October 2026

On Mashups and Medleys

Published by Liz Garnett at Helping You Harmonise on Thursday 8th October 2026

I’ve had a fair bit of song-combining to do in my recent arranging tasks, so have been thinking about the terms ‘mashup’ and ‘medley’ quite a lot. The two words are sometimes used interchangeably, making less a distinction between how you combine the songs than signally how hip you are (mashups are newer and more happening than medleys).

But the labels also can carry musical meaning, which is rather akin to how they’re used in catering. If you were offered a vegetable medley, you would expect a selection of vegetables served together, possibly prepared and presented in a way so as to create a visual/spatial relationship between them as well relationships of flavour and texture. But you’d still be clear which vegetable was which and be able to enjoy them individually as well as in combination.

Voice and Characterisation

Published by Liz Garnett at Helping You Harmonise on Thursday 1st October 2026

The relationship between voice and characterisation is something I usually find myself thinking about while coaching, but it has also recently come up while discussing songs choices with arranging clients. It’s something I’ve explored in this blog while reflecting on coaching experiences, but the recent conversations have had me wanting to look at it in its own right.

Singing technique often presents itself in the abstract, as the optimised use of an essentialised body conceived as existing outside of culture. This is why one hears so much discourse couched in primarily anatomical terms, and why any one school of thought has a tendency to present itself as the prophet of true natural singing, arriving to save us all from the misguided ignorance of our former singing teachers.

...found this helpful?

I provide this content free of charge, because I like to be helpful. If you have found it useful, you may wish to make a donation to the causes I support to say thank you.