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  • Recording during singing workshops and choir rehearsals – why, what and when?

    Added March 13, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 849 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I always teach songs by ear. Despite my strong belief in the oral/ aural tradition, there is an increasing number of handheld recording devices appearing in my singing sessions!   photo by Harris & Ewing [Public domain], via Wikimedia Common... read more

  • The singers who didn’t like warm ups (and what became of them)

    Added March 6, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 4484 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Once upon a time there were two singers: Olga and Little Erik. They  did not like choir warm ups. Olga always came late so she could avoid them. Little Erik did them in a half-hearted way with a scowl on his face.     What became ... read more

  • 10 exercises guaranteed to get your singers listening more carefully

    Added February 27, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1523 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] A while back I went to a workshop run by the amazing Su Hart who has spent around 25 years working with the Baka people of Central Africa. Living in the rainforest as they do, listening well is literally a matter of life or death.   photo by... read more

  • Build it and they will come – why you can never have too many choirs

    Added February 20, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1115 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I had a friend who moved to a new town and set up a new choir, blissfully ignorant of the 100+ community chorus that already existed there.   photo by ToBreatheAsOne   What was amazing was that the new choir quickly attracted 40 or so... read more

  • Why a choir can never be truly democratic

    Added February 13, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 2597 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Ever asked your choir members how they think things are going? Is there a large committee helping to run your choir? If so, you’ve realised that a choir is not a democracy.     A choir is more like a benign dictatorship. Here&rsq... read more

  • The differences between a ‘natural voice’ choir and all the rest

    Added February 6, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1363 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] You may have come across the term ‘natural voice’. You may also have realised by now that I am a member of The Natural Voice Network.     But what exactly is the ‘natural voice’ and how do choirs run on ‘n... read more

  • Beach Boys bonanza - residential singing weekend

    Added January 30, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 524 views - 0 comments
    Spend a fantastic weekend learning Beach Boys songs in glorious harmony in the beautiful Wye Valley.   Men especially welcome!     Friday 3 May 2019 5pm to Sunday 5 May 2019 2pm Dean Valley Manor (formerly Lindors Country House Hotel) The Fence St. Briavels Lydney GL15 6RB Wye Valley, Gloucestershire   Cost: £240 ... read more

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

    Added January 30, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1098 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Some teachers find themselves having to lead singing sessions at their school. But often they don’t have that much experience of teaching songs by ear or using songs from the world music repertoire (‘world songs’).   &... read more

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

    Added January 23, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 901 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] [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 ... read more

  • How to increase your enjoyment of singing in the choir in the coming year

    Added January 9, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1004 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I wrote a post a while ago called Ask not what your choir can do for you – ask what can you do for your choir. The more you put in, the more you get back.     There are plenty of practical things you can do to help you get more o... read more