From the release of the ‘natural high’ inducing endorphins, to the role singing plays in reducing stress, the benefits of singing are many and go beyond developing musical skills (although this is important for some participants and performers).
For the Love
of Singing!
How to ensure running your choir is as much fun as singing in one.
Welcome
We believe that singing is vitally important for all of us.
The very act of singing offers health and wellness benefits to all involved, not to mention the sense of community, fun and friendship it can bring.
We want to help you hit the high notes. So we’ve pulled together a series of guides, hints and tips from some brilliant choir leaders, all designed to help take the pain out of setting up and running your choir, so you and your choir members can get on with the really fun stuff.
Singing in choirs as part of a community really helps people deal with stress and their mental health.Yulia Hauer
The UK’s network of amateur choirs offers a vital voice to singers of all abilities and is a community we want to encourage and inspire, offering opportunities for all to express themselves.
Through our licensing schemes we not only support choirs in accessing music but ensure songwriters and composers are rewarded for their role in creating these works. This is a crucial part of the music industry ecosystem and ensures creators are not only fairly credited but compensated for their work.
This means they can continue doing what they do best – writing memorable and inspirational music.
We aim to make it as simple, easy and cost effective for choirs to access, use and copy the music they need to give their best performances.
Find out more about our Amateur Choir LicenceThe UK’s Expanding Singing Community
The UK has a huge, active community of amateur singers and vocalists across the UK.
These voices are an important part of the UK’s music scene with Gareth Malone’s TV appearances just celebrating the tip of this iceberg of talent.
We saw a huge number of online choirs forming and performing during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Now increasing numbers of us are taking this energy and meeting up in person to sing together to experience the emotional connections and bonds these groups can create.
Everyone in a choir sings from the same hymn sheet - no one is fighting or trying to be better than anyone else. We all just want to be as good as we can for those around us - and increasing numbers of people want to be a part of this.Mark De-Lisser
The Big Numbers
44,000
An estimated 44,000 choirs and counting (As at June 2017. source https://www.voicesnow.org.uk/ – Voices now survey 2017)
2.8 Million
An incredible 2.8m Brits are now members of a choir.
4-700
Choir sizes range from just four people to over 700, with the age range of participants varying from six years old to over 100.
62%
The study, which includes data from 3,200 singing groups, found that although classical music is still popular, contemporary songs are sung by 62 percent of choirs, with classical music appealing to 60 percent. (Source: https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/news/number-uk-choirs-time-high)
Choirs...
Choirs are increasingly an integral part of the UK’s national consciousness thanks to the visibility and volume of groups such as the Military Wives Choir. The profile of these choirs has opened this world up to a new crowd attracted to the idea of community singing.
From the Platinum Party at the Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee to the London Olympics back in 2012 and Eurovision in Liverpool, choirs and their performances have played an integral part in national celebrations.
Why We Enjoy Singing
You’ll come into a session, people might say they’ve had a bad day or are feeling tired. By the end, they feel great - it’s all the endorphins that are released when singing combined with the connectivity with others that enhances people’s mood and vibe.Mark De-Lisser!
The top benefits include
The joy of performing (the X-Factor impact has shown anyone can be a star!)
From the Platinum Party at the Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee to the London Olympics back in 2012 and Eurovision in Liverpool, choirs and their performances have played an integral part in national celebrations.
The joy of performing (the X-Factor impact has shown anyone can be a star!)
From the Platinum Party at the Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee to the London Olympics back in 2012 and Eurovision in Liverpool, choirs and their performances have played an integral part in national celebrations.
From the Platinum Party at the Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee to the London Olympics back in 2012 and Eurovision in Liverpool, choirs and their performances have played an integral part in national celebrations.
The joy of performing (the X-Factor impact has shown anyone can be a star!)
The joy of performing (the X-Factor impact has shown anyone can be a star!)
From the Platinum Party at the Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee to the London Olympics back in 2012 and Eurovision in Liverpool, choirs and their performances have played an integral part in national celebrations.
Read our ultimate guide to running a choir now