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  • Using dance moves to learn, remember and perform songs better

    Added July 27, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 1586 views - 0 comments
     [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Some time ago I tried a new idea (for me any way) for helping people to learn songs.   Photo by Ramesh Lalwani   I decided to associate a different movement/ gesture with each musical phrase to see if it helped people to learn t... read more

  • Singing is about listening, not looking

    Added July 21, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 2134 views - 7 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There are quite a few choirs out there made up entirely of blind singers. There are also many famous individual blind singers (Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli), groups (The Blind Boys of Alabama) and even whole traditions of blind music-making (the Kob... read more
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  • You don't have to like the people you sing with

    Added July 14, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 957 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]    Some people I know think that to sing harmony with others you have to get on with them.   Photo by woodleywonderworks   But I don’t believe you need to be friends in order to create beautiful music together.   let&r... read more

  • Which single note do you give your choir to start a song?

    Added July 6, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 6736 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last time (Tuning up – where do start notes come from?) I talked about my aim of being able to give out a single note to my choir, instead of having to give a note to each separate part. Now I want to look at which note you might actually give o... read more

  • Tuning up - where do start notes come from?

    Added June 30, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 5297 views - 2 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   OK, I’ll admit it up front: I’m a charlatan. I have no training for the job which gives me my income. So when it comes to giving starting notes out to my choir, I’m not very good.             &n... read more
    2 comments

  • Singing is about people, not musical notes

    Added June 23, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 1296 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There are many choir leaders whose priority is to create as perfect a rendition of a written musical score as they can (see Music lives in flawed humans and not on the page).   But my focus is on the people who are making the music, not the mus... read more

  • Avoid jargon: make sure we're all speaking the same language

    Added June 17, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 1201 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Unlike many ‘traditional’ classical or church choirs, Natural Voice choirs seldom use written scores. We don‘t assume that singers who attend our workshops have any singing experience or musical education.   We want access to... read more