Skip to main content

Sing-along Café 2025-03-06

March 6th. We're not in Black History Month anymore, but we're still on that theme. At church, my Affirming and Inclusivity Team has chosen to focus on anti-racism for 2025, in addition to our main role of affirming the Pride community. 

My Black History Month playlist is huge, and there's so much to talk about and so much good music to listen to. This time, we were talking about the big influence Black people have had and continue to have on other music, the rhythms and techniques of ragtime, jazz, the blues, R&B, gospel, funk, reggae, and afrobeats are not only used by Black artists. 

Last week, Don sent me some interesting information about a Canadian tenor, Edward Johnson, that he was instrumental in including Black singers in opera at the Met in New York. I didn't find that, when I looked him up, but quite the opposite, that he is known for excluding Black singers. I found reports that it was the next General Manager of the Met that introduced Marian Anderson five years later in 1955. Nevertheless, we were interested to hear about a Canadian leading the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, after singing in Italy using an Italian name to hide his Canadian identity. And, how wonderful to see and hear Black singers in opera, and country music, and any genre anywhere, understanding that there is still anti-black racism in some arenas (pun intended). 

We had lots to talk about as usual, I baked muffins, and we sipped tea, and it was a lovely evening in lovely company. 

Next week, March 13th is a day away from PIE day/Affirming day, so we'll have a PRIDE theme. 

Here's a list of some of the songs we listened to and sang along with on March 6th:

  • The Maple Leaf Forever and Vesti la Giubba by Edward Johnson
  • Amazing Grace by Jessye Norman
  • Wonderful is Your Name by Melvin Crispell lll
  • Goodness of God by CeCe Winans
  • When you Believe and My Love is Your Love by Whitney Houston
  • Man in the Mirror and Black or White (video and song) by Michael Jackson 
  • Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles
  • Calm Down by Rema and Selena Gomez
  • Update by Burna Boy
  • small samples of a few songs from the Afrobeats playlist
  • Easy and Brick House by The Commodores
  • Super Freak by Rick James (we couldn't manage the whole song)
  • Reggae Night by Jimmy Cliff
  • Hymn to Freedom by Dione Taylor


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Singing Together in July and August

I posted this on my YRCC blog, and I think it applies to my Trinity Singers too. While we’re not singing together in July and August, please find opportunities to sing in other places and with other people.  You can always sing in your car and in your kitchen. You can accept all invitations to cottages, camping, and beach days, and do some campfire singing. Or, sing while you paddle around in a lake. Sound carries over water, so have some buddies join you if you’re not comfortable with a solo performance.  Orchestrate some backyard sing-alongs if you can.  Singing outdoors in the summer is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. I’ve enjoyed the free concerts in Aurora and Newmarket in the past. They have ‘tribute bands’ who perform all the hits you know, and you’ll want to sing and dance along. (would be nice if they projected the lyrics for us, because we're used to having those words now) I’ve added these concerts to my YRCC Calendar to encourage my choristers to go. I’...
Post a Comment
Read more

June 5th, 2025 Sing-along Café is Outdoors!

We're going to be outside, singing along with a cover band, Telltale Sounds, at the 2025 Newmarket Music Series Lineup Launch Party! Then, we'll sing and dance to Glenn Marais and the Mojo Train!  I think we'll want to bring lawn chairs, and maybe a snack and a beverage. There will be a food truck there if you want to get something fun.  We are asked to bring a Food Bank Donation. We'll head down together on foot from the Park Street entrance at 6:15. Hopefully that will be early enough to get parking behind the church and get a spot to sit at Riverwalk Commons.  We'll walk across Main Street, down the stairs to the parking lot, and across towards the community centre, unless some of us have issues with stairs, then we'll go down the ramp at the next block that ends up just behind the community centre.  Wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather (should be perfect, not too warm, not too cool). I'm a big fan of these free summer concerts. Can't wait...
Post a Comment
Read more

Summer Break 2025 Starts Early for Sing-Along Café

I apologize for the short notice, but I've decided to break for summer a couple weeks early. For July and August, you can spend every Thursday at Riverwalk Commons at the free concerts there. Thursday night is still "my singing night". I like to take in as many of those free concerts as I can. If you like, you can send me a text or an email and we can go together, or meet up there.   Aurora has free concerts on Wednesday evenings, so I might go there sometimes instead, or too, depending on the weather, other summer plans, and whimsy.  We'll open the café again in September. I hope to see you then. 
Post a Comment
Read more