as some of our arrangements require more than 6 different voice parts. However, we managed to pull through the first few weeks of rehearsals and were just generally so happy to be able to see one another. Through these few weeks, we spent a lot of effort trying to improve our group singing again as singing in front of the laptop screen everytime means that we were only able to sing with ourselves due to the sound delay caused by Zoom. Besides that, we tried our best to rotate the group allocations weekly too so that everyone had a chance to meet with different members every week.
Back in action!
As the lockdown rules are further lifted and we were able to gather in groups of 30s in an outdoor settings, we were able to carry out more ambitious plans for the rest of our summer term. It was a blessing to be able to sing with a group of 15 people once again. The sweet sound of chords striking and the ability to create wonderful music with a group of talented people fueled me every week, and I was once again reminded of how much I look forward to rehearsals weekly.
We spent a lot of time revisiting old scores that we have learned at home throughout the lockdown period, but were also ambitious enough to try out new challenging arrangements. By early June, we decided to gather in a bandstand in Hyde Park one day to film a live music video together. This is to appreciate and commemorate finally being able to sing together again, and to also remind our audience to be able to expect live music soon again! The link below shows the recent live music video which we have released!
Versace On The Floor – The Scopes
Rehearsals are usually also followed by a trip to the Union Bar. That’s right, the college Union Bar is finally opened again! It was only after sitting down on an outdoor bench at the Union Bar again that I was reminded of why I loved this place so much. The ambience that this place gives out is one of a kind. Being able to endulge in a cheap pint while enjoying a greasy burger in an outdoor setting really solidifies the college vibes, reminding me of how young I am and how much I should cherish these tiny experiences. With good company added on top of that, the Union Bar feels like home.
Things are still very uncertain for the upcoming few months and maybe even the upcoming year, but I hope that we are still able to appreciate the little things we have in life and are able to stay safe in the meantime. I don’t know what’s in store for my A Cappella group for the upcoming year, but I am sure that we will be able to get through any tough situations together and make the most out of the year!
