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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • Should you pander to your choir or just run things your way?

    Added January 13, 2021 by Chris Rowbury - 434 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]Many choir leaders have a strong style and particular choice of repertoire. They lead large, thriving choirs which have a strong vision. Other choir leaders involve their members more and ask their opinion on repertoire, warm ups, performances, etc. I... read more

  • Before you use songs from other cultures check your sources!

    Added January 7, 2021 by Chris Rowbury - 683 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]Just because a song is in a foreign language, you still need to respect its origins. Sami family by Morten Oddvik There is a huge amount of misinformation out there when it comes to songs from other cultures. Before you pass a song along, make sure y... read more

  • Singers and choir leaders: what bad habits have you got into?

    Added December 30, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 524 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]We are all creatures of habit. Which is no bad thing until it starts to affect what we do adversely. photo by CTRLF5 How many bad habits have you got into this past year and how might you change that?There are many things that singers and choir leade... read more

  • Perfect presents for choral singers

    Added December 23, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 469 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 when you still have time to to pop to the local garage for last-minute presents. What on earth can you get for the choral singers in your life? Here are some super ideas for ideal presents.Pretty much every magazine ... read more

  • If a song’s not working, when do you stop flogging the dead horse?

    Added December 16, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 431 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]Sometimes I bring a great song to choir and for some reason the singers really struggle with it. photo by Clear Path International How do you decide whether to persist with a song until it comes right, or just abandon it and move on? Let’s look... read more

  • Why singing together is a great healer

    Added December 9, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 482 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]The world can be a scary and upsetting place. When I wrote this back in 2016, here in the UK we were witnessing political infighting, uncertain futures, austerity measures and a rise in racism (so, what else is new?). And now we have a pandemic. photo... read more

  • Why learning songs with foreign lyrics need not be scary

    Added December 2, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 528 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]I teach songs from all over the world, often in foreign languages. But people are always asking me for more songs in English. Why is this? Especially since singers usually find the songs with English lyrics harder! why do singers want songs in Englis... read more

  • How male singers can successfully pitch from a woman (and how women can pitch from a man)

    Added November 25, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 505 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]As we saw last week, many singers struggle with finding (and keeping) their starting notes. photo by Albin Olsson What can make it even harder is if a man is trying to pitch from a woman, or vice versa. Here’s what happens and how you can overc... read more

  • Finding (and keeping) your starting note

    Added November 18, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 577 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]Many singers struggle with finding their starting note. Once they’ve nailed that, they’re off and it’s no problem. How can you make sure you’ve got the right starting note and, more importantly, how can you keep hold of it befo... read more

  • Neither fish nor fowl – why most singers don’t fit neatly into SATB boxes

    Added November 11, 2020 by Chris Rowbury - 602 views - 0 comments
    [A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] The fact is that most of us don’t fit neatly into SATB boxes. What are we to do? Once upon a time we used to sing together and somehow find a place for our voice. We’d even sing harmony parts, happily mixing male and female voices in eac... read more