It was after a visit to the Taunton Club by the BABS Chairman that I first heard about grants from Harmony Foundation. The management team were very supportive and encouraged me to apply. The last directing event that I had attended was a chorus directors workshop intensive (CDWI) in Bristol in 2000. Reflecting on the video made then, I thought it was about time that I had my directing style looked at again.

Kevin Coughlan the assistant director had also been successful in securing a grant, so together we travelled to Bablake School. The journey on that Friday afternoon was one that neither of us will forget. A journey which should have taken us just over two hours lasted for just over five. The weather was horrible, rain, wind, snow, accidents and then finally motorway closed.

We quickly found our rooms in the hotel and then walked to the school for something to eat before the first session started at 8:00pm the welcome was followed by an hour with the visiting American educator. Royce Ferguson. Royce is the director of the Westminster Chorus the current chorus gold medallists. If you haven't seen this chorus in action before it well worth a look at You Tube - type in Westminster Chorus and check out their strike up the band routine. Royce delivered a very confident lecture with lots of ideas, and I am really looking forward to receiving my copy of the college DVD reviewing what he demonstrated. Wonderful stuff. This session was followed by meeting my fellow class mates and coach for the weekend and checking what each of us wanted from the weekend.

Next day started with a college session in the dance studio before breaking into our groups. First on the agenda was to review the videos of our own performance that each of us had pre-recorded at our local rehearsals and offer positive comments. It became obvious that as front line director we all work very hard for our respective choruses and we all wanted to improve.

We had been given a pre-course learning pack with CD so that we could be familiar with the songs we would direct. We all selected a part of a song and our coach gave us some pointers about how we might make best use of our time in front of the ladies chorus. We had been allocated just eleven minutes directing and then time to review the resulting video.

My turn came mid morning standing in front of the chorus ready to start, check your stance, check your face, where are my hands, make eye contact, ask for pitch, smile, don't sing, where's the downbeat - directing is easy isn't it! The allotted time flew by and the review session gave me things to work on, pointed out things I was doing that I wasn't aware of and I left the session with clear objectives.

One of my lasting memories of the weekend wasn't in fact anything to do with my directing skills, but about singing. Royce had demonstrated a vocal technique several times during the weekend and in the chorus session we were all trying our best to replicate that technique while Rhiannon was being coached by Royce. It was about disappearing into the lock which I experienced as "I know I am singing, I am using air but I can't hear my own voice just this incredible sound that I am part of"

Singing in a chorus is something a director rarely does and the experience late on Saturday night squashed on the risers was magical.

Peter Gover Chorus Director - The Rivertones Chorus