Does getting older make it harder to learn songs?

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.

How to be prepared for any combination of voices

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?

How to sing a song as if it’s the first time

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?

Sing together and lose weight — 100% guaranteed!

You’ve tried Slimming World, Weight Watchers, weight-loss jabs, Aunty Jean’s herbal concoction, but nothing works.

photo by Alan Cleaver

It’s time to sing!

How to start a singing session without shouting

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?

Why singing leaves you tired – and relaxed

Singers often say how tired they feel after a rehearsal or workshop.

Paradoxically, singers who arrive tired at the start often leave feeling energised. What’s going on?

To learn and grow you need to be humble

Someone wrote to me recently asking if I thought my workshops would be suitable for them.

They had struggled at a recent community workshop because the teaching wasn’t based on reading music or understanding music theory.