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| Have you got a secret ambition to join a choir?(Blackheath Choir Festival: Trish Davies) |
By Ria Andriani
In a world where individuality often takes centre stage, singing together has proven to be a powerful balm and community-builder. Choirs come in many shapes and sizes, and finding the right one can be life-changing. Whether you're an aspiring singer, a busy parent, a social introvert or just want to sing from time to time, there's a place for you in a choir.
As a life-long chorister, I've sung with the school choir, youth choir, vocal consort, symphonic chorus and a chamber choir. Each has different expectations. Sometimes I'd just turn up and sing, other times, I'd spend hours learning my part. Here are some tips on how to find a choir that resonates with your musical aspirations which also fits your lifestyle.
How to find a choir?
There are a few factors you might like to consider before joining a choir. Some groups require you to travel to rehearse and perform, while others are based in your local area. Some choirs expect you to audition before joining, as well as learning the music in advance, others focus on singing together and having a good time. While a lot of choirs are free to join, others might charge a fee to cover their costs.
There are lots of ways you can find a choir: by searching on the internet or social media, through community organisations or neighbourhood groups, local papers or by asking families or friends.
Adding these keywords might help you find choirs: choral, chorale, chorus, voices, consort and singers.
Virtual choirs offer ways for singers to rehearse online and participate by submitting a video which gets compiled in a final performance. The format gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are groups which has ongoing projects you can sign up to. ABC Classic's own Classic Choir began as a virtual place for us to come and sing together during the pandemic. This year we encourage you to sing with a choir in person (but stay tuned for other ways to get involved from home.)
The hard question here is: with the many types of choirs out there, how do you find one which resonates with your sense of community or share your interest?
How do you find choirs in your local or social community?
If you like to keep things local, there might be a community choir based in your area, like one from Sydney’s inner wet for people of all ages and backgrounds, or one from Geelong which aims to reduce loneliness for residents. Many churches also have long-standing tradition of choral singing as part of their worship.
Sometimes people will start a choir in their community or workplace, like the House Howlers which is a choral group for journalists working in Canberra's Press Gallery. Starting as a place for mothers to sing together with their young kids, Mother Song in Perth has evolved to become a group of old friends and their memberships now include their grown up children.
Founded by the desire to make safe places for members as well as activism, the LGBTQIA+ communities have a proud history of singing choirs. In Australia, there is at least one queer choir in most capital cities, including Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir, Perth Pride Choir, Brisbane Pride Choir and more.
Recently, choirs have also been used in conjunction with allied health practices. The therapeutic choirs for people with dementia are set up for members to support each other through singing together and the community that form around it. Music therapist Zara Thompson coordinates and leads Rewire Musical Memories Choirs for people with dementia and their support network. Thompson has recently compiled a database of other therapeutic choirs in clinical settings as well as dementia inclusive choirs.
Will I have to audition to join a choir?
Some choirs require you to audition for the conductor before you can join, but if that sounds daunting, there are plenty of non-auditioned community and pub choirs where you can just come for a sing-a-long. But if you'd like to widen your choral repertoire, auditioning might be a worthwhile goal to work towards.
Auditioning is a process where you and the conductor get to meet and sing. London-based Australian conductor James Dixon helps to demystify the process. Dixon, who has worked with amateur and professional choirs, describes what he's listening for in auditions.
"I want to get to know the sound of the singer's voice, what is their vocal range, can they sing in tune or, if they're new to singing, whether they're able to respond to coaching."
Dixon says most auditioning for amateur singers involves singing exercises, singing a well-known song such as the national anthem or a folk tune in a few different keys, plus a song of their choice where they can show off a little.
Not all choirs expect people to be able to read music, but for those which do, sight-singing is where you get asked to sing from a score. On testing people's skill to read music, Dixon's preference is to do it as a group exercise. "Very rarely in amateur choirs do I require people to sing by themselves, let alone sight sing by themselves so I don't think it's something I should subject them to," Dixon reveals.
There are also other methods of bringing people into the group. For more established choirs, Dixon would ask new singers to join in a few rehearsals and place them next to an experienced member in their section. He says "after a few weeks, I usually ask the experienced singer how the auditionee is going. I find this to be more helpful as it simulates more closely how this person would cope in the context of singing in the choir and if they'll fit in."
What to expect when you're in the choir?
Once you're in the choir, you'd be expected to attend regular rehearsals and sing. This is where your choice might matter. You might be someone who likes singing for fun, or you get a thrill from conquering challenging music like Beethoven's Ode to Joy. Or, as in the case of Classic Choir, you can join in from time to time.
Speaking from experience, you might not find your crowd on your first go, or you might feel differently after the novelty wears off. Being clear about the expectations and knowing what support is available might help you decide whether to stay or to leave.
As a group formed by the LGBTQIA+ community, Brisbane Pride Choir is a safe haven for their members. "If you're a bit more of an introvert like me, you can just come to rehearsal and just sit amongst all these like-minded people and sing," says self-professed choir nerd Elliot Rentoul, who has led the choir since 2018.
Because of their unique membership, the choir might be able to offer particular support, for instance, for singers going through the process of transitioning. "At those early stages, their voice is just changing so quickly, so their conductor needs to check in with them every few weeks and sometimes modify the part they're singing," Rentoul explains.
Thompson says people who join the Rewire Musical Memories Choirs tend to come, in many cases, for the rest of their lives. "Often we see someone who goes from coming independently to moving into aged care, right up until they're passing away. Often the person caring for them will continue to come," she reveals.
People can suggest what songs they'd like to sing in Thompson's choirs. "Danny boy is a popular song in our choir as many people have a really strong personal connection to it," Thompson says. "We also often sing things which are quite thematic, like One Day At A Time and 2022 Classic Choir song O Christmas Tree." Thompson also says she always tries to be available if any chorister needs a chat over coffee after rehearsal.
How much time, money and effort do you want to spend?
If you're considering joining a choir, you should check out how often they meet, whether there is any registration fee and other commitments such as how much music you need to learn. There might also be incidental costs such as transport and meals.
Dixon says most choirs meet once a week or more in the lead up to a performance, with length of rehearsals ranging between 45 minutes to three hours.
In the therapeutic choir settings, Thompson is much more flexible on attendance. "They can, they will, they're able to come if they choose," Thompson says. This is because the choir is set up for people with dementia, a dynamic disability. "People can feel fine one day, then the next day everything is completely different," Thompson explains.
Because singing is an emotional experience, Thompson does check in with members of the choir who are going through tough times. "Danny Boy is often used for people's funerals," Thomson says. "When it was used at someone's funeral and their carer was still coming along to choir after that, I might have a quick phone call or chat to them before the rehearsal to see if they're happy for us to sing it or if they prefer we avoid it for a couple of weeks."
Most registration fees range between a few dollars per rehearsal to a few hundreds, though sometimes, you can join choirs for free. Classic Drive presenter Vanessa Hughes says "most choirs are not for profit organisations, and the cost covers the venue hire, accompanist and conductor." Generally it's only singers in professional choirs who get paid to sing.
What are the benefits of singing in a choir?
Singing together can spark joy and connection. As a life-long chorister, I can attest to the rich musical experience and friendships I've formed along the way.
Science tells us singing fills our brain with the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine and fosters an immediate connection and empathy with the people around us. Thompson says this transient benefit of singing leaves lasting positive emotions even when people can't remember.
There's an enduring reason which brings Thompson's choirs together, week after week:
"When you're singing, you don't have to explain things, and you're with people who understand what it is that you're going through.”
First published at ABC News, September 26, 2023
