We're a choir of about 15 People, singing secular music from all genres and from all times (from the sixteenth century onwards, that is). And provided that it's a cappella music. Even within these limits, there's still an awful lot of pieces left ...
[this is a version of a post which first appeared on My blog From the Front of the Choir] For the last eight years I’ve created a performance choir from scratch each year – a kind of Instant Choir, Just Add People – which I cal...
[A version of this article first appeared as a post on My blog From the Front of the Choir] We’re in the middle of learning a song. People are struggling a bit. Then someone asks: “What note is that?” Photo by ph...
[A version of this article first appeared as a post on My blog From the Front of the Choir] Do you have to be able to read music to sing? Lots of People believe so and are put off joining choirs, or even singing at all, as a result. &n...
Our Whalley Abbey tour People will be singing an extract from the Messiah at the wonderful Whalley Abbey Church at the Sunday service surrounded by 40 Christmas trees! It promises to be a memorable conclusion to a fine weekend's singing! There are still p...
Singing in a choir is fun, it builds teamwork and confidence in People as they work together to accomplish a common goal. Singing also shares something unique from all other musical instruments: words. This means it is a powerful tool for memory and speec...
[A version of this article first appeared as a post on My blog From the Front of the Choir] When I’m booked to run a singing workshop for someone, I always make sure that I get there early. I usually arrive to find People milling aroun...
As If you needed another reason to sing for joy, recent research has confirmed that singing improves positive feelings and social connections, reducing stress and making People feel more relaxed and happy. Perhaps this is why singers often ap...
[A version of this article first appeared as a post on My blog From the Front of the Choir] I ran a gospel singing weekend recently. One of the songs was flagging a bit so I suggested People ham it up a bit and be more “American”. ...
[A version of this article first appeared as a post on My blog From the Front of the Choir] Some People are put off when they come across a song with foreign words. They prefer to sing songs in English. photo by Chell Hill Not only are they missin...