Last year I started two new groups aimed at encouraging everyone to sing! Sing It Out! was born. I truly believe everyone can sing we just need confidence and a little bit of help. My mum has constantly said she cannot sing however I believe this is down to her always been told as a youngster to shut up you can't sing. So what if you're not Whitney Houston or Tom Jones - who cares? Singing is great for the mind and great for the soul. This is why I set up Sing It Out! It is a group meant for people who just want to sing, no formal auditions or official groupings (Soprano, Alto etc) just a want to sing and have a laugh. We DO have a laugh! I am mainly talking about the adult group here but the Juniors learn an awful lot too - how to sing together and listen; being able to pitch correctly when someone is singing something else (building inner hearing); fun tapping rhythms and singing - we did the Cup song last term; they also build confidence in using their voices. To be honest this is very much what the adult group do too! If you are contemplating singing go do it! Find the right sort of group for you - if you want to go formal and do concerts etc then do it or if you are not that confident join a community group like mine. I am sure there are some in your area! If you are feeling a bit isolated, have just had a baby (bring baby!) and need adult company, maybe you feel a bit down - singing is great for building self-esteem, confidence, mental alertness (my adults certainly have to be alert!) it can calm anxiety (just by focusing on something else but also breathing!), releases endorphins...studies have shown significant decreases in anxiety and depression particularly with those who sing in groups. There are also studies that show singing can boost your immune system - immunoglobulin A - look it up! You don't have to be a good singer to reap these benefits either! I love all my adults they are fabulous and its taken some to be brave and stick with it whilst there were only about four of us to start with. We are now building nicely which is great for those who do not feel quite so confident! It is also lovely that they are willing to give things a go - we are working towards a charity concert in December in aid of Wakefield Hospice which I'm sure will be awesome! If you live in the Wakefield are come and join us and if you don't believe me here is what one of my adults had to say: Sing it out (for adults) is fab - such an enjoyable, friendly group and a great mix of singing lovely songs and having a lot of fun! It doesn't matter what your level of singing talent or experience, this group is for everyone - highly recommended! Stop singing in the shower and Sing It Out!
Every Thursday I run a singing group. The aim of the group is to support and encourage non singers to come and sing. Some Thursdays i feel tired and stressed out and totally unprepared to teach new songs to my groups. Last night was one of these. I spent the whole day trying to print out resources needed, planning music sessions, doing a list of business jobs and housework whilst looking after my 2 year old. At 4pm I had a musicianship lesson and just before this picked my daughter up from school. It was at this point my toddler decided to be completely irrational and started demanding and whining and throwing himself on the floor! There was lots of noise in my house and my head was throbbing. I really didn't want to go but I had to. What happened next is why I love my job and singing! As soon as I got out of the house I tried to leave it all behind. My Junior group is small but they are so good I had already forgotten everything that had happened before. Children are so quick at picking things up and if you sing something incorrectly then they will sing it back incorrectly so its important to get it right! So they put me in a pretty good mood for my adult group! This has to be marked as a momentous occasion - there were 14 of us last night (including one man) and to say that we are a beginner group its sounding really, really good. I started the group just under a year ago and to be honest it looked like it might not continue. A couple of people would come but be scared off by the fact we were small (only about 3 or 4) which is a real shame as we would have grown much quicker.
What I love about my groups is that everyone really wants to be there and puts in 100% effort and more - some of my adults go home and practice! Fabulous! Its quite scary being a leader - I definitely don't feel properly qualified lucky for me there are some good sight readers! We are storming through songs one last week finished and one started this week! I am so proud of them but most of all it makes me so happy to sing with them.
There is something uplifting about singing. Singing when you feel sad or stressed just seems to put you in a better mood - its as if all your emotions are poured out and you can ...sorry...."let it go!". We don't often see Singing as a physical exercise but much like when you don't feel like going to the gym or fitness class when you actually do it and finish you feel better - maybe exhausted but a good exhausted! This is how I feel every week when I sing with my groups. There is a sense of achievement, harmony, cohesion and usually lots of laughter (did I say I make them be a monkey as a warm up exercise?). So if you feel a bit glum and want to be uplifted go join a singing group!
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