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Why not Join Us?
Not sure. The thought of singing scares me!
It's completely normal for people to feel nervous about singing in front of others. Our choir is a supportive and friendly environment where you can feel safe  to develop your voice and gain confidence. Many folk have joined us feeling a bit scared, but found it a great way to meet new people who share their love of music and singing. Perhaps it's time to make that bold choice and come along for a couple of weeks or so to find out whether it's for you!

Oh - and we do get cookies in the rehearsal breaks!

Oh, and we do get cookies during rehearsal breaks!

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I've not sung in a choir since I was at school!
For some of our members it has been a very long time since then! So naturally, your voice has changed and you may not really know what it sounds like any more, except in the shower where there is no-one else listening! Maybe your energy and priorities have been taken up with other important things. Could it be time to explore singing again? There's something about a choir that is very fulfilling - the friendship, the unity of purpose, and the synergy!  Want to find out? 
Together we can be greater than the sum of our parts!
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I don't know how to read music!
It is an advantage if you read music, and some choirs will insist on it, but it is not always essential. In PPC (our choir) you will always be given a copy of the music, and should be able to quickly pick up some basics in order to follow a musical score. You will be singing alongside more experienced members of whichever SATB group you are in, and you will learn much of your part listening to and singing with them. But there are tools online, that can be very helpful.  
Reading music isn't always essential for choral singing 
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What is my range?  Where will my voice fit in?
There are many internet sites that can help you indentify your range. They generally show the black and white notes of a piano on which  they mark ''middle C'. The black notes are in groups of 2 and 3, and the note C is always the white note just beneath the set of 2 black notes. There are 8 Cs on an 88 note keyboard, 6 on a 76 note, and 5 on a 49 note. Middle C is also known as 'C4' and the white notes are always CDEFGAB on any keyboard. So why do I need to know? 
Are you a soprano, alto, tenor or bass? Let's find out!
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Chorus Angelorum
Help! I've never sung in Latin! 
Non difficile est in lingua alia cantare sicut in latino!  
We do often sing Latin choral music, and occasionally pieces in other languages too, but don't panic! You will pick it up from singing with the others in your group and asking them for help with the words. You can usually find the pieces on the internet, and there are often pre-prepared resources online where you can listen to your part and follow it word by word on the stave. We use Ecclesiastical (Church) Latin that has particular pronunciation rules. 
The Benefits of Singing in a Choir

 

According to the Performing Rights Society (PRS) for  Music [1] Awby, 2017), the number of Britons regularly singing in choirs of various genres of music had then hit a high of two million or more.

 

If you enter ‘The benefits of singing in a choir’ into an online search engine, the list of responses is very long and informative!

 

One such response is from The Arts Society [2] (Sneddon, 2023), who give a brief history of choirs from medieval times, and mention studies of the benefits of choral singing, noting that they are so strong that the NHS has been prescribing community choirs to patients since 2018.

 

Paisley Philharmonic Choir is linked to NHS Inform [3] NHS, (2022) as a choir meeting their criteria for inclusion in their site.

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[1] Awby, Anita (2017) PRS for Music. Number of UK Choirs at all-time high [online] London. Available at: https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/news/number-uk-choirs-time-high [Accessed 29th June 2024]

 

[2] Sneddon, Claron (2023) The Arts Society. The Fantastic Benefits of Singing in a Choir [online] London. Available at: https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features/fantastic-benefits-singing-choir [Accessed 29th June 2024]

 

[3] NHS Inform (2022). Paisley Philharmonic Choir [online] Scotland. Available at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/scotlands-service-directory/health-and-wellbeing-services/a4591fd1a7914f59a11ce74d5df93a2c%201 [Accessed 29th June 2024]

There are many reputable academic studies and professional bodies that support the evidence of the benefits of singing in a choir. Benefits frequently mentioned by online sites include: 
 
  • Being part of a community can help overcome isolation and loneliness
  • Singing makes you feel good
  • It's for everyone - there are choirs to suit most musical tastes
  • Reduces stress levels, anxiety and depression
  • Affects body chemistry, releasing endorphins and improving mood
  • Stimulates an immune response
  • Improves memory
  • Allows you to express yourself
  • Boosts confidence
  • Enhances lung function
  • Socially, it's not just getting together, but accomplishing what you couldn't do alone
The Benefits of Singing in a Choir
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