How to choose a song to sing solo

Occasionally singers want to sing a song on their own. It might be for a local folk club, a choir solo, or to surprise someone on their birthday.

But how do you go about choosing a suitable song? Here are some pointers.

How much new information can singers take in before they become overloaded?

I’m learning a lot about teaching from the new line dancing class I’ve started!

The teacher has an awareness that there is only so much new information that we can take in, but it doesn’t stop her from overloading us.

Is it OK to sing a ‘foreign’ song in English?

Somebody recently bought my arrangement of the Welsh national anthem, but wanted the lyrics in English.

I put a call out to see if anybody had an English translation which would fit the music and got quite a lot of flak!

My approach to choir leading

I often take it for granted that people approach choir leading in a similar way to me.

 

Then I realised that there are many different methods and I should outline what my own philosophy is.

Ask me anything! (about singing and choirs)

I occasionally get emails from people with specific questions about choirs and singing.

These are often good starting points for writing a blog post with more general appeal.

Sometimes intention and context are more important than singing technique

People often ask me if I can give them an individual singing lesson because they have a big event coming up.

They’re worried that their singing voice won’t be up to the job. I usually dissuade them and here is why.

Why silence is important to singers, singing and choir leaders

I came across an interesting article the other day: Quiet, please! The remarkable power of silence – for our bodies and our minds.

It got me thinking about how vital silence is for singers, singing and choir leading.