Month: October 2017

  • What Makes Music Sound ‘Haunting’?

    One of the most amazing aspects of music is how it can help to establish an atmosphere, or evoke particular emotions without words, or gestures; through sound alone. Just in time for Halloween, here are three things that help to make music sound ‘haunting’: #1. Modality: Western music has two main modalities; major or minor.…

  • 4 Conductor Secrets

    #1. We can see EVERYTHING: For real. It’s a prerequisite for conductors to have extra ‘nonsense’ senses, but we’re at the front of the room, and often we’re standing while choristers are sitting. We can see you, choristers. Even when you think you’re being sneaky and hiding your phone, or a snack, or a gerbil,…

  • The ‘Ins and Outs’ of Repertoire Selection

    Repertoire is an important aspect of the choral experience, and it’s a topic on which everyone has an opinion – we all have our favourites, of course, but there’s much more that goes into choosing the repertoire for the year than many people think. Here are three things that are taken into consideration when the…

  • The Benefits of Solfege in Singing

    Solfege is sometimes considered a drag in choir, since some choristers can find it frustrating, or boring, and fail to see the use of the method. Still, solfege, part of the Kodaly method, is actually an incredibly useful tool, particularly in singing. At the CCC we are most fortunate to have teachers who are well-versed…