Do shared lunches at singing workshops really build community?

Whenever I ran a one-off singing day, I would always encourage people to bring lunch to share.

The idea was to create a sense of community and get people to socialise with each other. But I no longer do that. Here’s why.

The essential elements of a choir warm up

Most singers know they should warm up before singing — but what exactly should a warm up contain?

I’ve written before about why warm ups matter— see The singers who didn’t like warm ups (and what became of them) — but it’s worth looking more closely at what actually makes a warm up effective.

A simple vocal range check for non-auditioned choirs

When singers join a non-auditioned choir, they are usually expected to choose the voice part that suits them — without any help.

Over time, singers in community choirs can begin to wonder if they’ve chosen the right part. Here’s a simple way of carrying out a vocal range test with the whole choir.

Small changes make better singers and choir leaders

The second Friday in January is known as “Quitters Day” — the point at which most people abandon the goals they set in their New Year’s resolutions.

Apparently, only 9% of people successfully keep their resolutions and 23% quit in the first week. So how can you real, lasting progress as a singer or choir leader?

Choosing change: planning a new choir season

A new year and a new choir season don’t just bring change — they also bring choice.

This is often a moment to pause and reflect: what’s working, what’s not, and what might benefit from being done differently. For choir leaders in particular, it’s a chance to plan rather than simply react.

The shock of the new: how to cope with change in your singing world

It’s the start of a new year, a time when people make new plans and take on new challenges.

For singers and choir leaders, that often means dealing with change: new people, new spaces, new songs, and unfamiliar ways of doing things. Change can be exciting, but it can also feel unsettling.

How to have a merry (not tipsy) festive season: Lessons from a Georgian Feast

It’s that time of year when drinking a little more than usual suddenly seems normal.

Which is fine — until Uncle Geoff starts telling inappropriate jokes or Mum stumbles and sends all the roast potatoes flying across the floor.