I started Total Voice Choir on an icy evening in January 2010. Seven people braved the chilly conditions to come along and learn a three part rendition of the Bill Withers hit Lean on Me.
Back then I was nervous, full of inposter syndrome but excited and curious. Could I bring together a group of people in my new home Milford on Sea and teach them to sing together?
The bad weather helped me ease into things as the following week conditions improved and twenty five people showed up, suddenly I was a choir leader!
Fourteen years later and with training and experience behind me the choir is still going strong with over sixty members rehearsing weekly at The Bridge and performing throughout the year. They are a fantastic group of people and I am so proud to lead the choir. I had never imagined the power the choir would have on its community, the friendships that would evolve and how much it would teach me.
We’ve had some incredible highs performing at big venues and events such as the Guidhall Southampton, the Milford Festival and the Festival of Christmas in new Milton. Equally as rewarding have been those moments cramming into a small space to sing at a school fayre or for care home residents and those with dementia.
Of course, inevitably there’s been lows too, including the challenges that came to us all during the pandemic. The choir continued throughout this time meeting on Zoom which became a real lifeline to us all, a highlight included online twinning rehearsals with choirs in New York, Perth and Vancouver Island!
My aim is to make each rehearsal fun and uplifting and to help people engage with each other and develop vocal skills. We all have busy lives and the choir is somewhere people can come to relax, be with their friends and feel the huge uplifting and supportive power of group singing.