Monday, March 18, 2024

Moving outside your comfort zone – comfortably

My partner is always sending me videos with ideas for singing warm ups, usually involving complex clapping or stepping.

I tell her that they will be too difficult for the singers I work with. But am I being too safe and under-estimating the singers’ abilities?

Monday, March 11, 2024

Choir leaders: are you being too nice to your singers?

Sometimes an individual choir member needs to be told that they’re getting it wrong. 

In our attempt to not be unkind, we can sometimes end up being too nice, which is not helpful.

Monday, March 04, 2024

Why singing together is magical and unique

There is something special about a group of people singing together.

photo by Jason Paris

And it’s not just about sense of community and the health benefits. It really is a unique activity.

Monday, February 26, 2024

Looking after your own needs in a choir: don’t be a sheep

We went to the theatre the other day and we were the only people in the audience wearing masks.

photo by Nigel Mykura

But in all other ways, we were exactly the same as any other audience member. The same, but different.

Monday, February 19, 2024

My friend wants to be a professional, but can’t sing in tune — should I tell them?

Lots of people often tell me a similar story: someone they know is planning to go professional, but they can’t sing in tune.

Should they be told, or be allowed to make a fool of themselves in public?

Monday, February 12, 2024

When is a song ‘inappropriate’ to sing?

Not all songs are appropriate to sing in all circumstances.

But how do we know when a song is ‘inappropriate’? Here are some guidelines.

Monday, February 05, 2024

Looking for new warm up ideas? Don’t dismiss the old and familiar

I’m always looking for new ideas for the warm up start of my singing sessions.

But constant novelty is not necessarily a good thing. It can often lead to overlooking old, familiar, tried and tested exercises.