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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • How to recruit singers to truly reflect your local community?

    Added June 11, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 1674 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Three years ago, for the first time in over 13 years, I started a choir from scratch. I put a call out to my readers for advice on how to recruit singers that would truly reflect the community they come from.   The Illuminated Crowd by Raymo... read more

  • Are ALL songs suitable for purely vocal arrangements?

    Added June 5, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 3382 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I’m always on the lookout for new songs to use with my singing workshops and choirs.   Sara Bareilles in concert by Anirudh Koul   There might be a stunning song that I’ve known and loved for years, but when I come to arra... read more

  • Have voice, will travel

    Added May 29, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 1086 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I love my job, I really do. I just need some space and a bunch of people and we will make beautiful music together.   Photo by Heather Jennings   No equipment, no special work-wear, no musical instruments, no particular room or buildi... read more

  • Where is a culture’s music tradition to be found?

    Added May 21, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 963 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   A few years ago I spent two weeks travelling through the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. I was really looking forward to hearing plenty of traditional singing since I had been told that all three countries have a rich and well-preserved... read more

  • Why our singing voices have different accents

    Added May 14, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 1455 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many English pop groups in the 60s started off by emulating their cousins from across the pond and sang with an American accent. Cliff Richard still does!   Beatles mural - Croxteth Avenue, Litherland by Gary Rogers   Then The Beatles... read more

  • Learning to love the sound of your own voice

    Added May 9, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 1222 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I recently wrote about some of the reasons why you might think you can’t sing.   Suessian megaphone by theparadigmshifter   One of those reasons is that you might not like the sound of your own voice, especially when it’s ... read more

  • Exactly who’s in charge of my choir?! – how to deal with change

    Added April 30, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 1549 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir] This post is part of a series of occasional Questions and Answers. Just contact me if you want to submit a question that I will answer in a future blog post.   A choir leader asks:   “The church I work for is presently in talks of ama... read more

  • Why can’t I sing?

    Added April 23, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 3425 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   “Why can’t I sing?” The short answer is: “You can. Everybody can.”   Choir of the Munich University of Applied Sciences by Mark Kamin   The whole of my singing work is based on the belief that everyone ca... read more

  • Your singing self vs. your everyday self – which is the real you?

    Added April 9, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 1337 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   We bandy terms around like ‘authentic voice’ and ‘natural voice’ when we talk about singing.   photo by Jean Spector   But how do we know when singers are truly being themselves?   Remember Stacey Solomo... read more

  • I hate a choir in uniform

    Added April 2, 2014 by Chris Rowbury - 3636 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many choirs dress identically when they perform. Some have a choir uniform, some choose a particular colour for a particular concert, some have specially made t-shirts. I have had occasional requests from my own choirs for some kind of uniformity whe... read more