- Words by Jane Zatylny Photography by Lia Crowe
I love to singâprivately. In the shower. In the car. And around the house. Iâve never thought I was good enough to sing in any kind of public way. But singing in a choir, Iâm learning, is about more than just hitting the right high notes.
âIf you want to sing with other people, just do it,â urges Marc Jenkins, director of The Choirs YYJ. âIt feels good, whatever your skill level.â
Marc tells me that Victoria has the highest number of choirs per capita in the country. âThere are more choir singers than hockey players in Canada, too,â 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: âIf two people sing next to one another for four months, their bodies get to âknowâ one another. Thatâs when the hook goes in with choir.â
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 didnât do anything with singing again until her 60th year.
âSome musician friends of mine told me about a woman named Sophie LâHomme, who was starting a choir. I went in to that first rehearsal andâwowâit changed my life overnight.â
Seven years later, Lynda is still hooked on choir.
âThere wasnât a rehearsal in Tofino where I didnât laugh and cry and feel fantastic. It was just an extraordinary, extraordinary experience. And everybody that I know whoâs done it has felt the same way,â she says.
The creation of harmonyâliterally, as well as metaphoricallyâis another very powerful aspect of choir, says Marc: âIn a way, weâre like bees in a hive.â
I dropped in to listen to one of Marcâs 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 couldnât 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.
âConnecting with music and expressing yourself creatively is an empowering endeavour,â says Rebecca. âSinging in a choir is also a wonderful way to meet people and make new friends. Weâre vulnerable with each other because you have to be while singing. This naturally cultivates camaraderie between people.â
Lynda now divides her time between Tofino and Victoria and continues to participate in her Tofino Ucluelet choir via Zoom. Sheâs 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: âIf 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 itâs done. Talk to a choir director or someone else whoâs in choir. Just give it a go.â
And donât 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 didnât.
âItâs an advantage if you can read music, but itâs not a requirement,â she explains. âWhen you raise your voice with a group of people, the community of choir pulls everybody with it. Itâs okay if you miss a note or forget your lyrics because weâre all there to hold you up.â
The joy of choir all comes back to that undeniable feel-good factor, says Marc. âIf 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.â
Here are some tips to consider if youâre 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.
âMost choirs will have a website or social media presence,â says Marc. âThere you can get a flavour of what the choir will be like.â
Recognize that choir is a commitment.
âYouâre all doing it and youâre all working hard at getting good at it,â says Lynda. âYou 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.â
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.
âWeâll still obtain a goal,â says Marc. âWeâll do a little three-part harmony.â (The Choirs YYJ will do a Beatles drop-in choir night in June.) Check online for a drop-in choir event in your area.
Donât be intimidated.
âWe like to say, âIf you can speak, you can sing,ââ says Rebecca. âIt is outdated to believe that one is either born with talent or not. Musical ability can be cultivated and nourished.â
And lastly, donât give up.
It may take time to find the right choir, says Marc. Itâs like buying a car; sometimes you have to kick the tires.
âSome of it can be social too,â he says. âFor instance, if youâre really extroverted and you join a choir thatâs pretty introverted, you might be like, âWhy does nobody like me?â Itâs worth scoping around and trying things until you find your way.â
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
