Over the last few months I have been talking a lot about choirs. But What is a Choir? And if we are going to put one in every school, what might that look like? I hope that this blog will help in your movement to put A Choir in Every School, and also support the view that singing in schools is essential.
Choir?
As I am sure you can imagine, the word dates back to Ancient Greece and the Greek word χορός (khorós). This word simply meant – a group of singers or the choir in a Greek drama. And the Greek khorós became the Latin chorus. The Medieval meaning of the word choir centred around both a group of performers singing sacred music, but also the physical part of the church – the choir.
What interested me when I started really thinking about this is that the word choir is not only about a group singing. It is also about the physical space where singing takes place. When we create a choir in our school, we are bringing together singers, but also creating a place to sing.
Reclaiming the word
I believe that we need to reclaim the word choir, and I say that because I think it has become something it is not. When you say the word choir to a student, parent or anyone, they instantly think – church, robes, sacred, formal…the list goes on. Okay, that might not be the case with everyone, but it is certainly something I have noticed. When I said we need a choir in every school, I did not mean a formal chamber choir who sing in chapel. Of course, if might be that, and that certainly is a choir. But it doesn’t have to just be that.
People have asked me, why not just singing in school. Well firstly, that isn’t a catchy title – we need singing in every school. Okay, not a bad slogan, but certainly not as catchy as A Choir in Every School. And I go back to my point above – it is about singing, but also the physical space created by a choir. So I want to use the word choir to mean exactly what I think it means – a group of people, in a specific space, singing together.
Choirs in Schools
A choir in a school should be a place where students can come and sing. I believe that every school needs a choir that is open to all students. It needs to be a choir that suits the school, the young people and the context/setting. There might be a need for multiple choirs, but as a starting point we need a choir for all. This choir might perform at concerts, or it might be a club that young people can simply enjoy. The school science or business club doesn’t put on concerts, so a choir doesn’t need to either.
But of course from this starting point, the choir can grow and develop. It might start with a small performance, building to something larger at the end of term. It might perform in assembly, or at school events, anything to showcase students in a nice comfortable setting.
The point is we need a choir, and we need it to be open to all. If we then have a chamber choir, show choir and chapel choir on top of that, fantastic, the more the merrier.
Everyone?
If choirs are auditioned, and only open to the very best singers, then we are creating barriers to encouraging wider school singing. Whilst there is a place for perfection and “quality” there is also a place for inclusion and mass participation. There is also a place for performance and a place for singing for pleasure and enjoyment. My dream is to see a healthy and sustainable balance in schools. Every child should have access to a choir, and so we may need to reframe what the word choir represents in our own setting.
Simply put, A Choir in Every School is about creating singing groups, in a safe place that are open to all students, of all ages. That is the starting point and the goal. This could be a whole school singing assembly that takes place with year 5 every week – that is a choir. Or it could be a lunchtime club where students can come to that safe space and sing with friends.
Where to start
Well, this is simple, get kids singing. There need be no other starting goal, just get them singing. Create a space, decide a song and start. One of the issues people ahve raised with me is who is going to lead it. Well I believe anyone can. If we believe that a choir is both a group and a place, then all we need to do is sing songs there.
Now, don’t get me wrong, if you have an exceptional choral leader, who has trained and studied the voice, then they are going to bring something extra to the occasion. But if you have no choir, no tradition of singing and you want to start a choir – then do it. Just find a person, a place and a song and get your young people singing. And from there you can grow singing in your school, create a safe space for young people and ultimately improve the mental health of your students.
Once you have a choir started, you can build on it, train, develop and seek ways of building up a culture of singing across your school. There is plenty out there to support teachers, provide songs and inspire the next generation of choir leaders. Just last week I was chatting to a friend and colleague about ABRSM Voices and the amazing training they provide. It is possible to start a choir from somewhere and turn it into something. And if you are looking for songs then why not try out Sing Up or Sparkyard.
This is a Choir!
It might come across as an unpopular opinion, but can we please stop suggesting that choirs are exclusive, choral, sacred and auditioned. They might be that, but they are also so much more than that. Choirs need to be open to all, and the very word choir needs to be reclaimed by schools.
Choirs should exist to get young people singing, and from there, well, who knows! Not every school club leads to a performance, a race or a match. I went for a run this morning and I am probably not going to ever race competitively. But I enjoyed it, well mostly, my dog was a little tired and dragged a bit!
Please understand that I want to just see A Choir in Every School, but I know that will look different from school to school. I am not too worried if the choir is chamber, sacred, pop, rock, gospel or SATB. I am merely keen to see singing established in schools in a place and space that allows young people access to singing. And if we can start choirs, we can grow choirs, and that will lead to a culture of singing up and down the country.
A Choir in Every School
So please join the movement and help MTA put A Choir in Every School. And if you are looking for advice, have something to share, or want to give your opinion, then please do get in touch.
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And you can start something today if you want to! You can spread the word, start the choir and support the movement. And help me reclaim this wonderful word.
Choir – a place, space and situation that encourages and supports singing for all those who wish to access it.
