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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • What do words add to music?

    Added October 19, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1295 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I caught a scene from the movie Spartacus the other day. The character played by Tony Curtis was asked to perform a song. He then proceeded to speak a poem. What exactly is a ‘song’ then?     You can have music withou... read more

  • How will your choir cope if you don’t turn up?

    Added October 12, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1187 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Everyone likes to think that they’re indispensable.     The truth is though, when you’re not there your choir will manage fine without you. Last week I was fighting a cold and then developed a painful tooth infection... read more

  • How to plan your new choir season

    Added October 5, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1526 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   It’s that time of year again. Summer is over and choir starts back. We choir leaders will be thinking about which songs to teach for the next season.     How do we go about planning each term? What guidelines are there for ... read more

  • How close should a vocal arrangement be to the original song?

    Added September 28, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1114 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Some years ago I did some voice-only arrangements of Queen songs for a weekend workshop. I ended up listening to a lot of Queen recordings!     It made me wonder: how close do you need to stick to the original recordings when doi... read more

  • Easy songs for your choir 2: rounds, chants, call & response

    Added September 21, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 7161 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I wrote about what makes a song ‘easy’.     This week I’ll look at specific types of easy songs: rounds, chants and call & response songs.   rounds The easiest songs to start with if you want t... read more

  • Easy songs for your choir 1: what is ‘easy’?

    Added September 15, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 5882 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   This post is part of a series of occasional Questions and Answers. Just use the contact form if you want to submit a question.     Linda writes:   “Because I like to sing, my work has asked me to do a lunch time fun s... read more

  • It’s too hot to sing! – choosing the right space to work in

    Added August 31, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1191 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Summer has finally arrived in the UK. We’ve been praying for sunshine for so long, but now it’s just a little TOO hot!   Photo by enfad   Too hot to do anything really other than lay under a shady tree sipping Pimms.... read more

  • What songs matter to you the most?

    Added August 25, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1080 views - 0 comments
     [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Back in 2012 The Guardian started a project called Six Songs of Me that asks which songs matter most to each of us on a personal level (the project has now ended).   Photo by MvanM   I thought it might be a fun idea to do ... read more

  • Don’t sing because you’re happy — be happy because you sing!

    Added August 17, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1574 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Staring at a blank page waiting for the muse to strike. Slumped in a chair waiting to feel energised enough to go jogging. Feeling down and the last thing you want to do is sing.   Photo by C. Frank Starmer   Sounds familiar? &... read more

  • Why too much rehearsal can be a bad thing

    Added August 3, 2016 by Chris Rowbury - 1797 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I went to see a concert by Village Harmony this week. It was over an hour long and included an amazing variety of songs from around the world: Georgia, USA, Bulgaria, South Africa – including some pretty smart dance moves! No lyrics and n... read more