Next Rehearsal – 10/06/26

Our next meeting is next Tuesday!

October 6, 2026 7pm-9pm

Raleigh UU, Peace Hall, Rm. 101

3313 Wade Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27607

No one voted in the polls about "We All Come from the Goddess" so I'm just going to make the executive decision to continue singing it but only the version the transphobic songwriter hates and only if everyone present at the time wants to. If you have an opinion, feel free to read our previous blog entry about it and shoot me an email at the address below. As the Wheel spins from Mabon into Samhain, we can continue working on "Harvest Chant", "Equinox Chant", and "Guri" while also beginning to work on "Samhain's Door" and "Wings of Night". The Moon will be Waning Crescent, nearly Dark, so we could also work on "Luna's Lullaby", "Crescent Moon", or "Dark of the Moon". And, of course, "Feathers" and the justice-oriented pieces from Reclaiming are always a good choice. If you'd like to be an overachiever and come prepared, sheet music and recordings for most pieces are available on our Drive.

We welcome all safe and respectful Pagan and Pagan-adjacent adults of any skill and experience level! We're community-focused rather than performance-focused, so we don't hold auditions and we welcome drop-ins. Because of the music that is best-known and most-available, our starter songs trend a little Wiccan, but we will be seeking to incorporate all kinds of Pagan and Pagan-friendly music. You can help! We welcome recommendations and leads on pertinent music that is in the public domain or is low-royalty. 

There are no fees or dues for participating, but we do gratefully welcome any cash donations* to cover the cost of renting our rehearsal space. We will have a receipt book on hand to log all donations and post aggregate info (without personally identifying information) to the blog so everyone can see where their donations are going. *We are not currently a registered 501c, so we don't have financial accounts and I can't speak to whether or not your donation is tax-deductible.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of a contagious illness, especially Covid-19, please defer your attendance until you're feeling well. We'll all be breathing the same air in that meeting room and, while you are absolutely welcome to wear a mask, it isn't exactly conducive to singing.

We will have name/pronoun stickers, sheet music, and folders available at our meetings. The sheet music is also available on our Drive. The only things you need to bring are your voice and the vocal-chord-friendly drink of your choice!

The UU campus has multiple lots, buildings, and doors, so we have a video demonstrating how to get to our rehearsal space from either lot. (Apologies for my winded smoker wheezing!)

We can't wait to sing with y'all on Tuesday!

- El Pethybridge, Director

TrianglePaganChoir@gmail.com

P.S. In addition to this blog, there are a number of ways to stay updated on our events. We have a mailing list for weekly email reminders and can even send you an Invite directly through Google Calendar. Email us at the address above to be added to both or either of these lists. If you use Discord, you can join our server to stay updated. If you use BlueSky, you can follow us there for updates. You can also find us on Facebook at our Page and in our Group, where we share Events and other info. If you'd like to be added to the Invite list for our Facebook Events, please follow our Page or join our Group (otherwise FB won't let me send it to you) and drop us a PM. Here's the FB Event for our October 6th rehearsal.

Rehearsal Summary - 09/29/26

Two of us made it this week; our newest member has been consistent! After warm-ups, we started with "Wings of Night", experimenting with different harmonies than an octave, particularly thirds. We also worked on "Equinox Chant" and "Samhain's Door", exploring possible harmonies for those, as well.  Next, we worked on "Luna's Lullaby", including adjusting our dynamics to fit the atmosphere of the piece. Finally, we spent some time with "Dark of the Moon". We reviewed all three melodies a few times, focusing on Melodies 2 and 3, so we could put them together. The easy part about doing those two is they fit together like lock and key at times, so it's easier to keep your place. The challenging part part of doing those two is the tendency to get pulled into the one the other person is singing, since they have some similarities. Eventually, we were able to get a working ability to keep our parts and fit them together basically correctly. In related news, our newest member has been working on transcribing "Dark of the Moon" into sheet music that will actually show how they fit together so we can stop guessing with our ears and counting measures!

Last week, a lot of other responsibilities pushed TPC admin down the to do list and out of my mind, so I didn't manage a rehearsal summary and only churned out a quick, last minute "Oops, rehearsal is on" for the "Next Rehearsal" blog entry. To retroactively cover the week that didn't get its own entry, we covered all of the songs above (except "Dark of the Moon", if I recall correctly) and also worked on "Harvest Chant". In other news, in the last couple weeks, we've welcomed two new babies to the community! Congratulations to our members and their families! Both are first time parents. If you'd like to contribute to their Meal Trains to help keep them fed during the challenging newborn period, you can find them in the TPC Group on Facebook.

If you'd like to review any of our material, the sheet music and recordings are available on our Drive. For the naming conventions of the recordings, see the document in our Drive. You can also listen to the TPC playlist of recordings of some of the pieces by professional artists on Spotify. If you're trying to practice at home and can't quite discern your note, you can use a keyboard app to plunk out whichever ones you're having trouble with.  (This is by no means an official endorsement, but the app I use is "Voice Training - Learn to Sing" by the developer Learn to Master. It labels the notes on the keyboard and gives you real-time feedback on what note you're singing.) If you need a tutorial on how to read music, this one seems sufficient for helping you figure out which note you want to find on the keyboard.

We didn't receive any donations this week but we remain grateful to our past generous donors! If you would like to track our accounting, you can view our donations and expenses spreadsheet and receipts on our Drive.

We can't wait to sing with y'all!

- El Pethybridge, Administrative Director

TrianglePaganChoir@gmail.com

Next Rehearsal - 09/29/26

Our next meeting is today!

September 29, 2026 7pm-9pm

Raleigh UU, Peace Hall, Rm. 101

3313 Wade Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27607

Something unexpected came up and totally pushed TPC admin out of my calendar and my head, so here I am, less than an house from rehearsal frantically paying rent and posting this as quickly as possible.

We welcome all safe and respectful Pagan and Pagan-adjacent adults of any skill and experience level! We're community-focused rather than performance-focused, so we don't hold auditions and we welcome drop-ins. Because of the music that is best-known and most-available, our starter songs trend a little Wiccan, but we will be seeking to incorporate all kinds of Pagan and Pagan-friendly music. You can help! We welcome recommendations and leads on pertinent music that is in the public domain or is low-royalty. 

There are no fees or dues for participating, but we do gratefully welcome any cash donations* to cover the cost of renting our rehearsal space. We will have a receipt book on hand to log all donations and post aggregate info (without personally identifying information) to the blog so everyone can see where their donations are going. *We are not currently a registered 501c, so we don't have financial accounts and I can't speak to whether or not your donation is tax-deductible.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of a contagious illness, especially Covid-19, please defer your attendance until you're feeling well. We'll all be breathing the same air in that meeting room and, while you are absolutely welcome to wear a mask, it isn't exactly conducive to singing.

We will have name/pronoun stickers, sheet music, and folders available at our meetings. The sheet music is also available on our Drive. The only things you need to bring are your voice and the vocal-chord-friendly drink of your choice!

The UU campus has multiple lots, buildings, and doors, so we have a video demonstrating how to get to our rehearsal space from either lot. (Apologies for my winded smoker wheezing!)

We can't wait to sing with y'all on Tuesday!

- El Pethybridge, Director

TrianglePaganChoir@gmail.com

P.S. In addition to this blog, there are a number of ways to stay updated on our events. We have a mailing list for weekly email reminders and can even send you an Invite directly through Google Calendar. Email us at the address above to be added to both or either of these lists. If you use Discord, you can join our server to stay updated. If you use BlueSky, you can follow us there for updates. You can also find us on Facebook at our Page and in our Group, where we share Events and other info. If you'd like to be added to the Invite list for our Facebook Events, please follow our Page or join our Group (otherwise FB won't let me send it to you) and drop us a PM. 

Next Rehearsal – 09/22/26

Our next meeting is next Tuesday!

September 22, 2026 7pm-9pm

Raleigh UU, Peace Hall, Rm. 101

3313 Wade Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27607

We still haven't managed to discuss whether we should continue singing "We All Come from the Goddess" so I'm just going to put it in a poll on our Discord server and Facebook group. If you have an opinion, feel free to read our previous blog entry about it and shoot me an email at the address below. The next Sabbat coming up is Mabon, so we can continue working on "Harvest Chant", "Equinox Chant", and "Guri". The Moon will be Waxing Gibbous, so we could also work on "Luna's Lullaby" or "Moon, Sister Moon". And, of course, "Feathers" and the justice-oriented pieces from Reclaiming are always a good choice. If you'd like to be an overachiever and come prepared, sheet music and recordings for most pieces are available on our Drive.

We welcome all safe and respectful Pagan and Pagan-adjacent adults of any skill and experience level! We're community-focused rather than performance-focused, so we don't hold auditions and we welcome drop-ins. Because of the music that is best-known and most-available, our starter songs trend a little Wiccan, but we will be seeking to incorporate all kinds of Pagan and Pagan-friendly music. You can help! We welcome recommendations and leads on pertinent music that is in the public domain or is low-royalty. 

There are no fees or dues for participating, but we do gratefully welcome any cash donations* to cover the cost of renting our rehearsal space. We will have a receipt book on hand to log all donations and post aggregate info (without personally identifying information) to the blog so everyone can see where their donations are going. *We are not currently a registered 501c, so we don't have financial accounts and I can't speak to whether or not your donation is tax-deductible.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of a contagious illness, especially Covid-19, please defer your attendance until you're feeling well. We'll all be breathing the same air in that meeting room and, while you are absolutely welcome to wear a mask, it isn't exactly conducive to singing.

We will have name/pronoun stickers, sheet music, and folders available at our meetings. The sheet music is also available on our Drive. The only things you need to bring are your voice and the vocal-chord-friendly drink of your choice!

The UU campus has multiple lots, buildings, and doors, so we have a video demonstrating how to get to our rehearsal space from either lot. (Apologies for my winded smoker wheezing!)

We can't wait to sing with y'all on Tuesday!

- El Pethybridge, Director

TrianglePaganChoir@gmail.com

P.S. In addition to this blog, there are a number of ways to stay updated on our events. We have a mailing list for weekly email reminders and can even send you an Invite directly through Google Calendar. Email us at the address above to be added to both or either of these lists. If you use Discord, you can join our server to stay updated. If you use BlueSky, you can follow us there for updates. You can also find us on Facebook at our Page and in our Group, where we share Events and other info. If you'd like to be added to the Invite list for our Facebook Events, please follow our Page or join our Group (otherwise FB won't let me send it to you) and drop us a PM. Here's the FB Event for our September 22nd rehearsal.

Rehearsal Summary - 09/15/26

Two of us made it this week; our newest member returned again! I'll be honest, we mainly ran our mouths!  But I consider that time well spent and we did get in warm-ups and worked on "Guri" long enough that she's got it down pretty well!

If you'd like to review any of our material, the sheet music and recordings are available on our Drive. For the naming conventions of the recordings, see the document in our Drive. You can also listen to the TPC playlist of recordings of some of the pieces by professional artists on Spotify. If you're trying to practice at home and can't quite discern your note, you can use a keyboard app to plunk out whichever ones you're having trouble with.  (This is by no means an official endorsement, but the app I use is "Voice Training - Learn to Sing" by the developer Learn to Master. It labels the notes on the keyboard and gives you real-time feedback on what note you're singing.) If you need a tutorial on how to read music, this one seems sufficient for helping you figure out which note you want to find on the keyboard.

We didn't receive any donations this week but we remain grateful to our past generous donors! If you would like to track our accounting, you can view our donations and expenses spreadsheet and receipts on our Drive.

We can't wait to sing with y'all!

- El Pethybridge, Administrative Director

TrianglePaganChoir@gmail.com

Next Rehearsal – 09/15/26

Our next meeting is next Tuesday!

September 15, 2026 7pm-9pm

Raleigh UU, Peace Hall, Rm. 101

3313 Wade Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27607

We still haven't managed to discuss whether we should continue singing "We All Come from the Goddess" so I'm keeping that on our agenda. The next Sabbat coming up is Mabon, so we can work on "Harvest Chant", "Equinox Chant", and "Guri". The Moon will be Waxing Crescent, so we could also work on "Luna's Lullaby" or "Crescent Moon". And, of course, "Feathers" and the justice-oriented pieces from Reclaiming are always a good choice. If you'd like to be an overachiever and come prepared, sheet music and recordings for most pieces are available on our Drive.

We welcome all safe and respectful Pagan and Pagan-adjacent adults of any skill and experience level! We're community-focused rather than performance-focused, so we don't hold auditions and we welcome drop-ins. Because of the music that is best-known and most-available, our starter songs trend a little Wiccan, but we will be seeking to incorporate all kinds of Pagan and Pagan-friendly music. You can help! We welcome recommendations and leads on pertinent music that is in the public domain or is low-royalty. 

There are no fees or dues for participating, but we do gratefully welcome any cash donations* to cover the cost of renting our rehearsal space. We will have a receipt book on hand to log all donations and post aggregate info (without personally identifying information) to the blog so everyone can see where their donations are going. *We are not currently a registered 501c, so we don't have financial accounts and I can't speak to whether or not your donation is tax-deductible.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of a contagious illness, especially Covid-19, please defer your attendance until you're feeling well. We'll all be breathing the same air in that meeting room and, while you are absolutely welcome to wear a mask, it isn't exactly conducive to singing.

We will have name/pronoun stickers, sheet music, and folders available at our meetings. The sheet music is also available on our Drive. The only things you need to bring are your voice and the vocal-chord-friendly drink of your choice!

The UU campus has multiple lots, buildings, and doors, so we have a video demonstrating how to get to our rehearsal space from either lot. (Apologies for my winded smoker wheezing!)

We can't wait to sing with y'all on Tuesday!

- El Pethybridge, Director

TrianglePaganChoir@gmail.com

P.S. In addition to this blog, there are a number of ways to stay updated on our events. We have a mailing list for weekly email reminders and can even send you an Invite directly through Google Calendar. Email us at the address above to be added to both or either of these lists. If you use Discord, you can join our server to stay updated. If you use BlueSky, you can follow us there for updates. You can also find us on Facebook at our Page and in our Group, where we share Events and other info. If you'd like to be added to the Invite list for our Facebook Events, please follow our Page or join our Group (otherwise FB won't let me send it to you) and drop us a PM. Here's the FB Event for our September 15th rehearsal.

Rehearsal Summary - 09/08/26

Two of us made it this week; our newest member returned! This time she brought music books: Circle of Song: Songs, Chants, and Dances for Ritual and Celebration compiled by Kate Marks, Songs for Earthlings: A Green Spirituality Songbook compiled and edited by Julie Forest Middleton, and Yule Carols compiled and published by Magdalene O'Brien. They're all compilations of mostly Pagan music, though they also contain songs from other paths, as well. We spent a fair amount of time flipping through them and discussing the history and culture of Pagan music. She's let me take the books home to continue looking through them! Two of the books are very emphatic about not photocopying anything from them, so I'll just be using them as a starting point for seeking fair use copies of songs that seem like a good fit for us. After our stroll through the pages of history music books, we worked on both "Equinox Chant" and "Harvest Chant" again, then spent a few minutes flipping through the other songs already in our repertoire, as I gave her some of our own history and culture, explaining our changes to songs and how I came to start writing originals for us. "Samhain's Door" appealed to her, so we spent a little time working on that. We also had another quick visit with "Luna's Lullaby". Finally, we spent some more time on Melodies 2 & 3 of "Dark of the Moon" and very successfully put them together! It was nice to end the evening on a triumphant note!

If you'd like to review any of our material, the sheet music and recordings are available on our Drive. For the naming conventions of the recordings, see the document in our Drive. You can also listen to the TPC playlist of recordings of some of the pieces by professional artists on Spotify. If you're trying to practice at home and can't quite discern your note, you can use a keyboard app to plunk out whichever ones you're having trouble with.  (This is by no means an official endorsement, but the app I use is "Voice Training - Learn to Sing" by the developer Learn to Master. It labels the notes on the keyboard and gives you real-time feedback on what note you're singing.) If you need a tutorial on how to read music, this one seems sufficient for helping you figure out which note you want to find on the keyboard.

We didn't receive any donations this week but we remain grateful to our past generous donors! If you would like to track our accounting, you can view our donations and expenses spreadsheet and receipts on our Drive.

We can't wait to sing with y'all!

- El Pethybridge, Administrative Director

TrianglePaganChoir@gmail.com