Resources for all choir leaders
Our new resources portal has been put together by the abcd team of trustees, staff and tutors. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, we have a host of new videos and written resources, with tips and advice on beat patterns, warm-ups, working with choirs online and much more - something for all leaders of choral singing!
Click on the headings to see the resources in each category.
Access our full range of resources by becoming a member! Find out more about joining us here.
- Warm-ups and fun games for KS1 (5-7 year olds) - three short videos with Jo McNally, who has lots of tips and ideas to make singing fun for young children and are easily adapted for older voices too.
- Warm-ups for Lower KS2 (7-9 year olds) - Sue Hollingworth shares her top tips for helping singers concentrate, breathe, improve their expression - and have lots of fun too!
- Warm-ups for Upper KS2 (9-11 year olds) - join Lucy Hollins for her favourite warm-ups for young voices, but suitable for all singers!
Amy Bebbington and Sarah Tenant-Flowers share tips and practical advice to help you choose the right beat pattern to lead your singers clearly, from the basic to the complex.
Equity, Access and Diversity - coming soon
The abcd staff and tutor team have put together a range of resources considering Music, Health and Wellbeing, Social and Environmental Justice, Diversifying the Repertoire, LGBTQ+ issues and Accessibility and Inclusion.
Lots of tips from our tutors, from general rehearsal management, to teaching a round, choosing repertoire, vowels and dipthongs.
- Warm-ups and fun games for KS1 - three short videos with Jo McNally, who has lots of tips and ideas to make singing fun for young children and are easily adapted for older voices too.
- Warm-ups for Lower KS2 - Sue Hollingworth shares her top tips for helping singers concentrate, breathe, improve their expression - and have lots of fun too!
- Warm-ups for Upper KS2 - join Lucy Hollins for her favourite warm-ups for young voices, but suitable for all singers!
- Leading rehearsals online with young singers - Richard Jeffries shows how to get the most out of your remote rehearsal with your young choir.
- Twelve top tips for youth choir leaders with Susan Hollingworth BEM.
- Virtual Choirs - getting the most out of your singers - James Davey
- Leading rehearsals online with young singers - Richard Jeffries
- Explore our vast webinar library - some free to view, others just £5, many free to members.
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Richard Jeffries (choral conductor, music educator and abcd Council member) shares his findings from his 2019 Churchill Fellowship travels.
- Our online international peer-reviewed academic research journal published with the aim of promoting research informed practice and a scholarly approach to all aspects of collective singing. Both issues are now available for viewing by everyone.
- Links to our Corporate and Associate members and many more useful singing-related websites.
Can you support us?
We hope that you find our online resources useful and informative! abcd exists without any external core funding. Most of our revenue comes from our members' subscriptions, project funding from Trusts and Foundations, and small surpluses made on our courses and events. As we emerge from the pandemic, in order to continue to grow, we need your help. Any donation, large or small, makes a difference. If you are able to help us by making a donation here, we would be very grateful for your support.
