Filling Arden with the sounds of music

Apr 22, 2010

It started like most good things do - just a bunch of people getting together to share something that they love to do. Back in 1994 a group of seniors would regularly finish off their meetings by gathering around a piano to sing a few songs.

Glee Club director Helen Praskey recalled, “We thought it would be nice to have something a little more formal and that is how the Arden Glee Club began.”

The Glee Club just started up its 14th season again after its regular three-month winter hiatus and the 38-member group is once again filling the Kennebec Community Hall in Arden with the sounds of music.Helen Praskey, who has been involved in music all of her life in various forms as a teacher, singer, choir leader, piano player and arranger, has been leading the four-part a cappella male/female SABT (soprano, alto, bass, tenor) choir since it first formed.

The group rehearses weekly on Tuesdays from 1 - 3:30 PM at the Kennebec Community Hall and have a repertoire of over 100 songs, which include swing, contemporary pop, jazz, folk songs, spirituals and show tunes.While most members are resting their vocal chords during the winter months, Helen stays busy, keeping her ears open for new songs for the group. After seeing a performance of My Fair Lady in Windsor in March she chose “On the Street Where You Live” as one of the five new songs that the club will tackle this season.Other new tunes: an old folk song called “The Water is Wide”, which James Taylor recorded a version of; “Something’s Gotta Give”’ an upbeat swing tune from the 1950s; and “For All We Know”’ an old post-war love song.Helen not only directs the group but is also the club’s sole arranger, which enables them to forego the expense of purchasing sheet music and helps to keep their operating costs down. The job can be time consuming and not every song is suitable for a four-part a cappella group. “Finding songs that lend themselves to four-part harmony can be a challenge; still, I am happy to take requests from members and I am always looking for songs that the group will enjoy,” says Helen.

Though the Glee Club is a secular choir and as a rule does not perform sacred music, some of their selections are very spiritual, like Simon and Garfunkel’s "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

Other favourites that the group performs are "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", "What a Wonderful World", "Catch a Falling Star", and "Oklahoma". 

The group performs regularly at various seniors’ centres in Perth, Merrickville, Northbrook and Kingston.Ten years ago the group auditioned for the Annual Seniors’ Jubilee held at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto and after their first performance there were invited back to perform for the next nine years.

At one time the club would offer paid ticket concerts but gave that up preferring to sing for free as volunteers. In Helen’s words, “It just felt better that way.”

The Arden Glee Club is a group of seniors performing for others, and like many seniors, some of the members have different medical issues. Helen does not limit her musical understanding to the music alone and she and a few members of the Glee club recently attended a workshop in Kingston with Dr. Jacalyn Duffin of Queen’s University, who gave a talk titled,  “Music and Memory - What can dementia teach us about the brain.” It was there that she learned that music is one of the last senses to leave the body at the end of life, which, if nothing else, shows how deeply music can penetrate our beings.

Though Helen admits that the club takes up a good part of her time, for her it is a true labour of love. “Music is just in my very bones - it’s a part of me.”

Glee club members are not required to read music and those more comfortable singing melody only can join as lead singers. Membership is open to all and Helen encourages interested listeners to come and listen to the group at their Tuesday rehearsals.She stressed that the group is really like a big family. “It is not just the music that keeps us together. We all really care for one another and support one another. Every single member is important and I admire every single one of them."

Audrée Tomkins is the group’s business manager and she takes care of the bookings, uniforms, and, as Helen adds, "She knows how to keep us all in line.”

The Arden Glee Club's next performance will be in May at the Lanark Lodge in Perth.