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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • 10 ways to be a better choir member

    Added July 23, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 17701 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I wrote about whether you need singing lessons in order to be able to sing. I suggested that people should simply jump in and join a choir before they ever consider individual singing lessons. I pointed out that there are impor... read more

  • Do you need singing lessons in order to sing?

    Added July 19, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 3245 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I often get enquiries from people looking for one-to-one singing lessons. I tell them that unfortunately I don’t offer them.     I recommend that they join a choir instead. But some people feel they can’t even do that w... read more

  • Finding out about songs: two real-world examples

    Added July 12, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1537 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I wrote that you shouldn’t believe everything you read when it comes to researching songs.     Photo by Ashley Dace   This week I’d like to give you two concrete examples of song research. &nb... read more

  • Finding out about songs: don’t believe everything you read!

    Added July 5, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1233 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I was in the middle of planning a workshop and was checking through a few songs to make sure I had the correct lyrics, source, meaning, background, etc.     I came across a few that I couldn’t figure out so I went se... read more

  • The problem with men: getting them, handling them, keeping them

    Added June 28, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 2732 views - 1 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   What is it with blokes and singing? In most open-access adult workshops that I run, only 10% of the participants are men (and it seems to be getting less all the time). Many male voice choirs have an aging membership. Most mixed community choirs ... read more
    1 comment

  • S, A, T or B – which is the part for me?

    Added June 21, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 3896 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I blame it on the Italians.     Photo by cbmd   The founder of the modern musical stave was an Italian; many well-known musical forms — sonata, cantata, aria — were invented in Italy; also, Italian musicians and ... read more

  • But I can’t sing that high!

    Added June 14, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 8234 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   When you join a choir that sings in harmony, you will find that some parts are too high for you and some parts are too low.     Just like Goldilocks, you will gravitate to the part which is “just right” — the plac... read more

  • Outdoor singing performances – tips and tricks

    Added June 7, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 3478 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I really, really don’t like performing outdoors (I’ll come to why in a moment)! But sometimes it’s unavoidable, so what can we do to make it work?     Since I haven’t performed outdoors that often, I would love ... read more

  • How to have an English sing-along

    Added May 31, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1741 views - 2 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   And I mean English … not Irish or Welsh or Scottish. How is it possible to have an unplanned, spontaneous and genuine gathering of people who sing together?     Photo by Mykl Roventine   I was listening to a broadcast fro... read more
    2 comments

  • Why do you sing?

    Added May 23, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 5038 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I came across an interesting article on Canada’s CBC Radio 2 blog a few years back. It was entitled Why do you sing? and attracted several comments from people outlining their own personal reasons why they sing.     Although I&rs... read more