Wide Open Spaces

How to Do It:
Singing Wide Open Spaces has been a graduation tradition for a while now at Chesapeake! This year, Chamber Singers are recording it to be played at the end of the year for our seniors in the Class of 2021, as well as the Class of 2020, who never got the chance to sing it in their last year. 

This project is audio only, so you won't have to worry about recording any video. Recording Wide Open Spaces is required for Chamber Singers and optional for Concert Choir. We're also very excited to welcome back members of the Class of 2020 to join us in this performance!

Below this and the directions, you'll see buttons that will take you to a downloadable PDF of the music for Wide Open Spaces with Mr. Napoli's rehearsal markings. Pay lots of attention to those markings! Phrasing & dynamics are what will breathe life into the recording!

You'll also see a button that takes you to the SoundTrap project where we'll be recording our tracks. If you're new to SoundTrap, you'll have to create a free account first. Those of you who haven't used SoundTrap before can reach out to friends who are currently in choir (they know SoundTrap all too well by this point), or you can email Mr. Napoli at rnapoli@aacps.org. 

To be included in the recording, please complete your recording by May 20 at 3pm. 

Thanks for being a part of this project!!​
 There are a lot of steps, but it's simpler than it seems!
  • ​When you open the project, be very careful that you only edit your own track! 
  • Click the "Add New Track" button, then close the menu that pops up at first
  • Double-click the name of the track and change the name to your first and last name, as you would like it to appear in the credits.
  • Plug in headphones. This is important to avoid feedback and also be able to hear the guide tracks
  • Double-check the solo buttons (the one that looks like a pair of headphones). Make sure the guide tracks are solo'd, so you only hear the guide track and nothing else.
    • ​If you want the click track to be turned on as well, go for it! That'll help you quite a bit for the tempo changes throughout.
  • ​Double-check that your track is highlighted, then click record! You'll hear the guide track start to play, and you'll be able to sing along with the guide track on your voice part. 
  • Once you've finished, give it a listen to make sure it sounds the way you want, and that it lines up well with the guide track.
    • ​If you like what you've got, great! You're done!
    • If you want to fix something, you can either re-record the whole thing, or you can just re-record a small section. Up to you!
  • To save your recording, hit the save button at the top, and you're done!
As always, if you have any questions, shoot Mr. Napoli an email at rnapoli@aacps.org