Since March 2020 I have cancelled 190 live rehearsals and 26 concerts! I have lost count of the number of zoom sessions I have undertaken, but as of this week ACS has been online for 60 weeks and we will now enjoy a month off before returning on 6th September. CPC have been online for 61 weeks and will also take a break until 2nd September. We meet this week in greater numbers and yet uncertainty still hangs in the air for September, but I hope that when our committees review everything at the end of August we have good news.

Traditionally HMVC continue through the Summer and this year will be no exception, but after 66 weeks online we met as a full choir last week. Admittedly some were away on holiday or working, but it felt good to be back singing together. We shall continue to provide online rehearsals until it is no longer necessary, but nevertheless we have found a useful way to keep members connected even when they are away!

There have been so many ups and downs for us to consider over the past 16 months and there will still be more for us to think about for the remainder of the year. All three choirs have exemplary committees, and I cannot thank them enough for the support they have shown our members and to the music teams.

This situation has been overwhelming for many and every individual has had to find ways in which to cope. For some, new ways of working have been identified, for others it has required a total rethink and for some it has been a time to get jobs done, learn new skills and reflect on what is important.

I have written every week since 17th March 2020, and this has been just as important to me as I know it has been in connecting with our members and in particular those who have not been online. The ‘zoom’ experience certainly hasn’t been for everybody!

My writings have been a mixture of blogs, The Corona Chronicles and latterly The Corona Blogs. Each has provided a glimpse on what has been happening, not only in this country but throughout the world. I won’t say I am a great writer, but what I have done is told the truth and perhaps in a small way captured how we are all feeling. There have been weeks full of frustration, as you will all testify, but there have also been weeks of joy where I have enjoyed reading or watching a film or simply sitting and being still. It has been a privilege to share these moments with you and I would like to say a special thank you to all those who have sent me personal messages.

The hard work certainly hasn’t stopped, and I know that I will be watching the data during August; learn from my ongoing experience as I continue to rehearse with Honley and of course watch what is happening elsewhere.

I want to thank everyone single person who has engaged in my writing! Whether you have read it, liked it, shared it or commented, your support has meant such a lot.

It is time to draw a close now and for at least during August I will be silent! As I mentioned last week I am in the process of collating all the writings and as a record of our time over the past 16 months I will produce them as an e-book, (well actually in pdf format) and I will issue them all to those who would be prepared to purchase a copy, with donations going to Fairfield School, which caters for students with highly Complex Needs including those with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and those with Multi-Sensory Impairments. I am proud to have volunteered in this school and have had the opportunity to witness first-hand the impact music can have when visiting with Honley MVC; which we hope to be able to do again soon.

After many years of conducting at ACS, CPC and HMVC, the pandemic has brought me closer to them all. We are a strong community and more so now than ever before; we have a love for a shared experience which we have missed so deeply. But we remain as one and we will be strong and we ‘will rise again’.

Thank you!

Well, everyone has an opinion on it, and never have we been more divided! Actually, I can think of a few things where we have been as equally divided. Whichever side of the fence you are on, it is important to respect each other.

It’s been a glorious weekend, but then again probably too hot for some! Where’s the rain when you need it most…. or is that tempting fate!

Three live rehearsals for me this week – two in groups of 6 and one full rehearsal with those who wish to come back. It’s a start and we have longed for this day. But we will be cautious, and we will be following our risk assessments and our own restrictions. In reality it will be September before we return to normality. But we shall have to wait and see what the summer brings. I think what is most tiring is the uncertainty.

If I manage to get all my choirs back in the last week of July, it will feel good, and I am sure quite emotional for many. We will still run online as well, so still a little more zooming for the time being. Two choirs will then take a break in August, whilst one will continue. We are planning for the Autumn, as much as we can!

With 190 cancelled rehearsals, although most were replaced by online sessions and 26 cancelled concerts, it has been a different kind of musical year.

It will be nice to think of the music again, but I believe we still have hurdles to jump and different scenarios to ponder, so sadly it won’t only be the music we have to consider.

I realise that I am not alone in this and there are many in exactly my position and I know that we have been resilient, creative and have wherever possible advised and guided our choirs as best we can. In doing so we have to be proud of those achievements. I also know that many choir committees have had to steer the ship carefully and will continue to do so as we return.

There will be one more Corona Blog and then it is time for a rest! I expect I will continue to write, but from September and you will be able to access them online. I will be producing an e-book of my writings, and this will be available to purchase, with donations going to Fairfield school.

Having written almost 64,000 words it feels right to share my individual and collective thoughts through what has been a difficult time for us all.

As we enter our next chapter let us remember that ‘we are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.’

Since the announcement last week that all legal restrictions will be lifted on 19th July I have seen so many comments both for and against this. However, whatever your personal stance happens to be it is not an excuse to be unkind or critical. Since March 2020 everyone has had to come terms with so much and the last thing anyone needs now is to be criticised for their opinion. I have said this before and I will repeat it again today, we must be kind to each other…it’s that simple!

This last week and for the first time in many months I had live rehearsals with all of my choirs and without exception it felt good to be back singing together. But, and you knew there was a but, we had only 6 singing and we were following the guidance that remains in place for us, but also for our rehearsal venues.

We shall, find out tomorrow what the ‘unlocking’ will look like! But will we actually have any guidance to follow, or will it simply be to have common sense? I am hopeful that before the end of July we will have returned as a full choir, or rather with as many who wish to return, to at least allow us to know what it will be like in September!

We will remain cautious as we return because I and our committees who have worked so hard, have a duty of care to our singers and we have and will continue to take that responsibility very seriously. Remember, our committees are still volunteers, but we should all be thankful for their resilience, professionalism and patience in working to keep our choirs connected.

Many of you have gone above and beyond to keep everyone connected, both those who have been able to join us online and those who have kept in touch via other means. We are all one and we can be proud of our collective achievements.

It feels strange that we may soon be able to enjoy the music again, and it will be a joyous occasion, but you must all remember that it is your moment, your triumph and your determination to get our voices heard. You have all proclaimed loudly that choirs matter and that message has been heard.

Who would have thought that choirs would have been debated in the House of Lords, but it was and members on all sides were in support and cited the wholly inconsistent approach as illogical.