Rob has played jazz, rock, folk and various other musical styles for “a very long time”, singing and playing guitar or bass. He has performed in groups and solo. Over the last 10 years he has led choirs of up to 50 people, meeting over 8-9 weeks and singing songs about a particular theme. They are always fun, never pressured, and always about the joy of singing.
Rob’s Philosophy of Singing
In many cultures, the question “Can you sing?” would be ridiculous. Everyone sings. At festivals, funerals, weddings, whenever people get together.
In the West, singing has become an elite activity, associated with a stage, a microphone and long hours of dedicated practice. Of course singing CAN be that, and it’s beautiful when it is. But there’s another side – singing as a group, in a way that unites us, energises us and puts us all in contact with our culture.
And we have such a deep musical culture to draw from. I’m old enough to have grown up listening to the Beatles, who in turn drew inspiration from the blues and the music-hall. Rock-and-roll led to more great songs and song-writers from Elton John to Cyndi Lauper to Pharrell Williams. These are our songs and this is our heritage.
What do we need to sing our songs? A group of people helps – voices sounding together always makes for a richer sound and a richer experience. A group of empathetic musicians who can support the songs and the singers makes the singing more enjoyable. Maybe a copy of the lyrics … Apart from that, all that’s needed is your enthusiasm and willingness to give it a go.
Rob’s Other Interests
Rob has a career in acoustical engineering, including consulting and software development.
He also has a site which publishes his short fiction – RandomProcesses.com