SING Exeter Community Choir
We meet on Tuesday evenings 7:15-9:00 pm
in St Leonards Church Centre, Topsham Rd, EXETER EX2 4NG..
SING Exeter Community Choir began in September 2014. It’s an ongoing group – of warm, friendly people who love to have fun together singing. Both experienced singers and people who haven’t sung before are welcome. You don’t have to be able to read music as the teaching is by ear, but if you find it helpful ‘the dots’ are available, as well as mp3’s of all the songs and individual parts. There are no auditions. You are not expected to sing solo, but if you want to there may be opportunities.
We perform from time to time, but that’s not the main focus. It’s mostly about the joy, beauty and zing that happens on a Tuesday night when we sing together!
Songs are at the soul/funky/world music end of the spectrum.
Click here to register for your FREE first session
MAP * DATES * DEMOS * FREE 1ST SESSION * FLEXI-PAY * 1 to 1 * WHAT MEMBERS SAY
Map
MAP IS HERE There is plenty of room to park in the church grounds.
Dates
We have been in lockdown and Online since March 2020. We intend to begin sessions again, COVID permitting, on Tuesday 7th September 2021 (first day of Autumn term). The rest of the term dates are:
first half (7 sessions) 7/9; 14/9; 21/9; 28/9; 5/10; 12/10; 19/10
second half (7 sessions) 2/11; 9/11; 16/11; 23/11; 30/11; 7/12; 14/12
Next term begins 4/01/22
End of term performance/party No end of term performance this term
Organised by, and in aid of n/a
Venue: n/a
NB It is not compulsory to take part in the performance. You can just come to the weekly sessions if you prefer. However if you don’t take part you will miss out on a fabulous, fun evening that allows you to taste the joy of performing with no pressure. Don’t miss it! n/a
Demos
Have a look at our video to get an idea of the kind of material we sing and the spirit we do it in.
And here are a few snippets from various performances. The choir contained singers from both SING Exeter and SING Plymouth.
Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Paul Simon)
Wings Of A Dove (Madness)
Moondance (Van Morrison)
Love Rescue Me (Bob Dylan)
Also here are some songs sung by me multi-tracked. We use these as a resource to help you learn the songs!
Love Me Like A Rock (Paul Simon)
Homeless (Joseph Shambalala/Paul Simon)
FREE First Session Taster
How do you know that you want to join the choir if you’ve never been before? Well, of course, you don’t. We understand that so just come along for a trial session for free. See if you like it. If you do, great, you can then book the rest of the term, but if you don’t, no worries, at least you gave it a go!
Continuity and Flexible Payment
People are very busy these days and like to be free to drop-in when they can, rather than commit to a whole term. Unfortunately that doesn’t work well with a choir, as it means having to teach from scratch at every session and it is impossible to build a shared repertoire of songs you can all sing as a group, at the drop of a hat. You would get very frustrated with that, believe me!
To strike a balance, and to set it up so you have the advantage of enough continuity without us being unrealistic about the other commitments in your life, we offer you a flexible way of paying for the term. We ask you to choose for yourself how to pay, from the following options:
- To pay upfront. Please give cash or make out a cheque (to Peter Scott) using this sliding scale (on a 14 week term – number of sessions x £5 or £6 or £7):
- (struggling financially) £70 ⇒ £84 ⇒ £98 (fairly well off and happy to pay).
- If your first session is FREE you’ll only pay £65 ⇒ £78 ⇒ £91 for the whole term!
- If you are happy to pay one of the higher amounts, it helps us include more of those of you who are challenged financially. If your income is still devastated because of COVID let me know. I don’t want to exclude people just because they are struggling financially.
- Do you need to spread payments? If so then please divide the total amount into a max of 3 smaller amounts, and issue cheques dated:
- Now
- One month from now
- Two months from now
- If you cannot do all sessions but can attend 7 or 8 or 9 sessions then pay for the number you can attend @ £7 per session (£49 or £56 or £63 for the term).
For 10 or more it is cheaper to pay the whole term at £70 and miss a few.
You need to be able to do at least 7 sessions (half), for continuity.
Now you have met us, we would love to meet you. When is your first free Tuesday evening?
Click here to register for your FREE first session
Or give me a call or text on 07896 276577.
1 to 1 Voice Coaching
Everyone can sing! When you sing, can you feel the contribution you are making to the choir’s overall musical sound? I think that’s the most important thing in any choir. Perhaps that is what makes it joyful or not.
Learning skills is secondary to that, but those basic skills can make a lot of difference to your enjoyment. When your voice is powerful and resonant, because you have learnt simple skills, you have the ability to contribute even more. When you understand just a little about how music works it helps you pitch notes more easily. When you understand how to get yourself relaxed, singing to touch another person with the sound you are making, you begin to become a performer. All these things can transform the way you sing, allow you to contribute more and more, make it more and more enjoyable for you, and make the choir sound more and more beautiful!
I try to touch on these skills during the course of a choir evening, but time is limited and I can only scratch the surface. (And the choir sounds beautiful with that, so let’s not make anything into a problem that doesn’t exist.) For those of you who would like to learn more, though, I want to make more available.
First, there is my FREE download, FIND YOUR VOICE mini course of study to increase the power and resonance in your voice. Many of you will get what you need from that.
Some of you may need more help, and some of you may feel you would benefit more from something more interactive. If you are in one of those groups, you may wish to consider 1 to 1 Voice Coaching with me.
In 1 to 1 Voice Coaching we start with what is working already and what you want to achieve. Then (provided that is realistic) we make it happen.
It is different for everyone, but will probably include issues like: developing confidence; hitting the right notes; developing a sound you like; developing power and resonance; what’s happening in the music and how does knowing that help you sing better; singing with rhythm inside you; singing to touch another person; training your ear; reading music. We work to achieve what you are interested in, so that may include some of the list and exclude what you have no interest in.
Usually sessions last an hour, but not necessarily. I offer the first 30 mins FREE so you can get a feel for how we would work and what we would be working on. Thereafter I charge £30/hour. How often we have sessions depends on what you want to achieve. I work from my home in South Brent (TQ10 9AH).
Here is a case study from someone who worked with me recently.
If 1 to 1 Voice Coaching with me is something that appeals to you, have a word with me on a choir night. Or give me a ring on 07896 276577.
And if you are not a member of either choir, I’m happy to offer coaching to you too.
What the Choir Members say
I love coming to choir. I love singing and the friendly banter. I try to come even if I am tired or stressed – especially if I am tired or stressed, as the difficulties of the day are quickly left behind. The songs we sing are uplifting and the evening always leaves me feeling happy and relaxed. Great fun. » Sally
For me it’s just pure enjoyment! I haven’t done any singing before and it has been very interesting to discover my voice, which is much stronger than I thought it might be. I’m surprised that I like performing – I didn’t think I would. I’ve only been on stage once so far but I just lost myself in the performance. Lovely feeling. » Peter
It’s a nice way of meeting people and making new friends. The camaraderie is great! And singing is very therapeutic with a big feel good factor. I have sung in a classical choir before and it is such a relief to be able to get good results without being expected to read music. I think knowing you can sing in a group and produce a good sound is good for one’s confidence. Doing a performance is fun! » David
It’s simple – I just enjoy singing, and it’s nice to be singing with other people. I enjoy the South African ones and the Bob Marley ones best. They get me on a bit of a high. I enjoy the whole process of working toward an occasional performance. It builds bit by bit and the event itself is a lovely shared experience. » Sonya
This group really has fun singing together! I love the friendliness and the enthusiasm. It gives me a great feeling of joy. I was a bit nervous initially, as I have always sung with my daughter in the past, but looking back there has been nothing to be nervous about. Pete is always encouraging and non-judgmental and inspires us to be the best we can be, while still enjoying it. I like that it’s not about competing to be the world’s best choir. I go home singing and I find it really inspiring. And I have found some new friends! » Mary
It’s a very happy environment to sing in. I like the togetherness of it all – the fact we’re all there enjoying what we’re doing with a smile on our faces, and a bit of banter flying around. And I understand harmonies much better now. I’ve sung a lot in amateur stuff but solo. I’ve enjoyed being taught how to sing in a choir. » Barry
Come and join us – we’d love to see you!