- Words by Jane Zatylny Photography by Lia Crowe

I love to sing乌鸦传媒攑rivately. In the shower. In the car. And around the house. I乌鸦传媒檝e never thought I was good enough to sing in any kind of public way. But singing in a choir, I乌鸦传媒檓 learning, is about more than just hitting the right high notes.

乌鸦传媒淚f you want to sing with other people, just do it,乌鸦传媒� urges Marc Jenkins, director of The Choirs YYJ. 乌鸦传媒淚t feels good, whatever your skill level.乌鸦传媒�

Marc tells me that Victoria has the highest number of choirs per capita in the country. 乌鸦传媒淭here are more choir singers than hockey players in Canada, too,乌鸦传媒� he quips.

Different sorts of choirs are springing up all across the province, from the traditional symphonic, educational or auditioned choir to choirs that practice and perform pop music or gather to sing a hit together on a single night.

Choirs, of course, are all about community. And after the seclusion of the pandemic, it obviously feels great to gather again and work together as a community on a song or two. But something else happens when people gather to sing together, Marc says: 乌鸦传媒淚f two people sing next to one another for four months, their bodies get to 乌鸦传媒榢now乌鸦传媒� one another. That乌鸦传媒檚 when the hook goes in with choir.乌鸦传媒�

Lynda Kaye felt a strong pull when she first started singing with the Tofino Ucluelet Choir. She was part of a choir in junior high and loved it, but didn乌鸦传媒檛 do anything with singing again until her 60th year.

乌鸦传媒淪ome musician friends of mine told me about a woman named Sophie L乌鸦传媒橦omme, who was starting a choir. I went in to that first rehearsal and乌鸦传媒攚ow乌鸦传媒攊t changed my life overnight.乌鸦传媒�

Seven years later, Lynda is still hooked on choir.

乌鸦传媒淭here wasn乌鸦传媒檛 a rehearsal in Tofino where I didn乌鸦传媒檛 laugh and cry and feel fantastic. It was just an extraordinary, extraordinary experience. And everybody that I know who乌鸦传媒檚 done it has felt the same way,乌鸦传媒� she says.

The creation of harmony乌鸦传媒攍iterally, as well as metaphorically乌鸦传媒攊s another very powerful aspect of choir, says Marc: 乌鸦传媒淚n a way, we乌鸦传媒檙e like bees in a hive.乌鸦传媒�

I dropped in to listen to one of Marc乌鸦传媒檚 rehearsals and saw immediately what he meant: there was laughter and close camaraderie as people arrived, greeted one another, and set up chairs. And then sweet, sweet sounds flowed across the room, from soprano voices to alto, then from to tenor to bass.

The vibe in the room was contagious, even from my chair at the back of the room. I couldn乌鸦传媒檛 help but sing softly, too, close my eyes and sway to the music.

Rebecca Lam, creative director of the Vancouver-based Chorus Studio, explained why: singing, she said, releases endorphins and oxytocin, the famous feel-good hormones. Ah, that makes sense.

乌鸦传媒淐onnecting with music and expressing yourself creatively is an empowering endeavour,乌鸦传媒� says Rebecca. 乌鸦传媒淪inging in a choir is also a wonderful way to meet people and make new friends. We乌鸦传媒檙e vulnerable with each other because you have to be while singing. This naturally cultivates camaraderie between people.乌鸦传媒�

Lynda now divides her time between Tofino and Victoria and continues to participate in her Tofino Ucluelet choir via Zoom. She乌鸦传媒檚 been checking out local Victoria choirs, too, and expects to find a new choral home in Victoria soon.

To anyone thinking of joining a choir, she advises: 乌鸦传媒淚f you have even an inkling that you might want to sing in a group, give it a go. Go someplace, find a drop-in choir or go to a choir performance and observe how it乌鸦传媒檚 done. Talk to a choir director or someone else who乌鸦传媒檚 in choir. Just give it a go.乌鸦传媒�

And don乌鸦传媒檛 let your musical insecurities or inexperience hold you back. In the Tofino Ucluelet choir, Lynda said, half of the people knew how to read music and half didn乌鸦传媒檛.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 an advantage if you can read music, but it乌鸦传媒檚 not a requirement,乌鸦传媒� she explains. 乌鸦传媒淲hen you raise your voice with a group of people, the community of choir pulls everybody with it. It乌鸦传媒檚 okay if you miss a note or forget your lyrics because we乌鸦传媒檙e all there to hold you up.乌鸦传媒�

The joy of choir all comes back to that undeniable feel-good factor, says Marc. 乌鸦传媒淚f you sing in the shower or you sing in the car, and want to do that with other people, do it, because it feels really good.乌鸦传媒�

Here are some tips to consider if you乌鸦传媒檙e thinking of joining a choir:

Do your research.

Go online and find out what sorts of choirs there are in your area, then go to a few concerts to see what you like.

乌鸦传媒淢ost choirs will have a website or social media presence,乌鸦传媒� says Marc. 乌鸦传媒淭here you can get a flavour of what the choir will be like.乌鸦传媒�

Recognize that choir is a commitment.

乌鸦传媒淵ou乌鸦传媒檙e all doing it and you乌鸦传媒檙e all working hard at getting good at it,乌鸦传媒� says Lynda. 乌鸦传媒淵ou have to learn the music, you have to practice the music, you have to show up for a rehearsal. And you have to be okay with repeating, repeating, repeating until you get it right.乌鸦传媒�

Shy on commitment?

Consider a drop-in choir. There are many one-night performances where you learn a pop song and record it with the group in a single evening.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檒l still obtain a goal,乌鸦传媒� says Marc. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檒l do a little three-part harmony.乌鸦传媒� (The Choirs YYJ will do a Beatles drop-in choir night in June.) Check online for a drop-in choir event in your area.

Don乌鸦传媒檛 be intimidated.

乌鸦传媒淲e like to say, 乌鸦传媒業f you can speak, you can sing,乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮�媒� says Rebecca. 乌鸦传媒淚t is outdated to believe that one is either born with talent or not. Musical ability can be cultivated and nourished.乌鸦传媒�

And lastly, don乌鸦传媒檛 give up.

It may take time to find the right choir, says Marc. It乌鸦传媒檚 like buying a car; sometimes you have to kick the tires.

乌鸦传媒淪ome of it can be social too,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淔or instance, if you乌鸦传媒檙e really extroverted and you join a choir that乌鸦传媒檚 pretty introverted, you might be like, 乌鸦传媒榃hy does nobody like me?乌鸦传媒� It乌鸦传媒檚 worth scoping around and trying things until you find your way.乌鸦传媒�

Info

The Choirs YYJ

thechoirsyyj.com

A collective of three Victoria-based ensembles that represent over 200 people of all ages, genders, experiences, vocal abilities and musical tastes.

Chorus Studio

thechorusstudio.com

A Vancouver-based community of adult pop choirs, professional voice lessons and performance workshops, and regular open mic and karaoke nights.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on