tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384080202024-03-18T10:00:31.491+00:00From the front of the choirChris Rowbury's weekly blog about choirs and singing.Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comBlogger957125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-58648674998234094942024-03-18T10:00:00.010+00:002024-03-18T10:00:00.137+00:00Moving outside your comfort zone – comfortably<p>
My partner is always sending me videos with ideas for singing warm ups,
usually involving complex clapping or stepping.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEkAghP-kLL-OSkAqaV5NP4-vsg9FEqBE0imJ3mr41vOtIlU3P4SQq42CIH6n64O6OjRbqM-tbS-WmdhMWtnb-ZP3KB7fST16Wvkkp405nbH1rnPJHkMHS2yqUQDo5UXgm0U43NrcPwyKHI-qT614qJE0Y1EM2uKLB6Ec_7ps2oD69OidAV9a/s822/Comfort_zone.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="818" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEkAghP-kLL-OSkAqaV5NP4-vsg9FEqBE0imJ3mr41vOtIlU3P4SQq42CIH6n64O6OjRbqM-tbS-WmdhMWtnb-ZP3KB7fST16Wvkkp405nbH1rnPJHkMHS2yqUQDo5UXgm0U43NrcPwyKHI-qT614qJE0Y1EM2uKLB6Ec_7ps2oD69OidAV9a/w398-h400/Comfort_zone.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="398" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
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?
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
Over the years I’ve developed a pretty good idea of what the average group of
random singers is capable of. I learnt the hard way by trying overly
complicated warm ups!
</p>
<p>
In my experience, most singers don’t have a highly developed body awareness.
Most singers find unusual rhythms hard. And many singers aren’t really sure
which is their right foot!
</p>
<p>
However, I believe that it’s important for singers to keep on growing, to face
challenges, to develop their skills over time.
</p>
<p>
For choirs that meet regularly, I’ve managed to develop vocal skills gradually
over the weeks, as well as introducing more challenging repertoire.
</p>
<p>
It’s a little different in a one-off singing session though. Yet singers will
still enjoy challenges in order to get a sense of real satisfaction when
they’ve nailed something.
</p>
<p>
As choir leaders, we’re faced with a dilemma: we want to create a safe,
supportive space so singers will feel comfortable; yet we also want to gently
nudge them out of their comfort zone in order to grow and develop. And every
singer will have their own comfort zone.
</p>
<p>
Our challenge becomes “how do we introduce new challenges whilst making sure
they’re not too difficult”? We want singers to move out of their comfort zone,
but not too far!
</p>
<p>
If you try to move out of your comfort zone too fast or too far you will move
beyond the sweet spot (the growth or optimal performance zone) and end up in
the panic/ danger zone. This will make you fearful and want to retreat to your
comfort zone again.
</p>
<p>
The secret is to do things slowly, to introduce small challenges along the
way.
</p>
<p>
This could be summarised by an adaptation of the
<a href="https://www.marquette.edu/faith/prayer-serenity.php">Serenity Prayer</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i><span style="font-size: medium;">Grant me the serenity to accept that some things are just too hard to try
(at the moment), <br />The courage to step out of my comfort zone and to
tackle some difficult things, <br />And the wisdom to know the
difference.</span></i>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
Of course, it’s not just choir leaders who have to deal with comfort zones.
Individual singers will want to grow and develop too. It’s important to set
yourself personal challenges, but not to try something that’s way too
difficult or you’ll end up feeling frustrated and a bit of a failure. Slowly,
slowly is the secret.
</p>
<h3>other posts</h3>
<p>You might find these older posts of interest too:</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2013/06/raising-bar-singing-with-people-who-are.html">Raising the bar: singing with people who are more experienced than you</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2024/02/looking-for-new-warm-up-ideas-dont.html">Looking for new warm up ideas? Don’t dismiss the old and familiar</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2022/10/working-with-established-group-who-are.html">Working with an established group (who are set in their ways)</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2022/07/its-good-to-fail-as-singer-and-you.html">It’s good to fail as a singer (and you should do it more often)</a>
</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-26258486139571506502024-03-11T10:00:00.019+00:002024-03-11T10:00:00.135+00:00Choir leaders: are you being too nice to your singers?<p>
Sometimes an individual choir member needs to be told that they’re getting it
wrong. </p><p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbRUiMzPUCdAf9eaZzHabXnvM66Aww9_MTSJ73u11CKM8PxGse80x6qQrCR6Ztg9I1Y2dLhHDgpZOQwaNT1_jTC7JVpm-XP3rmDMncsWf0HY6G7fAbdgC_sirBzJvRla1DeaYvBi1N1Wqx39f5IrbxWVmP3xuZg3Jbwzj7vfCypFI-3hhw5bn/s799/supportive.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbRUiMzPUCdAf9eaZzHabXnvM66Aww9_MTSJ73u11CKM8PxGse80x6qQrCR6Ztg9I1Y2dLhHDgpZOQwaNT1_jTC7JVpm-XP3rmDMncsWf0HY6G7fAbdgC_sirBzJvRla1DeaYvBi1N1Wqx39f5IrbxWVmP3xuZg3Jbwzj7vfCypFI-3hhw5bn/w400-h266/supportive.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/redroom/">Ondřej Lipár</a></div>
<p></p>
<p>
In our attempt to not be unkind, we can sometimes end up being too nice, which
is not helpful.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
Too often people believe that leaders are allowed to be obnoxious and
aggressive as long as they get the job done. Think of all those charismatic
directors and conductors who are really not very nice people, but are
tolerated because of their ‘genius’.
</p>
<p>As choir leaders, we try not to be those people.</p>
<p>
We try to lead firmly, but kindly; expect high standards, but never shout or
demean. In short, we want to be seen as kind, compassionate leaders.
</p>
<p>
But we also need to be firm. We need to tell people exactly how it is. We have
to correct singers or point out where they’re going wrong.
</p>
<p>
How can we say what we mean, without being mean? How can we be direct whilst
being kind?
</p>
<p>
Because we care personally about our choir members, we often end up not being
direct enough because we want to be seen as being ‘nice’. We don’t want to
hurt singers’ feelings, so we don’t tell the whole truth.
</p>
<p>
But that’s not helpful. If we avoid being direct with a singer, they will
never know that they’re getting things wrong. They won’t be given the
opportunity to improve and develop.
</p>
<p>
We need to find a way to care personally whilst challenging our singers
directly.
</p>
<p>
This is what CEO coach and author
<a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/kim_scott">Kim Scott</a> calls “radical
candour” (and she calls being too nice “ruinous empathy”). Here she is giving
a TED Talk on the subject:
</p>
<div style="max-width: 600px;"><div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 56.25%; position: relative;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="336" scrolling="no" src="https://embed.ted.com/talks/lang/en/kim_scott_how_to_lead_with_radical_candor" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="600"></iframe></div></div>
<p>
Although aimed at bosses and business leaders, there are many things we can
take away as choir leaders.
</p>
<p>It is possible to be kind and direct. Let’s hope we can all find the balance!</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-84589282681486930412024-03-04T10:00:00.011+00:002024-03-08T14:48:26.445+00:00Why singing together is magical and unique<p>There is something special about a group of people singing together.</p>
<p></p>
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH8D7XHOrvfYYCV2H3Lw3rSm4DxODRByabUIrkdcgyrHRDGSGbMEzk7gKfjvVsxO9D894emXeDFJMvtnrdzM4vbjN15PvFi9hxV4SAOMWyvIv90tz5FV_ko-gaRw3clZQJo5Kq4yWNf4C-zz4tGVoTbyRzvtKAXaBCRraz9_wUHZBQUS0HwJn/s2048/singing%20together.jpg"
imageanchor="1"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="1536"
data-original-width="2048"
height="300"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH8D7XHOrvfYYCV2H3Lw3rSm4DxODRByabUIrkdcgyrHRDGSGbMEzk7gKfjvVsxO9D894emXeDFJMvtnrdzM4vbjN15PvFi9hxV4SAOMWyvIv90tz5FV_ko-gaRw3clZQJo5Kq4yWNf4C-zz4tGVoTbyRzvtKAXaBCRraz9_wUHZBQUS0HwJn/w400-h300/singing%20together.jpg"
style="display: inline;" width="400"
/></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonparis/">Jason Paris</a></div>
<p></p>
<p>
And it’s not just about sense of community and the health benefits. It really
is a unique activity.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
Think of an activity that enables any mixed group of strangers of any age to
create something beautiful together, as a team, in a matter of minutes. With
no equipment, no previous experience, no special clothing, and anywhere you
like.
</p>
<p>Thought of something yet?</p>
<p>
I believe there is only one candidate:
<b><font size="3">singing together</font></b
>.
</p>
<p>
More than that: singing together in harmony with no musical accompaniment.
</p>
<p>It’s probably the best fun you can have with your clothes on!</p>
<p>
It’s magical and special, and I really can’t think of any other activity that
fits the bill.
</p>
<p>
Plus, you also get the health benefits and social cohesion and sense of
community. What’s not to like?
</p>
<p>This is why I love my job.</p>
<p>
Don’t believe it’s possible? Come to one of my
<a href="https://chrisrowbury.com">singing events</a>, or any run by my
colleagues in the
<a href="https://naturalvoice.net" target="_blank">Natural Voice Network</a>.
</p>
<p>
No singing experience needed, no prior musical knowledge expected, no need to
read music, come with friends or cosy up with strangers ... and witness magic
in minutes.
</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-39308820890404854202024-02-26T10:00:00.016+00:002024-02-26T10:00:00.254+00:00Looking after your own needs in a choir: don’t be a sheep<p>
We went to the theatre the other day and we were the only people in the
audience wearing masks.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gTNkMW4F8tD8GOdzUo1_EcdguaqE2bI0C5EwsZgwBaa0n-M93LrrHhsa_pGrCli17LPDtNbTLmEwfgKxwwwwzTuP8NuNXiodOAFVkz3keLEkdjQiTO1tnxK52RdNnfldKJWXgGlri0ZAe3sMgAJwz-X6Zd-t6LFdBCyTgue5c9h9mt-Qp_7I/s640/black%20sheep.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="640" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gTNkMW4F8tD8GOdzUo1_EcdguaqE2bI0C5EwsZgwBaa0n-M93LrrHhsa_pGrCli17LPDtNbTLmEwfgKxwwwwzTuP8NuNXiodOAFVkz3keLEkdjQiTO1tnxK52RdNnfldKJWXgGlri0ZAe3sMgAJwz-X6Zd-t6LFdBCyTgue5c9h9mt-Qp_7I/w400-h241/black%20sheep.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">photo by <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/14584">Nigel Mykura</a></div>
<p></p>
<p>
But in all other ways, we were exactly the same as any other audience member.
The same, but different.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
A choir works in much the same way. In some sense everybody is the same:
people with a voice singing the same song as everyone else.
</p>
<p>
Yet all choir members are individuals. They can differ in height, gender,
clothing, voice part and so on, but put these individual differences don’t
impinge on the overall function of the choir: to sing together harmoniously.
</p>
<p>
Being in a choir is always a balance between the needs of the individual and
those of the team working on the task at hand (see
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2014/03/singing-in-choir-balancing-individual.html" target="_blank">Singing in a choir – balancing individual freedom with the demands of the
team</a>).
</p>
<h3>considering individual needs</h3>
<p>
It’s important to try to meet the needs of each individual as much as possible
so each singer feels safe and comfortable and able to participate fully.
</p>
<p>That might mean things like:</p>
<ul>
<li>
moving taller singers to the back so that shorter singers can see the choir
leader more clearly, or getting the choir leader to stand on a podium;
</li>
<li>
asking the choir leader to use a microphone so everyone (especially those
with hearing problems) can hear properly;
</li>
<li>
opening a few windows if it gets too hot, or closing doors and putting the
heat on if it gets too cold;
</li>
<li>providing lyric sheets in large print for those with vision problems;</li>
<li>
illustrating song structure with diagrams for those who aren’t neurotypical
or who respond best to visual cues.
</li>
</ul>
<p>None of these small things will affect the choir as a whole.</p>
<p>
However, if only one choir member is cold (and all the rest are hot), then
putting the heating on is probably not a good idea. Or if only one choir
member can read sheet music, it’s not necessary to hand scores out to the
whole choir. Or if only one choir member needs large print, there’s no need to
provide large print copies to the entire choir.
</p>
<h3>looking after yourself in a choir</h3>
<p>
There will be some individual needs that your choir leader will be unaware of
(but remember to
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2019/11/let-your-choir-leader-know-if-you-have.html" target="_blank">Let your choir leader know if you have any special needs – they won’t know
otherwise</a>), so you will need to take steps to look after yourself (as long as it
doesn’t affect the whole choir).
</p>
<p>
For example, if you have a bad back or knee, you may need to sit down whilst
everyone else is standing. Or on the other hand, if your choir sits to sing,
you may need to stand up from time to time so that your leg/hip doesn’t seize
up.
</p>
<p>
For example, you may have a health condition that makes you very hot, or
requires you to avoid catching colds. In which case, you may choose to stand
by an open window.
</p>
<p>
In each of these cases, you may find that you’re the only choir member doing
that particular thing. But that’s OK. Everyone has their own needs (which
change from time to time). Every singer is different.
</p>
<p>
Don’t be a sheep and follow everyone else just because. It may feel a little uncomfortable at first, being the odd one out, but it's important to look after yourself
and your own needs. We've all been there!<br /></p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-8783594714496473692024-02-19T10:00:00.008+00:002024-02-19T10:00:00.434+00:00My friend wants to be a professional, but can’t sing in tune — should I tell them?<p>
Lots of people often tell me a similar story: someone they know is planning to
go professional, but they can’t sing in tune.
</p>
<p></p>
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_VTL9QwM0yVlWhh2_bImX3cgnUpEwt4jjxEHWOTg-jY5jNfPgDwfLqRx9-LZFAtOINmNYW1Y9X_V50GU0GBS9o3NGGAG_P2sBIQMo2vmGE_BYjnxfXUlKPMgDMyUHtzRQZRIksojLyR_fseaKlUTHM4WAPyXvmxz3DAWD5UPxgpqB96QpPgO/s1200/professional%20singer.jpg"
imageanchor="1"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="800"
data-original-width="1200"
height="266"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_VTL9QwM0yVlWhh2_bImX3cgnUpEwt4jjxEHWOTg-jY5jNfPgDwfLqRx9-LZFAtOINmNYW1Y9X_V50GU0GBS9o3NGGAG_P2sBIQMo2vmGE_BYjnxfXUlKPMgDMyUHtzRQZRIksojLyR_fseaKlUTHM4WAPyXvmxz3DAWD5UPxgpqB96QpPgO/w400-h266/professional%20singer.jpg"
style="display: inline;" width="400"
/></a>
<p></p>
<p>
Should they be told, or be allowed to make a fool of themselves in public?
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>Someone wrote to me recently with this dilemma:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i
>“A person I know sings really badly: flat, off-key, and loud. They have
no idea how awful they sound. Their friends and family tell them that
their voice is great, so they have recorded and uploaded dozens of songs
to their YouTube channel and Facebook page. Recently they announced their
intention to go professional with their singing.”</i
>
</p>
<i></i>
<p>
<i
>“Should I tactfully tell them that they need to get some voice training
first, or should I stay silent? I wouldn't want to destroy their
self-confidence, but I fear that they are going to be devastated if they
put themselves out there and then learn the truth.”</i
>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Wow! What a difficult situation to be in.</p>
<p>There’s a lot to unpick here.</p>
<h3>they have no idea how awful they sound …</h3>
<p>
… and yet friends and family tell them their voice is great. Who is correct?
</p>
<p>
We’ve all seen shows like the X Factor where friends and family simply don’t
understand why their friend is being booed and sent home.
</p>
<p>
Friends and family can be bad judges of singing ability because they want
their loved-one to succeed. They can become deaf to any imperfections in their
singing.
</p>
<p>But maybe they’re right. Maybe this person does have a great voice.</p>
<p>
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and singing quality is in the ear of the
listener. Back to X Factor: how many times have you thought someone has an
‘awful voice’ yet they’ve been voted through? Whilst another singer who you
think is brilliant is voted off.
</p>
<h3>they intend to go ‘professional’</h3>
<p>
Does that mean they’re trying to earn a living from their singing, or just get
a few local gigs and more followers on YouTube and Facebook?
</p>
<p>
If they’re trying to earn a living, they will soon find out whether their
voice is saleable or not. They simply won’t get booked or sing to empty rooms.
It doesn’t mean that their voice is ‘awful’, just that they can’t hack it
professionally.
</p>
<p>
There are many talented, super-confident singers out there with great voices
and who sing in tune, yet can’t get gigs or record deals.
</p>
<h3>should I ‘tactfully’ tell them?</h3>
<p>
There are two questions here: should I tell them at all, and if so, how can I
do it tactfully?
</p>
<p>
I would suggest that it’s impossible to tell them tactfully! You’ll just be
pouring water on their dreams however you phrase it. They’re way ahead of you
with their YouTube channel and business cards. It’s a bit late to be telling
them they can’t sing in tune.
</p>
<p>
But should you be telling them in the first place? In my opinion, it’s none of
your business. What does it matter to you if they try to be professional and
fail? They seem to have loads of confidence and self-belief, so I doubt if
they’ll get knocked back. I’m sure they realise that not everyone can become a
star.
</p>
<h3>they will be devastated when they learn the truth</h3>
<p>
It’s a tough world out there whatever we try and achieve. Perhaps even more so
in the professional creative arts (singing, acting, writing, etc.).
</p>
<p>
There are 1,000s of talented creative people all chasing a career and limited
opportunities. Some trained, others not.Not everyone is going to make it. Some
people give up at the first hurdle whilst others stick at it for years. It
depends on their personality rather than any talent they may or may not have.
</p>
<p>
And what is the ‘truth’ about their voice any way? It might be awful or it
might be an acquired taste. In either case, whether they can hack it in the
professional world or not has little to do with whether they can sing in tune.
</p>
<h3>other posts</h3>
<p>You might find these older posts of interest too:</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2014/03/never-tell-someone-they-cant-sing-it-is.html"
target="_blank"
>Never tell someone they can’t sing – it is brutal, damaging and untrue</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2014/07/never-let-fake-perfection-of-pop.html"
target="_blank"
>Never let the fake perfection of pop singers put you off singing</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2022/11/singing-with-dirt-left-on.html"
target="_blank"
>Singing with the dirt left on</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2022/07/its-good-to-fail-as-singer-and-you.html"
target="_blank"
>It’s good to fail as a singer (and you should do it more often)</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2022/10/dont-chase-fame-singing-is-reward.html"
target="_blank"
>Don’t chase fame – singing is reward enough in itself</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2023/01/the-good-enough-singer.html"
target="_blank"
>The good enough singer</a
>
</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-4099973296695370052024-02-12T10:00:00.011+00:002024-02-12T10:00:00.137+00:00When is a song ‘inappropriate’ to sing?<p>Not all songs are appropriate to sing in all circumstances.</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvWffiMhVA-2qG8niJ-i8ysaOaGn-7hPQAlIYV2oYQlKwsYYxoVKOYT568Pabd_amK-jbLQe9agNlTlxusawQMDDScROkPEWD0j10qYBoWvwAW8b7g-DAuYleZuJgLMzkF3yodzml8ByuMXp6qDikMOZAo2BSBMPX8ymC2_sI_pihsgQ9SF_9/s1200/inappropriate.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvWffiMhVA-2qG8niJ-i8ysaOaGn-7hPQAlIYV2oYQlKwsYYxoVKOYT568Pabd_amK-jbLQe9agNlTlxusawQMDDScROkPEWD0j10qYBoWvwAW8b7g-DAuYleZuJgLMzkF3yodzml8ByuMXp6qDikMOZAo2BSBMPX8ymC2_sI_pihsgQ9SF_9/w400-h283/inappropriate.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
But how do we know when a song is ‘inappropriate’? Here are some guidelines.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
A teacher emailed me recently to ask for my advice. They had received a
complaint from a parent about one of the songs that was going to be taught in
class. The parent felt that the choice of song was ‘political’ in some way.
The song was a well-know song of peace in Hebrew. I guess (they didn’t
clarify) that the parent somehow connected the choice of song with the current
situation in Gaza and Israel.
</p>
<p>
The teacher concerned couldn’t understand how their choice of song was
political in any way (that wasn’t their intention), and asked me for my
advice.
</p>
<p>
This got me thinking more generally: when might a song be considered
‘inappropriate’?
</p>
<p>There are three main areas to consider:</p>
<h3>1. context</h3>
<p>
What is going on in the world/ your local area right now (e.g. war in Ukraine/
Gaza, recent local anti-racist demonstrations, anniversary of a major
disaster)?
</p>
<p>
What kind of venue are the songs being performed in (e.g, church, school,
community centre)?
</p>
<p>
Who is your audience and singers (e.g. white middle-aged women, local Jewish
group, Tory supporters)?
</p>
<p>
What is the occasion/theme of any performance (e.g. Black history month,
LGBTQ+ celebration, Remembrance Day)?
</p>
<p>What local culture is the song being learnt and/ or performed in?</p>
<p>Does time and place impinge on your choice of song in any way?</p>
<p>
Have you consulted your singers/ audience/ venue about your choice of song?
</p>
<h3>2. content</h3>
<p>What is the song about?</p>
<p>Are the lyrics offensive in any way?</p>
<p>What story is the song telling?</p>
<p>
These considerations are even more important if the song is in a foreign
language: is the translation correct and have you considered the cultural
context of the song’s words?
</p>
<p>Are the lyrics age-appropriate for the singers and/ or audience?</p>
<p>
If it’s an old or traditional song, might the lyrics be misconstrued in the
present cultural and social climate?
</p>
<h3>3. cultural origins</h3>
<p>
Is it appropriate to sing this song outside the cultural context of its
origins?
</p>
<p>Are you honouring the source of the song?</p>
<p>Does the song make sense stripped of its cultural origins?</p>
<p>
Are you sure the particular demographic of your singers should be singing this
song?
</p>
<h3>somebody might still be upset</h3>
<p>
No matter how hard you try to be sensitive and choose appropriate songs,
somebody might still be upset. It’s impossible to know the individual
experience of every singer, parent or audience member. Somebody may have been
recently bereaved. Somebody may have a son fighting abroad. Somebody may be
married to a person from the culture your song is from.
</p>
<p>
All you can do is to be as sensitive as possible, do your research and choose
songs with the best intentions.And remember, that circumstances will change over time.<br /></p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-80126766172642952542024-02-05T10:05:00.000+00:002024-02-05T10:05:59.363+00:00Looking for new warm up ideas? Don’t dismiss the old and familiar<p>
I’m always looking for new ideas for the warm up start of my singing sessions.
</p>
<p></p>
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtjof4utZ0t1SJalH4t0vSZjCAjXluM_YYF-kBLVcQTDnZYdPYRMLzDHwivVyRnudsFtWOQvhNDJsdiGvF2Nz4WZx3_KI54o1hYVKOTWLbYUlZoZDHbLdLsepPSyrNgUhijWtUUXzRW8feENp2NrT_HcjzGh9lXOqvD8Eo8cFFGs4HaKGtiF3/s796/humming.png"
imageanchor="1"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="537"
data-original-width="796"
height="270"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtjof4utZ0t1SJalH4t0vSZjCAjXluM_YYF-kBLVcQTDnZYdPYRMLzDHwivVyRnudsFtWOQvhNDJsdiGvF2Nz4WZx3_KI54o1hYVKOTWLbYUlZoZDHbLdLsepPSyrNgUhijWtUUXzRW8feENp2NrT_HcjzGh9lXOqvD8Eo8cFFGs4HaKGtiF3/w400-h270/humming.png"
style="display: inline;" width="400"
/></a>
<p></p>
<p>
But constant novelty is not necessarily a good thing. It can often lead to
overlooking old, familiar, tried and tested exercises.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I admit I have a low boredom threshold. I like to try new things all the time.
</p>
<p>
Like many choir leaders, I worry that I need to entertain my singers and keep
them interested with fun, new ideas and repertoire all the time. It’s a
thankless task!
</p>
<p>But it doesn’t have to be that way.</p>
<p>
Instead of constantly chasing the new, focus on the things that work and that
singers are familiar with.
</p>
<p>
Singers who come to choir every week like to sing lots of the old songs and
start with familiar warm ups. Yes, it’s great to learn new songs and new warm
ups, but that can be tiring and challenging. Singers like to be in their
comfort zone from time to time.
</p>
<p>
If you feel that your warm ups are becoming a little stale, or that singers
are simply going through the motions, then you can mix things up. For example:
</p>
<ul>
<li>do the warm up exercises in a different order;</li>
<li>run an exercise backwards;</li>
<li>combine physical and vocal exercises;</li>
<li>
ask singers to focus on a specific area whilst doing a warm up, e.g.
dynamics, listening, watching other singers;
</li>
<li>go deeper and more accurately into a warm up;</li>
<li>split the choir into smaller groups during the warm up;</li>
<li>do everything in the dark.</li>
</ul>
<p>
And if all else fails, you can always delegate: divide the choir into smaller
groups and get each group to choose their favourite warm up then lead the rest
of the choir in it.
</p>
<h3>other posts</h3>
<p>Here are some older posts you might find useful:</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/12/10-ideas-to-keep-you-going-when-you.html"
target="_blank"
>10 ideas to keep you going when you feel like giving up</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2018/04/what-to-do-when-you-run-out-of-ideas.html"
target="_blank"
>What to do when you run out of ideas</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2015/03/less-is-more-dont-feel-you-have-to.html"
target="_blank"
>Less is more: don’t feel you have to teach or learn new songs all the time
(by Betsy Sansby)</a
>
</p>
<p>
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2023/07/novelty-vs-familiarity-how-to-keep.html"
target="_blank"
>Novelty vs. familiarity – how to keep things fresh without alienating your
singers</a
>
</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-3081207763045678882024-01-29T10:00:00.014+00:002024-01-29T10:00:00.135+00:00Changing your choir members’ payment system<p>
I wrote an earlier post about different choir payment systems:
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2023/11/pay-as-you-go-or-regular-fee-upfront.html"
target="_blank"
>Pay as you go or regular fee upfront – what is the best system for singers
in your choir?</a
>
</p>
<p></p>
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUYCDp6rXdzQxvle9r1gqhVkRE4WBY_vC7WM-jx0VCFHKZ5j-ZdnuuF0HbuUr14xkjJTRTrE7LnQzsfAYcINpnJctg306-tucPYUGh4BUfZO1rnIQOgOYue1Dmrk0gogglnuEcOPtO3w4vdB8pBnXUJu_G-VDu8DgqffpqxnCoUqv5M35Cgpi/s1200/payment.jpg"
imageanchor="1"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="800"
data-original-width="1200"
height="266"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUYCDp6rXdzQxvle9r1gqhVkRE4WBY_vC7WM-jx0VCFHKZ5j-ZdnuuF0HbuUr14xkjJTRTrE7LnQzsfAYcINpnJctg306-tucPYUGh4BUfZO1rnIQOgOYue1Dmrk0gogglnuEcOPtO3w4vdB8pBnXUJu_G-VDu8DgqffpqxnCoUqv5M35Cgpi/w400-h266/payment.jpg"
style="display: inline;" width="400"
/></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">photo by <a href="http://www.nyphotographic.com/">Nick Youngson</a> <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> <a href="http://alphastockimages.com/">Alpha Stock Images</a></div>
<p></p>
<p>
What if you want to change from one system to another? How can you make it as
pain-free and simple as possible?
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I’ve already considered the
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2023/11/pay-as-you-go-or-regular-fee-upfront.html"
target="_blank"
>pros and cons of the two main choir payment methods</a
>: pay as you go (PAYG) and lump sum in advance.
</p>
<p>
As your choir develops and grows you might think about changing the payment
method you currently use.
</p>
<p>
For example, a new choir might start out as PAYG whilst it attracts members.
You don’t want to put people off at an early stage. You want to allow people
to try out the new choir without too much commitment.
</p>
<p>
But over time, a new choir will settle down and start to develop a regular
(and hopefully growing) membership. You might end up doing more performances
and more complex songs, both of which require more of a regular commitment
from choir members. If singers can drop in and out whenever they choose, it
can make rehearsals more difficult.
</p>
<p>
Moving from PAYG to a lump sum payment can upset some people. But it may also
mean that poor, irregular attenders will either quit or start to come more
regularly.
</p>
<p>
Paying a lump sum in advance is like buying your place in the choir. You may
not be able to make every single rehearsal, but your place is guaranteed
(otherwise someone on the waiting list can have it!).
</p>
<p>
Moving from one system to another might be difficult for those on a low
income. Paying a small amount each week can be more manageable than having to
fork out a lump sum at the beginning of each term.
</p>
<p>
If you do decide to move to a lump sum system, you need to make sure that you
don’t exclude anyone. You might want to offer singers the option of paying in
instalments (one of my singers used to pay each half of the term separately).
You could also offer tiered membership: discounted rates for those on lower
incomes, plus the option to pay an ‘enhanced’ rate for those who can afford it
(thus subsidising some of the poorer members).
</p>
<p>
Make sure you have a clear and simple method of payment. Some choirs ask
members to set up a standing order from their bank. Others might allow PayPal
or bank transfer before term starts. Whichever method(s) you choose, ensure
that it’s accessible for everyone.
</p>
<p>
However you decide to manage the change in payment method, you need to give
your singers plenty of advance notice and an opportunity to speak to someone
in private if they are having financial difficulties.
</p>
<p>
It’s rare that a choir will move from a lump sum in advance method to PAYG,
but it is possible. This will probably be less painful for choir members, but
will increase admin. Again, you need to let singers have plenty of notice.
</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-47857989796697523022024-01-22T10:00:00.008+00:002024-01-22T10:00:00.143+00:00Need some motivation? Create a deadline and let everyone know!<p>
It was
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(date)" target="_blank"
>blue Monday</a
>
this week: apparently the most depressing day of the year here in the UK.
</p>
<p></p>
<a
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQmAGxVxDFcm4tr544JYyvdoPL1TSJrXh8VnYXJOz0VSdTMORV-zYrcCsGIC-DNcMUC808Hc-_gtdRegXVwEws6D_GDpF8xkR6ZDnBXM9uqaPk-q5tLq-FcOvWeY3xeImfKXox5IzJreLBduUpl2ILc3CynjDtgmoxI7YoM7CU8Hyx4QHM0pm/s6000/deadline.jpg"
imageanchor="1"
><img
border="0"
data-original-height="4000"
data-original-width="6000"
height="266"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQmAGxVxDFcm4tr544JYyvdoPL1TSJrXh8VnYXJOz0VSdTMORV-zYrcCsGIC-DNcMUC808Hc-_gtdRegXVwEws6D_GDpF8xkR6ZDnBXM9uqaPk-q5tLq-FcOvWeY3xeImfKXox5IzJreLBduUpl2ILc3CynjDtgmoxI7YoM7CU8Hyx4QHM0pm/w400-h266/deadline.jpg"
style="display: inline;" width="400"
/></a>
<p></p>
<p>
The short days, bad weather, cold nights, all conspire to rob us of our
motivation. Here’s an idea that might help.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I’ve written before about how you can
<a
href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2020/04/create-your-own-deadlines-and-bring.html"
target="_blank"
>Create your own deadlines and bring some structure to your life and work</a
>. But deadlines can also work wonders if you’re lacking motivation.
</p>
<p>
Nothing focuses the mind more than a looming deadline. Even if you’re feeling
low, unwell, lacking motivation, lazy, or just not bothered, you still need to
get the job done.
</p>
<p>
However, a deadline will only work if you make it widely known. You have to
publicly proclaim your deadline or you’ll just let it slip.
</p>
<p>
As a singer you might put your name down for an open mic night, or volunteer
to sing solo at your next choir concert, or sign up (and pay) for a singing
lesson, or agree with some friends to put on a performance.
</p>
<p>
As a choir leader you might set a date to run a singing workshop, or organise
a concert for your choir, or arrange a song for the next choir rehearsal, or
sign up (and pay) for a course involving professional development.
</p>
<p>
Whatever it is, once it’s out there and on people’s calendars, it becomes much
harder to not do it or you’ll be letting people down.
</p>
<p>
The say that desire follows action. In the same way, motivation follows a
deadline!
</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-28547151413281049022024-01-15T10:00:00.027+00:002024-01-15T10:58:32.682+00:00What is ‘community singing’? — an attempted definition by Liz Rog: part 2<p>
A couple of months ago I wrote a post entitled
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2023/11/what-is-community-choir.html" target="_blank">What is a ‘community choir’?</a>
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4WdJaQHA2xUQAd-J-wGMuSRnuxZJEvI6MFjSVqQUconFkDV9tiYQ7jNWcu1TeML6E8LV2C5mQS7Z_eiUT91iq828OKUOy3F7ezegkvljVffg0HtrWCKdNa3vYiPxsfGnbcj5Q3saP514OwQYM6dWnDY7OG2jmmr7q2oE-BWICz9v1mSBvkpA/s928/Village%20Fire.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="928" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4WdJaQHA2xUQAd-J-wGMuSRnuxZJEvI6MFjSVqQUconFkDV9tiYQ7jNWcu1TeML6E8LV2C5mQS7Z_eiUT91iq828OKUOy3F7ezegkvljVffg0HtrWCKdNa3vYiPxsfGnbcj5Q3saP514OwQYM6dWnDY7OG2jmmr7q2oE-BWICz9v1mSBvkpA/w400-h303/Village%20Fire.png" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
Now it’s the turn of Liz Rog to attempt a definition. Last week was <a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2024/01/what-is-community-singing-attempted.html">part 1</a>,
now this is part 2.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
This is a guest post by song leader Liz Rog who is based in the US in Decorah,
Iowa. She is closely involved with
<a href="http://www.villagefiresinging.org/" target="_blank">Village Fire Singing</a>
and helped to create the
<a href="https://www.centerforbelonging.earth/" target="_blank">Center for Belonging Folk School</a>. Her post is in two parts. The <a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2024/01/what-is-community-singing-attempted.html">first part</a> looked at possible definitions of
‘community singing’ and who community singing is actually for. Part two now
goes on to describe the emergence of new song leaders and the re-emergence of
a community singing movement.
</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i>“All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. The only
lasting truth is change”</i>
—
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_E._Butler" target="_blank">Octavia Butler</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>songs for these times</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i>”If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to
each other”</i>
—
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa" target="_blank">Mother Teresa</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
Sometime in the 00s I came to realize that songs for these times were being
born in living people, and the songs offered messages, tunes, and rhythms that
could draw us in, if only there were someone willing to step up and teach
them. I saw that learning a song well enough to teach it and taking the risk
of standing out and making mistakes was an act of resistance against the
Western culture of perfection, isolation, and silence. I started to learn
these short, simple, meaningful (and often playful!) songs, and, having turned
my face toward the strong wind that was blowing more and more songs across the
land, I came to feel part of a movement. This movement is the current
iteration of community singing, resonating deeply in our culture as we seek to
find our way back to connection to each other and the natural world.
</p>
<p>
At first there were many songs in English, mostly new songs but also old camp
songs found their way into the permeable repertoire, like ‘Edelweiss’ and
‘Vive L'amour’. Then came many songs from African countries as well as
indigenous nations of
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_Island_(Indigenous_North_American_folklore)" target="_blank">Turtle Island</a>. Then many of us white Euro-Americans began learning about appropriation and
paused on singing those. Then songs from other languages and regions showed up
through respectful relationships and knowledge, and we took some of them on.
Then we learned that if we sing African-American spirituals we must understand
their history and meaning and share attribution to those stories.
</p>
<p>
At some point
<a href="https://satyaloka.net/what-is-kirtan-music/" target="_blank">Kirtan singing</a>
showed up, and more drumming came in, and
<a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/ritual-and-worship/shape-note-singing/" target="_blank">shape note singing</a>, and Jewish
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigun" target="_blank">niguns</a>, and
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkan_music" target="_blank">Balkan singing</a>, and improvisational singing. Sometimes some people want bigger, more
complicated songs whose learning is facilitated with paper notation. Our
learning and adjusting is ongoing because we are listening and growing.
</p>
<p>
Many singer-songwriters are now writing songs that are easy for people to
learn and sing together. People who never thought of themselves as songwriters
are ‘catching’ songs (that’s the term that many are using in order to suggest
that the songs come from another invisible place, landing in the body of
someone who’s paying attention). The songs are often about the very things we
are examining, longing for, practicing: to affirm belonging, inspire courage,
mark transitions, learn together, grieve and celebrate.
</p>
<p>
Sometimes I notice a new explosion of songs on a particular theme. At the time
of this writing it seems that many people are making songs about belonging.
After the
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd" target="_blank">murder of George Floyd</a>, a new bunch of songs for justice and abolition showed up. Recently I’ve
noticed more people catching and singing laments. For so long many people
disparaged the
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullah" target="_blank">Gullah</a> song
‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbaya" target="_blank">Kumbaya</a>’,
but then we heard stories about its origins and meaning, and folks are once
again giving respectful breath to that song.
</p>
<p>
The songs are rearranging our thinking and our doing. They are giving us a
common lexicon with which to hold and converse around the hard things we’re
facing--climate chaos, political division, fear, grief--and they are giving us
a way to share love, compassion, and joy with each other. The songs, and the
culture of inclusion (though not always perfect!) are giving us better tools
for listening and voicing in a brave and compassionate space.
</p>
<h3>the songs are rearranging us</h3>
<p>
<i>“One doesn’t wait for a revolution. One becomes it”</i> —
<a href="https://www.carlsafina.org/" target="_blank">Carl Safina</a>
</p>
<p>
The songs are giving us language around nature, our mother. We learn a song
about a specific plant or creature; this causes us to pay more attention to
that living being and then become curious about the next. The songs give us a
way to honour that which we are part of and have often taken for granted. They
give us a way to show our grief for her/our tragic losses.
</p>
<p>
What are some of the ways of song that you know? Classical, oldies, pop, show
tunes, country, lullaby, bluegrass, work songs, church, Gregorian chants, big
band, rock and roll, gospel, hip hop, world music, … Though these genres are
less typically found in community singing circles, they sure could show up. In
the end what really matters most are the gestures and practices that uphold
our priority of connecting with each other.
</p>
<p>
Here’s another great trend: Nowadays some organizers of meetings and
gatherings that aren’t ostensibly about or for singing — work meetings,
activist conferences, teaching workshops — are hiring song leaders to bring
the power of song as a special sauce to help relax, energize, and coalesce the
group.
</p>
<p>
We gather in homes, parks, cities and towns and raise up these songs together,
and then we ross-pollinate during song camps, more and more of which are
popping up across the continent. All of the parts--learning together, singing
locally, and cross-pollinating our communities at camps and workshops-- feel
ancient, magical, and essential.
</p>
<p>
And on it goes, and who knows what’s next. Because we have found ways to bring
song into everyday life, and neighbourhoods and communities ARE once again
becoming places where people can burst into common song just like in the
storybooks. No one needs to be the star, and we are using the songs to lift
each other up and to listen well. We have a technology, using the most ancient
instrument of voice, to change culture, change lives, and change the course of
history.
</p>
<h3>the community singing movement</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i>“The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible”</i> —
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Cade_Bambara" target="_blank">Toni Cade Bambara</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
The <i>community singing movement</i> that is active and growing right now in
western countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Great
Britain got its start in England in the 1980s. If you’d like to read all about
that, check out the book
<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-different-voice-a-different-song-9780199354559?cc=us&lang=en&" target="_blank">A Different Voice, A Different Song</a>
by
<a href="https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/caroline.bithell" target="_blank">Caroline Bithell</a>. But of course it also ‘began’ before that with roots in the American Folk
Music Revival, and before that in the Civil Rights movement, and before that
in the Labour Movement, and on and on, back and back to the beginning of time.
</p>
<p>
Of all of the ways that people make community and make music, this is just
one, one which is in a splendid era of re-emergence. It seems to me that it
has been swirling around high in the sky waiting for when we were so in need
of it that we were finally capable of grasping its power to weave community,
and so finally it swooped down and seeded a thousand songs in a thousand song
leaders. And that was only the beginning.
</p>
<p>
Nothing about how people come together in community singing is unique. Most
humans love to make friends, to help each other out, hear and tell stories,
sing songs, receive help (well, that’s a little harder for some Westerners),
share meals, etc, and when given the opportunity will gladly engage in these
life-giving practices. Community Singing is just one great pathway toward each
other’s humanness.
</p>
<p>
So what IS it that I’m trying to describe? Is there anything unique about this
era of community singing?
</p>
<p>
Could we find a different name, one that is more specific to this time, these
songs, these ways? Or could it be that, given all of these fluid aspects that
I’ve described, and given the ever-growing variety of songs we’re singing, any
more specific name is just pretentious, unnecessary, and almost instantly
outdated?
</p>
<p>In the end, does the name and the definition even much matter?</p>
<p>How about let’s just keep singing and see what happens.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteMiAgKemFdCFp6JZDKK4U6fYY5y-qtje2Nm7wUETXAd6QfLGi2rzlsanCjxi1TaT7WsKKddYSyQcGnaZaA8E68AL5RBcb4vsicEYcDPx4x4NJAv8oFd47GBZNA81ZC5prqr8K8ZX9UepBWH2VNjjD079YlAtfh913_KNxKmGwCdYssdpcok2/s391/Liz%20Rog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="270" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteMiAgKemFdCFp6JZDKK4U6fYY5y-qtje2Nm7wUETXAd6QfLGi2rzlsanCjxi1TaT7WsKKddYSyQcGnaZaA8E68AL5RBcb4vsicEYcDPx4x4NJAv8oFd47GBZNA81ZC5prqr8K8ZX9UepBWH2VNjjD079YlAtfh913_KNxKmGwCdYssdpcok2/w138-h200/Liz%20Rog.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
<p><b> </b></p><p><b>Liz Rog, Decorah, Iowa, 2023</b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> </b></p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-51135236409735894642024-01-08T10:00:00.009+00:002024-01-15T10:57:47.439+00:00What is ‘community singing’? — an attempted definition by Liz Rog: part 1<p>
A couple of months ago I wrote a post entitled
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2023/11/what-is-community-choir.html" target="_blank">What is a ‘community choir’?</a>
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBA3VEI4XOg_4o6JFZh5rRsiGqp1Xo2o1YC2Jc5xgyjfPc0sGdLbwhECt2gl7DX0WVjc-m9JFwgOmiaV4naWObYbebQ5BKfXxjkoSeAmsM1BwKcL9UAWwqAgiJ2i31gHxYq2rz2l9pk7HEbgGxjtRpDW-_wZb2pL4iL_igHobWQ7lZ4npHuky/s940/Center%20for%20Belonging%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="940" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBA3VEI4XOg_4o6JFZh5rRsiGqp1Xo2o1YC2Jc5xgyjfPc0sGdLbwhECt2gl7DX0WVjc-m9JFwgOmiaV4naWObYbebQ5BKfXxjkoSeAmsM1BwKcL9UAWwqAgiJ2i31gHxYq2rz2l9pk7HEbgGxjtRpDW-_wZb2pL4iL_igHobWQ7lZ4npHuky/w400-h200/Center%20for%20Belonging%202.png" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>Now it’s the turn of Liz Rog to attempt a definition.</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
This is a guest post by song leader Liz Rog who is based in the US in Decorah,
Iowa. She is closely involved with
<a href="http://www.villagefiresinging.org/" target="_blank">Village Fire Singing</a>
and helped to create the
<a href="https://www.centerforbelonging.earth/" target="_blank">Center for Belonging Folk School</a>. Her post is in two parts. This first part looks at possible definitions of
‘community singing’ and who community singing is actually for. <a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2024/01/what-is-community-singing-attempted_01472045080.html">Part two</a> goes
on to describe the emergence of new song leaders and the re-emergence of a
community singing movement.
</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i>"Change culture and you change lives. You also change the course of
history"</i>
— <a href="https://www.resmaa.com/" target="_blank">Resmaa Menakem</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>what is ‘community singing’?</h3>
<p>
An earnest attempt at a fluid definition with a deep bow to the mystery of
song.
</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i>“Building Community is to the collective as spiritual practice is to the
individual”</i>
—
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Lee_Boggs" target="_blank">Grace Lee Boggs</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
‘Community singing’: what a broad and vague term this is! Setting out to
explore its meaning feels crazy, impossible! For wouldn’t just about any group
of people of any size singing any song be called ‘community singing’?
</p>
<p>
Is singing songs like ‘This Land is Your Land,’ ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’
or ‘Wagon Wheel’ around the campfire ‘community singing’? What about singing
in houses of worship? Singing hits from musicals with friends on a bus?
Holiday carolling? Singing in a community choir? Singing at marches and
rallies? <br /> <br />
It’s like trying to define ‘good food,’ ‘fun games,’ ‘great films.’ Who gets
to do that? You and me, each from our place, era, and experience.
</p>
<p>
So I’ll just give a snapshot of a specific sub-culture of community singing
that I am part of today, from my 62-year-old perspective from this little
Midwestern US town of Decorah in the year 2023. Due to forces that have
favoured my European ancestors and their descendants, most of this land is
being used for industrial agriculture. These realities inspire some of our
songs of grief. Even so, there is also great goodness in this land and people,
and both the beauty and the misuse inspire us to create a culture that can
carry us forth into new possibilities.
</p>
<p>
Just to be very clear: I believe and I celebrate that there is no definition
of ‘community singing’ that could ever be accurate or complete. I know that
the songs and our singing of them are a response to the needs and gifts of
this time and they will change along with the changes in us and our world. I
know that the earth has been singing since she began and humans have been
singing together since we began. Surely then all of the examples above are
community singing?
</p>
<h3>towards a definition of ‘community singing’</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i>”Culture is mother earth expressing herself as human beings in any given
place”</i>
— <a href="https://www.patmccabe.net/" target="_blank">Pat McCabe</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
Here are some of the elements that might distinguish ‘community singing’ from
other forms of singing:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
All voices are welcomed. There is no audition and no hierarchy of voice.
<br />
</li>
<li>
There is generally no paper to look down at. People are learning and
remembering through oral tradition. Since written musical notation is not a
universal language, this offers access to singing for more people.
<br />
</li>
<li>
People generally stand/sit in a circle. This amplifies the idea of equality
and also, since people are not looking down at written music, helps all to
see each other and feel seen. In this way we viscerally feel that we are
singing for each other. <br />
</li>
<li>
The singing is not aimed at performance; it’s done for the pleasure of the
moment. Though sometimes there is optional, low-stakes performance as in a
variety show or community fundraiser. <br />
</li>
<li>
The songs are easily accessible to anyone. No special education or language
of formal music is needed; the songs are short enough for most people’s
memories; and the emphasis is on what the collective rather than individual
memory can hold. <br />
</li>
<li>
It’s most often unaccompanied by musical instruments. In this way we can
remember that even with just our voices we are strong together. <br />
</li>
<li>It’s often intergenerational.</li>
</ul>
<p>
The current community singing world that I know embraces all of the practices
above, each in their own locally-grown way. But in addition to these there are
other values found in the very spirit of the singing-together:
</p>
<ul>
<li>a named and felt intention toward building community <br /> </li>
<li>
a strong and generous welcome of all voices and all experiences (joy, grief,
love, nature, spirit, play, mystery, diversity, respect, light and darkness)
<br />
</li>
<li>
a celebration of the way that each voice matters in the making of the whole
of our sound <br />
</li>
<li>
encouragement for those interested to learn how to step into the
ever-growing circle of shared local leadership <br />
</li>
<li>
the invitation for anyone to listen for the songs that are being made inside
of them and to share those songs <br />
</li>
<li>
and brave listening for how our choices of songs invite us to consider their
origins, messages, and impacts in a world that needs both our voices and
ears.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>who is ‘community singing’ for?</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>
<i>”No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that
will turn the tides”</i>
—
<a href="https://www.syracuseculturalworkers.com/" target="_blank">Syracuse Cultural Workers</a>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>
The community singing movement that I am part of has been mostly made up of
white people of European descent. Some of the reasons that happened are
obvious, such as colonization/segregation/systemic injustices that keep the
many peoples of this country unequal, separate and sometimes afraid of each
other. Also, it seems to me that white people here, due to our legacy of
perfectionism and individualism, have been starved for community, play, and
song in a particular way. But we’re starting to see that now and so in this
movement, as with so many others in this hurting country, we’re asking the
questions that can lead to new ways. Here’s a helpful document that examines
it more fully,
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NaQxUao23UgHaWoJu1df017JvEn7HLa3/view" target="_blank">Who is Community Singing For?</a>
written by a group of people of colour from the Community Singing Movement.
</p>
<p>
My own experience of singing began in family, school, church, and camp in the
’60s and ’70s. When in the ’80s I fledged the home nest and entered adult life
in the wider world I expected there to be ready-made avenues for everyday
singing together, but I couldn’t find them. I felt sure that my ancestors had
had ways of singing together that didn’t require formal set-ups like school or
church, that they could just burst out in common song together throughout the
days, seasons, and generations. I felt sure that all people throughout the
ages have used singing to affirm community, inspire courage, mark transitions,
learn together, grieve and celebrate.
</p>
<p>
But the communities I encountered didn’t tend to have a common repertoire of
inspiring songs and so attempts to sing in community almost always required
songbooks. Even then, half the people present didn’t know the songs, and they
were too long to teach in an informal setting, and no one felt comfortable
taking up the space to teach the songs anyway. Those who didn’t already know
the songs were excluded.
</p>
<p>
Add to that the fact that activist groups, where I was spending a lot of my
time, seemed to feel that singing was ‘extra;’ or that it made some people
uncomfortable and therefore couldn’t be part of the ‘real’ work; or that the
political causes were urgent so there was no time for 'touchy-feely’
activities. How far we’d strayed from the lessons of the American Civil Rights
movement that depended on group song for holding each other in courage!
</p>
<p>
Sure, there were simple rounds that I had learned at camp, and civil rights
songs that most people my age knew (‘If I Had a Hammer’), and church songs
(‘Amazing Grace’) … But some of these songs seemed a little stale or trite to
some people, and others just didn’t seem grounded in current life. We needed
other songs, songs that would by their very sound and message compel us toward
each other.
</p>
<h3>part 2</h3>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2024/01/what-is-community-singing-attempted_01472045080.html">Next week</a> Liz goes on to describe the emergence of new song leaders and the
re-emergence of a community singing movement.
</p>
Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-49493260313595459132024-01-01T10:00:00.009+00:002024-01-02T12:32:30.018+00:00There is no ‘right’ time for taking stock, but it’s important to do so from time to time<p>
Many people use the New Year as a trigger to set themselves goals for the
future. And many people fail by being unrealistic.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hNSmXywaDsb_MZdUjq5vpWo-xtkGySE8KHGLorzbpgl-KpaFOgb4TlDQsOW090mQhopPuuk6AgJF9iAVmF6UNu48F_98njPUiRpZBV0cSDgVgToaLydCeDoqJrNsumpk2WJO2pGs64_NiI5slkCIcJTM1rXAZ5u39NYtjPhO5Sd9ORUVfSYV/s1350/pondering.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hNSmXywaDsb_MZdUjq5vpWo-xtkGySE8KHGLorzbpgl-KpaFOgb4TlDQsOW090mQhopPuuk6AgJF9iAVmF6UNu48F_98njPUiRpZBV0cSDgVgToaLydCeDoqJrNsumpk2WJO2pGs64_NiI5slkCIcJTM1rXAZ5u39NYtjPhO5Sd9ORUVfSYV/w400-h320/pondering.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
Whether that’s you or not, it is vital to take stock from time to time, even
if it’s not at New Year.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I often use my birthday as a time to think back over the last year and to
wonder what changes I might make or new things I might try in the coming year.
Other people choose a quiet time of the year, which may be a public holiday or
the choir’s summer break.
</p>
<p>
Others use the New Year. If you’re an Orthodox Christian, that might be in
January. The Chinese New Year is in January/ February. The Jewish New Year is
in the autumn in the northern hemisphere. The Islamic New Year falls in
differing months each year.
</p>
<p>
You might fix a specific time each year for reflecting on the past and future,
you might do it several times a year, or you might just get a feeling when the
time is right.
</p>
<p>
Whatever you do, it’s important to take stock from time to time. To have some
self-reflection time. To check in with yourself to see if everything’s going
OK or if you need to make some changes. Have you achieved what you set out to
do? Are there new developments that you’d like to initiate? Are you fulfilling
your potential? Are you doing your job as well as you might? Are you still
having <b>fun</b>?!
</p>
<p>
Whenever you get around to it, maybe bookmark this post because here are some
useful articles that might help the process.
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2011/01/looking-forward-looking-back-2.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Looking forward/ looking back</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2012/01/setting-your-goals-for-2012-guaranteed.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Setting your goals for the coming year (guaranteed to work!)</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2013/01/achieving-your-singing-goals-for-2013-7.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Achieving your singing goals for the year: 7 fool-proof steps</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2014/01/what-small-changes-will-make-you-better.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">What small changes will make you a better singer or choir leader in the
coming year?</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/01/what-single-thing-will-make-you-better.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">What single thing will make you a better singer this year?</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/01/what-would-you-do-differently-if-you.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">What would you do differently if you were starting your choir
today?</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/12/singers-and-choir-leaders-what-bad.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Singers and choir leaders: what bad habits have you got into?</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2017/01/new-choir-season-new-ideas-but-how-much.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">New choir season, new ideas – but how much can you really change?</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2018/01/new-year-new-plans-how-to-get-what-you.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">New year, new plans – how to get what you want</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2018/12/taking-stock-self-reflection-for-choir.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Taking stock – self-reflection for choir leaders and singers</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2019/12/is-it-time-to-widen-your-musical.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Is it time to widen your musical horizons?</font></a>
</p>
<font size="3"></font>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2023/01/preparing-for-new-year-of-singing-how.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Preparing for a new year of singing: how looking at the past, present and
future can help</font></a>
</p>
<p> </p>Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-85402543047200722502023-12-25T10:00:00.022+00:002024-01-02T12:36:38.922+00:00The Sheffield carols<p>
What could be more true to the spirit of Christmas than standing in a crowded
pub and singing Christmas carols?
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrXnsQYR1nrFXRMb3Ti7ocmCH8jCN0aYQSZyEv1d2Tr5fPnq_8uwu1Fx3tBXcG-XgIcz2-dnS7Jsz8VWHLA_PA4-qgC_KqV7gTkRB-FiXDF1iJp-4hA2kEVO736Kn-gwntQ7bwcdtJDUvpip8aK_jiDcwd5jbHtAboth3sOPZu6RneD44nz4J/s1999/sheffield%20carols.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1999" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrXnsQYR1nrFXRMb3Ti7ocmCH8jCN0aYQSZyEv1d2Tr5fPnq_8uwu1Fx3tBXcG-XgIcz2-dnS7Jsz8VWHLA_PA4-qgC_KqV7gTkRB-FiXDF1iJp-4hA2kEVO736Kn-gwntQ7bwcdtJDUvpip8aK_jiDcwd5jbHtAboth3sOPZu6RneD44nz4J/w400-h266/sheffield%20carols.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/delainahaslam/">Delaina Haslam</a></div>
<p></p>
<p>
Especially if the tunes are only to be heard in a few towns and villages near
Sheffield, in South Yorkshire.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
The mass singing in some of the pubs in North Sheffield and North Derbyshire,
which takes place in the second half of November and all December, is often
referred to as <i>The Sheffield Carols.</i> It has been described as one of
the most remarkable instances of popular traditional singing in the British
Isles.
</p>
<p>
The songs predate modern carols by over a century and are sung with
alternative words and verses to those we are hearing more and more these days,
as Christmas approaches.
</p>
<p>
They were originally sung in churches accompanied by self-taught artisan
musicians, but from the 1830s onwards they were driven out across the country
by the
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Movement">Oxford Tractarian Movement</a>. In many parts of the country the tradition of local carols then started to
die out, however, in South Yorkshire the tradition has survived.
</p>
<p>
The Sheffield tradition of carols is not quite alone in the UK. There are
other pockets where traditions have survived, notably North Cornwall. Other
Christmas singing traditions can be found in Gloucestershire (including
mummers plays and wassailing), the Lake District (Dent Folk Carols weekend),
Odcombe (a small Somerset village, where the carol traditions have survived),
and more. You can find links to more information on the
<a href="http://www.localcarols.org.uk/links.php" target="_blank">Local Carols website</a>.
</p>
<p>
Here is one example of a popular <i>Sheffield carol</i>,
<a href="https://www.omniglot.com/songs/bcc/pdfs/whileshepherdswatched.pdf" target="_blank">Pentonville</a>, sung in the
<a href="https://royalhotel-dungworth.com/" target="_blank">Royal Hotel in Dungworth</a>
in 2020:
</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ARYA6slgnDM?si=0hwFAAqJB6OSmhqw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p>
Here is
<a href="https://tradfolk.co/customs/customs-customs/sheffield-carols/" target="_blank">A beginner’s guide to the Sheffield carols</a>
which includes links to several more YouTube videos.
</p>
<p>
You can also
<a href="https://www.villagecarols.org.uk/recordings/index.html" target="_blank">hear 16 carols</a>
from the Derbyshire carol workshop in Haversage from 2015 on the
<a href="https://www.villagecarols.org.uk" target="_blank">Village Carols website</a>. Village Carols is a non-profitmaking organisation which exists to record
and promote local carol singing traditions. Their website includes links to
songbooks and CDs, articles on folk carols, an index of carol lyrics, plus
locations of the pubs where carols can be sung each year.
</p>
<p>
There is still time to join in the singing! There are sessions on Christmas
Day through to 28 December, plus 1 January. You can find details on the
<a href="https://tradfolk.co/customs/customs-customs/sheffield-carols/" target="_blank">TradFolk website</a>
(scroll to the bottom of the page).
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>However you spend Christmas, I hope there will be lots of singing.</p>
<p>
<font size="5"><span style="color: red;">Merry Christmas to you all and thanks for reading!</span></font>
</p>
<p> </p>Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-63159513205532981222023-12-18T10:00:00.014+00:002024-01-02T12:36:52.176+00:00If you don’t know the songs that well, should you sing in your next concert?<p>
We’ve all been there: a big concert is coming up and we feel under-prepared.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zKrC9LDMG7fNCHMM-vDBkCDd2ad-u8Qq2REukGx8LPjKJBdA8vtNQKAICQjxavnH9TJNlTlqxMPb3eeVC5iM5IS91o1vxPqzXDtVaYGgT4xP-srsOK9wDEyS2eVu-1CMKS0dpW-7Ep-EIr8OD0ZPBf2_HG4lLx8235_BoHP9CznD80S2VCdk/s1000/naked%20with%20tie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zKrC9LDMG7fNCHMM-vDBkCDd2ad-u8Qq2REukGx8LPjKJBdA8vtNQKAICQjxavnH9TJNlTlqxMPb3eeVC5iM5IS91o1vxPqzXDtVaYGgT4xP-srsOK9wDEyS2eVu-1CMKS0dpW-7Ep-EIr8OD0ZPBf2_HG4lLx8235_BoHP9CznD80S2VCdk/w266-h400/naked%20with%20tie.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="266" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">photo from <a href="https://depositphotos.com/">depositphotos.com</a></div>
<p></p>
<p>Should we just duck out, or soldier on and busk it? Here’s what I think.</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
’Tis the season when many choirs will be putting on at least one big concert,
if not several back to back. Some choirs begin rehearsing their Christmas
repertoire in the summer (really??!!), but most community choirs start in the
autumn term, maybe from September onwards.
</p>
<p>
If your choir does a concert entirely of Christmas songs, then that’s a lot of
material to get through. It might be that you feel you haven’t got to grips
100% with all the songs you’ll be singing.
</p>
<p>
And it’s not just at Christmas. You might you’ve missed rehearsals due to
illness or you’re new to the choir and aren’t familiar with their back
catalogue. You could be a slow learner or your choir director has been
over-ambitious and not scheduled enough rehearsals.
</p>
<p>
In fact, there is a multitude of reasons why you might feel under-prepared for
your next concert. What to do?
</p>
<p>
Here are five things you can try (and one that you shouldn’t, under any
circumstances).
</p>
<p>
<b><font size="3">1. speak with your choir leader 1</font></b> – let your
choir director know that you feel under-prepared. You might be one of many, in
which case the choir leader will try to add some extra rehearsals. Feedback is
important.
</p>
<p>
<b><font size="3">2. speak with your choir leader 2</font></b> – you might be
alone in your worries, but your choir leader may well be able to reassure you
that many singers feel under-prepared — especially for a first concert — but
you actually know the material as well as the rest.
</p>
<p>
<b><font size="3">3. only sing the songs you know well</font></b> – I always
used to say this to new choir members who weren’t able to learn the whole of
our back catalogue. I’ve always been reluctant to exclude singers from
concerts, so I ask them only to sing the songs they knew well and to step back
during the songs that they don’t know. Check with your choir lead first. It’s
important that you step back: even a joyful, animated face draws unwanted
attention if a singer’s mouth isn’t moving!
</p>
<p>
<b><font size="3">4. put in some extra rehearsal time</font></b> – ask around
your section and you may find other singers who feel equally unprepared. You
could then have an extra run-through at somebody’s house, or even persuade
your choir leader to run some extra section rehearsals. If you’re the only one
in your section with worries, then you can put time in at home using whatever
choir resources are on offer: recorded parts, sheet music, backing tracks,
your own recordings from rehearsals, videos of past concerts, etc.
</p>
<p>
<b><font size="3">5. evaluate your situation realistically</font></b> – only
you know how unprepared you are. If you’ve missed lots of rehearsals or have
had trouble keeping up with everyone else, it might be best if you stepped
down and didn’t do the next concert. Let your choir leader know.
</p>
<p>And here’s the thing you should never, ever do:</p>
<p>
<b><font size="3">just busk it (nobody will notice)</font></b> – any time a
concert has gone badly wrong or completely off the rails, it’s usually been
because several singers (who should know better) thought they could just turn
up and busk it, even though they didn’t know the material well enough.
Remember, you are part of a team. If you cock it up, it makes the whole choir
look bad. It’s not a good way to make friends!
</p>
<h3>other posts</h3>
<p>You might find these older posts useful too.</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2010/01/helping-new-choir-members-learn-old.html" target="_blank">Helping new choir members learn the old songs</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2013/02/ask-questions-your-choir-leader.html" target="_blank">Ask questions – your choir leader (probably) won’t bite!</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2012/07/how-to-cope-when-singers-miss-choir.html" target="_blank">How to cope when singers miss choir sessions</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2010/04/over-rehearsed-or-under-prepared-which.html" target="_blank">Over-rehearsed or under-prepared: which is better?</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2013/11/how-to-catch-up-if-you-miss-choir.html" target="_blank">How to catch up if you miss a choir rehearsal</a>
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2022/11/a-concert-is-coming-but-singers-have.html" target="_blank">A concert is coming, but singers have missed rehearsals and not done their
homework! What to do?</a>
</p>
<p> </p>Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-79424236662550296292023-12-11T10:00:00.009+00:002024-01-02T12:37:05.547+00:00How to look after your voice (especially in the winter): 5 relevant reads<p>
This is one of a series of summary posts around a specific topic, bringing
together five relevant posts from the past.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RQmRrXTlF5aotKWw3TK-nS9YoUl4j_2A7jaLFEH9PoWwZstIvylvfHxQWzQHX3-gGcRBZlAjX6TCyrA37JYPQ2DsuGh6tNngttk5OWITQu9qUkMpip_sWg5uz4UYl96tc5eNzaqC6AtJcBRYIf_bOpaT27CRCQ1Cv6ABDRwMTuErtDqNevEr/s3514/5-relevant-reads.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2479" data-original-width="3514" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RQmRrXTlF5aotKWw3TK-nS9YoUl4j_2A7jaLFEH9PoWwZstIvylvfHxQWzQHX3-gGcRBZlAjX6TCyrA37JYPQ2DsuGh6tNngttk5OWITQu9qUkMpip_sWg5uz4UYl96tc5eNzaqC6AtJcBRYIf_bOpaT27CRCQ1Cv6ABDRwMTuErtDqNevEr/w400-h283/5-relevant-reads.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
This summary is all about looking after your voice, especially in the winter
months or when you have a busy concert season or if feasting is involved.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
Even if you warm up your voice properly before singing and make sure you’re
singing with correct technique, there are times when your voice is vulnerable.
</p>
<p>
This can happen if you’re singing a lot (many concerts back to back), if you
catch a bug (often the case during winter), or you’re not being careful with
your diet (too much booze and rich food!).
</p>
<p>
<font size="4">1. </font><a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2013/12/looking-after-yourself-in-busy-concert.html" target="_blank"><font size="4">Looking after yourself in a busy concert season</font></a>
<br />For many of us, this time of year is just one concert after another.
It’s great to be doing so much singing, but it can have its downsides. If you
overdo it, you can get ill or lose your voice. How can you take care of
yourself during a busy concert season?
</p>
<p>
<font size="4">2. </font><a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/12/how-to-care-for-your-voice-over-festive.html" target="_blank"><font size="4">How to care for your voice over the festive season</font></a>
<br />Christmas is a time for singing. It’s everywhere. Sometimes it seems
that Christmas is the only time that many of us sing! Whether you’re in a
choir or just singing carols with friends, you need to look after your voice.
Here are some ideas.
</p>
<p>
<font size="4">3. </font><a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2017/12/what-to-do-if-you-catch-cold-and.html" target="_blank"><font size="4">What to do if you catch a cold and a concert is looming</font></a> <br />At this time of year many of you will be
singing in Christmas concerts. It’s also the time of year when there are
plenty of bugs around. Here’s a timely reminder of what you can do if you
catch a cold and a concert is coming up.
</p>
<p>
<font size="4">4. </font><a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2019/12/booze-cream-and-other-vocal-dangers.html" target="_blank"><font size="4">Booze, cream and other vocal dangers</font></a>
<br />It’s the festive season, a time for (over) indulgence. There’s nothing
wrong with moderation, but some of your indulgences can be bad for your voice.
</p>
<p>
<font size="4">5. </font><a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2019/12/singing-and-hydration-myths-and.html" target="_blank"><font size="4">Singing and hydration – myths and recommendations</font></a>
<br />As singers, we’re often told to drink plenty of water. But why is that,
and how much is ‘plenty’?
</p>
<h3>bonus post</h3>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2019/04/how-to-warm-up-your-voice-on-bus-or-any.html" target="_blank"><font size="4">How to warm up your voice on the bus (or any other public space)</font></a>
<br />Sometimes you won’t get the chance to do a full warm up in private
before a performance. Here are some ideas for warming up your voice in public
without drawing attention to yourself.
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-44425144390130719052023-12-04T10:00:00.022+00:002024-01-02T12:37:16.801+00:00Why I write my blog “From the front of the choir”<p>
I started this blog way back in December 2006. That’s 17 years of weekly blog
posts!
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU_qHymjfVPPGBSBwUT9O6WrgQ7OiTAMGzgNVc5Xx6netKu9cngV-gnL7e6GDSb9OJjPt9s47kLssRW2a3yMKxlLHMCqXvk-TZJZlXrtxZHcZojJwQVRwy-Pv_2YT232TOvQCTm6-acKhVqR0XoglIl9lwDunk33qAWmakWGzP2xjFi35CsFW/s272/cover%20photo%20December%202023.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="272" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU_qHymjfVPPGBSBwUT9O6WrgQ7OiTAMGzgNVc5Xx6netKu9cngV-gnL7e6GDSb9OJjPt9s47kLssRW2a3yMKxlLHMCqXvk-TZJZlXrtxZHcZojJwQVRwy-Pv_2YT232TOvQCTm6-acKhVqR0XoglIl9lwDunk33qAWmakWGzP2xjFi35CsFW/w400-h396/cover%20photo%20December%202023.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
I thought I’d make a little video to let you know why and how I got started.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I think this blog is one of the few things that I’ve stuck at for so long.
It’s hard to imagine that it’s been 17 years and well over 900 posts!
</p>
<p>
Here’s a little insight into why I started blogging. And a reminder that I
love hearing from you with your own experiences and ideas. Enjoy!</p>
<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="419" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qmqJvmT7Z_U" width="500" youtube-src-id="qmqJvmT7Z_U"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><p>You can find out more about me and my choir and singing background on my <a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/p/about-chris-rowbury.html">About Page</a> and also in this blog post: <a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2010/01/becoming-choir-leader-its-long-story.html">Becoming a choir leader - it's a long story!</a> <br /></p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-56309245651234777802023-11-27T10:00:00.010+00:002024-01-02T12:41:36.918+00:00How to get on with things when you’re just not in the mood<p>I’m not in the mood to write this blog today. But I need to.</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX54IO2NYMAROrWB-95SwYCpa6uRoEKlXVxYe8vN9cNh1wn62vzCKPy_89FklzcCaQfZ3W8ELWx91fS1RZpwncTCyTXMwTJAy2_jOkfTyXf62lsRq9Au8uXNNGTDJoIW2R8ekSdAFS0nO2dFD8HN8N8Iep6iIL213hhonDVrTs-X9BDotTDMTk/s640/reclining.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="640" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX54IO2NYMAROrWB-95SwYCpa6uRoEKlXVxYe8vN9cNh1wn62vzCKPy_89FklzcCaQfZ3W8ELWx91fS1RZpwncTCyTXMwTJAy2_jOkfTyXf62lsRq9Au8uXNNGTDJoIW2R8ekSdAFS0nO2dFD8HN8N8Iep6iIL213hhonDVrTs-X9BDotTDMTk/w400-h288/reclining.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>How can you get on with things when you’re just not in the mood?</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
Of course, it’s not just about writing blogs. It could be preparing for a
choir rehearsal or singing workshop, practising a song for a forthcoming
concert, finding new songs to teach, warming your voice up before a gig. In
fact, anything that you need to do, but don’t feel like doing.
</p>
<p>The secret is desire follows action.</p>
<p>
It’s no good (if you’re not in the mood) waiting around until the muse strikes
or you feel ready to start. The desire to do something follows some kind of
action. In brief: just get on with it!
</p>
<p>
No matter how hard it is to get started, as soon as you begin, you will slowly
start to feel the desire to continue. You will get into the zone and actually
start to enjoy things.
</p>
<p>
So what are you waiting for? It worked for me – this blog post didn’t write
itself!
</p>
<p>Here are some other posts that you might find useful.</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2008/10/why-we-avoid-things-that-make-us-feel.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Why we avoid things that make us feel good</font></a>
<br /><i>“I love singing, but I haven’t sung for years and I really, really miss
it.”</i>
So why haven’t you joined a choir or come to a singing workshop?
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2015/03/when-you-dont-feel-like-singing-thats.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">When you don’t feel like singing, that’s the perfect time to do it – sing
yourself happy!</font></a>
<br />The saying “Don’t sing because you’re happy, be happy because you sing”
hits the nail on the head. Here’s why.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/12/10-ideas-to-keep-you-going-when-you.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">10 ideas to keep you going when you feel like giving up</font></a>
<br />How is it possible to stick with something for the long run without
getting bored, disillusioned, diverted, lost, setback or running out of ideas?
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2017/05/how-to-lead-your-choir-when-youre-just.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">How to lead your choir when you’re just not in the mood</font></a>
<br />Here are a few hints on how to cope when you’re feeling low or burnt
out.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2020/05/how-to-use-singing-to-lift-you-out-of.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">How to use singing to lift you out of a low mood</font></a>
<br />It’s very easy to sing when you’re feeling positive. But when you’re
having a bad day, it can be much harder.
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-62784129252258645502023-11-20T10:00:00.018+00:002024-01-26T13:19:04.771+00:00Pay as you go or regular fee upfront – what is the best system for singers in your choir?<p>
Many choirs charge their members as and when they turn up: a pay as you go
system.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcfbGjQUdf0q4yTb0LWuYGbLN6cNA6KhZWpgisizxZl15XdB5wyXWaRiwgDYCwczzpgprMXPW-wnb91R5EuOFK2fLck3W2DdLO9rcjJeQd5lrCpUOTF4vyFXg6uY7gmxwsGu8ezNpRk7pU061Rd0uXCIC1PF_IEPHGt4rQ7LwHupsCfFSCd77/s2202/cash-in-hand-pounds-sterling-2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1635" data-original-width="2202" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcfbGjQUdf0q4yTb0LWuYGbLN6cNA6KhZWpgisizxZl15XdB5wyXWaRiwgDYCwczzpgprMXPW-wnb91R5EuOFK2fLck3W2DdLO9rcjJeQd5lrCpUOTF4vyFXg6uY7gmxwsGu8ezNpRk7pU061Rd0uXCIC1PF_IEPHGt4rQ7LwHupsCfFSCd77/w400-h297/cash-in-hand-pounds-sterling-2.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">
photo by
<a href="http://www.freeimageslive.co.uk/free_stock_image/cash-hand-pounds-sterling-2-jpg" target="_blank">freeimageslive.co.uk - lensicle</a></div>
<p></p>
<p>
But there are disadvantages to that approach, so other choirs operate a lump
sum in advance system. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these and which
might suit your choir best.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
Some choirs are run as drop-in choirs: singers attend as many or as few
sessions as they want to. There is no requirement to commit to a certain
number of sessions in advance. The most obvious (although not necessarily
convenient) way to charge singers in these choirs is for them to
<b>pay as they go</b>: they pay for each session that they attend.
</p>
<p>
Other choirs depend on a certain amount of continuity. They hope that singers
will attend every rehearsal. In this way, songs can be built up over the weeks
and it’s easier to prepare for concerts. It’s still possible for singers to
pay for each session as they attend, but to promote commitment, many of these
kinds of choirs require some kind of <b>lump payment in advance</b>.
</p>
<p>
You can read about the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of
choir here:
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2014/07/regular-weekly-choir-or-drop-in-singing.html" target="_blank">Regular weekly choir or drop-in singing group? – the pros and cons</a>.
</p>
<h3>pay as you go</h3>
<p>Singers pay for each session they attend.</p>
<p>
There are two main ways to achieve this: payment on the door (cash, cheque or
card); online payment (on the day, or just before/after the session) such as
PayPal or bank transfer. The more ways there are to pay, the easier it will be
for your singers.
</p>
<p>
The main advantage of pay as you go is for the singers. They only pay for the
sessions they attend and don’t need to commit in advance. This will suit
singers whose lifestyles make it hard for them to commit to dates in advance.
</p>
<p>
The biggest disadvantage for the choir is that the singers only pay for the
sessions they attend and don’t need to commit in advance! This makes it hard
for any future financial planning. The choir’s income is unpredictable and
will vary from session to session.
</p>
<p>
The other hassle is having to deal with so many individual payment every
single session. This is quite an administrative overhead in order to give your
singers a bit of freedom.
</p>
<h3>lump sum in advance</h3>
<p>
Singers pay a set sum in advance for a set number of sessions.</p><p>Many choirs
(like evening classes) work on a termly basis, so a common approach is to
charge by the choir term or season. Singers can pay by bank transfer, cheque,
PayPal, credit card, bank standing order, etc. A few singers might like to pay
in cash and they will usually be encouraged to bring payment to the first
session of each term.
</p>
<p>
The advantages of paying in advance are that choir income becomes more
predictable which will help financial planning. Singers pay once a term, then
can forget about it. Although there’s quite a lot of administration at the
start of each term, there is no collection of money at each session.
</p>
<p>
The disadvantage is for those singers who maybe can’t afford a lump sum
upfront. In this case, special arrangements can be made for payment by
instalments or weekly pay as you go.
</p>
<p>
Another disadvantage for singers is that they can end up paying for sessions
that they don’t attend. However, this is common with other activities and not
just choirs. For example, gym membership, evening classes, theatre season
tickets, etc. If the lump sum in advance is seen as reserving the singer’s
place in the choir, it becomes more palatable. Especially if your choir has a
waiting list. Of course, if a singer knows in advance that they will be
missing lots of rehearsals in any one term, they might choose not to attend
that term.
</p>
<h3>hybrid payment methods</h3>
<p>
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to how singers pay for singing
sessions. You may have an overarching system in place, but you also need to be
able to adapt to cater for individual singers’ particular circumstances.
</p>
<p>
One common hybrid approach is to have a pay as you go rate, but also a lump
sum in advance rate which is more attractive. For example, if your pay as you
go rate is £5 per session, you might offer a rate of £45 in advance for a
10-week term: a saving of £5.
</p>
<h3>other relevant posts</h3>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/01/money-matters-1-practical-solutions-for.html" target="_blank">Money matters 1 – practical solutions for dealing with choir finances</a>
<br />Whatever kind of choir you run, at some point you’ll have to deal with
money. Whether it’s hiring a rehearsal space or paying an accompanist or
collecting members’ subs. Money and finances can be scary though. Here are
some practical steps you can take to ease the pain.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2015/05/how-much-should-you-charge-singers-to.html" target="_blank">How much should you charge singers to be in your choir?</a>
<br />Most choirs charge their singers to be a member (‘subs’). The amount can
vary a lot from choir to choir. What’s the best way to decide how much to
charge your singers? Let’s look at some of the issues that can help you fix a
suitable rate.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2008/11/how-to-start-your-own-community-choir-3.html" target="_blank">How to start your own community choir 3 — Finding the money</a>
<br />Where is the money coming from when you start a choir? At the very least
there will be the cost of hiring a venue to hold choir sessions in. Not to
mention admin. costs (stationery, internet access, postage, etc.), publicity
costs (promoting the choir initially, future concerts, website, etc.), and
your own time (if you want to earn money from the enterprise).
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2015/05/the-challenges-of-running-drop-in.html" target="_blank">The challenges of running a drop-in singing group (and why you shouldn’t
start one)</a>
<br />Some people run ‘drop-in’ singing sessions. People can drop in on any
session they want, there is no commitment and no signing up for a ‘season’.
It’s a nice idea: no commitment, no pressure, all very fun, sociable and
informal. But there are plenty of good reasons why groups like this are hard
to sustain. Here are ten of them.
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-45796227246218571772023-11-13T10:00:00.009+00:002024-01-02T12:42:18.966+00:00Problems arising when men and women sing the same pitch: 5 relevant reads<p>
This is one of a series of summary posts around a specific topic, bringing
together five relevant posts from the past.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpwlsd1b82v_WVKbydodQgyQ0EqfcnM90QnbCwCIcUvRNnw2g-wZCgTDnYY3574YYBqBe5RvABSNJWtZXu5Lu_7i8bVEltxYU0oxqo7VXkO4nKD3auP8XRWfibRBysZy_XtxgMyM9XbjdYm-e94vpnUBZkXFOJM-4gZPpiXdOeLInsBq3Epg_/s3514/5-relevant-reads.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2479" data-original-width="3514" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpwlsd1b82v_WVKbydodQgyQ0EqfcnM90QnbCwCIcUvRNnw2g-wZCgTDnYY3574YYBqBe5RvABSNJWtZXu5Lu_7i8bVEltxYU0oxqo7VXkO4nKD3auP8XRWfibRBysZy_XtxgMyM9XbjdYm-e94vpnUBZkXFOJM-4gZPpiXdOeLInsBq3Epg_/w400-h283/5-relevant-reads.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
This summary is about the difficulties and apparent strangeness of men and
women singing the same pitch together.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
In many community choirs, the tenor section is often mixed male and female
voices. At first, it can feel strange singing in the same octave as someone of
the opposite sex.
</p>
<p>
There is also the issue of a female choir leader giving out starting notes to
male singers. For the basses it’s usually fine since the choir leader probably
can’t get down to those notes and will automatically sing an octave higher.
But for the tenor section, she may well be able to sing at pitch, which might
confuse a few men.
</p>
<p>
Similar confusions can arise when a male choir leader is pitching to female
singers.
</p>
<p>
Here are <b>5 relevant reads</b> from the past which look at these issues.
</p>
<p>
1.
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2008/03/low-ladies.html" target="_blank">Low ladies
</a>
<br />What are the implications when the tenor section is mostly made up of
women, or ‘low ladies’?
</p>
<p>
2.
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2008/08/can-women-sing-tenor.html" target="_blank">Can women sing tenor?</a>
<br />There are some in the more formal ‘choral world’ who don’t believe that
women can (or should) sing tenor. But most community choirs have limited
ranges so the tenor section seldom covers the full ‘tenor range’.
</p>
<p>
3.
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2009/03/singing-same-note-differently.html" target="_blank">Singing the same note – differently!</a>
<br />The challenge of knowing when you’re singing in the correct octave or
not, and what ‘octave’ even means. When women singing low meet men singing
high.
</p>
<p>
4.
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2017/10/mixed-tenor-sections-weirdness-of-men.html" target="_blank">Mixed tenor sections: the weirdness of men and women singing the same
note</a>
<br />Men and women don’t often stand together singing exactly the same notes.
At first it can appear strange. Men will be singing high in their range
whereas women will be singing low in their range, even though both men and
women will be singing exactly the same pitch.
</p>
<p>
5.
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2016/05/how-male-singers-can-successfully-pitch.html" target="_blank">How male singers can successfully pitch from a woman (and how women can
pitch from a man)</a>
<br />Looking at the problems that might come up when pitching from the
opposite gender.
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-14807200308985945352023-11-06T10:00:00.009+00:002024-01-02T12:42:29.964+00:00What is a ‘community choir’?<p>The term ‘community choir’ is used a lot, but what does it actually mean?</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMxr7MjiMYk_UbPJF4vNl5VJf7W3B76FHU0hpe6CEp4PJoB6JqDxv4oD6kCo2yvUan3jOxHP_i2xNAKtPMrTdW8hVWdi1Fv7vyIY7W4h1p-Q-8c3OlBtAD-wrq2O17JciWtVyyfx-5HK6FuTNCdbO3zMp4wDnzNhtqv7jQjmfeHZnaqbbdE2d/s2816/community%20choir.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1331" data-original-width="2816" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMxr7MjiMYk_UbPJF4vNl5VJf7W3B76FHU0hpe6CEp4PJoB6JqDxv4oD6kCo2yvUan3jOxHP_i2xNAKtPMrTdW8hVWdi1Fv7vyIY7W4h1p-Q-8c3OlBtAD-wrq2O17JciWtVyyfx-5HK6FuTNCdbO3zMp4wDnzNhtqv7jQjmfeHZnaqbbdE2d/w400-h189/community%20choir.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
There is no single definition, but I thought I’d look at some common
characteristics.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
‘Community choir’ can conjure up many different images: a mixed group of
singers who can’t sing that well; a draughty church hall on a cold Wednesday
evening; a mixed bag of singers wearing identical t-shirts singing for
charity.
</p>
<p>
But these tend to be stereotypes. Community choirs can get a bad press,
especially from those in the more formal ‘choral world.’
</p>
<h3>no barriers to entry</h3>
<p>
For me, a community choir is a way of bringing people of all ages and
backgrounds together. Each singer will have their own reasons for being in the
choir. Those can range from singers who want to connect with others socially,
to those who want to create beautiful music as part of a group. And everything
else in between.
</p>
<p>
Community choirs will have no barriers to entry. They often won’t use sheet
music and don’t have auditions (so people with no musical background are made
welcome). Despite that, many community choirs perform to very high standards.
</p>
<h3>focus on community and belonging</h3>
<p>
Community choirs also place a focus on creating a sense of belonging and
community. Musical excellence is never the first priority (even though the
music-making can be of a high standard). The priorities are to make everyone
feel welcome; to create a sense of belonging; to make singers feel safe and
supported; to offer opportunities for singers to learn something new and to
grow; and (most importantly) to have fun making music together.
</p>
<p>
So maybe everyone wears the same t-shirt, and perhaps the singing is not 100%
accurate, and yes, the singers are in a draughty church hall, but they are all
in it together, supporting each other, and enjoying themselves. That’s what
counts the most.
</p>
<h3>other posts of interest</h3>
<p>Here are some older posts that you might find interesting:</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2007/11/being-in-community-choir-part-1.html" target="_blank">Being in a community choir</a>
<br />Answers to a series of Frequently Asked Questions from singers in a
typical community choir.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2008/11/how-to-start-your-own-community-choir-1.html" target="_blank">How to start your own community choir</a>
<br />Includes my definition of a community choir.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2011/08/why-singing-for-fun-doesnt-mean-low.html" target="_blank">Why ‘singing for fun’ doesn’t mean low standards and poor performances</a>
<br />There is a myth amongst many choral educators and leaders of formal
choirs that so-called amateur or ‘hobbyist’ singers can’t cut the mustard.
That’s simply not true!
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2010/03/my-ideal-community-choir.html" target="_blank">My ideal community choir</a>
<br />
My personal view on what an open-access community choir should be – in an
ideal world!
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2012/03/does-community-make-choir-or-does-choir.html" target="_blank">Does a community make a choir, or does a choir create a community?</a>
<br />Music-making groups such as brass bands and choirs used to emerge from
strong, pre-existing communities. But now, in our fragmented society, it’s
more likely that the choir creates the community rather than the other way
round.
</p>
<p>
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2013/12/should-you-have-auditions-for-workplace.html" target="_blank">Should you have auditions for a workplace or community choir?</a>
<br />To have a musically excellent choir, is it necessary to have auditions?
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-4947165765818321392023-10-30T10:00:00.012+00:002024-01-02T12:43:18.037+00:00Why harmony singers are (usually) lovely people<p>
Not everyone likes to sing in harmony with others, but those who do are often
really nice people.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpP-NoJcDUEZLEYHn_g9Annb7ajhYivrcs2aK3M1mhcGdbX0IH4s6KPAYCHxaqaKeVETgi4pCUEBEWT-JH_zESbZrJ-2u4Z4G256HmcFyS3dT6R4OCprkhBpXdUPjSfw-Fa-p6kvj_ByinPOERbccXzTERgco9cthMoY9AV-_g0BofDvqMs_Jm/s400/smiling%20people.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpP-NoJcDUEZLEYHn_g9Annb7ajhYivrcs2aK3M1mhcGdbX0IH4s6KPAYCHxaqaKeVETgi4pCUEBEWT-JH_zESbZrJ-2u4Z4G256HmcFyS3dT6R4OCprkhBpXdUPjSfw-Fa-p6kvj_ByinPOERbccXzTERgco9cthMoY9AV-_g0BofDvqMs_Jm/w400-h300/smiling%20people.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">
photo by
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93963757@N05/" target="_blank">Richard Foster</a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>Why is that? And is it a universal truth?</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I think I ought to start with a disclaimer: this has been my experience since
I started leading harmony singing groups over 25 years ago. Your experiences
may differ!
</p>
<p>
I often marvel during choir tea breaks or mealtimes at residential singing
weekends. The people who come are usually very, very nice people. They are
smiley, sociable, friendly and interesting. Is that because my singing
sessions only attract lovely people or is there something deeper going on?
</p>
<p>
I believe that people who enjoy singing in harmony with others all have
particular personality traits. These people:
</p>
<ul>
<li>enjoy being part of a group</li>
<li>tend not to have huge egos</li>
<li>love to create something collaboratively</li>
<li>work (and play) well with others</li>
<li>are either very sociable or are happy to disappear in the crowd</li>
</ul>
<p>
Harmony singing in a group won’t attract those who like to make up their own
harmonies, or love to sing solo, or want to stand out in some way, or aren’t
good team players, or don’t like being told what to do.
</p>
<p>
Which leaves lovely people! People who generally live a harmonious life and
rub along well with others.
</p>
<p>
You might also like to read
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2019/02/singing-in-harmony-as-metaphor-for-life.html" target="_blank">Singing in harmony as a metaphor for life</a>
and
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2010/10/choir-is-shining-example-of-perfect.html" target="_blank">A choir is a shining example of the perfect community</a>.
</p>
<p>
I’d love to hear about your experiences. Do you find that harmony singers are
lovely people, or have you come across ‘difficult’ singers?
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-32504620836129356642023-10-23T10:00:00.011+01:002024-01-02T12:43:28.024+00:00How to find specific topics on this blog<p>
I’ve written over 900 articles on this blog since I started in December 2006.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimKTWShWefISzFttObkfj_NGOzxgHEoeRUAASW-z-pdIaY_VgEq_3-fPRF5Whl9vXJXIl83uTCLbd7QyC3VU4O8Qi93m8jBFypNQ4DBXkfDkULfwA_b_SPE-SGsLDuM6VbyJtoivZIAIAwJO1cbrejHepflkEadbc0NyTE5nuSMYYdMO_0O85/s800/looking%20for%20something.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimKTWShWefISzFttObkfj_NGOzxgHEoeRUAASW-z-pdIaY_VgEq_3-fPRF5Whl9vXJXIl83uTCLbd7QyC3VU4O8Qi93m8jBFypNQ4DBXkfDkULfwA_b_SPE-SGsLDuM6VbyJtoivZIAIAwJO1cbrejHepflkEadbc0NyTE5nuSMYYdMO_0O85/w400-h268/looking%20for%20something.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">
photo by
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcymet/" target="_blank">Bram Cymet</a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
That’s a lot of information to wade through! Here’s a short guide to help you
find what you’re looking for.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
I’ve written articles about singers, choirs, choir leaders. warm ups and much,
much more. If you want to find out about something related to choirs or
singing, there’s a good chance I’ve written something about it!
</p>
<p>
Here are three ways to find what you’re looking for (plus a future feature on
the blog).
</p>
<h3>1. archives – good for browsing</h3>
<p>
Look at the tabs at the top of the page right under the header of colourful
singers (courtesy of my talented partner
<a href="https://susiemendelsson.co.uk" target="_blank">Susie Mendelsson</a>).
At the far right there’s a tab called <b>Archives</b>. Click on that and it
will take you to a page where every single piece I’ve ever written is listed
in chronological order.
</p>
<p>
I don’t suggest you work through every one of the 900+ posts! But you could
choose a month and year at random, click on it, and you’ll see the title of
the 4 or 5 posts I wrote that month. This is a good way to browse what’s on
offer and dip your toe in the water if you’ve not read much on my blog.
</p>
<p>
A better alternative, if you’re looking for something very specific is ...
</p>
<h3>2. search this blog – find exact topics</h3>
<p>
The second item down on the right hand sidebar is a <b>search</b> box powered
by Google. Type in the subject you’re looking for (e.g. warm ups, voice parts,
starting a choir, choir leading, breath control) then click the magnifying
glass to the right.
</p>
<p>
On the results page, the first few items in smaller print will be sponsored
ads. Below them will be all the articles with your search term, in order of
relevance.
</p>
<h3>3. labels – see other related posts</h3>
<p>
On the home page of the blog, you will see only the first two paragraphs of
each post. Below “Continue reading ...” you will see a group of
<b>labels</b> applied to each post (you will also see them at the end of each
post if you expand it to read the whole thing). These are essentially the
names of subjects in each post. You can find other, related posts which use
the same labels by clicking on one of them. You will then see a list of posts
using that particular label.
</p>
<h3>new regular feature – revisiting old posts</h3>
<p>
I will soon be adding a new regular feature to this blog. Every month or so I
will write a summary post around a specific topic, bringing together five
posts from the past which are all about that topic. I’m going to call it “<b>5 relevant reads</b>”. Stay tuned for the first one!
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-20196379117256552592023-10-16T10:00:00.017+01:002024-01-02T12:43:41.935+00:00If it hurts to sing, then stop!<p>
Often a singer will come up to me in a session and tell me their throat is
hurting. I usually tell them to stop singing.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6ax1XZJuOyHlXMBV4N7vQUS24_aYdvuPH-o1AtswLL5n953_3OqplQJ3j32C87yBjda8l_ihcfyU4yNDd4wylhqCNvsR_Cvb4WI7UlWIQLJNKFyk9V1Mj6qyUNQ98URJBwSmeibk-I3dSV7OYd1fesmWVlh19NqGkziNnEr_aExnHGBsqRdk/s800/sore%20throat.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6ax1XZJuOyHlXMBV4N7vQUS24_aYdvuPH-o1AtswLL5n953_3OqplQJ3j32C87yBjda8l_ihcfyU4yNDd4wylhqCNvsR_Cvb4WI7UlWIQLJNKFyk9V1Mj6qyUNQ98URJBwSmeibk-I3dSV7OYd1fesmWVlh19NqGkziNnEr_aExnHGBsqRdk/w400-h268/sore%20throat.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="400" /></a>
<div style="font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;">
photo by
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/" target="_blank">Marco Verch Professional Photographer</a>
</div>
<p></p>
<p>
In this post want to look at what might cause pain or discomfort when singing
and what you can do about it.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
There are many different reasons why something may hurt when singing. It could
be your throat or a stiff neck. Here are some possible causes.
</p>
<h3>possible causes</h3>
<p><b>trying too hard</b> – singing too loud or pushing your voice</p>
<p>
<b>out of range</b> – trying to reach notes that are too high or too low for
you
</p>
<p>
<b>singing across your break</b> – some singers, especially women, find
singing high or low is fine, but in the middle they’re singing around the
break between head and chest voice
</p>
<p>
<b>muscle tension</b> – not being relaxed and self-aware enough, allowing
tension to creep in whilst singing
</p>
<p>
<b>no support</b> – bad posture or not enough breath to support your singing
voice
</p>
<p>
<b>unfamiliar technique</b> – trying something new like belting or singing
like Bulgarian women without sufficient training
</p>
<p><b>being ill</b> – having a cold or other virus which affects your throat</p>
<p>
<b>lack of hydration</b> – forgetting to drink enough during a singing session
</p>
<p>
<b>singing for too long</b> – tiring your voice out by singing for a long time
with rests
</p>
<p>
<b>wrong environment</b> – the rehearsal space may be too dry due to heating
or a hot, sunny day
</p>
<p>
I’m sure there are plenty of other possible causes. Often you can realise what
is causing your pain then make an adjustment. Usually issues like this only
come up now and again. However, if you find that you’re hurting regularly when
you sing, then you need to do something about it.
</p>
<h3>what to do</h3>
<p>
Sometimes it’s simply matter of improving your technique and being more
self-aware so that tension doesn’t creep in and your support is strong. Make
sure you warm up properly each time.
</p>
<p>
Stopping and resting if you’ve been overdoing it can often sort things out.
</p>
<p>
If your voice is tired or you’ve been singing at the extremes of you range,
you can try <i>creaking</i>. Very gently make the sound of a creaking door.
This will help relax your vocal cords.
</p>
<p>
If you’re unwell, then don’t sing. And don’t be tempted to take
over-the-counter remedies and soldier on. You need to rest your voice (even if
you’re due to sing at a concert) or you may do longer term damage.
</p>
<p>
If the situation persists, seek advice from choir leader. They may be able to
give clear advice if you let them know under what circumstances you begin to
hurt. They might offer you one-to-one sessions to improve your singing
technique. Failing that, you could look for a singing teacher to help you
address a specific problem
</p>
<p>
See also
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2017/12/what-to-do-if-you-catch-cold-and.html">What to do if you catch a cold and a concert is looming</a>
and
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2012/04/your-singing-voice-if-it-aint-broke.html">Your singing voice: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!</a>
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-6758845538730152472023-10-09T12:10:00.009+01:002024-01-02T12:43:53.043+00:00Why I became a choir leader<p>
People often ask about my background, assuming that I have a musical
education.
</p>
<p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqahgxpyblQoqZZ0JsVSi1j5G0gj4PXmt2tAd_hGHhcPfBJj6M8qJgJfadwFTNfoX4nj_vclGmktUxmlm-ZOV0mN7gK_kWFDoeM7HnIhhrT_vCWrQ-fKQ3hiVYn6DTCzuOxzQtG6FTXVKg4dUXVAI8Px22QmRl-2wftgD1htwuR0tuTSazTcfU/s691/harmony.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="599" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqahgxpyblQoqZZ0JsVSi1j5G0gj4PXmt2tAd_hGHhcPfBJj6M8qJgJfadwFTNfoX4nj_vclGmktUxmlm-ZOV0mN7gK_kWFDoeM7HnIhhrT_vCWrQ-fKQ3hiVYn6DTCzuOxzQtG6FTXVKg4dUXVAI8Px22QmRl-2wftgD1htwuR0tuTSazTcfU/w346-h400/harmony.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="346" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
They are rather surprised when I tell them that my training is as a computer
scientist, but I then spent over 20 years as a theatre maker and performer. So
how did I end up as a choir leader?
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
It’s very simple really. I love to sing harmony and you can’t do it on your
own!
</p>
<p>
I love to hear how all the harmonies fit together, so I’d rather be out front
than be a choir member.
</p>
<p>That’s why I became a choir leader.</p>
<p>
You can find out more about my journey in:
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2010/01/becoming-choir-leader-its-long-story.html">Becoming a choir leader – it’s a long story!</a>
And if you really want to know more, just check out the
<a href="https://chrisrowbury.com/about">About page</a> on my website which
includes some video interviews.
</p>
<p>
Here are more details about
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2009/08/job-of-being-choir-leader.html">The job of being a choir leader</a>.
</p>
<p>
Maybe you’ve thought you might like to become a choir leader. In which case,
you might like to read
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2020/01/can-anybody-be-choir-leader.html">Can anybody be a choir leader?</a> And then
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2008/11/how-to-start-your-own-community-choir-1.html">How to start your own community choir</a>
or even
<a href="https://blog.chrisrowbury.com/2013/09/how-to-set-up-choir-if-youre-not-choir.html">How to set up a choir if you’re not a choir leader</a>.
</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38408020.post-80337859057384370562023-10-02T10:00:00.012+01:002024-01-02T12:44:06.284+00:00Why your concert publicity isn’t working<p>
We all want audiences at our concerts, so we have to let people know about
them.
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFFKgpU0cH1F06A9jncn92-vHrQQpBRDJQKi18pa1oZYPEP_FSVD2VCojdJEDgSUZl95uFs5oj-CCvlGOQAIVJ-PnuRO3skd7C3wf7qfArgxkPYSBBl26xSDcdyCMxBzRAxtxRvoAFfZPHhsyGR7IINNohXA3B1IDv-_fkgEjAhzRMKUi_9r-/s849/bad%20poster%20design.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFFKgpU0cH1F06A9jncn92-vHrQQpBRDJQKi18pa1oZYPEP_FSVD2VCojdJEDgSUZl95uFs5oj-CCvlGOQAIVJ-PnuRO3skd7C3wf7qfArgxkPYSBBl26xSDcdyCMxBzRAxtxRvoAFfZPHhsyGR7IINNohXA3B1IDv-_fkgEjAhzRMKUi_9r-/w283-h400/bad%20poster%20design.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="300" /></a>
<p></p>
<p>
I’ve seen so many bad examples of concert publicity recently, I thought I’d
write a few tips.
</p>
<a name='more'></a>
<p>
This post is not an exhaustive dive into publicity design and different ways
to publicise concerts. It’s just a quick look at some common mistakes and
obvious things that need to be considered.
</p>
<p>
Most choirs will create a poster or flyer for their concerts. Non-professional
choirs will almost certainly produce posters themselves, relying on skills of
choir members.
</p>
<p>
The danger of this approach is that, unless those choir members have good
design skills, the end product can also look non-professional. And worse, it
might just not work as a piece of publicity.
</p>
<h3>vital information needed on posters</h3>
<p>The most important elements that need to be incorporated are:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<b>where?</b> – is the concert venue. Don’t assume local knowledge, so make
sure the location is described accurately. Name and address.
</li>
<li>
<b>when?</b> – is the concert: date, day of the week and time. Spell it out,
not 23/09 for example.
</li>
<li>
<b>who?</b> – is performing: mention the name of your choir if you have a
large following.
</li>
<li>
<b>what?</b> – is the content of the concert: classical, a cappella, world
music, jazz, specific repertoire, etc.
</li>
<li><b>how?</b> – can people book tickets and how much do they cost</li>
</ul>
<p>
It’s surprising how many posters lack some of these items. I’ve spent ages
trying to find out where to book tickets. I’ve had to look on Google maps to
get the correct address of a venue.
</p>
<h3>how to present the information visually</h3>
<p>
Once you’ve gathered this information you need to present it in an easily
readable form with the most important things being prioritised.
</p>
<p>
Some posters have the choir name in huge letters (even though most average
people have never heard of them), but venue and timings almost illegible at
the bottom. Some posters have a full list of composers being performed, but
very little space for important things like when the concert is.
</p>
<p>
Try to use no more than two different fonts in your design. Use large
lettering and bold typeface for the most important information. Don’t get too
visually cluttered: you might love the background image you’ve chosen, but
it’s no good if it competes with the writing and people can’t read the
information.
</p>
<p>
Run it by people who have no knowledge of what you do. Ask them what they
understand from the poster. What is missing for them?
</p>
<h3>where is the publicity going to be seen?</h3>
<p>
Many choirs create a large poster design, then also print off the same design
as a small flyer. The problem with this is that posters and flyers are doing
different jobs.
</p>
<p>
A poster is usually out in the wild competing with loads of other visual
information and clutter. Your design needs to be big, bold and clear. People
need to be able to find the what, when and where very quickly.
</p>
<p>
A flyer will be in someone’s hand. They can take it home and read it at their
leisure so it can be a little more subtle. However, it also has to have an
attractive design or people won’t pick it up in the first place.
</p>
<p>
A big mistake is to simply copy the design of a large poster and make a small
flyer of it. Font size can end up being too small, the design can look
cluttered when squashed into the space of an A5 piece of paper. You may well
want two designs: one for posters and the other for flyers. This can become
expensive though, so it can be an idea to design the flyer first, then blow it
up into a poster.
</p>
<h3>online versions of your poster will take time</h3>
<p>
Many of us use social media to promote our concerts. It’s tempting to simply
use the poster image and post it online. However, each social media platform
uses different sizes of images and can crop them in unexpected ways. Make sure
you look up the specifications for each platform you use and test them first.
</p>
<p>
It may be that you have to design a variation of your poster to suit online
needs. Keep to the same fonts, images and colour design, but maybe change
layout or aspect ratio slightly.
</p>
<p>
Just posting an image is not guaranteed to present all the information you
want. Make sure you add text to the post including the what, where and when
even if it duplicates what’s in the image.
</p>
<h3>posters can’t do all the work on their own</h3>
<p>
I was taught that posters are simply a reminder of information that people
have already encountered elsewhere. They can’t do the entire publicising job
for you. You’ll need to back posters and flyers up with editorial in local
newspapers, online articles, page on your website, social media campaign, etc.
</p>
<h3>don’t rest on your laurels</h3>
<p>
Just because publicity for one concert seemed to work quite well, doesn’t
meant that you can just churn out the same thing for the next concert. Find
out what worked. Ask audience members how they found out about the concert.
Change things up each time and keep it fresh. Look at the local competition
and how they publicise their concerts. Be different to them.
</p>
<p>Good luck!</p><br />Chris Rowburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09530012154720275666noreply@blogger.com