Singing My Way Well
Posted on August 20, 2013 by ges27
Singing with Voices of the Day, photo by Chris Sharples
Do you like to sing? I have always loved singing, but my voice got lost about the time my primary school music teacher wouldn’t let me join the choir.
It’s surprising how many people, like me, have been told not to sing. What’s not surprising is the negative effect this can have on self-esteem or confidence.
A few years ago, the urge to sing finally helped me get past this negativity. I attended a Finding Your Voice course at Swarthmore, then joined the Arts and Minds choir.
A few years after that, I was at a gig where Voices of the Day were performing. I sang along from my seat in the audience, and I was hooked!
I’ve been a member of Voices of the Day for nearly 2 years now, and last Saturday we performed at the Shuffle Shuttle festival in Bradford. Our choir is all about people coming together and enjoying singing, not about finding the latest talent or making people audition.
Our choir leader led a singing workshop at the festival, and encouraged people to just have a go. By then end of the session, people were coming from elsewhere in the building, thinking they were missing a performance. This shows the power of singing and music, and how it brings people together.
Joining a choir is one of the best things I have done for my wellbeing, because I get to sing great, uplifting songs, and get to meet like-minded people.
We’re pretty lucky that there are some great choirs and musical opportunities in Leeds, for all levels of confidence or experience. I can recommend having a go.