[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 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 th...
Dedicated to renaissance music and directed by Gabriel Crouch, this new group is bound by a shared love of communicating text, and creates performances which draw out unifying themes within apparently diverse repertoire: to this end they are as meticulous... more
This post was orginally published on Embro Thistle Singers blog. When I was 15, I took singing lessons from the nuns at "The Pines". These ladies were well respected for the results they achieved in musical training. Our performance group o...
[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Having written about starting your own community choir, in 2011 I put my money where my mouth is and started a brand new singing group – my first in...
The moment before a concert begins, when singers and audience members wait for the downbeat, is a magical time. Our first video seeks to capture that shared moment - the hushed anticipation, the sound of coordinated footsteps, the group intake of breath.... more
Singing in a choir is fun, it builds teamwork and confidence in people as they work together to accomplish a common goal. Singing also shares something unique from all other musical instruments: words. This means it is a powerful tool for memory and speec...
[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...
[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 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 th...