Blake take part in the Great Choir Debate

xantha

As part of their new show, Last Choir Standing, the BBC have started the Great Choir Debate. Speaking to artists like Hayley Westenra and Jon Ansell - and Stephen and Dom from Blake, they asked them what they think about singing in a choir,what makes some choirs better than others and if choir competitions are healthy. Here's what the Blake guys had to say.....

Question 1 - What's the one thing an untrained person can look for in a choir that indicates how good they are?

Dominic Tighe: "Enjoyment is key - they should look comfortable."

Stephen Bowman: "The main thing is watching that everyone is in synchronisation – if everybody's doing what they're doing at the same time, it's a sure-fire way to tell that they're singing in time and working together as a group – it's that confidence thing as well."

Question 3 - What should a choir wear, and should points be deducted if they look terrible?!

Dominic Tighe: "I'm not in for all this formal stuff - particularly if you're singing quite poppy songs. I guess what they're wearing should reflect what they're singing."

Question 4 - Is there anything a choir shouldn't sing?

Dominic Tighe: "No, not really... perhaps something by the Prodigy isn't really appropriate for a choir?! We'd do a great cover of a Prodigy song though!"

Stephen Bowman: "As long as it works for the choir. The simple fact is that some of the songs chosen by the choirs work brilliantly in the ensemble environment where you mix those sounds together and mix the harmonies together. Anything can work – so it's worth having a go!"

Question 5 - Should singing be compulsory in schools?

Stephen Bowman: "Yes, absolutely. I think the most important thing that you can do at schools, above many of the academic subjects is pushing people into choirs. And you have to do it – sometimes they'll be screaming and crying about it, but you have to do it – especially guys."

Dominic Tighe: "What's been interesting when we go into schools to do workshops, is that by the end of the day the students have a new found love of singing that they didn't think they had before."

Question 6 - Can anybody sing in a choir?

Dominic Tighe: "Everybody's got a singing voice, it's just a question of finding it."

Question 8 - Is the world of choral singing competitive?

Stephen Bowman: "Yes absolutely. Choir competitions aren't anything new; this programme just makes them a little more glamorous! It's a great way to push people."

Dominic Tighe: "Yep – and that's fine as long as it's healthy competition and they don't start killing each other!"

Question 9 - Is there anything conductors do that sets the alarm bells ringing?

Dominic Tighe: "I have a thing about choir masters who make a 'smile face'."

Question 10 - How many people does it take to make a choir?

Stephen Bowman: "You've got to have more than one person per part; otherwise it's just a quartet like ourselves. Realistically it's a group thing - it's got to be a large group of people. Obviously what we've seen in this show is that it doesn't matter if it's a very large choir or a very small choir – the effect is the same - it's people working together to create one harmony, one wall of sound. The smaller groups have shown that you can do it with only 12 people, and sometimes they've made more noise than the groups with 50 people!"

To read more answers from the other stars that took part in the debate and to leave your feedback
CLICK HERE

xaria · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:32 pm Post subject:

Good boys! Smile

Those are my kind of answers Smile

Singing should be compulsory in all schools - not just primary, and yes everyone can sing: it's just that same can sing in tune and others can't lol! Wink

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xantha