It’s September. That means for all us music teachers, like the children we teach, it’s back to school and back to work. In the UK, as well as abroad, a new term means we once again face the question: do I enter my pupils for an exam this term? Sometimes, Read more…
Practice can be daunting. Simply finding time and motivation is hard enough, but the biggest challenge is often the question of what to do when you finally start. Where should you start? And what should you do next? Rinse and Repeat All musicians fall into the trap of the “rinse-and-repeat” method of Read more…
Too many people say to me “I’m tone deaf”, but I’ve yet to meet someone who acutally suffers with this disability. Yes, tone deafness is a real medical condition. Tone deafness is an inability to recognise relative pitch, which is a subsection of a condition called amusia. People who suffer Read more…
The voice is fundamentally a wind instrument. We use air to make sound, rather than vibrating strings or hitting objects. However, when we’re trying to reach the high notes in our voice, it’s more helpful to think about a violin than a flute. When you want to make a high Read more…
After my cold-of-doom which inspired the post a few weeks ago, I have been slowly building back to my normal routine. Or, possibly, a new and improved normal routine. When you get a cold that results in taking steroids for your asthma, it makes you reconsider what is important in Read more…
I’ve had a cold this last week. It always feels ironic to say I’ve had a cold in May, but there you are. Times can be tough for singers when viruses run rampant through our respiratory system, making it hard to breath and sing. Here are some tips to help Read more…
Struggling to get back into the swing of practice after the Easter break? Here’s five ways to make your practice more effective. 1. Make a date Decide when you’re going to practice. Some people are routine practicers, but some of us need to plan it day by day. If you’re a Read more…
Many people come into singing and discover they don’t know how to breathe. Well. Kinda. For singing, you need a very specific kind of breath, one which makes use of your whole lung capacity on the way in, and which you can control as you breath out. There are lots Read more…
Finding the right choir for you can be tough, but as I’ve said before, joining a choir is a great way to improve your singing and musical skills. Here are five really important questions to ask yourself before you start looking at the myriad of options available. How Does the Read more…
Ever wondered how you should behave at the theatre? Well, here’s a beginners’ guide based on my most recent trip to the Edinburgh Playhouse… 1. The overture is just background music. It’s just there so that you don’t have to talk to your friends in a silent room Read more…