I was talking to an ex-colleague and she said her husband was a member of a choir where one didn’t have to have an audition or be able to read music. That was a men’s choir, but she said there was a women’s equivalent. On looking it up on the website, I found there were 2 ladies choirs – one in the evenings and one during the day. I contacted the woman in charge and went along to try the day time “Coffee Choir“. We have coffee first and then sing!
I have now been going for 18 months. If it was all taken very seriously I doubt if I would have lasted more than 2 weeks, but we have a chat over coffee and get to know each other and Fiona, who leads it, is very tolerant and encouraging, so we don’t get told off for singing wrong notes! Other people are tolerant, too, which is a good thing as I sing lots of wrong notes and have difficulty sticking to my part. N, who usually sits next to me, says I am improving, but I am not convinced of it. I am an alto, so we rarely get the tune and tend to stay on one note for a while, which does give me a chance to find it!
I also have problems reaching the higher notes – even the C above middle C is too high for me! Give me a nice low A or G any day. Fiona knows I can’t reach the high notes and sometimes in the warm up, when she knows I have given up as I can’t reach the note, she continues to go higher and higher and just gives me a grin! I have found another alto who has the same problem, though, so that makes me feel better – a bit.
Most weeks Fiona has a joke to tell us – many of which I couldn’t repeat – and we generally have a fun time. How many other choirs sing “sitting shitting chickens” as one of their possible warm ups? Or have a conductor who wears pink boots? A dressing up competition and Christmas quiz and food have all featured.
The choir does do “gigs” but I have opted out of these, partly because I am so bad and partly because they are at times when I cannot make it. I guess there will be one time when I won’t be able to find a good excuse…..
Definitely recommended!