Want to sing with more energy? – pretend to be somebody else

I ran a gospel singing weekend recently. One of the songs was flagging a bit so I suggested people ham it up a bit and be more “American”.


Miranda Sings by Gage Skidmore. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

Suddenly the song came to life and everyone was energised. Playing some kind of ‘character’ when you’re singing can really enliven your singing. Here’s how ...

Fit the song arrangement to your singers and not the other way round

Most singers in choirs don’t fit neatly into choral vocal ranges. Yet we try to squeeze them in to our off-the-shelf arrangements, chastising them when they can’t reach the notes.

photo by Garry Knight

How about thinking of your singers first and choosing arrangements that fit their voices rather than the other way round?

How to be a better singer if you’re a mere mortal

When you think you’re not singing well, you’ll often blame yourself. But what if it’s something else, something outside yourself that you can fix quite easily?



Here are some reasons why you might not think you’re a good singer and what you can do about it.

Effective ways to recruit more men for your choir #getmensinging

Lots of mixed choirs don’t have enough male singers, and many established male voice choirs are not managing to find younger recruits (see my series of three posts Men and singing).



Here are some ideas to help you recruit more men and to get men singing in general.

How welcoming is your choir?

I bet you think your choir is a wonderful, friendly little community that welcomes newcomers with open arms.



What if I told you that new members might find your choir scary, cliquey and unwelcoming? Maybe it’s time to look at things from a different perspective.

Sing something simple (and see if your singing is as good as you think it is)

If you’re like me, you’re always tempted to add harmonies to the simplest of melodies whether it’s singing along with others or arranging a song.



But don’t overlook the simplicity of unison singing and drones. These are great ways of finding out if your singing is as good as you think!

Planning ahead: leave space for the unexpected

Many choir leaders will be using the long break to plan their next season.

photo by webmink

But be careful not to over-plan or you won’t be able to respond to the unexpected.

Get out of your singing rut and try something new – it will make you a better singer

I’ve written before about how you can use the long choir break to get better at what you do.

photo by troy

One way is to attend singing workshops lead by a variety of different leaders. It’s a great opportunity to try something new.

How men sing (Part 2) – amazing examples from across the globe #getmensinging

A while back I shared some amazing examples from all over the world of men singing together.



I thought it was about time I shared some more!

Choir leaders: who’ll replace you when you’re gone?

Nothing lasts forever. There will come a time when you will leave your choir and need someone else to take over.



Who will you hand over to and how easy is it to do? Let’s look at some options.

Making the most of your singing voice – it’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it

We are not all born equal. Some have longer legs which helps them to win at hurdles or the high jump. Some have longer fingers which helps them to play jazz chords on the piano.

photo by muzina_shanghai

But what you are born with need not limit what you do. It’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it that counts.

What is your measure of success? – choir leading and self-reflection

How do you know if a choir session or singing workshop or performance has been a success?

photo by shadowkilla_tk

And if it has gone badly, how does that feed back into your teaching and choir directing?

How men sing (Part 1) – amazing examples from across the globe #getmensinging

Many choirs have a shortage of male singers. Most of my singing workshops attract just 10% men. Is it just a problem here in the UK?

photo by Matthias Zepper

In an attempt to get more men singing, I’m going to share some amazing examples of men singing together from all over the world.

The curse of confusion: why thinking is bad for singing

I teach a song by ear in less than an hour at a workshop. Everyone picks it up really quickly and then they sing it brilliantly.



We’ve been working on the same song with my very accomplished weekly choir for quite some time. They really struggle and it’s like plodding through mud. What’s going on here? It’s all about your head getting in the way.

Chris Rowbury’s monthly music roundup

I thought you might be interested in a new venture of mine.



I’m about to publish a free, monthly roundup of music news delivered straight to your inbox.

How to pace a long singing workshop effectively

If a singing workshop is just a couple of hours long, then singers’ energy and concentration will probably be fine.



But for workshops which last a whole day, energy, concentration, focus, boredom, etc. all become factors. What’s the most effective way to pace a long singing workshop?

Have you got what it takes to be a singer?

There’s a lot of nonsense out there about what it takes to be a singer.



The fact is, you already are one! Let’s unpick some of the myths and misconceptions.

Choir and workshop leaders: make sure you’re on the receiving end from time to time

I like being in charge, as do most choir and singing workshop leaders. Our job mainly consists of telling people what to do and helping them to sing the best that they can.



Trouble is it’s easy to forget what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that. Which is why I always try to attend other singing workshops as a normal participant.

Coming back to singing after a long absence or a bad experience

Whether it’s bringing up a family or long-term illness or a bad singing experience, many people find it hard to get back into singing when they’ve been away for a long time.

photo by by Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Rijksfotoarchief

Here are some ideas for ways of gently easing your way back into singing after a long break.

Singing with a group of strangers – mixing and mingling ideas for learning names

It always amazes me how surprised people are that a group of strangers can sing harmony together in just a few minutes. It’s not necessary to know the other singers to be able to sing well with them, but some people feel that they need to be introduced.



How can you get a group of strangers to get to know each other quickly without taking up too much time? Here are a few ideas.