[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Sarcastic remarks from X Factor judges. Teachers telling kids to “stand at the back and just mime”. Being made to stand up and sing solo to get...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I always teach songs by ear. Despite my strong belief in the oral/ aural tradition, there is an increasing number of handheld recording devices appearing i...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There are times in most choirs when a soloist or a small ensemble is required. These roles can be allocated by the MD but in many cases singers are a...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I ran a gospel singing weekend recently. One of the songs was flagging a bit so I suggested people ham it up a bit and be more “American”.  ...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Some people are put off when they come across a song with foreign words. They prefer to sing songs in English. photo by Chell Hill Not only are they missin...

[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 whethe...

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I used to run a small women’s choir of 12 singers. One day it dawned on me that my job was to make myself redundant.     I researched,...

[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 Gua...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   A while back I taught a song wrongly. Not for the first time!     Even though I corrected myself quickly, the original version stuck in peo...

This post was originally posted to the Embro Thistle Singers blog.  There is a really fun explanation of the 4 basic choir sections as seen by a young person.  I don't know where the original document came from or I would give proper credi...