\n<\/p>\n
For many, singing is one of life\u2019s great pleasures.<\/p>\n
The actor and writer James Corden has said he was so inspired by the joy he saw when his mum sang in her choir that he teamed up once again with writing partner Ruth Jones to write a new comedy drama called, appropriately, The Choir.<\/p>\n
When we asked people to share what their community choirs meant to them, we had a massive and often heartfelt response extolling the power of singing with others. Here are some of their stories.<\/p>\n
When Jemma Brown set up a community choir in Wiltshire in April 2021, she was worried no one would turn up. In fact, 50 people attended, and the choir has gone from strength to strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe began as a small group of people who just loved music, but within weeks, something beautiful happened,\u201d says Jemma, from Devizes. \u201cThe sound grew stronger; people started to smile more, friendships formed, and our weekly rehearsals became the highlight of the week for everyone, me included.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome have found new best friends. We have one member who joined when she was 17, and she became friends with an 82-year-old. Others say it\u2019s helped them through grief, isolation, or anxiety. After one practice, one of my members came up to me and thanked me, adding: \u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve laughed since I lost my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
The choir has sung across the UK, including in the Fultone Festival and with Aled Jones, but Jemma says there is also something special about their practice sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most powerful moments are still when we sing together in our local hall \u2013 hearing 80 voices rise as one, feeling the room buzz with energy and connection. A choir isn\u2019t just about music; it\u2019s about community, wellbeing, friendship, and joy.\u201d <\/span>Jill\u2019s father, Byron, had to give up playing clarinet when Parkinson\u2019s took hold.<\/span> Photograph: Jill\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n \u200b\u200bWhen Jill semi-retired from teaching, it meant she was able to take her father, Bryon, who had Parkinson\u2019s, to the community choir Music for Everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cMusic had always been part of his life; he sang in a church choir, played clarinet, and after he retired from lecturing in maths at a university, he ran a sheet music shop from his garage until he was 80,\u201d says Jill from Nottingham.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce Parkinson\u2019s took hold, he had to give the shop up; he could no longer play the clarinet, and he left the church choir because he couldn\u2019t manage it. Then he couldn\u2019t drive anymore. Gradually, the social life he\u2019d had kind of shut down, and he wasn\u2019t really interested in doing anything much.\u201d<\/p>\n Jill suggested she go with him to Music for Everyone. \u201cGoing to the choir was fantastic for my Dad\u2019s wellbeing; it lifted his spirits to be part of a community again,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Byron went to choir for about three years before a fall in August 2018 meant he could no longer attend. He died aged 88 in December that year.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we first went, Dad was able to walk in, he could join the cup of tea queue and chat to people,\u201d says Jill. \u201cSinging helped the muscles to prolong his ability to speak, it kept him connected to a community, and the feel-good factor lasted for days after. Our family were even able to watch him perform at the Albert Hall in Nottingham, years after we thought his performing days were over.\u201d <\/span>Some of the Lewisham Creative Chorus (Bea in the front centre in the black-and-white dress).<\/span> Photograph: Handout\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n Bea has been singing in the Lewisham Creative Chorus for the past two years, and says she loves being part of \u201can eclectic group with all ages, colours and nationalities\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cTom, our artistic director, is so lovely and sometimes I think: \u2018My God, how does he have the patience?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re all such different characters, yet he just pulls us all together. People are singing from the heart, and when you\u2019re singing from the heart, you can\u2019t go wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone can join the choir. You don\u2019t really have to be a good singer, although some people can really sing. We write our own songs and put on various performances. We did an opera last year \u2013 our own made-up one, and the music was lovely.<\/p>\n \u201cI think being in the choir has changed me. It has widened my social circle, made me feel more connected to my local community and aware of issues on my doorstep. It has also given me a love and appreciation for opera, as well as an outlet for creativity and singing.<\/p>\n \u201cI do really have to pinch myself that I am involved in such a marvellous community choir.\u201d <\/span>Katie, who studied performing arts, says singing provides a form of \u2018escapism\u2019.<\/span> Photograph: Handout\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n Katie has been part of the Chelmsford Musical Theatre Choir on and off for the past two years and says she has made lifelong friends there.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m disabled, and for me it\u2019s escapism when I sing,\u201d says Katie, who studied performing arts and lives in Chelmsford. \u201cIt\u2019s so amazing to feel a part of something when society normally feels so separated. I get so much out of it and have met so many incredible people. It\u2019s just nice to be a part of something where difference doesn\u2019t matter. We also have other wheelchair users in our choir \u2013 it\u2019s nice to feel like you\u2019re not the only one.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I am looking for work, choir practice is my only real sense of routine in my week, and I really look forward to it. The community events we do are so incredibly exciting, from singing in care homes to performing at Christmas markets and at events to raise money for charity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have made lifelong friends, and I\u2019m really proud to be a part of it.\u201d After Pat moved to Wales from Nuneaton, he realised he needed to do something if he was to make new friends.<\/p>\n \u201cLike, I suspect, a lot of middle-aged men, I had focused on work and family for decades and had let many friendships slip,\u201d he says. \u201cI got divorced, and my social circle diminished further; then, during the pandemic, my employers decided that we would work from home full-time.\u201d<\/p>\n He was browsing on Facebook when he saw a group inviting people to join the Porthmadog Pop Choir. \u201cI knew I had to get out of my comfort zone,\u201d says Pat. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure what to expect. Would there be an audition? There wasn\u2019t, thankfully.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not exaggerating when I say that Wednesday nights are the highlight of my week now. I\u2019ve always loved music, been moved by music, so of course, singing is a huge part of it. But so, too, are the people I\u2019ve met, the friends I\u2019ve made, the sheer level of banter and hilarity we have some nights.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a little under two years since I joined, and it\u2019s one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made.\u201d For many, singing is one of life\u2019s great pleasures. The actor and writer James Corden has said he was so inspired by the joy he saw when his mum sang in her choir that he teamed up once again with writing partner Ruth Jones to write a new comedy drama called, appropriately, The Choir. When<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[1442,20452,947,534,3027,3948,1299,365],"class_list":{"0":"post-36716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-social-issues","8":"tag-changed","9":"tag-choirs","10":"tag-communities","11":"tag-community","12":"tag-highlight","13":"tag-lives","14":"tag-peoples","15":"tag-week"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Jemma Brown, 50, who runs <\/strong><\/em>the Big Sound Choir in Devizes, Wiltshire<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u2018Choir kept my dad going for such a long time\u2019<\/h2>\n
Jill Gaunt, 66, teacher, Nottingham<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Bea Joseph, 59, careers adviser, south<\/strong><\/em>-east London \u200b\u200b<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u2018It\u2019s just nice to be a part of something where difference doesn\u2019t matter\u2019<\/h2>\n
Katie, 23, Chelmsford, a member of the Chelmsford Musical Theatre Choir<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u2018Choir is the highlight of my week\u2019<\/h2>\n
Pat Ryan, 58, NHS <\/strong><\/em>data analyst, <\/strong><\/em>Trawsfynydd<\/strong><\/em>, north Wales<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"