Workshop Reviews

MORPETH singers were in top voice when renowned choral director Dr Andrew Padmore put them through their full range, last weekend.
Over 80 singers from around the region converged on Chantry Middle School to learn from a maestro.
His delivery throughout the day was energetic, crisp and very amusing, touching on singing techniques, posture and the ideal frame of mind for concert presentation. The light-hearted advice was given to aid ‘soaring sopranos’ and ‘bumbling basses’ to improve technique.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The singing was great – an opportunity to get to know a work I have been longing to sing for some time. Andrew Padmore was fun and inspirational.

No matter how experienced a singer you are, nor how many choral days you have attended, there is always something new to learn and that was what happened on the choral day with Andrew Padmore. The tongue twisting exercises certainly did to the labial/dental section of the mouth was what was needed in that area for clearer diction. This is particularly important when trying to get the very moving words of The Armed Man over to an audience.

We really enjoyed the day – good fun with a good work out! – physically and mentally! We got home very happily tired.

I came as a visitor on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Andrew Padmore was excellent – the breaks with the fun exercises, came at just the right time so we didn’t get too tired or bored and he had such a lovely sense of humour.

Thanks for setting up the day, it was my first full day of singing. Really enjoyed it – refreshing to do physical exercises before we sang and I liked the sense of fun throughout.

Particularly enjoyed the technical training but also was surprised at how much we learned of the Karl Jenkins in just one day.

I really enjoyed the day on Saturday. It was hard work but a good mixture of advice and humour. Also, I thought it was some of the best choral teaching I have experienced.

What a wonderful day! We apparently spent so much time doing what some may have regarded as silly songs and exercises, yet still got through a work that was unknown to many of us, and in which there were some interesting rhythms even if the notes were not too difficult. Certainly I didn’t know this work at all. And the exercises – well, we all felt and performed better after them as well as enjoying doing them. They were also excellent ice-breakers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. I thought Andrew Padmore was a hoot (and VERY helpful) and that actually, it would have been an entertaining day for anyone. I think his enthusiasm for singing was the best part … he made you remember you were doing something really worthwhile and enjoyable. He was tremendous fun!

Andrew Padmore was full of infectious energy and his enthusiastic approach kept us all amused and at the same time kept us working hard to produce a good sound. His tips about singing and breathing exercises will no doubt prove useful beyond today and his knowledge about ‘The Armed Man’ made us able to concentrate on the tricky bits which will be invaluable to future rehearsals and ultimate concert. I hope you will pass on our thanks to the BBC Performing Arts Fund for supporting this event

What an enthusiastic teacher – impressing a teacher with your teaching is always a difficult thing to do and he did it with abundance. We felt it to be a great privilege to take part in the day.

I had a lovely time – Andrew Padmore was very good at keeping us all involved, changed activity when you might begin to feel you’d done enough of something, and there was no wasted time. Breaks lasted more or less long enough and re-starts were prompt. Andrew Padmore reminded me of a sort of musical Jasper Carrott – in other words, there was plenty of fun. AP told us if we were not tired by the end, we hadn’t been working hard enough. What nonsense, I thought! I was fine until I got home, but then had to go to bed early to recuperate