[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.
No equipment, no special work-wear, no musical instruments, no particular room or building, no need to speak the language, no vetting the people – just me and you and our voices. Have voice, will travel!
People are often surprised when I say that I don’t need a piano – they can’t seem to imagine that we can make music with voices alone. Or pick a staring note out of the air.
People are often amazed when I say that I don’t use sheet music – they seem to believe that ‘proper’ music-making is somehow connected with pieces of paper.
People are often suspicious when I say that anyone can join in regardless of experience – they seem to think that it must be for beginners only and besides, nothing of quality will come of it.
People are often stunned when they hear the results after working with a bunch of strangers for just a few hours – they can’t believe the beautiful music we make after such a short time.
People often don’t believe me when I tell them I have no music training – they assume that I must have studied somewhere otherwise how on earth could I be doing this job.
People often stumble over some of the foreign words and find the physical warm ups a bit strange – but that means I can teach anywhere in the world. Who needs language when you’re making music?
People often think that you need a decent room with proper acoustics and maybe a microphone or two – they can’t understand that singing can be done absolutely anywhere under any circumstances.
I feel rather smug sometimes when watching a so-called ‘acoustic’ band set up with all their leads and amps and microphones and mixing desks and sound-checks and stands and speakers and effects boxes.
I can just stand up and sing.
Or I can grab a bunch of people and we can sing in harmony. Anywhere, anyhow, anywhen with anybody.
That’s the beauty of my job and I love it!
So if you fancy having me over to run a singing workshop for you – anywhere in the world just to see how I do it, please feel free to contact me and I’ll see what I can do. Do call, it’ll be fun.
Or maybe we’ll bump into each other one day in an unfamiliar place and we’ll sing together, just for the hell of it, with no preparation or equipment. Just you and me and our voices.
Chris Rowbury
website: chrisrowbury.com
blog: blog.chrisrowbury.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ChrisRowbury
Twitter: Twitter.com/ChrisRowbury
