71
A round for people who say they cannot sing
The first round I teach every new group, and the three things I say before we start.
Latest posts
70
The warm-up circle: five minutes, no piano
Shoulders, breath and a hum, standing in a ring with nobody watching.
69
Marking breaths in a score with a pencil
Where I put a small tick, and why a phrase sounds better with a breath you planned.
68
Setting out the chairs before anyone arrives
What I do in the church hall an hour early, and why the room is half the choir.
67
Playing the part, then taking the piano away
How I teach a line on the piano, and the moment I stop playing it.
66
Tea and biscuits are part of the plan
Why the break in the middle is where a group of strangers becomes a choir.
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Hello, I’m Maxine
I live in a harbour town in Cornwall and run a community choir in the church hall on Tuesday evenings. Most of the singers came because a friend brought them, and most of them told me at the door that they could not sing. They can.
I teach rounds and simple part songs, by ear and from a pencilled score, and I write down everything I do. The songbooks, warm-up cards and part-learning tracks in the shop are the same ones our choir uses. A new post comes every Sunday, written after rehearsal with a cup of tea.