Sing Up

This afternoon I attended my first rehearsal at the Gasworks Choir . I've been on the waiting list for so many years that the phone call a fortnight ago offering me a place caught me off guard. Did I still want to sing in a community choir? Was I up to it? Could I spare the time? I took a few minutes to think about it before phoning back to say I'd be delighted to accept the offer.

I had, in fact, been offered a place on two previous occasions but, when I confessed that this Gareth is a woman and not a man, I was put back on the waiting list!

Well, I enjoyed my first outing. There was a goodly crowd, with a fair number of beginners like myself. We began with a warm up which involved making some extremely silly faces. Then on to the songs, three of them this week - one from South Africa, one from Scotland and one from the States. It's a a cappella choir - four or five part harmonies with no music, and printed words for only one of the songs. Ali and Dee sing the part to us and we sing it back. Simple as that! There was a brief moment of panic but the atmosphere was so relaxed and friendly that it soon disappeared and I had a lovely time. I even managed to join in when we were invited to walk about during the first song, though I did stick close to someone who looked like she knew what she was doing. I'm already looking forward to my next practice.