What else can your singers do without you?

Often, when leading a singing workshop, singers will start putting chairs out or standing in a circle. It’s maybe not the way I’d planned, but I’ll usually go with it. It turns out my singers are often more capable than they realise. I’m rarely fixed on how to arrange the singers. Sometimes we’ll work in a circle, sometimes we’ll face a wall so I can put large lyric sheets up. Sometimes we’ll stand, other times we’ll sit in rows. It depends on the songs I’m teaching, the layout of the space, and the mood I’m in. But singers often have ideas of their own. I’m usually happy to go along with them because it’s clearly something that makes people feel comfortable. I also enjoy responding to what happens in the moment. The way singers organise themselves can be a challenge, but it often throws up new ideas too. It made me wonder: if singers can decide how to organise the room, what else can I leave in their hands? We are all dispensable. It’s a good idea for choir leaders not to believe…

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