What do you do to keep your mental health where you want it to be? How do you get out of a rut when you’re feeling down? I have good news! Read on.

Years ago I had a very experienced choral singer come up to me in Cantala and tell me that I spend a lot of time on warming up and inquired "isn't there an urgency to get to rehearsing the repertoire?".

Everyone seems to come to choir exhausted. It’s the end of their work day and while I know they are looking forward to creating music, their sense of listening and often also their vocal apparatus are fatigued. They are ready for the couch and some tv, but you are asking them to get up, smile and sparkle. Warming up the choir is an important transition from tired work day to musical brilliance.

If you have ever come to a rehearsal feeling exhausted and grumpy you know that choir can change all that around....

In Cantala practising the music at home between rehearsals in not only expected, but keeps you up with the pace of learning in the choir and increases your own musical enjoyment. So how does one rehearse on their own? Here are my tips for successfully learning the music at home. 

My musical journey with Cantala began rather inauspiciously. With only two singing lessons under my belt, I arrived to a choir practice surrounded by trained and talented vocalists with university degrees in music.