How to be a really successful singer or choir leader – deliver more than expected

If you want to be a real success, it’s not enough to just do the job at hand. You need to deliver more than is expected.

What does that mean for singers and choir leaders?

Finding positives from the pandemic when your choir finally gets back together

It has been said that every setback is an opportunity in disguise. Singing together has had many setbacks during the pandemic and choirs have been affected badly.

Here’s how you can turn those obstacles into positives.

Skills you’ll need to brush up when your choir rehearses again in person

Here in England, we’re limited to a maximum of six singers rehearsing indoors.

photo by allan harris

When restrictions are finally lifted (in three weeks we hope), many choral skills will have gone rusty over the last year or more.

Honouring the song 6: summing up and further resources

This is the last in my series of how to honour the source of a song.

photo by WorldFish

I’m going to sum up briefly give an overview of the process and point you to some further resources which might help.

Honouring the song 5: who wrote or arranged the song?

I’ve written before that even if it’s a folk song, somebody wrote it.

 

The identity of that individual may have been lost over time, but to honour the song, you still have the responsibility to try to find out who it was.

Honouring the song 4: what is the cultural and historical context of the song?

Just because we can sing a song, doesn’t mean that we should sing it.

It is important to honour the cultural and historical origins of a song so we know whether it’s appropriate to sing it in a different context or not.

Honouring the song 3: can you teach or perform the song accurately?

When using songs from cultures different to ours, we have the responsibility to teach or perform them as accurately as we can.

 

We honour the song by being as authentic as possible when pronouncing the words, and reproducing the melody and harmonies.

Honouring the song 2: what does the song mean?

When you learn a song — especially if it’s by ear — you take on trust what you’re told about the song’s meaning. This is particularly relevant if the song is in a foreign language.

 

But meaning is a slippery thing. Incorrect meanings get passed on like Chinese whispers. Some inexperienced song teachers even make stuff up if they’re not sure (see Bele mama from last week’s post).

Honouring the song 1: where does the song come from?

When honouring the origins of any song, you need to be as precise as you can about where the song came from.

 

It might be hard to find out, but there is no excuse for being lazy and saying something like “This song is from Africa.” Here are some things to consider when tracing a song’s origins.

How to honour the source of a song (and why it’s important)

Many songs get handed down by ear and labelled ‘traditional’ without any clear understanding of where they come from.

It’s important to honour the source of all songs and the cultures they originate from. Here’s a guide to the things that you need to consider.

Even if all your singers are vaccinated, there are still risks

There has been some talk of insisting that singers are vaccinated before they can attend choir.

photo by U.S. Secretary of Defense

Not only is this problematic, but even if all your singers are vaccinated, there are still risks involved.

Don’t be put off by the word ‘choir’ – there are plenty of different kinds out there

Many people are put off by the word ‘choir’. It can mean that people feel excluded from singing with others because of their preconceptions.

The choir of St. Peter's Bournemouth

‘Choir’ can take many forms though, so maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.

Will my choir still be there when lockdown is over?

Some choirs decided to stop all activities when the pandemic started.

photo by Cory Doctorow

As restrictions begin to ease in many countries, singers are wondering: will my choir still be there?

When will it be safe to sing together again in person?

Many of you won’t have sung with others in a physical space for several months, or even a year or more.

Seattle Metropolitan Singers

As vaccination roll-out increases and restrictions are eased in many countries, when will it be safe to sing together again in person?

How to sing a drone of staggering beauty

A drone is a note continuously sounded throughout most or all of a song.

 

But singers have to breathe, so how can this be achieved?

If you don’t sing (or lead a choir), are you still a ‘singer’ (or ‘choir leader’)?

Many of you won’t have sung with others or led a choir over the last year.

Does that mean you can’t call yourself a ‘singer’ or ‘choir leader’ any more?

The biscuits for my singing workshops have gone stale. Have I gone stale too?

It’s been a year since I last led a singing workshop with real live people together in a room.

Ship's biscuit, SS Great Britain, 1874

When it becomes possible to lead singing sessions again, will I still be able to do it?

Merry Christmas everyone!

I couldn’t let Christmas pass without a final post before this blog goes into ‘pause’ mode (see Time to hit pause on this blog).

 

Also, being a numbers nerd, I needed to publish post number 800 to finish on a round number!

Time to hit pause on this blog

I can hardly believe it, but I’ve been writing this weekly blog for 14 years – that’s 798 articles!

I haven’t missed a single week in all that time. Until now.

Find new songs for the winter and festive season

It’s the time of year when many choirs roll out their familiar winter repertoire. Whether it be Christmas carols or Hanukkah songs, they tend to be the same old favourites.

But what if you want to try something different? Here are some resources for discovering new songs for the winter festivals.