Louise writes:
I’ve been thinking of joining a choir for a while but haven’t had the guts to do it. I’m not a great singer – I can vaguely hold a tune but am not at all talented. I do enjoy it though generally this is something that would only really come out in the car or after a few glasses of wine, having persuaded my husband to have a go of Rock Band, rather than anything remotely organised! My fears about joining a choir were that I wouldn’t be good enough, I would have to audition or sing on my own, and that the songs would be a bit on the dull side.
A few years ago my sister in law joined a choir near her in Warwickshire that sang rock and pop songs which sounded a lot of fun, so when I heard about Funky Voices I was intrigued. I didn’t really want to go on my own so when a friend asked if I fancied it I leapt at the chance especially as the website clearly stated that we didn’t need to audition!
We turned up for our first session back in October, both quite apprehensive but any fears we had were soon put at ease. The group we go to in Leigh is really friendly, welcoming and extremely sociable – they are proud of what they do and keen to get new members involved. We were asked if we were ‘tops, middles or bottoms’ and sorted accordingly. I am a bottom, Jo is a top so we get to stand opposite each other occasionally giggling but mostly joining in and having a good time.
A bit of background: the brains behind Funky Voices is the inspiring and unbelievably energetic Sandra Colston who had a desire to create a choir that was different to the normal community choir, offering singers a multitude of varied experiences ranging from once in a lifetime performance opportunities, chances to travel the world and also take part in the recording of albums. She creates songs especially for the group, often blending two or three different well known tracks together to make something totally unique. Want to hear how Thriller and Le Freak sound when blended into the same song, or sing a medley of hits from Take That, Fleetwood Mac or Queen? Then Funky Voices is for you. The songs are fun, upbeat and has parts written for each of the vocal groups, creating an amazing sound that occasionally leaves you feeling a little stunned that you are part of something so beautiful.
Each week we have a different class leader who goes through new songs and old ones with us, no two weeks are the same. They are all extremely talented and really get everyone singing along, whilst also being constructively critical and never scrimping on perfection. But what really makes it work is the pride and love that the members of the choir feel for what we are doing. Even if a certain song isn’t your cup of tea, you come away really buzzing and feeling like you have achieved something, as well as having the songs going round in your head all week. For us, the next stop is performing live – we haven’t yet been brave enough to do it, though there are plenty of opportunities, and it seems Funky Voices are well-received wherever they go!
Funky Voices have choirs across Essex and Suffolk, check out their website to find one near you! www.funkyvoices.co.uk
