THE MAYFLY VOICES
THE MAYFLY VOICES UNWRAPPED!
Thank you to all the amazing people who took part in the Mayfly Voices project, we've had a brilliant time creating this original track made by you!
Scroll down to hear the song...
Hi everyone and welcome to our digital choir.
This winter we are welcoming as many people as possible to get involved with our Mayfly Voices choir.
On this page you'll find all the resources you need to learn a brand new original piece of music by Andy Pink with lyrics by Rose Kane, you can record yourself and send this back to us where your voice will be woven with others to create a beautiful soundtrack inspired by the watery world of the Mayfly.
This project is for everyone and every voice. It’s not about excellence but about enjoyment and coming together to sing and learn something new. A celebration of community and creativity.
We can’t wait to hear your responses.
The Final date to send us your recordings is December 17th
On this page you’ll find.
THE SONG
You will be learning a song which forms the finale of our production Mayfly.
In the video below you can hear the piece which has inspired this project.
We're so excited to be adding the wonderful lyrics by Rose Kane to this original piece of music by Andy Pink.
As you can hear your many voices will be woven together to form a round, creating harmonies as the voices layer over one another and we think it's going to be really fabulous!
WE ARE WATER
Poem/Lyrics by Rose Kane, edited by Kapow and Andy Pink
When my hand floats, o-ver your eye
Do you see, half of the sun?
Half of the sky?
You’re as whole as, the light as I
Bend a-round, you to find you
To flo-w through
Bodies tur-ning, ov-er un-der
As bright and, as Fierce As light-ning
And as thun-der
We are Water, ripples and waves
And my bo-dy knows, how your-s
Will behave
We are Water, vast as an ocean
Taking up space, with po-wer and
W-ith mo-tion
The movement, will find us and
We’ll carve, a valley of pathways
Behind us
YOU WILL NEED
A device (laptop or phone) and a pair of headphones attached.
A separate phone to record your voice.
A quiet space in your home to record you and your family and friends.
Once you’ve got all your equipment you’re ready to start learning.
From here head to Beth’s video tutorials on how to learn the song, or jump right ahead to resources to learn the song from the music, lyrics & recordings.
TIPS FOR LEARNING THE SONG
If you'd like to learn along with us you can use the below videos.
Video 1: Intro to the project
Video 2: Warm up your voice
Video 3: Alto or Soprano Explainer
Video 4: Learn with Beth
Video 5: Learning the rest of the song
Video 6: Recording your voice
Video 7: Submitting your voice
Video 1 - Intro
Welcome to the Mayfly Voices Project!
Here Beth welcomes you and shares where your voice will end up if you join our wonderful choir.
Video 2 - Warm Up Your Voice
Here you can follow along with a simple warm up for your voice before you sing, by all means add to this by making noises of your own choice!
Video 3 - Mini explainer Alto or Soprano
This project is for singing pros and people who have never sung before and everyone in between!
If you're new to the language of singing watch this little explainer video with Beth
Since we recorded this we've also added a third option for even lower voices, so if you find the alto line too high, switch to the Tenor line.
Video 4 - Learn with Beth
Beth has broken down the first verse so you can sing with her to get you started.
Lyrics:
When your hand floats, over my eye
Do you see, half of the sun?
Half of the sky?
Video 5 - Learning the rest of the song
So now you've learnt the first verse you can work through the rest of the track at your own pace.
Here Beth shows you how to use the resource section to keep learning and practising the song.
Video 6 - Recording Your Voice
Beth talks you through the process of recording what you've learnt.
Most important is to find a quiet place to record so we don't get any noise from your environment on the recording.
Video 7 - Submitting your voice
Ok you're all done - you've got your recording and now all that's left to do is send it to us and await the magic.
Here Beth shares where to find the details for submitting your entry.
RESOURCES FOR LEARNING AND PRACTISE
Song track 1 - Kapow singing together alto line for people to sing along to
Piano Track 1 - Soprano part played on piano
Piano track 2 - Alto part played on piano
Piano track 3 - Tenor Bass part played on piano
Song track 2 - Piano plays the soprano part, Alto voices in the background
Song track 3 - Piano plays the alto part, Alto voices in the background
Song track 4 - Piano plays the tenor bass part, Alto voices in the background
Lyrics PDF
Musical Score PDF
INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECORDING
Ok, so you’re in your quiet room ready to sing and record.
Either follow the instructions below or watch our video tutorial by clicking here
Getting ready to sing:
Plug your laptop in or make sure the battery is charged.
Open the Mayfly Voices page.
Head to the resources section.
Plug in your headphones to the laptop.
You can choose which song track you prefer (sing along to the piano or the singers).
Press on your preferred one and make sure you can hear it in the headphones- only put one ear in so you can hear and pitch correctly.
Scroll to the lyrics so you’ve got these in front of you too.
You might need to practice singing along with the song tracks (piano or singers) a few times. This is to help us make sure everyone is in time with each other.
You might also need to practice pressing play on the song track and scrolling to where you can see the lyrics.
Ready to record:
Place your phone against the screen of the laptop.
The phone needs to be horizontal if you opt for video.
You can either record on your selfie cam (this will capture video and audio). We’d love to see you all singing :D
If you’d prefer you can use a voice recorder app. Most phones have one pre-installed which will work great. If needed you can download one here (download for android, download for Iphone) to record just your voice/s.
Do a test run. Record a short section and play it back to see it’s working properly.
You’re ready to rock!
Headphones in one ear only so you can hear yourself and your pitch too.(Plugged into device 1).
Open the lyrics pdf so you've got those ready.
Press record on your phone (Device 2)
Press play on your chosen song track (Device 1).
Then swap tabs so you can see the lyrics.
And sing! You can have more than one go if you want to.
Save your recording with your name and Mayfly (e.g. Beth P Mayfly).
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR VOICE
Fantastic you’re all done now you’re ready to send us your voice and become a part of our Mayfly voices.
You have two options:
Whatsapp your video/audio to 07877522548
Email your video/audio file to beth@kapowdance.co.uk
Deadline for final submissions- 17th December
Any technical difficulties you can also ask us questions at this phone and email.
Thank you so much for your time and your wonderful contribution.
Feel free to share this with friends. The more the merrier!
Credit Image 1, 2, 4 & 7: BOAST www.helenboast.com Credit Image 3, 5 & 6: Jesse Olu www.jesseolu.com
All taken at Greenwich and Docklands International Festival 2021
