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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • Re-booting your choir: shake things up for a new season

    Added September 13, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1743 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many choirs will be starting back soon after a long break.   photo by velkr0   This is the perfect time to shake things up a bit if you feel things have gone a bit stale. It’s very easy for singers (and choir leaders) to ... read more

  • Singing the wrong note is not the end of the world

    Added August 30, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1517 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   How many times have you been standing next to someone in your choir section and realised that they’re singing something different from you?   photo by Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez   Are you wrong, or it it them? Act... read more

  • Cheap and effective song arrangements for your community choir

    Added August 23, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 2347 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Choir leaders often ask me where I source my songs. I’ve written about this in previous posts: Finding songs for your choir and Easy songs for your choir.     One place you can get some tried and tested songs for your choir... read more

  • Why can’t we sing more songs in English?

    Added August 16, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1487 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I often get asked this at workshops after people have struggled to get their tongues around a few foreign songs.     I point out that my speciality is “traditional songs from around the world in the original languages&rdquo... read more

  • What to do if you don’t have a ‘nice’ voice

    Added August 9, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1246 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many of us don’t like the sound of our singing voice. Some people won’t even sing in front of others because they don’t want to inflict their ‘horrible’ voice on them.   photo by konch   Is there an... read more

  • Use the long choir break to get better at what you do

    Added August 2, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 2010 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Most choirs have a long break at this time of year (whether it’s your summer or your winter).   photo by Timothy Valentine   Apart from missing the singing and your choir friends, what will you do with yourself? Here are s... read more

  • How to sing religious songs if you’re not religious (or it’s not your religion)

    Added July 19, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 3378 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I sing and teach sacred songs from a wide range of religious traditions. But I don’t have a religious bone in my body.   photo by 10x10 - Educate Girls. Change the World   I have no problems singing about ‘spirit&rsq... read more

  • Why does the first wrong note you learn stay with you forever?

    Added July 12, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1209 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Sometimes (yes, I admit it), I make a mistake when I’m teaching a new song. It may be a wrong note, wrong timing or wrong phrasing.     Yet even though I correct it quickly, this first mistake stays in people’s heads.... read more

  • Raising the bar: singing with people who are more experienced than you

    Added July 5, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 2188 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many of us are wary of attending singing workshops or choirs when we feel that people will be a lot more experienced than us. This is particularly true when you’re starting out as a singer, but that feeling never goes away!   ph... read more

  • How to use your audience to recruit choir members

    Added June 28, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 2137 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   To maintain a healthy, growing choir, you need new recruits, but often you feel like you’ve exhausted all your usual sources.   photo by Star File Photo (On the home front: Toronto in WWI, Toronto Star)   Here are some ide... read more