Chris Rowbury Chris Rowbury

Categories

Archives

Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • Copying music – how to stay on the right side of the law

    Added April 18, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 867 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I get regular emails from people asking questions about songs and copyright. I’m certainly no expert, but I have written a few articles that you might find helpful.     I’ve also just discovered something called The Code of... read more

  • If you don’t feel nervous before a concert or a singing workshop then something’s wrong

    Added April 10, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1222 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I never sleep the night before running a singing workshop and I always feel terribly nervous before a concert – whether I’m singing or conducting.   photo by Francesco   But I wouldn’t have it any other way. The day ... read more

  • What if the singing session is a success, but you feel like a failure?

    Added April 3, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 811 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Sometimes we’re asked to lead a rehearsal or run a singing workshop or perform a song and we do our job very well. But afterwards we don’t feel particularly good about it.   photo by www.stockmonkeys.com/   What’s go... read more

  • What’s the best recording device to use in a choir rehearsal or singing workshop?

    Added March 20, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1320 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] How long’s a piece of string? There are so many options that I’m not going to specify any particular type or model.   photo by svennevenn   However, here are some of the things you need to consider.   what to consid... read more

  • Recording during singing workshops and choir rehearsals – why, what and when?

    Added March 13, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1033 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I always teach songs by ear. Despite my strong belief in the oral/ aural tradition, there is an increasing number of handheld recording devices appearing in my singing sessions!   photo by Harris & Ewing [Public domain], via Wikimedia Common... read more

  • The singers who didn’t like warm ups (and what became of them)

    Added March 6, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 4657 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Once upon a time there were two singers: Olga and Little Erik. They  did not like choir warm ups. Olga always came late so she could avoid them. Little Erik did them in a half-hearted way with a scowl on his face.     What became ... read more

  • 10 exercises guaranteed to get your singers listening more carefully

    Added February 27, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1645 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] A while back I went to a workshop run by the amazing Su Hart who has spent around 25 years working with the Baka people of Central Africa. Living in the rainforest as they do, listening well is literally a matter of life or death.   photo by... read more

  • Build it and they will come – why you can never have too many choirs

    Added February 20, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1240 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 friend who moved to a new town and set up a new choir, blissfully ignorant of the 100+ community chorus that already existed there.   photo by ToBreatheAsOne   What was amazing was that the new choir quickly attracted 40 or so... read more

  • Why a choir can never be truly democratic

    Added February 13, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 2750 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Ever asked your choir members how they think things are going? Is there a large committee helping to run your choir? If so, you’ve realised that a choir is not a democracy.     A choir is more like a benign dictatorship. Here&rsq... read more

  • The differences between a ‘natural voice’ choir and all the rest

    Added February 6, 2019 by Chris Rowbury - 1528 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] You may have come across the term ‘natural voice’. You may also have realised by now that I am a member of The Natural Voice Network.     But what exactly is the ‘natural voice’ and how do choirs run on ‘n... read more