The songs I teach are rooted in styles made for aural learning and singable by anyone. I teach everything by ear and try to avoid musical jargon.
Many of the songs are from cultures where, I believe, harmony singing is a part of normal life (for example, South Africa, Tanzania, Macedonia, Country Music, Gospel, Shape Note) and not the preserve of trained singers. I also draw on other outbreaks of ‘people’s harmony’ singing, such as Doo Wop, pop music, soul and the like, and a growing body of work composed and arranged by community choir leaders (including myself) and natural voice practitioners. Some are shorter warm-ups, some longer, some ‘arrangements’, some quieter warm-down, some lyrical, some funky, some jazzy, some deep, some trivial. Laughing is often involved.