Why learning harmony arrangements of pop songs is hard

I led a Beatles a cappella singing day last week. As usual, it attracted people who love to sing pop songs.

Everyone enjoyed it, but many pointed out afterwards how hard it had been to learn the songs.

Why do humans sing?

A guest video from Michaela Bartoskova reminding us all of why we sing.

“We sing to taste the freedom that music brings.”

Are you cleaning your water bottle enough?

As singers, we’re encouraged to keep hydrated by bringing a water bottle to rehearsals and workshops.

photo by Basile Morin

But did you know that harmful bacteria can easily build up on reusable water bottles? It’s important to clean them often, especially as warmer weather arrives. Here’s how.

Vocal range 1: 5 relevant reads

This is one of a series of summary posts around a specific topic, bringing together five relevant posts from the past.

This summary is all about vocal range: how it’s relevant to being in a choir and how you might go about finding where you fit.

Become a better choir leader by taking classes unrelated to singing

As mentioned, I recently started going to line dancing classes.

What I hadn’t expected is that I’m learning so much about becoming a better singing workshop leader.

The unwritten agreement between singer and audience - what each can expect from the other

I mentioned briefly in last week’s post the implicit contract between performers and audience.

I’d like to look at the idea in a little more detail.

Why we can’t sing in public wherever and whenever we want

I was on holiday in Portugal recently when I heard a group of young people coming towards me singing. It seemed like it was some kind of street protest and made me feel a little uncomfortable.

Then there was the guy on the train next to me singing quite loudly to himself, which was quite irritating. It made me wonder: are there only certain situations when it’s OK to sing in public?