You’ve been singing with your community choir for a while now… see the differences in how you feel about singing and indeed, life itself.
I can sing a little brighter and louder!
When singers join a choir to start with, they may feel nervous and this manifests as a very quiet voice as they find their feet. Often I find encouraging singers by asking for more power, depth and volume is the only way to entice them from their shell. Using songs we have become familiar with I can take singers to the next level with some vocal techniques and suggestions for creating a sound they are all happy with.
I’m happy to sing in the car!
Once you’ve started your singing journey and are gaining confidence, the world is your oyster! Singers find themselves singing in cars, showers, kitchens, around the office and everywhere. I once heard a lady singing in the Co-op…. she was going about her work and singing to the in-store radio. It was ‘I will survive”. I followed this lady then jumped out and joined her for the chorus which saw us strutting around the shop together. She had the confidence to let go! Brilliant.
I love the songs!
Repertoire for choirs is a really tricky balance. To start with, I have to like the song. I’m going to have to listen to it in excess of 100 times, arrange it, record it before I even start to teach it. We occasionally get requests for songs from performance venues which are good – sometimes not so good. Joining a choir can be like tuning in to a new radio station – taking singers out of their usual comfortable listening to a different place. They may get exposed to new songs and styles that they have never considered singing before! I once ran a workshop for the Snow Patrol song ‘Chocolate’ and one of our singers said “I hated this song, I couldn’t see how you could make it sound nice but after 2 hours, I love it! Thank you”. Choir can help you hear songs differently.
Everything is a little bit more colourful.
When you feel more confident, however you’ve arrived at this feeling, everything is a little bit easier, a bit brighter and life is a bit more manageable. I have many, many anecdotes from singers who have gained confidence from singing together which has enabled them to come forwards in their everyday life. One lady went back to work part-time which she’d never thought would happen – because she was more confident which she said was down to our group. Other people have felt that they have found their voices…. literally.. and are able to speak up in meetings at work and get their points across with more certainty. Understanding how you ‘sound’ is essential.
I’ve learned some harmonies.
Not only do I find that singers learn their harmonies….. they also open up their ears to hear harmonies on songs which they’d never appreciated before. They find themselves humming along to the radio adding their own harmonies here and there. It can be a revelation!
I can do this!
What a difference! It’s amazing what we can achieve when we take that first brave step.
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