Why is there so much talking when I’m teaching a song (and why don’t I notice it)?

After teaching songs to a group of singers, I often get feedback that it was hard to concentrate because so many people were talking.

It always surprises me, since I don’t usually notice. So what’s going on here?

Lifelong learning for singers and choir leaders

Any half-decent choir will help singers improve their skills week by week.

But sometimes that alone is not enough if you really want to develop and grow.

Keeping it simple: Serving the song, not the arrangement

Sometimes I come across a beautiful song and start searching online for a choral arrangement.

All too often, though, what I find is weighed down with so many bells and whistles that the original melody—the very thing that drew me to the song in the first place—ends up buried under the layers.

Looking for inspiration? It might be right in front of you

The thing about creative inspiration is that you can’t conjure it at will.

It pops up when you least expect it. Rather than tackling lack of inspiration head on, simply wait and something will appear, often right in front of you.

Singing together is therapeutic, but it’s not therapy

Over the years, countless singers have told me how much choir has supported their mental wellbeing.

There’s no doubt: singing together has real therapeutic benefits. But we need to be clear — it isn’t the same as therapy.

Become a better singer or choir leader by mastering new habits

I assume that we’d all like to become better at what we do. That could be teaching songs, singing, or leading a choir. 

Changes Ahead by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

Inevitably, to improve, we will need to develop new habits or change existing ones. But that can feel awkward and unfamiliar, even painful at times.

Your complete guide to learning songs by ear

For thousands of years, cultures across the globe have passed songs on orally to the next generation. This requires much repetition as well as active listening.

However, this is no longer a dominant part of many cultures today. What is the best way to learn a song by ear?

The different silences in singing

Silence is not just the absence of sound.

photo by Thomas Leuthard

When singing as a group, there are several kinds of silence, each with its own quality.

How can you avoid singers doing nothing while other parts are being taught? — 4 ideas to reduce waiting time

Inevitably, some singers will wait around doing nothing while the choir leader focuses on one of the other harmony parts. 

Whether you teach by ear (as I do) or use sheet music, this will happen. However, there are ways of minimising this waiting time.

Do singers know what to expect from your choir or singing workshop?

We all spend a lot of time crafting and honing the publicity blurb for our choirs and singing workshops.

But are we sure we have explained exactly what singers can expect when they attend?

Finding the right balance in singing workshops: Quality vs. Quantity

I tend to teach songs quickly (see How many songs can you teach in an hour?). I can easily get through 6-8 songs in a one-day workshop.

image generated by DeepAI

A singer recently said to me that quality might be better than quantity. Yes, she’d learnt a lot of different songs, but didn’t feel that she’d really nailed any of them.

Testing your limits: Are you singing the right part for your voice?

It’s very easy for singers to stay in the same voice part in choir, even though it may not be the best place for them.

Lovemusic Community Choir by Patrick_Down is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Rather than assume you can’t sing that high (or low), why not put it to the test? You might be surprised.

“I don’t know”: Why vulnerability makes you a stronger choir leader

Sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing. There, I’ve admitted it.

We usually keep quiet when we’re unsure, but I believe it’s much better to own up in public. Here’s why.

The secret to learning a song: focus on the next note, not the tricky part ahead

Sometimes we encounter a challenging part of a song and need to work on it separately.

image generated by Gemini AI

But if we try to keep this in mind when singing the first part of the song, it will affect the other notes. Here’s what I think is happening.

Vocal range 2: 5 relevant reads

This is one of a series of summary posts around a specific topic, bringing together five relevant posts from the past. 

This summary is all about vocal range: how it’s relevant to being in a choir and how you might go about finding where you fit. I’ve already referred to five older posts in the first part of this series.

Take your time! Being unable to learn songs quickly doesn’t define your singing talent

One of the many reasons why people say that they can’t sing is that it takes them ages to learn a song.

photo by Takashi Hososhima

But that’s OK. Even professionals take time to get a song under their belt.

Feeling like everything is falling apart? Here's a hint: no one really notices!

Last week I wrote about song leaders and singers in rehearsal and at workshops feeling that they’ve made a big mistake. Yet nobody noticed: Think it's all going wrong? Spoiler: nobody's noticing!

photo by madaise

This week I want to consider live performance, both from the perspective of choir leaders and singers.

Think it's all going wrong? Spoiler: nobody's noticing!

I had a bad workshop experience the other day. I felt that the whole day had gone wrong and I wasn’t up to snuff.

Yet loads of people came up to me afterwards to tell me how much they’d enjoyed it. What’s going on here?

Magic words that will help you become a better singer or choir leader

We’re all very good at sabotaging ourselves. You know the kind of thing: “I can’t do that” or “That was a disaster.”

However, there are some simple and powerful phrases that can help us overcome these self-doubts.

Why learning harmony arrangements of pop songs is hard

I led a Beatles a cappella singing day last week. As usual, it attracted people who love to sing pop songs.

Everyone enjoyed it, but many pointed out afterwards how hard it had been to learn the songs.