How men sing (Part 4) – amazing examples from across the globe #getmensinging

This is the fourth in a series of posts which features amazing examples of men singing. Here are Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.



My hope is that if men see a huge variety of different kinds of men singing together, they might be inspired to get off the sofa and go and try it themselves.

10 ideas to keep you going when you feel like giving up

I’ve been writing this blog now for 10 years. My first post was on 3 December 2006 when I declared that Choirs are becoming cool! (this was the beginning of all those choir programmes on British TV, before even Gareth Malone).

photo by Gerard Van der Leun

How is it possible to stick with something for the long run without getting bored, disillusioned, diverted, lost, setback or running out of ideas?

Why my choir doesn’t sing carols at Christmas

‘Tis the season to be jolly! Most choirs are busy rehearsing for their Christmas concerts.

photo by Prayitno

But my choir, The OK Chorale, isn’t. Here’s why we don’t sing Christmas carols.

6 facts about singing to help first-time singers

At my monthly singing session recently someone came up to me at the end to say she was worried about not having enough breath for the long phrases.

photo by Tsahi Levent-Levi

It turned out she was new to singing (it was only her second time!). I realised that a lot of new singers come with many preconceptions, some of which can put people off coming back. Here are six facts that may help you stay with it and not get discouraged.

Does your choir need ground rules?

Occasionally somebody in your choir may behave in a way that is not acceptable. It could be inappropriate language, disrupting a rehearsal or simply singing louder than everybody else.

Example of choir rules used by Brigid Sinclair from New Zealand

If you don’t have any ground rules in place, it makes it harder to deal with such behaviour.

How to introduce harmony to a group of novice singers

I’m often asked for examples of simple harmony songs that might work with a group of inexperienced singers or people who have not sung before.



Rather than recommending specific songs, I always suggest a particular path into harmony. I thought I’d share that with you.

How to draw out the reticent singers in your choir

When a nervous singer turns up to your choir or someone comes to your singing workshop who’s never sung in public before, it’s all too easy for them to hide at the back.

photo by Homini:)

Here are some ideas for encouraging under-confident and first-time singers.

Make singing part of your five-a-day for wellbeing

Are you doing your five-a-day for wellbeing?



Here are five things that can help with your feelings of wellbeing if done daily.

Don’t let your choir leader do all the work – realise how capable you are as a singer

There are some great choral conductors and singing workshop leaders out there. They get the very best out of their singers.

photo by U.S. Army

The downside is that singers can end up believing that they can’t do it without them. It’s time to acknowledge how capable you are as a singer in your own right.

The choir leader’s guide to catching a cold

Here in the northern hemisphere it’s the season of coughs and sneezes.

photo by Allan Foster

In case you’ve not managed to catch your first cold of the season at choir, here’s a handy guide to get you started.

What to do when only one man turns up to your mixed choir

There’s a mixed voice singing workshop with plenty of women singers, but only one man turns up. A new community choir starts and only one man comes to the first session, vastly outnumbered by the women.

North Walsham Community Choir, Norfolk, UK

How do you deal with the massive imbalance? Here are a few ideas.

The non-technical guide to becoming a singer

Some people get put off by all the technicalities of singing: music theory, diaphragm, larynx, vocal blend, head voice, legato, etc.



But singing is much easier than you think. Here’s how to get started.

“I’m a choir leader and sometimes I hate my job” – but that’s OK!

Sometimes the last thing I want to do is to drag myself off the sofa and go to choir.

photo by Ed Van Brunt

But it’s my job so I make the effort and usually it’s worth it. I used to worry that everyone else loved their job all the time, but that’s not the case!

Integrating new choir members: a guide for new singers, existing members and choir leaders

Most choirs take new singers on at the beginning of a season. Joining an established group can be quite scary and new singers need to find a way of catching up quickly.



Here are some ideas for how best to integrate new members into your choir.

Has your voice gone rusty over the summer?

Choir members all over the country are gearing up for a new choir season. Many of you might not have sung at all over the long break.



How can you best prepare for getting back into singing without damaging your voice?

Finding songs for the new choir season

A new season kicks off for many choirs in a the next few weeks. I don’t know about you, but I always seem to leave it to the last minute to find new repertoire for my choir!



Here are some ideas for finding new material for your next choir season.

Just because a song is hard or you don’t like it doesn’t mean you should give up on it

Last week I looked at why singers might be finding a song hard going: If a song’s not working, when do you stop flogging the dead horse?

photo by Tanya Little

I suggested easy solutions to most situations, but what happens if the singers don’t like the song or are finding it harder than you thought they would? Give up or soldier on?

If a song’s not working, when do you stop flogging the dead horse?

Sometimes I bring a great song to choir and for some reason the singers really struggle with it.

photo by Clear Path International

How do you decide whether to persist with a song until it comes right, or just abandon it and move on? Let’s look at the options.

If the energy in your choir is low do you go with the flow or wake everyone up?

I ran a whole weekend of singing recently and when the Saturday evening session rolled round everyone was understandably very tired.

photo by Son Lee

This slot has always been problematic: do I do simple songs, slow songs or high energy wake-up songs? Do you go with the flow or try to wake everyone up?

You can’t avoid feelings of apprehension at the start of a singing workshop

I’ve just come back from my annual visit to the English Lake District to run my summer singing weekend.



On a weekend workshop I always find the first session on the Friday night tricky. There is an air of trepidation and hesitation that’s impossible to avoid. Why is that?