Tag: singing

  • How To Practice Singing Over A Break

    #1. Use Your Voice: The most important thing you can do for your voice over a break is to continue singing – every day if possible. It can be easy to stop singing as much during a break, and choristers often find that their range is not quite as large when they come back from…

  • 5 Misconceptions About Choir

    #1. It’s too hard: It’s true, singing can be hard work, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But this is why choir is great – you don’t have to go it alone. In choir there is always someone willing to help you, whether it’s staying in tune, reading your music, or keeping in time with the accompaniment.…

  • What Is The Best Age To Start Singing?

    The obvious answer to this question is – as soon as possible! Babies start ‘singing’ as soon as they’re able to vocalize – experimenting with their instrument, and exploring the range and versatility of their voice! For the purposes of this blog post though we’ll discuss the best age to start formal instruction in singing:…

  • Imperfection In Singing

    Singing is difficult for many reasons, but one of the hardest things to deal with is how personal our voices are to every individual singer. Each voice is unique to that person, and as such, singers have an extra level of difficulty to deal with when learning how to use their instruments. Here are three…

  • The Importance of Music Theory In Singing

    Music theory is often a chorister’s least favourite part of choir. But learning to read and understand the technical aspects of music, though difficult, is ultimately extremely rewarding. #1. Musicianship: Singing requires an excellent understanding of the relationship between notes, because unlike other instruments, singers do not have keys, or strings, to manipulate to elicit…

  • 3 Tips To Protect Your Singing Voice

    The human voice, though one of the most powerful instruments, is also an extremely delicate instrument, and can be adversely affected by any number of seemingly innocuous forces. Here are three tips to help you protect your singing voice: #1. No screaming: This is, hopefully obvious, but people frequently misuse their voices; by raising their…

  • How To Deal With Comparison in Choir

    Singing in a choir means singing with other people, of different ages, abilities, and interests. This can be wonderful for many reasons, but it can also cause us to compare our voice to others, and find ourselves lacking. Here are three ideas for how to deal with comparison in choir: #1. Don’t compare apples to…

  • 3 Unusual Reasons We Love Singing

    Singing is wonderful for a number of reasons, but here are three slightly unusual reasons why we love to sing! #1. It’s hard! This may seem like an odd reason to love something, but the truth is that singing is difficult. It’s difficult physically; from breath management, to core support, and projection. Singing is difficult…

  • Constructive Criticism In Choir

    Getting feedback on your performance is a common aspect of almost every endeavour. While it can be a bit uncomfortable to receive feedback about something as personal as your voice, and your singing, constructive criticism is an essential aspect of singing, and particularly singing in a choir. Here are three things to remember about constructive…

  • Singers As Storytellers

    The voice is a wonderful and singular instrument because of its unique ability to convey story. Composers have used variations in tempo, dynamics, melody, harmony and rhythm to convey a story, but singers have the added layer of text, and are thus uniquely equipped to also be storytellers. Here are 3 things singers must consider…

  • How To Sing Well In Chillier Weather

    We all know how difficult it can be during the colder months in Canada – everything takes longer, and sometimes it’s so cold, it’s dangerous to be out in the elements for too long. This kind of weather has a direct impact on singers as well, so here are three tips to help you sing…

  • 3 Myths About Singing

    There are many misconceptions floating around about singing, which is unfortunate because it makes many people unwilling to partake in all that singing has to offer. Here are three common myths about singing: #1. Tone deafness: People often claim to be ‘tone deaf’ when what they really mean is that they have problems with pitch…

  • How To Practice Choral Music By Yourself

    Practicing your choir music at home by yourself can feel counterproductive, especially since choir is inherently a group activity. Still, practicing at home will help you to learn your music faster, feel more confident in your line, and let you enjoy your choir rehearsals even more! Here are 3 tips to help you practice your…

  • Italy Tour – Travel and Rome!

    Hello, it has been a very long day for all of us here in Italy! First things first, at 9 AM on the 2nd of July we met at the Calgary International Airport, bright eyed and exited to fly to Italy! Except first we had to fly to Toronto and wait a bit, having some…

  • Singing In Sacred Spaces

    We are very excited about many aspects of our upcoming summer tour to Italy, the food, the weather, the art; but we are perhaps most excited for the amazing performance opportunities afforded to us. During our travels we will be singing in a variety of sacred spaces, in Rome, Venice, Lucca, and others! One of…

  • Mentorship In Choir

    Choir is wonderful for a myriad of reasons, but one of the best reasons is the community it creates. This is not just a community among peers, but among singers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. This creates a wonderful place to develop leadership skills. Here are three ways in which mentorship plays a huge…

  • How Singing Can Help You Learn More About Language

    Singing can help with learning in a myriad of ways, but one of the most subtle aspects of singing is in the acquisition of language. Here are three ways in which singing can help you learn more about language: #1. Libretto: Since the language often contained in vocal pieces is commonly in the form of…

  • Silent Singing

    Singers are often thought to be ‘delicate’ compared to other musicians. But because our body is our instrument, we have to take special care of it. This means that we cannot practice in the same way, or for the same amount of time that other musicians practice. Still, there are many ways to practice our…

  • The Importance of Singing Earnestly

    To be earnest, is to show depth in sincerity and feeling, and in a world of increasing cynicism and negativity, it is an exceptionally important characteristic. Though singing is sometimes considered a vain pursuit, nothing could be further from the truth. In order to truly convey the emotional range and depth of a musical piece,…

  • The Benefits of Auditioning

    Here at the CCC, we do not audition choristers for entry into the choir for several reasons. We firmly believe that anyone can, and should sing! Our motto is, ‘Singing For the Joy of It’, and we are happy to include everyone. Still, we do audition for solos, or small groups, and encourage our choristers…

  • 3 Ways In Which Choir Makes You More Adventurous!

    Choir is an excellent place to test out uncertain waters. It is safe, and communal, and supportive, and it’s a great place to become more adventurous! #1. Weird warmups: Singing makes many demands of us, and nowhere is this more true than when it comes to strange warmups. We are often tasked with creating sounds…

  • Fear In Singing

    Fear is a common emotional response in singing, and it’s a difficult emotion to combat. Here are three ways to re-frame fear in singing: #1. Fear can be positive: Fear as a human emotion, is actually there for good reason. It prevents us from things that may harm us. While singing is not actually harmful,…

  • Collaboration In Choir

    Choir is, by definition, an exercise in collaboration. It is inherently collective; a shared experience, and it can help choristers to develop the essential skill of collaboration, both personally and musically. #1. Working together: This may seem self evident, but working together within a choral setting is fundamental. This isn’t just a musical point as…

  • Welcome to 2017!

    Happy New Year! Welcome to 2017! We are very excited to start 2017, because we have so many wonderful things happening in this new singing season. -Rehearsals begin again on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017! -At the end of January we will be heading out to Camp Horizon once more for a Winter Retreat! – On…

  • Celebrating With Song

    Holidays are a time for celebration, and there are few things more celebratory than music! Singing in particular offers a great way to manifest that celebratory feeling: #1. Communication: Celebration is all about communicating a feeling experience by many people at once. Music offers that ability in a manner that transcends language, culture, and religion.…