Top 7 things you need to know before joining a choir… 👀

You’ve been thinking about joining a choir…

BUT

You’re not sure what to expect, you don’t know what to ask, or what to look for, or how to check if the choir will suit you… YOU HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!

SO

We’ve done the hard work for you and made a list, so that you can get prepared and avoid the most common mistakes people make.

You're welcome! 😁

1. WHAT SONGS DO THEY SING?

The first thing you need to look at is what sort of songs they sing.

Pop? Classical? Gospel? Heavy metal? Barber shop!?

There’s no point joining a choir if you think you won’t enjoy what they sing!

Find some examples, either from their website, or by checking out their previous performances. Look at their social media and find old videos or posts which talk about their songs.

Can you imagine yourself singing these songs? Are there a few songs that jump out at you that you LOVE?

Bingo. That’s what you’re looking for.

2. ARE THERE ANY REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN?

Do you need to be able to read music?

Do you have to audition? Do they do solos, or just group singing?

Is it adults only? Kids? Women only? Men only? Beginners allowed?

You need to check you match their requirements, just as much as they match yours.

Imagine going along to the cinema to see a movie you love, but finding out when you get there that the whole thing is in French! That’s fine if you speak french, but if not, it’s going to be a bit of a waste of time & money and you’ll feel disappointed.

Nobody wants to get excited about trying something new, only to end up disappointed.

Do your homework and check first.

These questions should be clear on their website, but if not, just drop them a line and ask! I’m sure they’ll be happy to let you know.

3. FIND A PICTURE OF THE CHOIR

There’s a few reasons for this.

First - you want to see if there are other people your age.

Sneaky right!?

But this is one of the MOST common questions we get asked.

Most people join a choir with the idea of making new friends, and if you can’t see

yourself fitting in easily with the group then it probably won’t tick all your boxes.

Second - you need to check if there’s a uniform.

I’m all for a good choir uniform, but if you ask me to come to a performance in robes then there’s a high chance I’m gonna THROW those robes off and go Sister Act 2 style ALL OVER THAT STAGE. 😆

I don’t do robes.

But you might. 😉

So check it out before you go.

Find pictures of the choir performing.

What are they wearing?

Does their branding match with your complexion?

Ok maybe you don’t want to go that far but it’s just a thought 😁

Look at the choir. Do you feel like you’d fit in?

If yes, then GO FOR IT!

4. DO THEY DO PERFORMANCES?

This is important.

How much time do you have right now?

Can you commit to performances at weekends as well as evening choir rehearsals?

If so, great. Find out how often they perform.

If not, find out if performances are mandatory or optional.

You can totally still enjoy a choir without doing the performances (although we’d argue you’d really miss out 😉) and making sure your life stays in balance.

What sort of performances do they do? Concerts? Flashmobs? Busking style? Paid gigs at weddings or parties?

Do they use lyric sheets or music sheets at their performances? Or have they learnt the songs off by heart?

Don’t overload your plate and stress yourself out with something that isn’t supposed to be stressful!

Choir is for fun in our books. So we try to keep it that way.

5. WHEN DO THEY MEET?

What’s the level of commitment here?

Term time only? All year round? 10 week terms at a time?

What if you can’t make it one week? Does it matter? Can you attend a different session to make up for it if you want?

For example, we’ve tried to make this as easy as possible for people. We’re term time only, so parents don’t feel like they’re missing out if they go on holiday out of term time.

Plus, in our more established areas, we run several weekly sessions and teach the same thing at all of them. So if you miss a session because of childcare or work or illness, you’re welcome to just attend another session that week.

Most importantly we finish a week early in December to make room for our Christmas party! 🎄🎉

For other choirs, if they're working towards a big show or concert, then you might have to guarantee your attendance so that you're up to speed.

Check out that the choir is going to fit in with your life schedule! Remember, choir is for fun, not to add stress to your plate!

6. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

What do they charge? How often? Are there different payment options? Can you cancel? What makes them worth that price?

If it’s cheaper than you thought, is the choir going to meet the standard you’d expect from a local business?

Or if it’s more expensive than you thought, what makes it worth that price and what’s included?

Find out! There’s absolutely no harm in asking.

Most choirs do a free taster so you can test it out, see what you think, and decide if it will suit you before you commit to anything.

Some choirs will also have joining fees which cover uniform and folders etc. So make sure you find out!

7. COME PREPARED TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS! 😆

If you’re going to join a choir then you need to know that you’re going to make some new friends. And it’s pretty likely they’ll become lifelong friends if you stick around at choir as long as most people do!

So be ready, because it’s going to be GREAT!

Choir isn’t just about singing. It’s a community and a family.

Come ready to tell people your name, have a chat, talk about the weather, what you ate for lunch and be ready to share a bit about yourself.

Don’t worry if you’re shy, you’ll be ok!

At our choirs, the director will normally give people a prompt in the break with a silly discussion topic to help conversations get started. For example, “Tell people your favourite flavour soup!”. Totally random, but it really helps you get to know people.

We even have name badges once a month to help with those awkward moments when you totally forget people’s names!

Choir friends are the best 💙

Every week when I finish packing up after choir, there’s at least 2 people, often more, still chatting away in the car park and catching up, and it's absolutely heart warming to see!

TOP TIP - joining a choir is even easier if you join WITH a friend.

It gives you someone to chat to on your first night (especially helpful if you’re a bit nervous).

If you have a busy schedule and find it hard to get regular time with your pals then a choir is the perfect way to hang out every week and do something fun together! Heck, it’s cheaper than going out for a couple of cocktails!

Ask your pals if any of them fancy joining with you. You'd be surprised who might have been thinking of joining too!

Now you're all ready to go and find the right choir for you! 🙌

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE CHECKLIST:

We've even made you a super simple downloadable checklist that you can use for free by clicking HERE!