Sheet music is very expensive and on the whole you can say that each song you sing will cost around £3 per singer to purchase. Multiply that by an average of 12 songs per performance that amounts to £36 per singer per season. Copyright laws prevent photocopying of music unless there is an original per […]
If you sing in a choir that has an accompanist then you are very fortunate as paying for the accompanist adds to the expense of running a choir and good accompanists are worth their weight in gold and should be appreciated as such. You could even be lucky enough to have a retired volunteer pianist. […]
What do you think is the job of the MD? This is a huge topic and I will just briefly touch upon a few individual points. A good musical director wears many hats and has to balance them all. Being an MD requires a lot of multitasking such as leadership, organisation, repertoire selection, administration, mediation, […]
The standard description of the 5 p’s is : prior preparation prevents poor performance. I would prefer to focus on the positives so have changed 2 of the p’s to make it : prior preparation produces polished performances. I also love the saying : He/she who fails to prepare, prepares to fail. Logically nobody wants […]
On the whole the mental images we have running through our head as we sing will affect the sound quality. Thoughts we have will also affect the sound. A sad thought will create a sad sound etc. Is it the image itself that creates the improved sound or is it your attention being placed on […]
When singing in a group it is important that you listen to yourself, the singers around you, the choir as a whole and the piano. It is also possible that the MD might give you some verbal instructions just before you are about to sing. Be attentive at all times to the whole process. The […]
Being able to sing lower and higher than you currently do is possible in time. At first it is necessary to see which range you can sing easily and with good tone. Do not expect to be able to increase your range drastically as your range is mostly determined by the length of your vocal […]
We all face a time where we wan’t to learn something completely new or improve an aspect of something we can already do. Here are a few simple steps to be mindful of in order to help you specifically when it comes to singing. Awareness Be precise in what it is you would like to […]
Ageing with its associated effects is inevitable, yet we can reduce the impact they have on our ability to sing and speak. As the saying goes : Use it or loose it. Exercise and sufficient hydration can counteract many of the ageing effects. I see it as my job to adjust your awareness of your […]
Of course not being able to read music shouldn’t stop anybody from joining a choir or learning to sing. You will have to rely on your memory to be able to remember when to come in and whether the melody goes up or down, how long to sing a note and when to stop singing. […]