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  • Men's harmony singing improvers weekend 13-15 November, Cambridgeshire

    Added September 16, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 2118 views - 0 comments
    I'm always trying to get more men singing.   For some reason some men don't like mixed group, but prefer to sing with their own kind. I must admit that there is something special about hearing all male (or all female) voices in harmony together - it has another dimension from a mixed choir.   I thought I'd offer a chance for men to si... read more

  • What songs do atheists sing?

    Added September 16, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 1060 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I’ve been asked to create a choir specially for an inter-faith event.   Photo by Catholic Church   There will be contributors from Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and more. Plenty of songs to choose from. But w... read more

  • Name that tune! – earworms, musical memory and other strange phenomena

    Added September 10, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 904 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Sometimes I only have to hear two notes of a song and I know what it is.   Photo by bishib70   Often I join in with someone singing a song only to realise that I’m singing a completely different one. What’s going on here?... read more

  • Putting the hours in – are singers born or made?

    Added August 26, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 1068 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 girlfriend who believed that we are all capable of anything if we just put enough effort in.   Photo by _foam   She believed that if you fail at something or are not very good at it, then you just don’t want it that muc... read more

  • What I did on my summer holiday – why we all need a break sometime

    Added August 19, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 1206 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Apparently it’s the summer break here in the UK. The weather is sunny, choir doesn’t start back until September, kids are off school and ice cream vans are cruising the streets.   Photo by Yiannis Logiotatides   So how co... read more

  • Confession: I don’t like to sing much

    Added August 12, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 1190 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   You know those people who sing all the time — when they’re cooking, hoovering, gardening, whatever? Well, I’m not one of them.   Photo by k e e l y   I love singing. I earn my living by teaching songs, I enjoy singi... read more

  • Why ‘singing for fun’ doesn’t mean low standards and poor performances

    Added August 5, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 3146 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   The other weekend 50 singers performed in public to a large, appreciative audience. We performed eight songs in four part harmony, most in foreign languages and some with dance moves.     The standard was high, the performance was tig... read more

  • STAB, TABS or ASSBAT – how does your choir line up?

    Added July 30, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 2333 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Two weeks ago I wrote about how individuals choose where to stand within their part (Don't stand too close to me! - finding the right place to stand in your choir).   Photo by sludgegulper   Then last week I looked more globally at t... read more

  • Flying in choir formation – placing singers effectively

    Added July 22, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 3233 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I looked at how singers choose where to stand in their section (Don’t stand too close to me! – finding the right place to stand in your choir). But that assumes that your choir is divided up with all singers in any given part s... read more

  • Don’t stand too close to me! – finding the right place to stand in your choir

    Added July 15, 2015 by Chris Rowbury - 3383 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   In most formal choirs you’re told exactly where to stand when performing. There is often a fixed set-up which varies little from concert to concert.   Photo by nicksarebi   However, in many community choirs, even though the sep... read more