Crabbysbeach

I just published a new web page that is in tended to be the first in a series.  The pages will explain the fundamentals of music theory using gospel choir music as the musical examples. Basically, music theory is about learning the technical side of how music works and learning how to speak the language [...]

Dear Santa, Just in case you forgot… Can’t WAIT to get my hands on this Canon Rebel Camera! Looking forward to creative adventures in photography in 2012. It’s time! … for a new debut from CrossCreations, lover of all sorts of creativity and art but especially photography. After searching and reviewing all of the SLR cameras available, [...]

I just put together a web page about a Christmas song called “When Christ Was Born” that I wrote years ago. It’s an easy song for choirs to learn and it’s always a blessing in services.  On the web page you can get a FREE download of my living-room recording of the song.  Think of [...]

One of the choirs I direct has a mixture of some people who have a lot of experience using sheet music and some people who have no experience with it at all. When we do songs that are a little complicated, I pass out printed scores to the members who want them, while the others shun [...]

Welcome to One Hit Wonders!

We’ll be opening the vault very soon, dusting off the cobwebs and bringing you some well-known and not so well-known songs and artists from the past who only managed to breach the UK Top 40 music chart once…and never again!

Hang tight!

The time around Christmas is often referred to as the ’silly season’, particularly when it comes to Christmas songs. Chris Hill’s contributions to Yuletide mirth certainly prove the rule. Over the Christmases of both 1975 and 1976, this British DJ released two novelty records which both entered the UK Top 10. Each of the discs [...]

One more Kirk Franklin song!  Just in time for the holidays, I’ve added the Soprano, Alto, and Tenor parts for “Now Behold the Lamb” to the ChoirParts.com catalog.

Several people have shown interest in getting the parts to this song, and now it’s available at ChoirParts.com in our “Gospel Choir Music” category: I Smile.  There are five parts — 1st Soprano, 2nd Soprano, 1st Alto, 2nd Alto, and Tenor.

Eminem 2012 Wall Calendar

Eminem is a rapper that earns the critic’s respect and makes bank. But as his fans know there’s a lot more to the Real Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers. His distinctive vocal tone, dexterity, quickness and clear staccato rhyme are the brilliant packaging to his lyrical genius.

Whew.  Had a choir directing adventure this weekend. On Sunday, a choir I direct had a concert.  We had been rehearsing songs for it for a couple of months, but attendance at rehearsals had been a bit spotty.  Some people would be at one rehearsal and others at another. When we got to the final rehearsal [...]

Christmas isn’t just for kids, ya know! Maybe you’ve been there and done that, and the little ones have flown the nest or maybe you never HAD kids and don’t plan to do so. Maybe you’re tired of the consumerism and over-commercialized nature that the holidays have become to the point of considering just skipping Christmas altogether. [...]

Shortly after the St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 MLB World Series, I was reading some posts on Yahoo and noted several comments referring to the Cardinals win as ‘lucky’. Hmmm… Here we have a baseball team that some called an ‘underdog’ who came from behind over 10 games in August to clinch their spot in the [...]

Breaking News: Do you Squidoo? Listen up, ya Squid! Cause this is BIG, an opportunity for Squids to hop aboard a FUN international virtual tour to meet and greet Squidoo lensmaster friends all around the world. This Squidoo World Tour was released in early November and WOW! Squids have been jumping aboard like crazy, and so the [...]

Somebody asked a question on my Facebook page : “What starting notes do you give to a choir for doing an a capella vocal warm up? So they can have their pitches before beginning. (for a 4 part choir)” These are considered the standard ranges for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices: Soprano — from middle C to [...]

We all know that a lot of singers in black church choirs never get any formal training.  We just sing from instinct.  Some of us even worry that studying voice might change our sound and turn us “operatic”. But we shouldn’t fear.  There are plenty of pop, rock, country, and gospel music who have studied voice [...]

Dear Goddess, Our Customer Service team  is at it again. After all, we have nothing to lose. Well, maybe we could lose our self importance. Or we could lose all sense of modesty. We laugh so hard that we certainly have lost all sense of seriousness. And what have we gained? When people laugh with complete [...]

Dear Goddess, My new iPhone allows me to drive down the road and dictate a prayer for the day. After working all night long, taking care of patients in preterm labor, I feel completely grateful to be alive, healthy and well in this moment. I will be working two 12 hour nights, one 13 hour night and [...]

Dear God/ess, I am thankful to be back to swimming, again. Today will be my fourth day this week swimming 1/2 mile a day.  Mostly what it does is build stamina, an aura of good cheer and the ability to laugh off the crazy inequities in this world. Plus as I embark on 3 12 hour [...]