Why does it take me so long to learn a song? Everyone else seems to pick it up fast.

People often write to me asking me why it takes them ages to learn a song.

photo by matea2506

They think it might be due to age, dyslexia, or all manner of other ‘problems’. But it’s probably simpler than that.

Looking for new warm up ideas? Don’t dismiss the old and familiar

I’m always looking for new ideas for the warm up start of my singing sessions.

But constant novelty is not necessarily a good thing. It can often lead to overlooking old, familiar, tried and tested exercises.

If you don’t know the songs that well, should you sing in your next concert?

We’ve all been there: a big concert is coming up and we feel under-prepared.

photo from depositphotos.com

Should we just duck out, or soldier on and busk it? Here’s what I think.

How to get on with things when you’re just not in the mood

I’m not in the mood to write this blog today. But I need to.

How can you get on with things when you’re just not in the mood?

How do you know when your choir is performance ready?

Most choirs get to the point where they want to share the songs they’ve learnt with an audience.

Prepared by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

But how do you know that the songs are in a good enough state to share?

How to finish a choir rehearsal well

Everybody talks about the importance of warming up and properly preparing to sing before each rehearsal.

photo by spelio

But what about ending a rehearsal? Not as much attention is paid to that. How do we end so singers go away feeling great?

Don’t forget that your singers have come to SING!

It’s easy to forget, especially when preparing for a concert, that singers come each week to have a good old sing.

photo by Alex Beattie

They don’t want to be learning new material all the time or focusing on vocal development.

Which direction does your choir face?

Do your singers always face the same direction in your rehearsal space? What about outdoor performances?

Maybe it’s something you’ve not thought about, or have just got into a habit without much analysis.

Novelty vs. familiarity – how to keep things fresh without alienating your singers

Familiarity breeds contempt. If you do the same thing over and over again it can become boring.

However, constantly introducing new things can be hard work and it can feel like you never arrive. How do we maintain a balance between these two extremes?

How to avoid new choir members feeling left out in the breaks

I always thought I ran friendly, welcoming choirs (see How welcoming is your choir?). There was always someone around to buddy new members so they wouldn’t feel left out.

photo by theirhistory

But then one day, a new member said to me that standing around in the break felt like being the new kid in the playground at school.

The benefits and drawbacks of working in a circle when singing

I like to outsource elements of my teaching practice when leading singing days.

photo by Global Partnership for Education

I allow the singers to put chairs out (or not), and to decide how they want to stand. Often, it ends up being a circle. But is that the best way to sing as a group?

Your mouth knows more than your brain does

I’ve pointed out before that too much thinking is bad for singers. See The curse of confusion: why thinking is bad for singing.

In fact, your mouth knows far more than your brain does when it comes to songs!

Why you might need lyric sheets for even simple songs in English

I usually try not to use lyric sheets at all. I’d rather have singers with their heads up, watching me and each other.

photo by Sheila Scarborough

But sometimes, if a song is in a foreign language, or has lots of words, I’ll put lyrics up.

10 ideas to help you balance stress with enjoyment when putting on a singing event

A little stress can be good for us. It helps us to get things done or to focus on something that needs our attention. 

But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships. How can we put on a successful singing event without getting too stressed out?

“It’s only a show!” – keeping perspective when preparing for a concert

Rehearsals can become somewhat fraught when a concert is coming up.

photo by Bernard Goldbach

It’s easy to become fixated on the work and to lose sight of the bigger picture. It’s only a concert after all. Here’s how to keep a sense of perspective.

Work with what you’ve got and not how you want the world to be

There are choir leaders who are disappointed that their singers aren’t doing enough homework in the run-up to a big concert.

There are singers who try in vain to reach the high notes of the melody and who constantly complain about the songs in their choir’s repertoire. But this is what is on offer and fighting against it will always lead to unhappiness.

A concert is coming, but singers have missed rehearsals and not done their homework! What to do?

We’ve all been there: a big concert is coming up, but the singers just aren’t ready.

photo by Allan Harris

What can you do?

Winding down after a singing session

I don’t know about you, but when I get home late after a singing rehearsal I find it hard to sleep.

photo by Jorbasa Fotografie

I don’t feel particularly over-excited, but something inside me must be! What can we do about this?

Why be perfect when you can be great?

We all strive for perfection in our singing. At the same time, we realise that being 100% perfect is impossible.

photo by Ars Electronica

By aiming for perfection we can become blind to our achievements and how good we actually are.

Explanations for singers need to come in many different forms

Sometimes when we’re learning a new song, a singer might ask a question because they’re having difficulty.

photo by ywammadison

I will then offer what I believe to be a helpful explanation. But sometimes this won’t help every singer.