July Jams

The Pine State Pitches singing at Sounds by the Sea at Fort Williams Park.

Hello and happy mid-summer! Maine has been as humid as ever this year, and now that it’s stopped raining non-stop, we’re soaking up all the sun we can. Fred and I have been enjoying long days lying in the grass and reading - well, one of us is reading, the other is trying to catch beetles with their mouth.

July is a quiet month for the Pitches. Since our May concert, we have taken a break from weekly rehearsals, and we will not start back up again until September. But never fear, that does not mean we are taking a break from performing! On Monday, July 28th, we had the pleasure of returning to Sounds by the Sea in Fort Williams Park. We sang there in 2023 and have been eager to go back ever since, and we finally got the chance this week.

Our performance was at the Bandstand, a large gazebo near the tennis courts, and it was such a unique spot to sing from. The sound was fantastic - we could hear ourselves perfectly and the audience could too. My personal favorite song at this show was Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj - looking around during the song, I saw our entire group having a blast, singing our hearts out and dancing our bums off. Singing outside on a beautiful sunny day was the highlight of my summer, and I hope we can do it again next year!

Lauren A.’s daughter, Emma, watches her perform at Sounds by the Sea.

Outside of performing, our group members have been busy as usual! Several members are involved in local community theater productions - get your tickets for Portland Player’s upcoming production of Anything Goes, Lake Region Community Theater’s production of 9 to 5 the Musical, and What You Leave from Second Story Theater Company. Other members are excitedly preparing for upcoming travels far and wide, teaching dance classes at Hustle and Flow, and moving to new homes! The way these women live such full lives and still make time to memorize every note and choreography move is nothing short of incredible to me.

Our next performance is small but exciting. If you’ve seen us perform in the past year, you heard us sing Falter by local Maine Band Golden Oak. They have honored us by inviting us to sing the song with them at their music festival in August, Under the Oaks. We cannot wait to join them on stage and see the other fantastic artists playing at the festival as well. If you’re planning to go, making sure you say hi to the many Pitches who will be there!

During these breaks from regular rehearsals, I like to search for new songs to test my vocal cords and remind myself why I love singing so much. When I’m learning a song for the first time, the notes come out imperfectly and awkwardly, and I’m reminded that it takes time and care to perfect something you care about. In my opinion, learning should be just as much about the process as it is about the end result. Instead of rushing to make it sound perfect, I’m training myself to enjoy the process and feel comfortable in not getting every note right, but enjoying the song nevertheless. Music should be about joy, and is meant to be shared - so if you love singing as much as we do, make sure you do it often! We can’t wait to share more music with you this fall.