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  • Singing out of tune isn’t always a bad thing

    Added November 14, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1808 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There was an article by Alex Petridis in The Guardian a few years back in which he claimed that:   “singing out of tune can convey emotions that being in tune can't”.   La, la, la, I'm not listening! by Jennoit   It ... read more

  • How many songs can you teach in an hour?

    Added November 8, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1237 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   First I need to fess up: I have a low boredom threshold and always try to squeeze in as many songs as possible. Not always a good idea!     In an average one-day workshop (six hours with an hour for lunch), I can get throu... read more

  • 8 reasons why I don’t go to live concerts

    Added November 1, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 34975 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Music and singing are auditory experiences. We don’t need to see the musicians or singers to appreciate their music. So why bother going to live concerts? Why don’t we just stay at home and listen to a recording?   &... read more

  • Avoiding the ‘C’ word: choir

    Added October 24, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 2386 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   When I use the word ‘choir’, an image will pop into most people’s minds.     a bunch of fidgety 7-year-olds screeching out a barely recognisable version of Once in Royal David’s City at the school... read more

  • The six qualities needed to be a good choral director

    Added October 16, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 5013 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I wrote a while back about 10 ways to be a better choir member. But what qualities do you need to be a good choir leader?   Musical director by spoedman   Lately I’ve written quite a lot about leading choirs.  ... read more

  • What the job of choir leader involves

    Added October 11, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 2327 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   The other week I wrote about who your choir actually ‘belongs’ to (Whose choir is it any way?). Does it belong to the singers, the committee, the arts centre, or the musical  director?     Of course, there... read more

  • Two models for running your choir

    Added October 4, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 3158 views - 9 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I raised the question of Whose choir is it any way?     © Copyright John Darch and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.   I looked at the different roles involved in running a choir... read more
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  • Whose choir is it any way?

    Added September 27, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1566 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Your church or community centre sets up the concerts. Your committee deals with the finances and the social events. Your musical director teaches and conducts the songs. Your singers turn up every week to create the music.   &nb... read more

  • How to tell if your choir leader is rubbish

    Added September 19, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 2680 views - 0 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   A while back I attended a singing workshop and hated the way it was run. Was it just me, or was the workshop leader no good?     We all have different learning styles, so perhaps the leader’s teaching style just didn... read more

  • Is your audience just friends and family?

    Added August 29, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1575 views - 2 comments
    [this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Does your choir actually have a public following, or are you just kidding yourself?     When a choir first starts performing in public, most of the audience will be made up of friends and family. We hope that they will the... read more
    2 comments