I don’t often get the chance to be a punter. But this week I went on a two-day voice and movement course and loved it.
It was great to be on the receiving end for a change, and I learnt a lot about what it’s like to be a singer in a group
Some people believe that singers can either hit the right note or they can't. That's why many choirs audition before you can join.
But like any physical skill — playing the violin or scoring goals, for example — it's something that can be learnt.
I’ve written in the past about how to get choir members to volunteer for supporting roles.
But what I didn’t mention was what kind of roles they might fulfil. Here are some ideas.
When talking about choir rehearsals or singing workshops, the emphasis is always on the musical skills involved: teaching, conducting, vocal training, etc.
But if you don’t get the basic practical elements right, then the singing event won’t work.
Last week I wrote about Why a warm up shouldn’t be just vocal exercises.
This week I’m going to revisit five old posts which look at warm ups in more detail. This is one of a series of summary posts around a specific topic, bringing together five relevant posts from the past.
Many of us choir leaders are constantly on the look-out for new warm up ideas.
Whenever I look on the internet, I always come across sheet music for vocalises. But these are only a small part of what a warm up should be.
It always surprises me when singers sing so loudly that they can’t hear the rest of the choir.
It’s hearing the other harmony parts that keeps you on the straight and narrow, and it’s where the singing pleasure lies.