Using world songs in the classroom: a teacher’s guide to sourcing songs and how to teach them

Some teachers find themselves having to lead singing sessions at their school, but don’t have that much experience of using songs from the world music repertoire (‘world songs’) or of teaching songs by ear.



Here is a short guide to using world songs in the classroom with some handy references to warms ups, song sources, and how to lead choirs.

Choirs and copyright: a beginner’s guide for the bewildered

[NB this post is about UK copyright laws. Although the situation will be similar in other countries, the various copyright and performing rights agencies and websites will obviously be different]

I wrote extensively about copyright way back in 2010 (see my series of seven posts Songs and copyright), but I still get emails every week from choir leaders asking me questions!



I’m certainly no expert, especially since I don’t use sheet music, but I thought I’d revisit the topic and try to spell it out in simple terms. Here goes!

Is how you label yourself as a singer holding you back?

We all have an image of the type of singer (or musical director or choir) that we think we are. There are things that we can do and things that we can’t (or won’t) do.

photo by iamstarbuck

But what if the way we see ourselves is out of date? What if we’ve given ourselves the wrong label? How can we move forward?

Want to sing but are scared of being judged? Here’s what to do

Sarcastic remarks from X Factor judges. Teachers telling kids to “stand at the back and just mime”. Being made to stand up and sing solo to get into your workplace choir. Scary!



And enough to put anyone off singing! However, there are plenty of other ways of singing with others without the fear of being judged or ridiculed. Here’s what you can do.

Want to develop your voice and sing better? Be silly and play!

Trying to increase your vocal range? Want to develop a richer tone to your voice? Puzzling over voice placement and timbre?

photo by The-Serene-Mage

Before you rush off to find a singing teacher, try being playful with your voice for fun.

Is one of your choir sections thin on the ground? 10 ways to find more singers to fill the gaps

Many of us are in choirs where a particular section needs bolstering. In my case it’s a lack of altos, for others it might be too few tenors.



Here are 10 ideas for beefing up a particular voice part.

Keep it to yourself! – why colds, singing and choirs don’t mix

’Tis the season to be poorly. A warm rehearsal room is the ideal place to spread coughs and sneezes, especially with all that deep breathing and standing close together.

Sneeze by James Gathany

So what should you do when you come down with a bug: soldier on or stay away? It depends how bad it is. Let’s look at your options.

Using feedback forms for choirs and singing workshops

You get what you ask for, so be careful how you seek feedback!

photo by Howard Lake

When designing feedback forms, less is more. Here’s why.

How to get your choir to pay attention to you (and stop chatting!)

At the beginning of each choir session it’s as if the singers have not seen each other for years. They’re chatting away having a fine time of things.

photo by barçalunacy

Trouble is, you’ll have to put an end to that in order to get started. How do you get their attention with all that noise?

How to sing – 10 habits of successful professional singers

In my recent post How to sing – the definitive guide, I pointed out that lots of people Google “How to sing” instead of just getting on and doing it.

Garðar Thor Cortes by David

If you’re serious about singing and want to get on with it, here are 10 habits you can develop which come from successful professional singers.

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.