With our Maestro back in the driving seat, he was very keen to see the progress we had made in his absence. We now have the 18 songs we are going to perform for our Summer Gala Concert, so there are no surprises. We must keep on top of things and practise all of them, especially the parts of songs you are unsure of. Some of us have definitely been working hard and, on the whole, we impressed him, which is no mean feat! Crossing the Bar, actually brought tears to his eyes and he said it was...

It was explained to us how to use our breath and let it naturally happen as we tell the story when singing in phrases, even if it is only Oohs. Imagine you are a dog and someone comes to the door and you bark. You can feel your diaphragm working to push out the air as you need it; you don’t have to think about it. Use this principle when singing and our body will adjust the amount of air we need naturally. We certainly need plenty of breath for The Rhythm of Life. It should be powerful. ...

Mind The Gap Elliot was our guest MD this week and he put a new twist on the dreaded tongue circles. Think of a phrase or chorus of a song and hum that tune while you circle your tongue in one direction and when the phrase is finished, do it again circling your tongue the other way. This way you can concentrate on the notes rather than the pain in the tongue! You’re the Voice, a high energy song, so pace yourself. It needs energy from the start, but you have to keep something in reserve for...