Choir - some info please........

Grannyknot: Love your choir leader! He was worth watching on his own . Hallelujah is a lovely song that we sing quite a bit. I've only done a couple of events but they are fun.

Yes he is. He makes us laugh every week with his antics. We are lucky being in London, we are spoilt for choice for gigs, usually for charity, even a summer party on a boat on the Thames. Now that was fun! I love that it provides spontaneous enjoyment for unsuspecting audiences, and I especially love it when the young people in the crowd sing e.g. Justin Timberlake back at us

Meant to say to Kateycrunch good for you, you'll enjoy it I'm sure.

I have always sung in choirs, mostly auditioned ones. A good choir leader should teach you about the right sort of posture, breathing, relaxation, mouth shape etc, as well as learning the notes.
As a teacher I used to lose my voice from time to time. Eventually, after determining there was nothing physically wrong, my GP sent me to a speech therapist, who taught me the same breathing and relaxation techniques that I have since been taught in choirs. I have never lost my voice again. There are times eg if I have a cold, when I avoid singing, but otherwise, it is one of the best things you can do for both mental and physical health.

My voice is very much below average.
People think I am joking when I try to sing..
Any hope for me?

MissA there's hope for you.

Cabbie21 I agree 're a good choir leader, and Rock Choir leaders teach all those things.

youtu.be/zqfFrCUrEbY
This gives me goosepimples!

Kateycrunch, it shouldn't hurt when you sing. In a big group, the leader maay not be aware if you're straining your voice in some way. It might be worth having an individual lesson or two, just to check out how you're using your voice and establish what your natural range is. I would endorse the suggestion of looking at the Natual Voice Network, and seeing if there's a teacher in your area.

For our generation, it may seem self-indulgent to have singing lessons. but many of us paid out for years so that our children could learn piano, flute, trampolining, ballet, etc. If you can afford it, it's your turn now!

Sparklefizz and Grannyknot thanks for the info.
I have bitten the bullet and signed up for a taster!

I have learnt the hardway. At last finding a choir conductor that does really good warm ups and copy.

Its largely about breathing properly which calls for confidence to go for the notes.
Which has taken me a very long while to get. If you can stand near a good singer it really helps.
Then its confidence confidence confidence. !
What cabbie21 says.

Go Grannyknot go!!! - great vid! And you are right that everyone can sing.

My choir sings a mix of stuff - some I teach by ear, some is from the score - some is taught very quickly, some more painstakingly.

I have a very strong belief that anyone can sing anything if they get the right encouragement. We sing easy stuff, and take on huge challenges, often from the classical repertoire, that bring huge satisfaction when we manage to pull it off - even if it has taken months to learn.

I hope that my singers have learned not to be afraid of any repertoire and to dismiss it as not for them - there is something especially precious about learning a piece of music and seeing it from the inside, instead of just being a listener. It embeds itself in your heart and you can never hear it in the same way again.

Thanks Luckygirl.

Your choir sounds wonderful. .

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home where everyone sang. Sunday night's around the piano were non-negotiable, including for the children. In my mind's ear I can still hear my Grandad's beautiful tenor soaring above the women's voices.

Nights! Darn auto-apostrophe.

Kateykrunch as regards your sore throat it may simply be the result of using your voice intensely for over an hour. You could start doing a series of short excercises every day and that might help.When I was training as a teacher many years ago we used to get sore throats the first week of teaching practice and that was because we were using our voices more. It's a question of breathing properly and relaxing.
www.wikihow.com/Project-Your-Normal-Speaking-Voice
Singing involves some of the same techniques.

Another Rock Choir member here! When I first joined I must have given it too much welly as I developed a lump in my throat which thankfully dissipated during the summer break, otherwise I would have seen my gp. I take it rather easier now.
I spoke to my leader regarding Vocalzone type lozenges and she is agin them, saying that their use could disguise any voice straining. I just drink water all through rehearsals.

As a very shy and timid teenager I was told I was tone deaf. which left me out of any singing for many years.
I eventually managed it. The teacher who suggested I was tone deaf did nothing at all to even find out what children could do. No lessons or help at all.

Is it true that the Rock Choir costs £10?

Rock Choir costs £25 a month if you pay monthly via Direct Debit. The fee is monthly by the choir is term time only. If you read the website (it explains it on there) that is how you can spread the annual cost instead of paying it as a one-off each year. It's less than a gym membership!

Grannyknot, your choir is lovely! As for your choir master - he is great fun!!!!

There are many other community choirs around that are less costly than Rock Choir - it is good at what is does, but it's a big, franchised, commercial business. Some choirs do more formal choral music, some do folk or "world" music; some work from written scores while others learn everything by ear; some are accompanied whilst others are acapella. There's something out there for everyone!

That's true ticktock certainly something for everyone. I've sung in various choirs over the years. Around here, the cheapest one is £7 a session each week.

Thanks, Lisa.

Katycrunch I sing with a fairly large community choir. We do a wide range of material including pop songs and more serious and complex choral works. I am also in a small a capella group where we sing without sheet music and learn the words by heart - often in a foreign language, which is easier than I would have imagined. Neither of these choirs require auditions or the ability to read music.

Warm ups should help protect the voice. Perhaps you are over singing and straining your voice, particularly if you are singing the wrong part for your voice. I used to be soprano but can't now reach very high notes so I sing alto. Sometimes my throat gets dry and my voice is now more wavery and croaky (sadly, something that tends to happen with age). As others have mentioned, Vocalzone lozenges do help.

I don't think choirs require big voices - the idea is to blend in with those around you and sing as one voice.

I'm not sure everyone can sing but I do think the vast majority of people can.

I had always wanted to be in a choir, especially after watching Gareth Malone on TV but no time and family commitments prevented it. Finally after I retired and after a bad year I decided to 'live' what was left of my life and followed a leaflet delivered through the door for a choir taster. My voice has got stronger. My breathing is better. I am benefiting from the social aspect. Endomorphins contribute to the 'feel good' factor. My memory has improved, though we have music and don't have to memorise. I have learned to read music in a rudimentary way by osmosis. I have actually performed in public and what a buzz!!! In short it is the highlight of my week. I love it!! Maybe I was lucky with the choir (and teacher) that I chose but I would advise that it is THE BEST THING EVER!!!!

Grabndma2213 Absolutely. Singing with a choir is so uplifting and, as you say, confers many mental and physical health benefits.

Bigger choirs tend to also have a fairly lively social scene - quizzes, karaoke nights, etc, etc. It's a great way to make friends and have fun.