How to find the right choir to join 2: is this the perfect choir for me?

• Posted by Chris Rowbury September 18 - Filed in Choir Post - 990 views

  [The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across the globe. Your experiences may differ from mine, so do feel free to leave a comment and let's begin a conversation! A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]

   

  Last week I looked at how to find choirs in your local area.

   

  

  photo by Tom Brogan

   

  Having found a potential choir to join, how do you know if it’s right for you? In this post I’ll help you find out.

   

  is it right for you?

  Having found a few possible choirs to join, you need to find out which one is right for you.
  
  First, reduce the list of choirs you’ve found by asking yourself the following questions:
  
  

  • do rehearsals take place at a time and day that suit you?
  • are you prepared to travel that far to rehearsals?
  • do you like the style of music/ types of songs they sing?
  • are they currently recruiting?
  • do they audition, and if so, are you prepared to do that?
  • can you afford the fee?
  • does the choir perform, if so can you opt out if you want to?

  
  See if you can go along to one of the choir’s performances.
  
  Next, find out if you can attend a taster session for free (most choirs allow for that).
  
  You’d be surprised how many people don’t do their homework and try a new choir without really knowing anything about it! You’re wasting both your own time and the choir leader’s.
  
  After your first session you can ask yourself that same questions as above (your answers might have changed!), but also add the following:
  
  

  • did you like the choir leader’s way of working?
  • did you feel welcomed by the other singers?
  • did you enjoy yourself (even if the songs weren’t exactly to your taste)?

  
  If you can answer “yes” to these last three questions, then this is the choir for you.
  
  If you’re not quite sure, try it for a few weeks to see if you settle in. Then reconsider your answers.
  
  

  there is no suitable choir near me!

  There are two kinds of singers:

   

  1. those who will sing anything with anybody in any style because they love to sing.
  2. those who only enjoy singing particular types of song and are selective in how they like to be taught.

   

  If you come into the first category, then you’ll almost certainly find a choir that works for you. The only possible problem will be if there is nothing at the times and days that you are available.
  
  If you are in the second category, there’s a good chance that there won’t be quite the right choir for you, especially if you don’t live in a large town.
  
  If you can’t find a suitable choir in your area, you have several options:
  
  

  • widen your search by increasing your travel time
  • make do with what’s on offer (and hope that a new choir starts locally one day)
  • find one-off singing workshops (singing days or residential weekends) to keep you going
  • start your own choir – this is possible even if you’re not a choir leader. See How to set up a choir if you’re not a choir leader (two part series)

  
  Do let me know if you think I’ve missed anything out. I’d love to hear about your own experiences of finding a choir to join.

   

   

   

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  Chris Rowbury

  website: chrisrowbury.com
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