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Chris Rowbury's Blog Entries

  • Do singers need to know what an octave is?

    Added May 17, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 2491 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I wrote about men and women singing the same not together and how that might feel strange: Singing the same note – differently!.     This week I want to look at the concept of ‘octave’ and whether it’s... read more

  • Singing the same note - differently!

    Added May 10, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 3669 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Men and women’s voices are different.     Obvious really, but it’s something many singers find it difficult to come to terms with, especially when men and women are singing the same absolute pitch.   The other week I... read more

  • Everybody has a place in the choir

    Added May 3, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 4192 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   … and there is a place in a choir somewhere for everybody.     Frank joined our choir a while back. He hadn’t sung for ages, but gave it his best shot for a couple of sessions. Then he wrote to me saying that although he&r... read more

  • How to teach (and learn) a song by ear 2

    Added April 26, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 2139 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week in How to teach (and learn) a song by ear 1  I wrote about the oral tradition, teaching by ear, starting notes and breaking a song down into manageable chunks.     Photo by niclindh   This week I’ll consider... read more

  • How to teach (and learn) a song by ear 1

    Added April 19, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 3818 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   To make singing as accessible as possible, I don’t use sheet music when I teach. This often freaks out people who are used to having a score in their hands!     This post is about how to teach and how to learn a song by ear. I&rs... read more

  • Looking after ourselves as choir leaders

    Added April 12, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1830 views - 2 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   It’s a dark January evening, cold and rainy, and we’re snuggled up in the warm eating our supper.     Choir starts in half an hour and we have to walk to a dark, draughty hall which always takes ages to heat up.   Or... read more
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  • What do we mean by 'community choir'?

    Added April 5, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 7157 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Apparently singing is the UK’s second most popular activity after sport.     Photo by Shaunette Babb   According to The Guardian from December 2006:   “there are more than 25,000 choirs and over half a mil... read more

  • The great choir debate

    Added March 29, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 5014 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Back in 2008, BBC television ran a series called Last Choir Standing, basically a knock-out choir competition.     On their website they held The Great Choir Debate, a series of questions about choirs and singing. Some of them were... read more

  • There are plenty of good reasons to sing

    Added March 22, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 4582 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   A few weeks back I wrote about why people might not join choirs or attend singing workshops: 10 reasons why people don’t join choirs (but love to sing) and Why we don’t sing even though it makes us feel good.   I thought i... read more

  • How much do you value your time and work?

    Added March 15, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1677 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Once upon a time it was fairly easy to work out how much your labour was worth.     You would toil in the fields all day and at the end of it have enough to keep body and soul together for that one day.   The next day you&rs... read more