Terminology is simply language designed for a particular purpose. Over the years, music has acquired a vast amount of specialised terms. You don’t need to learn them all, but knowing a handful of the basics makes it easier for your director to, well, direct, and for you to understand what’s…
The mood of a song is how it tells its story. Your role as a singer is to put a voice to that story, to lift it off the paper and give it life. You are the one who gives that song a place in your audience’s heart. Listen to…
This is why people come to see you – to be entertained. To entertain means, obviously, to be entertaining. Nothing is more engaging than eye contact – it’s a fundamental thing about people. It establishes sincerity, interest and trust. So next time you perform, pick someone in the audience and…
Wait… what?? An earworm is a tune or a song that gets stuck in your head that you just can’t get rid of. It hangs around, sometimes for days. It can be a commercial jingle (they’re the worst) or something silly like The Muppets’ “Ma-na Ma-na” song. Sing your song…
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 –…
Three things! Get your music. Either download and print it from this website (you’ll need to login first) or get a copy at rehearsal. Learn the words – all of them. Learn the melody, but make sure you learn it correctly, not just how you think you remember it. Practise…
This is an ongoing section of the site!
Dynamics are more than just loudness and softness. They’re what makes a song punchy and animated or smooth and mellow. They put the mood into a song. They affect the balance between parts – do the men have a soft “oo” underneath the women’s parts or does the men’s part…
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…
Good posture is all-important for proper singing. It allows for easy movement of your breath in and out of your body. It also aids in effective projection of your voice and makes the choir as a whole look good. Stand if you’re able, or sit up nice and straight. Close…
