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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • When you sing, forget everything you’ve ever learnt

    Added May 16, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 997 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   In your singing lessons and choir warm ups you’re bombarded with exercises and technical advice about posture, breathing, enunciation, pitching, tension, placement and so on.     All good stuff. But when it comes time to si... read more

  • Teacher of songs or song polisher – which kind of choir leader are you?

    Added May 2, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 922 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 singing workshop led by an internationally acclaimed workshop leader. I was very disappointed at the lack of teaching skills on display. But in the end the sound we made was amazing.   photo by Allan Harris &n... read more

  • Can open-access choirs cater for every kind of singer?

    Added April 25, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 732 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   As a member of the Natural Voice Network I share their belief that everybody can sing and nobody should be excluded from music-making. Which is why no ‘natural voice’ choirs hold auditions or use unnecessary musical jargon.   ... read more

  • How to choose soloists in your choir: audition or self-selection?

    Added April 11, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 1310 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Rather than everyone singing all the time, many choirs ring the changes by creating smaller ensembles within the larger choir or have occasional solos.   photo by Shelly Mags   In a non-auditioned, open-access choir, what is the... read more

  • Singing in a choir – balancing individual freedom with the demands of the team

    Added April 4, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 2353 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Those of us who love to sing often love to sing at the top of our voices. It’s joyous!   photo by William P. Gottlieb But when you’re part of a choir you have to rein in those tendencies for the greater good of the overal... read more

  • Process vs. product: are you along for the singing ride or just the final performance?

    Added March 28, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 900 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Learning and polishing a song can be a long process. Some people find it a chore and can’t wait to get to the end result: a public performance.     But others enjoy the ride, going deeper into the song, finding the nuances,... read more

  • Never tell someone they can’t sing – it is brutal, damaging and untrue

    Added March 21, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 86308 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Most of the people who come to my singing workshops are in their 50s and pretty much all of them have a story to tell about the time someone told them they couldn’t sing.   photo by TrueDragon13   Many of the stories date ... read more

  • Helping your singers learn to hold a harmony part on their own

    Added March 14, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 2721 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Singers in a choir are used to singing their harmony part surrounded by others singing the same thing. Holding a part by themselves in a small group seems like a real challenge.   photo by Eric Kilby   In this post I’ll sh... read more

  • What’s the opposite of a “Singing for fun” choir?

    Added February 28, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 1208 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Certain people are rather dismissive of “Singing for fun” choirs. If it’s for fun then it can’t possibly be of any quality.     Then I got to wondering: what are their choirs like? What’s the opposit... read more

  • Avoid toxic choir leaders – the end does NOT justify the means

    Added February 21, 2018 by Chris Rowbury - 1435 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There are some workshop and choir leaders who work through fear. They are not particularly nice people, but they do get good results.   photo by Craig Sunter   Yet it is possible to work compassionately and with fun to get the s... read more