Why Sing In A Choir?

Why sing in a choir? You can’t get harmony with one voice.

Singing Together

I’ve been singing with the Trumansburg Community Chorus (TCC) for a few years. When I first joined, I wondered if it would really work for me. The singers are quite varied. Some are trained vocalists and others struggled to read the sheet music.

Thankfully, the director of this choir is very skilled not only at choral music, but also at encouraging the singers. She finds ways of correcting the singing in an uplifting way. I’ve never had the sense of anyone being put down when they flubbed some part of a song.

Of course, this choir — like so many others — had to shut down during the early part of the pandemic. It’s been well-publicized that a number of COVID-19 hotspots were centered around choirs. Even years later, we’ve had to be cautious and attentive about any symptoms whether they’ve tested positive for COVID or not.

Size Is No Object

The TCC usually has 50 or more members. One can almost hide in that size of choir if that’s what one wants to do. Making music together at that scale is fun and also has its own challenges.

I also direct a small church choir. With nine members at its recent peak, we rely on each chorister to a different degree than TCC. And still, we make wonderful sounds together.

Ironically, in terms of the musicality, it’s not the harmonies that are most difficult. Typically, the choir struggles most to perfect rhythm, vowel matching, and unison.

Choir Goodness

Though obviously the singing is important, it’s the sense of community that shines in these choirs. As we work together to create a beautiful sound, we also learn to adapt to each other. Part of this is the leadership and part is the natural ebb & flow of making music as an ensemble.

Not too long ago, a member of the little church ensemble stopped attending rehearsals and services. Within weeks, they contacted me and said, “I miss the people in our choir so much. May I come back?”

Of course, I said yes.

The main blog photo is by Thirdman via pexels.