I’m officially on my summer break. My last singing workshop was just over two weeks ago.
But that doesn’t mean I’m taking it easy or lazing by the pool. Here’s what I’ve been up to.
Most people don’t realise how much behind-the-scenes work there is for choir and singing workshop leaders. They think we just turn up, teach a few songs, then go and lie down for the rest of the week.
I’m not complaining. I love what I do. But I’d like people to realise that it really is a job. And even if I weren’t being paid for it, most of this work would still need doing.
So next time you think your choir leader only works for two hours a week, or gets paid a fortune for very little, think again.
Here’s what I’ve been doing on my ‘holiday’ so far:
- Updating my website
- Keeping my mailing list database up to date
- Scoping out a new venue for 2028
- Booking venues for 2027
- Doing my tax return
- Finding songs for my September singing weekend
- Double-checking the lyrics, meanings, cultural background, and provenance
- Arranging songs for my next workshop
- Learning songs for my next workshop so I can teach them effectively
- Tweaking arrangements
- Planning new workshop themes for 2027
- Writing publicity blurbs for the new workshop themes
- Costing next year’s residential workshops
- Putting the new workshop information on my website
- Preparing items for my next newsletter (due in mid-September)
- Creating online booking forms for my 2027 residential weekends
- Sending information to participants on my September singing weekend
- Starting to think ahead to my Beach Boys weekend in October
- Adding new song arrangements to my website
- Booking trains for workshops later this year
- Fielding endless email requests
- Selling my song arrangements
- Putting my 2027 singing events onto the Natural Voice website
- Writing my weekly blog
- Preparing next month’s music round-up
- Writing the editorial for the monthly Natural Voice newsletter
- Liaising with venues: rooms needed, dietary requests, room layout, etc.
- Updating the automatic emails that MailChimp sends out
- Editing recordings from the last singing workshop and sending them out
- Paying invoices
- Ordering stationery
- Dealing with requests to run future workshops
- Tidying up sheet music, lyric sheets, etc. after a busy year of teaching
- Attempting to organise my desk
Now, where did I leave that deckchair?
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Chris Rowbury
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