The Real Group Bumble Bee

Magnificent song from The Real Group's, 'The Real Album' (2009).

Why are Danish Rhythmic Choirs the best in the world? - 7 Questions to Jens Johansen

The Danish choir Vocal Line, consisting of 30 singers, opened up for The Real Group in a concert at Aarhus Vocal Festival in 2005.


They did an absolutely fantastic performance, on a magic evening I won't forget.

This was the first time for me to hear a choir sing pop and jazz music in a truly convincing way. They made me very happy!!!

Since then I have been a fan of Vocal Line and of their leader, Jens Johansen.

We invited Vocal Line to perform at The Real A Cappella Festival in Västerås, Sweden, 2008, where they once again gave us a chance to hear some of the finest rhythmic choir music in the world.
Denmark has an outstanding tradition for this specific kind of choral music.

So I asked Jens Johansen to tell us a little bit about how this uniquely Danish choir-singing has developed.


Jens Johansen
1. There is a very lively a cappella scene in Denmark today within the field of "Rhythmic Choir Music".
Our impression is that there is nothing quite similar to be heard in any other country.
Could you tell us a little bit about which factors in Danish music life that have contributed to this kind of choir music?

JJ: The tradition of working in schools with popular music goes a long way back in Denmark. Already in the 1950’s African rhythms became part of the school repertoire and all kinds of pop songs were arranged for the kids. In the 60’s the gospel music and arrangements of folk music became a natural part of the choral repertoire. And from the 70’s a lot of teachers and arrangers were working seriously with popular vocal music in the schools. At the same time the music began to be taken seriously also at the higher educational levels such as conservatories and universities. The institutions in Aarhus (the university and the conservatory and the music schools as well) play a very important role in that development.

2. How did you begin your involvement with Rhythmic Choir music?

JJ: My father was a choral conductor and I simply loved sitting there as a kid and listening to the wonderful sound of many voices singing together. And I was raised with the music of the Beatles and The Beach Boys in my ears, and I was fascinated by the vocal harmonies.
In the 70’s I was part of a folk music group with 3 part harmonies, singing a lot of the repertoire from Crosby, Stills and Nash and similar groups. At the same time I became a music teacher in high school and I started arranging pop tunes for the choir. And from there it went on.

3. How was Vocal Line formed, and how did they develop into what the choir is today?

JJ: After having worked with different kinds of choirs on different levels for years I decided to form a choir, that should take the lead in the development of what we in DK call “rhythmic choir music”. I had about 60 singers for audition and out of them I formed a choir with 32 voices. Through the years I kept this size of the choir, adjusting it down to 30 singers, though.

4. How would you describe the process of choosing repertoire for Vocal Line?

JJ: Many singers of Vocal Line have helped developing the repertoire, among them of course Malene Rigtrup and Morten Kjaer.
It has always been of the uttermost importance to me, that the Vocal Line repertoire should build on pop and jazz songs of the best quality. I found the repertoire I was looking for by listening to some of the best singer-song writers: Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Sting, Peter Gabriel a.o. I find it important that the songs have something to tell us. At concerts I really love when I feel we have reached the audience with our “Vocal Stories” and “Emotional Landscapes”.

5. In a Vocal Line warm-up, you combine the need for warming up the voices, at the same time as the singers get a chance to find the pulse and a groove together. Did you come up with these warm-up routines yourself, or did they develop in communication with the singers?

JJ: I think that type of warm-up has developed over the years in close interaction with the group. I find it very important that warm-up brings you through many kinds of colors and feelings. And of course I also find it important that the singers get a physical feeling of the groove.

6. When new singers join Vocal Line, I assume they have previous experience of singing in vocal ensembles, or singing lead vocals. Could you tell us a little about what kind of musical environment they might be coming from?

JJ: Most of the singers of Vocal Line nowadays are experienced choir singers. In the beginning they came with all sorts of backgrounds, but now many of them have had some kind of vocal education. And quite a lot of them now lead their own choirs…

7. Could you tell us a little bit about your plans for the future?

JJ: We have just started developing and recording new material for a new CD. We will record the songs successively during the spring. This process will last until September, where we expect to release the new CD: “Beauty in the Breakdown”. After that we will be touring in Germany starting in the famous Berliner Philharmonie and ending at Münchener Musikhochschule with VoicesInTime. In November Bobby McFerrin has invited us to New York to help him present his new album Vocabularies in two live-concerts in Lincoln Center. And finally we will end the year with some Christmas concerts together with a wonderful Swedish vocal group called The Real Group!
So it looks like we are going to have a lot of vocal fun and a lot of exiting challenges for the rest of 2010!

HKCEE Oral Practice - Mock Task

Part A - Group Discussion ( Swine Flu)
Your group is working on a presentation topic regarding the preventive measures of the potential outbreak of the swine flu in Hong Kong. You will talk about the problem, and discuss possible methods to stop the problem.

Spend three minutes writing down the ideas you have regarding the health issue. You may want to talk about:

• what the Hong Kong government has done to prevent the problem
• how Hong Kong health department can help to stop the possible outbreak of swine flu
• how China health ministry can do to control the spread of virus among poultry industry
• problems that China and Hong Kong may face if there is an outbreak

Try to imagine you are participating in the small group discussion which will last for about six minutes. Make sure you have a keen interest in expressing your viewpoint. But remember you must take a position so you'll have a stronger mood to contribute in the discussion.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part B Individual Response

Each individual candidate will be asked to response to a question based on the items discussed. You need to think of ideas for a one-minute response speech after the group discussion.
Possible questions are:

1. What has the Hong Kong government done to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus of the swine flue in Hong Kong?
2. Should people wear mask in public areas if they they have got a cold? Why/ Why not?
3. What can you do to help prevent the spreading of the swine flu?
4. What do you think we should do to cooperate with Hong Kong health department to prevent the outbreak of swine flue?

Good luck and enjoy your preparation for the coming exams!
By the way, you may want to go to the link below to see the official movie for the HKCEE Oral Exam for more information.
http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/files/wmv/ce07_eng_p4_video.wmv
Link to Task 1
http://terriwelcomeyou.blogspot.com/2008/02/hkcee-oral-practice-task-1.html
Link to Task 2
http://terriwelcomeyou.blogspot.com/2009/06/hkcee-speaking-practice-task-2.html

Happy Mother Day

I really enjoy accompanying my 84-year-old mom who visited me from San Francisco for the past 10 days.

My Reflection

Thank God that she is aging but not too quickly.  With her bright clothes, she still looks healthy. I can't see much wrinkle on her face. Some of her Macau friends said that there was no clear marks of aging on her face.

I hope that she can really enjoy her remaining time with us. I'd say she is a disguised angle to anyone who has the opportunity to take care of her. However, I can see that there is a great pressure for any of my siblings who looks after her. Why? Sometimes, she is too serious towards people and things around her.

• She wants to be independent but she needs to depend on us!
• She wants to contribute herself but she is too old to contribute!
• She is too timid to take any new risk but she is willing to take the risk if she believes that it is beneficial to us!
• She is cynical sometimes but thank God that her mind is still active to learn new things.

Well, that's what I want to say about the current state of  my dearest Mom who has spent her whole life to contribute herself to build our lives.

May God bless us because we honor our parents.  As it is written in Genesis 22:18 "And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

IELTS Speaking Test

The IELTS speaking test lasts for about 15 minutes. It is a bit like an interview. The interview starts with a friendly conversation which usually covers some aspects of your life situations. The interviewer will direct the conversation through questions which mostly focus on talking about self and one's opinions regarding various aspects of your life.

The interview has four main sections:

• some general questions about yourself
• a discussion of topics of general interest
• a short presentation
• a discussion of the concerned topics

It is important that you relax and speak as confidently as you can.

Chariots of Fire

Eric Liddell was a humble man with a simple and personal faith whose life's purpose was to glorify God. His life and legacy continue to impact people's lives around the world.


Chariots of Fire is one of the outstanding movies of all time. It provides an excellent springboard for family discussion of life priorities and the source of true joy.

Plot

The movie is based on the true story of two British athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics1924 Summer OlympicsThe 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France.

Henry Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international and missionary. His surname is and rhymes with fiddle.

Liddell was the winner of the Men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris.

In 1919, Abrahams enters Cambridge UniversityUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge,

Liddell sees running as a way of glorifying God before travelling to China to work as a missionary. He represents Scotland against Ireland in a race, and preaches a sermon on "Life as a race" afterwards.

At their first meeting, Liddell beats Abrahams in a race. Abrahams takes it badly, but Sam MussabiniSam MussabiniScipio Africanus "Sam" Mussabini was an athletics coach best known for his work with Harold Abrahams, a professional trainer who he had approached earlier, offers to take him on to improve his technique. However, this attracts criticism from the college masters because they are not sympathetic to a Jewish student representing the college. They allege it is ungentlemanly and unsportsmanlike for an amateur athlete seeking to compete in the Olympics to employ a professional coach, but Abrahams realizes that is cover for their anti-Semitism and class entitlement, and dismisses their concern.

Eric's sister Jennie worries he is too busy running to concern himself with their mission, but Eric tells her he feels inspired: "I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."

Liddell refuses to run a heat of the 100 metres at the Olympics because his Christian convictions prevent him from running on Sunday. To remedy the sensitive issue, his teammate Lord Andrew Lindsey having won silver in the 400 metre hurdles, proposes to yield his place in the 400 metre race400 metres400 m is a common track running event. It is a sprint distance. On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course to Liddell.

The 400 metres would be run on the following Tuesday, thus averting Liddell's need to run on Sunday. Liddell at church on Sunday is seen quoting Isiah 40, verse 31:

'But they that wait upon the shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and be not weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.'


Abrahams competes in the 100 metre sprint and wins. Now he can get on with his life and reconcile with his girlfriend whom he has neglected for the sake of the running. Liddell himself defeats the American favourites in the 400 metres, in spite of their coach's remarks to them minimizing his chances. He then goes on to do his missionary work in China.

Ways to Prepare for Your IELTS Exam

You may consider working with the Barrow's Book. Finish all the 4 model tests. Record the scores of the listening and reading tests, use the table below.  This helps you see what your proficiency level is like. What is your achievable score?

Get someone to help you analyze your mistakes. If you wish to get my help, call me. My number is 97360684.


You must start the preparation as soon as you can, at least three months before the exam.

Items	Test One	Test Two	Test Three	Test Four
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Total Score X/40

Improve Your Reading Skills - Read the Novel, "The Star of Kazan"

The best selling book The Star of Kazan is about an abandoned girl called Annika who lived as a maid but became a "star" at the hearts of  three servants and three professors who lived at a grant house in Vienna. This interesting background of Annika fills your heart with a sensational feeling towards life: sympathy, happiness, sadness, amazement, sorrows, and awesome.

In fact, all the characters have very interesting background which readers can reflect upon.

Zedekiah (Zed)
Zed was friendly, diligent, helpful, but somewhat honestly shrewd. Despite being a son of the horse dealer and descended from gypsies, Zed managed to join the imperial riding show with his horse, Rocco.

Stefan Bodek
Stefan was a childhood friend of Annika. As a son of a poor washerwoman, he had a poor live. He wanted to be an engineer but feared that he couldn't afford to study. At the end Annika paid for him to study.

Follow the link for the descriptions of other characters in the novel.

But when you read the book you must utilize both your left and right brains to fully grasp the essence of the novel. In other words, you must let your imagination take a full control as you read. So, learn to comprehend the events that develop the plot of the novel with your left brain, i.e. the logical thinking and understanding of the text; and learn to match the events of the novel that create the plot with your right brain, i.e. your imagination. For more information, you can read the book, The Whole Brain Business Book that describes how we can make use of "four-quadrant model of the brain and the corresponding thinking styles: logician, organizer, communicator, and visionary".

When you read, make sure you read and take in the events with your logical mind, i.e. left-side of your brain as it says in the text regarding various events of the story; while at the same time always form images with your visionary mind, i.e. right-side of your brain to memorize the overall plot of the story.  For further reading, please read the book Reading with Meaning. It explains the strategies like "inferring, asking questions, making connections, determining importance in text, creating mental images, and synthesizing information" to enhance your reading skills.