Mistango Choir Festival

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blog: “I’m a choir leader and sometimes I hate my job” – but that’s OK!

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Sometimes the last thing I want to do is to drag myself off the sofa and go to choir. photo by Ed Van Brunt But it’s my job so I make the effort and u...

blog: How to draw out the reticent singers in your choir

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] When a nervous singer turns up to your choir or someone comes to your singing workshop who’s never sung in public before, it’s all too easy for th...

blog: How to reach every choir member without repeating yourself

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   A few years ago conductor Kenneth Woods posted an item on his blog, A View from the Podium, about the problems of having to repeat oneself constantly in re...

blog: Why choirs shouldn’t sing pop songs

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I used to lead a women’s singing group. We tried a Bob Marley song once. One of the singers used to say: “If it sounds like the Women’s In...

blog: Is community singing dead?

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many people look back to the good old days when we all used to gather round a piano and sing for hours, or join in a good sing-song down the local pub. &n...

blog: Music lives in flawed humans and not on the page

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I met a painter a while back and he asked me if I was an artist. I told him that I didn’t paint, but that I worked with music. He then asked: “...

blog: One unkind word can put you off singing for ever – how to protect yourself

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There have been plenty of UK television programmes over the years which have involved solo singing auditions such as The Voice and X Factor. Comments...

blog: Making the most of your singing voice – it’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] We are not all born equal. Some have longer legs which helps them to win at hurdles or the high jump. Some have longer fingers which helps them to play jazz ...

blog: How many breaks should you have on a singing course?

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   People pay good money to come on a singing course and want to sing as much as they can.     But everyone needs a break. How do you fin...

blog: Why ‘singing for fun’ doesn’t mean low standards and poor performances

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   The other weekend 50 singers performed in public to a large, appreciative audience. We performed eight songs in four part harmony, most in foreign languag...