Your singing experience depends on how you feel, not just on what you do

On the face of it, a workshop or concert can be a resounding success.

photo by Andy Armstrong

But ask individuals about how they think it went and some people will think it was terrible.

Keeping choir attendance up – stick or carrot?

As I wrote recently (It’s summer – where have all the choir gone??!!), patchy attendance at regular choir sessions can be very frustrating.

donkey photo by Clay Junell

If you’re a community, or amateur, or singing for fun, or casual choir, how can you keep attendance levels high?

If not now, when? – start singing NOW!

“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready.” Hugh Laurie

photo by Fido

Especially when that day may never come when you truly feel ‘ready’. So start singing now!

How to sing – the definitive guide

“How to sing” is one of the most common requests I get. The answer is simple: open your mouth and let the sound out.

photo by Spekoek

I’m not being facetious, it’s as simple as that. But when someone asks that question, they’re usually hiding a deeper one. Let’s look at what they really want to know and see what the answers are.

How many breaks should you have on a singing weekend?

People pay good money to come on a singing workshop and want to sing as much as they can.


But everyone needs a break. How do you find the balance between singing and time off?

Where do you find all your songs?

This is a question I’m often asked at my singing workshops, especially by people starting out as choir leaders.

photo by James Vaughan

There is often the assumption that I must have travelled to all the countries that I teach songs from and maybe even speak the languages. Not true!

Your job as a choir leader is to disappear

In David Zweig’s recent book he talks about Invisibles: people who are unseen when their job is done perfectly (who only draw attention to themselves when things go wrong).



It got me thinking that most of a choir leader’s job is invisible to the wider public. So why not just disappear when the next concert rolls around?

If some singers want more and some want less, then you must be doing something right!

I aim to please everyone in my choirs and singing workshops. I know it’s an impossible task (see Keeping a choir happy – you can’t please everyone), but still I try.

photo by DurhamDundee

But how do you know when you’ve got the balance right and you’re keeping the majority happy?

It’s summer – where have all the choir gone??!!

The evening’s are lighter, the weather is warmer, the songs are amazing, the singing’s as good as ever – it’s summer!

Sunday school by Ansel Adams

So where has everybody gone? Why are people not turning up to choir?

Never let the fake perfection of pop singers put you off singing

A Britney Spears recording has recently escaped into the wild which demonstrates that without Auto-Tune her singing can be less than perfect (Experience the shocking power of Britney Spears without Auto-Tune – which may have been removed by the time you read this!).

© Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

Shock horror! Pop singers are only human so don’t be put off by their apparent perfection — it’s all smoke and mirrors.

Regular weekly choir or drop-in singing group? – the pros and cons

Some choirs and singing groups meet frequently, often once a week, requiring a high level of commitment. Others meet less frequently and work on a drop-in basis with no requirement to attend every session.

The OK Chorale, Suffolk

There are advantages and disadvantages to each kind of group. Here are some pros and cons.

If you’re looking for new singers, don’t expect them to come to you

You’ve put your fliers out, spread the word, mentioned it on Facebook, but still you find it hard to recruit new singers.

photo by Indra Hardi Saputro

If you’re asking someone to try something unfamiliar, you need to make the effort to take it to their home territory – don’t expect them to come to you.

Singing – the more you do it, the worse you get!

You work on a song in choir week after week, but slowly things seem to get worse. You worry about getting the words right, you can’t seem to remember the second part of the melody, your voice stops hitting the high notes.

photo by Alex Proimos

What’s going on? Here’s what I think ...

Dress to impress – choosing suitable outfits for your choir

As many regular readers will know, I hate a choir in uniform.



However, it is a good idea to have some kind of unifying dress code and also to show your audience that you’ve made an effort. Here are some ideas to consider.

Taking over an established choir – a guide for choir leaders

Choir leaders don’t last forever so there will come a time when a choir needs to find a new one.



If you’re the person who gets the job it can seem daunting to take over a long-established choir. Here are a few tips to help with the transition.

How do you get to the truth of what your singing ability really is?

There is often a mismatch between how good you think you are as a singer and what your abilities really are.



Some people vastly overrate their singing abilities (just watch X Factor!), whilst others with a fine singing voice really think they sound awful. How can we reveal a more accurate picture?

Choir? Chorale? Ensemble? What’s in a name?

Many of you know that I avoid using the ‘C’ word: choir. But there other similar terms that I find just as bad: chorus, chorale, chamber choir.



What’s in a name? What does it tell you about the singing group? Does size matter? Can you have a chorus of four people, or does that become an ensemble? Let’s take a look ...

What makes a ‘good’ singer? – it’s all about context

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I believe that everyone can sing. If you want to know more, you can read “Everyone can sing” – what the hell does that mean??!!

photo by Hollywata

Given that everyone can sing, what might it mean when someone says one singer is ‘better’ than another? What makes a ‘good’ singer any way?

“Darling, your technique is showing” – don’t be a singer who is all style and no substance

It’s usually the case that professional singers have had some sort of training in a particular singing technique.

photo by Kevin Cease

But dontcha just hate it when that’s all you see when they perform??!! All style and no substance. The point of technique is to not let it show.

What to say if someone asks you if they can sing

A friend asks you to comment on their singing or asks you if you think they can sing at all.



What can you say without hurting their feelings or putting them off singing entirely?