Choir

I have now been at All Saints’ for just over a year, so perhaps it is time to reflect on what has been achieved and consider what I aim to address next. Well, clarity of the words we sing as the Choir offers praise to God for the whole congregation, had been my first goal and I am delighted by the choristers’ willingness to address this so successfully. It is all too easy for singers to utter syllables that just don’t convey any meaning once they get to the nave! Singers enjoy the advantage of always having the text in front of them, so they obviously know what it is all about; conveying these words, and their meaning, to the listener is a far harder job than it may seem. The next thing to work on is improving the blend of fine voices we have; this is a really tricky task, requiring singers to listen to each other and adjust what they do to improve the ensemble effect, possibly doing some things quite differently to what has happened in the past. I have been particularly impressed with how our juniors are developing. Theory sessions have been both enthusiastic and productive and there has been quite justified delight in all that has been achieved. I have also been amazed by the developing confidence they are willing to deploy in ‘singing out’; knowing when they should ‘come in’ and what note is to be sung... no longer is there any tendency to wait for another to ‘test the ice’ as it were, and only then decide to lend their voice to ‘beef up’ a note trialled by someone else! A general willingness to enquire what a word or phrase may mean ensures they quickly ‘sing with understanding’ as well as ‘with the spirit’. During the year the Choir have encountered much new material and risen to the challenge of learning it, often quite quickly, very well indeed. More new material is in the pipeline. I, and the congregation, are most fortunate to have such a loyal group of ‘servants of the Lord’ as is to be found in those who sing in the Choir, willing to rehearse so hard to make the most of God-given talents and use them in His service. Anyone reading this is most welcome to approach me to enquire about how they might go about adding their own voice to our Choir. Jan Pringle, Director of Music