• Sing in the shower.
    Plant a tree on your birthday.
    Strive for excellence, not for perfection.
    Don't expect life to be fair.
    Rekindle old friendships.
    Use the good silver.
    Ask for a raise when you feel you've earned it.
    Dance like no-one is watching. Sing like no-one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt.
    Wear polished shoes.
    Send lots of Valentines Day cards and sign them "Someone who thinks you're terrific."
    Have a firm handshake.
    Call your mother.
    Leave the toilet seat in the down position.
    Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
    Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.
    Over tip breakfast waitresses.
    Stop blaming others.
    Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
    Have a dog.
    Don't be afraid to say "I made a mistake."
    Carry jumper cables in your trunk.
    Return all things you borrow.
    Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
    Keep it simple.
    Compliment even small improvements.
    be there when people need you.
    Always accept an outstretched hand.
    Floss your teeth.
    Drink champagne for no reason at all.
    Sing in a choir.
    Wave at kids on school buses.
    Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.
    Never refuse homemade brownies.
    Remember other people's birthdays.
    Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank filled.
    Feed a stranger's expired parking meter.
    Marry only for love.
    Be the first to say hello.
    Make new friends but cherish the old ones.
    Say "please" a lot.
    Commit yourself to constant improvement.
    Keep your promises (no matter what).
    Compliment three people everyday.
    Say "thank-you" a lot.
    Be forgiving of yourself and others.
    Look people in the eye.
    Don't be afraid to say "I don't know."
    Avoid negative people.
    Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
    Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
    Take responsibility for every area of your life.
    Learn three clean jokes.
    Count your blessings.
    Plant flowers every spring.
    Leave everything a little better than you found it.
    Keep secrets.
    Never underestimate the power of love.

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Practise your music

Learning and practising go hand in hand. Practice is something you do all the time, not just at rehearsals. Sing a song over and over in the shower, in the car, to yourself on the bus – wherever you can. Practise singing without the words in front of you – the shower and the car are good places to enforce this! Learn a verse at a time. Once you know it, move on to the next – don’t waste time repeating the parts you already know. If you have a portable recorder or if you know how to record on your phone, record the song during rehearsals, then practise at home with it. When you come to rehearsal, you should have a good grip on the song and be ready to polish it with the rest of the group.
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Voice Placement

It is a sad fact that most of us are lazy singers and creatures of habit. Many of us are also scared of the sound of our own voice. But voice is really what choral singing is all about.

Your voice should come from your open mouth. This implies a couple of obvious things:

Open your mouth! Don’t force it open ridiculously wide as that will strain it and make it harder to form syllables quickly. But do make the sounds larger than you would in normal conversation so your audience can hear you.

Sing your vowels — AH, EH, EE, OH, OO and repeat, exaggerating the size a little each time until it starts to feel forced.

 

Produce the sound from your mouth. This means getting the sound production up front, out of your chest and your throat — and definitely out from behind your nose! Try humming a sustained, comfortable note. Feel your throat, then further up at the back of your jawbone and finally right beside your lips. You should feel the strongest vibration at the lips. If it’s anywhere further back, you’re swallowing your voice and it gets muffled and dull.

Buzz your lips. Feel where the energy’s going from? Now open your mouth without letting the sound drift back. Sing a simple song – “Mary Had a Little Lamb” will do – while focusing on keeping the sound at the front of your mouth. With practice your voice will get brighter and you’ll waste less energy trying to push the sound out.

The shower is a great place to practice!

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