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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • What motivates you to turn up to choir week after week?

    Added November 29, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1693 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   You can tell winter is on its way because it’s dark and cold when I set off for choir each week.   photo by Todd Shaffer   It would be much easier to stay at home in front of the fire, so what motivates you to wrap up warm... read more

  • How to deal with choir members who are always late

    Added November 22, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 2776 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   It’s the final rehearsal before your big concert. The warm up is over and everyone is ready to go. But a handful of singers (the usual suspects) are not there. Late again!   photo by lunarnature   What can you do about tho... read more

  • Be the best singer you can, but don’t forget there’s more to life

    Added November 15, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 952 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   For some people being a famous singer or being in the best choir in the world or making a hit record or singing a piece perfectly in competition is the be-all and end-all.   photo by make little sharks   But if you take it too s... read more

  • How to catch up if you miss a choir rehearsal

    Added November 8, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 2060 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Apparently there is more to life than just singing (can’t imagine what), so occasionally you may have to miss a choir rehearsal (not me though!).   photo by nataliej   Here are some tips for catching up with what you&rsquo... read more

  • How to cope with learning by ear if you usually read music notation

    Added November 1, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1301 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many choirs use written notation to learn and perform songs. Over time singers can come to depend on having the dots in front of them.   photo by Molly Germaine These singers may then join a different choir or go to a singing worksho... read more

  • How to cope with sheet music if you don’t read and usually learn songs by ear

    Added October 25, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 4829 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   As promised in last week’s post (Singers who learn by ear vs. those who use sheet music – what happens when they swap?), this is the first of two posts helping you cope with an unfamiliar way of learning songs.   photo by J... read more

  • Singers who learn by ear vs. those who use sheet music – what happens when they swap?

    Added October 18, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 10490 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   The Natural Voice Network (NVN) has done a great deal to dispel the myth that you have to be able to read music to be in a choir.   photo by Tichonov / Тихонов   There are now plenty of choirs around where people sing and perfor... read more

  • Help! How to deal with choir members who sing out of tune?

    Added October 11, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 6451 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   In open-access choirs (which don’t audition), you often find one or two singers who struggle to pitch notes accurately.   photo by Jesus Solana   In a large choir, a few individuals singing out of tune won’t usually ... read more

  • How to learn effectively from a recording of a song in parts

    Added October 4, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1922 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Sometimes you might have to learn your song part from a recording rather than with everyone else together in a choir session.   photo by Kathy Cassidy   Here are some hints on how to do that in the most effective way. There are... read more

  • How long is the ideal choir session?

    Added September 27, 2017 by Chris Rowbury - 1525 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There’s a gig coming up and you’ve still got work to do. Do you keep bashing out the notes until everyone’s perfect or do you rehearse ‘just enough’ and then go home?   photo by Toni Verdú Carb&oacu... read more