For many singers, January and February are not a time of instant momentum.

After Christmas, routines have shifted, energy feels steadier rather than expansive, and singing can feel slightly unfamiliar. This is normal. The voice hasn’t gone anywhere, but it may need time to re-settle after weeks of different rhythms, sleep patterns, and demands. Expecting to feel immediately “back” often creates unnecessary pressure, particularly in mid-winter.

One of the most common difficulties at this point in the year is the temptation to rush. Singers can feel they ought to be back where they were in the autumn, as though continuity were something that could be switched on again at will. In reality, returning to singing works far better when it is approached as a process of re-orientation rather than recovery; listening first, noticing what is present now, and allowing habits to re-form without strain.

This early part of the year often lends itself to preparation. That may mean choosing repertoi...

September always feels like a beginning. A change in the light, schools go back, the slight morning chill, and there is a sense of rhythm returning after the looseness of summer. For singers, this is the ideal moment to start planning and shaping the year ahead.

Let me invite you to join me for Sing Joyfully 2025: Mozart at the Helm. This takes place on 15–16 November in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, UK. But beware, applications for singers close on Friday, 19 September, in just two weeks, so the time to decide is now.

The reason the application date comes so close to the start of the Autumn term is simple. With Mozart, you need time,  not just to touch the notes, but to properly get inside them. Amongst other things, we will be working on staged excerpts, and that means singers must have long enough to feel they are in the middle of the music rather than only just getting their act together. Eight weeks of preparation will allow the music to settle, so that by November, you can sing w...