17 years ago I led one of my first residential singing weekends. The theme was the Beach Boys.
The other weekend, I was in Derbyshire leading another of my (rare) Beach Boys weekends. It got me thinking about all the things that have happened since 2009.
Most of the singers who attend my workshops are in their 60s and 70s. Many of them having been coming to my singing events for years.
The other day, somebody asked if I’d noticed whether they struggled more with learning songs as they got older.
I’m leading a singing workshop tomorrow. I know I will have 35 singers, seven of whom are men. Five of those are tenors.
That means that I can choose song arrangements accordingly. But what happens when you’ve no idea in advance which voice parts you’ll have?
I went to a theatre performance the other day. It was basically one actor on stage for over two hours.
It was coming to the end of its seven-week run, but it still felt as fresh as the first time it was performed. How do you manage to keep a performance alive after so many repetitions?
You’ve tried Slimming World, Weight Watchers, weight-loss jabs, Aunty Jean’s herbal concoction, but nothing works.
It’s time to sing!
People are arriving and greeting each other; chairs are being set out; there is excitement in the air and the hubbub of conversation.
How do you get everyone to quieten down and focus in order to start your singing session?
Singers often say how tired they feel after a rehearsal or workshop.
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Paradoxically, singers who arrive tired at the start often leave feeling energised. What’s going on?