Own your identity as a singer (or composer or arranger or choir leader)

• Posted by Chris Rowbury Tue at 9:17 PM - Filed in Choir Post - 31 views

  [The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from almost 30 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across the globe. Your experiences may differ from mine, so do feel free to leave a comment and let's begin a conversation! A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]

   

  Are you a singer? Or are you “learning to be a singer”, or “wanting to be a singer”, or “trying to be a singer”, or “starting out as a singer”?

   

  

   

  Maybe it’s time to step up and claim your identity.

   

  Some time ago I came across an interesting series of Tweets from musician Lisa Neher:

   

  "When I studied acting in college, one of the first exercises my professor gave us was to walk on stage in front of our classmates, introduce ourselves using the phrase “My name is ____, and I’m an actor,” and then return to our seat."

   

  Her whole thread is about how we often don’t own our identity as creative people.

   

  We aren’t brave enough to say we’re a singer or composer because we’re still waiting for some external validation. Somebody to tell us we’re OK at what we do.

   

  But if you don’t claim your own creative identity, you will never fully inhabit it. Yes, you’re maybe committed to a lifelong journey of developing your craft, but you still need to commit to your artistic identity. Even when you’re starting out on your creative journey.

   

  You don’t need permission to call yourself an arrangers or choir leader. You get to decide if “singer” or “composer” is part of your identity. You don’t need to preface it with “emerging” or “aspiring”.

   

  Believe in yourself, claim your identity. You are all worthy.

   

  you might find these other posts interesting too

  Can I call myself a ‘singer’?

   

  Are only ‘singers’ allowed to sing?

   

  Is how you label yourself as a singer holding you back?

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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  Chris Rowbury

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