I chanced upon a video on social media, a pop up choir, made up of random strangers, who got together for the love of singing . Not exactly organised, not with the best of band, but they sang so good, some so high, some so low and some maybe just lip synced, but it was ‘rocking’ music all along .
It was not long after I heard from a friend that the event occurred every first Saturday of the month, at a location close to home and I could register for the next session. I was once known for my singing voice, not exceptional vocal quality but definitely one to add value to a choir . Needless to add, I didn’t pursue my talent.
With years of neglect, my signing came to halt when I started a career and family. Now, after the eons of suppression, my singing is at best a croak. Excited at the prospect of re discovering my voice, I joined them last month, on a rainy Saturday evening. Each one who came in introduced themselves, without much ado and the questions asked were simple, just two – is it your first time and which note do you sing – medium, high or low ? Of course I chose the safe ‘ medium’ .
There was a game first . We were divided into four groups to play ‘Antakshari ‘ . With some excellent singers in the group, it was no wonder that we won the game. There were no prizes but the winning definitely raised my dwindling confidence. Soon after there were practice sessions for all the levels. We were quick to master the song and sang the final time for the recording.
As mentioned earlier, with my lack of proficiency, my singing was all over the place, sometimes high, sometimes low , sometimes medium or just mumbling , but the voice of the choir, singing as one, carried me along to the finish . There was no criticism, there was no pressure, there was just camaraderie as we sang along for the joy of singing and i must add, it sounded divine .
I then realised, the power of this pop up choir, lies in the sense of belonging one feels. Belonging to a community where the love for singing draws people, the young and the old, from far and wide, to gather, to make music. It is not to excel, not to compete, it is not for recognition but for self restoration, it is just to experience the abandon of singing without inhibitions. And to whether ‘The Soul Circle’ is a success – you well know the answer! ❤️😊
Mary Jacob 