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