Choral Singing for Beginners
Singing in a choir is one of the most beautiful, fun, and interesting ways of making music. People of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds sing in choirs all over the world. It’s one of the best ways to meet new people and fit into a community. Even with little training you too can join a choir and enjoy the wonderful and unique experience of making choral music. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
The first step is to join a choir, and it’s easier than you think. There are probably choirs all around you that you’ve never noticed, or there might be one you’ve heard many times before. A university choir would be a great first step, and they often accept beginners, especially if it’s being offered as a course.
The next step is learning to sing, specifically singing for a choral setting. Everybody will be starting at a different level, but the main thing is to go for it. 90% of singing well is deciding that you can sing well and doing your best, so be confident and get started. There are also lots of people who will give voice lessons in your area.
Depending on type of choir you’ve decided to sing in, you’ll need to alter your sound and style. For example, if you join an a capella choir you’ll need to learn very solid rhythmic techniques and pep. If you prefer mass choir music, then blend and control will be your most important assets. In every situation, choral singing is all about communication with your conductor and fellow singers.
The next thing you’ll have to master is sight singing. This is the ability to sing music accurately as you read it off the page. Sight singing music is a difficult skill, especially if you don’t read music, but it is learnable. To get better, ask you voice teacher, practice with a friend, or find a web seminar on the subject. This is tough, but extremely important for a choir to function well, so don’t give up.
If you, or somebody you know, is a talented musician, you might want to start a choir. This is also totally manageable, and a great way to do something for your community. Children’s choirs foster communication skills, trust, patience, musicality, and art appreciation. Starting one up in your community would be a fantastic way to do some good. Best part is that you only need some choir music, a pitch pipe, and some free time.
Singing in a choir, or leading one, is one of the best things you can do with your time. It will expose you to a new world of art that you couldn’t imagine. The most important part is to be confident and enjoy what you’re doing.
