You're the Voice - Reflections on my time as a intern with Singing In...

Over the past few months, I have been working as an intern with Singing In… as part of an employability programme run by the University of Sheffield. I have really enjoyed this experience, and it has enabled me to develop a range of new skills. Having reached the end of my internship, I thought I would write a few words about my experience, and reflect on what I have enjoyed during my time working with Singing In…

Strong harmonies and deep social bonds

Towards the start of my internship, I visited both Singing In… Grenoside and Singing In… Hillsborough. Both the groups were welcoming and inclusive and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun at the sessions.

When I visited Singing In… Grenoside, the choir was just starting to learn some new pieces after the Christmas break. This was great to listen to as I got to hear each of the parts individually before they were all combined to create a rich sound. I was really impressed by how little time it took for the choir to be able to maintain some really strong harmonies. Similarly, when I visited Singing In… Hillsborough, I enjoyed listening to the group learning a new piece that they sung in canon. It was fantastic to witness all of the layers building up around the room and the final sound was wonderful to hear.

What I noticed at both groups was that, although the lyrics for the songs often come on sheet music, there is absolutely no need to be able to read sheet music to get the most out of the sessions, so don’t let this put you off joining! 

What really stood out to me about both of the groups was how well they encouraged social interaction. Since singing in a choir is a group activity, it makes it easier to create social bonds quicker. During the tea and coffee breaks, I could see that these social bonds were really deep and strong. Everyone made the most of this time to catch up with their friends and no one seemed to be left out of the conversations. What is particularly great about joining a choir for the first time is that by the time the break comes around, you've already spent nearly an hour singing together, so you are already part of the group! 

Fun and accessible music-making

I also went along to one of the weekly Wednesday afternoon Oughtibridge Ukes sessions. This group felt really positive and welcoming, and the music that they played was fun and accessible. Over the course of the afternoon, there were two sessions divided by a short tea and coffee break. The first session was aimed at beginners, and the second session was designed to be at an intermediate level. However, despite there technically being two sessions, many people came for both, which meant that the afternoon flowed seamlessly.

Oughtibridge Ukes is much smaller than the two singing groups, and everyone seemed to be really good friends, which was lovely to see. Some of the members of Oughtibrdge Ukes also attend one of the Singing In… choirs, and I was told about how they had enjoyed the choir so much that they wanted to come to the Uke group to spend more time with the friends they had made whilst singing. However, there are also some people who only come to Oughtibridge Ukes and this doesn’t cause any division within the group at all, so there is no need to worry about attending whether you are totally new to Singing In… or whether you are one of the seasoned singers.

Singing with energy and enthusiasm

Back in February, I was lucky enough to get to watch Singing In… Grenoside performing at Re-Water’s Lunar New Year celebration in the Millenium Gallery. The choir sang a range of songs including Deep Down In My Soul, Downtown and Thank You for the Music. Throughout the performance, the choir sang with lots of energy and enthusiasm, and everyone looked like they were really enjoying being on stage. My favourite piece was You’re the Voice which was the last song that they sang. It was a great way to finish the performance as it was upbeat and empowering: just what a New Year celebration deserves!

Overall, I have really enjoyed my time as an intern with Singing In… and I have gained lots of new skills which I am sure will be useful to me in the future. I have particularly enjoyed getting involved with the wider Sheffield community, which is something that can be quite hard to do as a university student. I hope that all of the Singing In… groups continue to go from success to success in the future!

Adelaide

Five reasons to join a choir

We’re often told that singing in a choir brings lots of benefits, but what exactly are they? During my internship with Singing In…, I have been able to really see just how positive our community choirs are for our participants. As someone who has grown up singing in choirs and playing in orchestras, this has been really interesting for me because I have been able to compare my own experiences with those of members of our Grenoside and Hillsborough groups. However, I still wanted to better understand the specific benefits of joining a community choir, so I did a bit of research, and I am excited to be sharing my findings with you in this blog post.

1. Meet new people

At Singing In…, the social aspect of our choirs is just as important as the music making. We know that joining a local choir is a great way to meet people living in your community. You make new friends, and we make this even easier by providing tea, coffee and biscuits to accompany your chats during the break.

Singing in a choir has been shown to create community bonds particularly quickly because it gives you a shared purpose which works as an icebreaker. These community bonds help to reduce social isolation which is important because having a good social network can give you more health benefits than other lifestyle changes, including giving up smoking.

2. Improve your singing and music skills

At Singing In… there are never any auditions. We welcome everyone to our choirs, whether you’ve sang in a group before or not. Our choirs help you improve your singing and music skills, teaching you how to control your breath and how to hold a harmony. For your brain, learning new harmonies and rhythms is comparable to solving a puzzle because it requires focus, problem-solving skills and creative thinking. Moreover, whilst there is absolutely no requirement to be able to read it, we often rehearse with sheet music as well as lyrics, so this is also a skill that you can develop if you want to.

3. Boost your mental health

Singing in a choir can help to improve your mental health. The satisfaction of performing with a group, even at rehearsals when there’s no audience, releases endorphins and dopamine, the brain’s ‘happy’ chemicals. This, along with allowing to focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t, helps to boost your self-esteem. Singing also reduces your levels of cortisol, which is the hormone that is responsible for stress. Furthermore, singing is cognitively stimulating which means that it improves your memory, concentration and brain plasticity, and it can also help people who are living with dementia.

4. Improve your physical health

As well as improving your mental health, joining a choir can also positively impact your physical health. Learning how to stand and sit correctly whilst singing can lead to improved posture in your everyday life, which can help with alleviating aches and pains. Singing well also requires you to learn how to control your breathing. This controlled breathing acts as physical exercise for your respiratory system and can improve your lung capacity and energy efficiency. It can also help to lower your blood pressure. In addition, singing in a choir can help to boost your immune system because it reduces your cortisol levels whilst simultaneously boosting the Immunoglobin A antibody.

5. Have some fun

Finally, perhaps the best reason to join a choir is that it is great fun! At Singing In…, we work on a wide range of music. At the moment, our choirs are rehearsing songs from a variety of genres, including nostalgic pop, traditional folk tunes and 80s anthems, so there really is something for everyone! Our groups are really friendly, we keep our rehearsals low-key, and there is plenty of fun to be had each week, so you’ll always leave with a smile on your face!

After having learnt about all these amazing reasons to join a choir, I’m sure you’ll want to get yourself involved. We’d love to welcome you to one of our weekly, friendly, non-auditioned groups. They take place every week, and always include a tea and coffee break! We can’t wait to meet you!

Adelaide

Are you passionate about community music making?

Members of the Singing In... Grenoside choir performing in the Sheffield Winter Garden.

If the answer to the above question is a huge 'YES' and you're looking for a voluntary role where you can use your experience to help grow an exciting new social enterprise, then keep reading on!

Community Music Makers CIC is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 2024 that brings communities together to make music through group activities that are accessible and welcoming. Our mission is to provide high quality, affordable musical activities led by experienced tutors that include numerous opportunities for mixing socially with others.

Last September we took on the delivery of the ‘Singing In…’ community choirs and music groups in North Sheffield, but we’ve got ambitious plans to work with more people who might be put off by the perceived barriers of joining a music making group, and we’re growing our board of directors to help us achieve that.

By welcoming additional non-executive directors to the board, we plan to widen our pool of knowledge and experience and strengthen our organisation.

We’d love to hear from people who are passionate about community music making, and the health and wellbeing benefits that taking part can bring. Previous experience as a board member or an understanding of good governance would be helpful, as would experience in grant funding. A strong commitment to inclusion is essential, and we’re especially keen to hear from individuals from underrepresented groups who reflect the diverse communities in which we work.

Non-executive directors will be placed on the public register with Companies House as a director of the company. Non-executive directors are volunteers, although out-of-pocket expenses can be paid to ensure they are able to attend in-person meetings and other events.

You’ll be expected to attend a quarterly meeting of up to 90 minutes in duration, with up to 30 minutes preparation for each meeting. There may also be the potential to take on some additional responsibilities by engaging in ad hoc working groups around specific projects.

If you want to be part of our organisation at this exciting time, please send a CV and cover letter (or a video of two to three minutes in length) to info@singing-in.com letting us know why you would like to be a part of Community Music Makers and what you can bring to the role.

We're looking forward to hearing from you!