Page 63 - Phonebox Magazine January 2011

OLNEY
COMMUNITY
CHOIR
A New Year is almost upon us once more, and how many times have we said, “I must do ....” and never actually get around to doing anything about it!
We all make resolutions to be better human beings, more caring and kind to our friends and neighbours, more loving and demonstrative to our family. We all strive to be
fitter, more energetic, and live a healthier lifestyle. We keep telling ourselves we will communicate better with our family and our children. We will phone our mother more often, and listen to her without interrupting! We tell ourselves, ‘we will make time for all the little things in life’. (This is sounding a bit like ‘Desperate Housewives’)! Somehow, by the end of January, all our good intentions go out of the window.
To breathe, slow down, and empathise with one another in our community. How can we achieve this?
Making music with the human voice – singing- is one of the most powerful forms of communication. A choir, for our community of Olney, is long overdue. As a local musician and teacher, I know there is a wealth of talent out there!
Music has been, and still is, a major part of my life. I have been a teacher of music in secondary schools in England (and Scotland) for over 30 years, and I have been a Director of Music in 3 schools and a Head of Drama. I also teach voice and piano. I have performed professionally as a solo pianist and vocalist in the UK and abroad, for 8 years, prior to teaching, and I have sung to royalty, film-
stars, ambassadors and other musicians. I know it’s name-dropping, but, yes, some of my students think it ‘cool’ I have a photo of me with ‘Sting’ at a party after singing in Edinburgh! I have also danced with Baryshnikov(the Russian ballet dancer who defected to the US!), sang to Isabella Rossellini, ‘As Time Goes By, (remember, her mother Ingrid was in the film ‘ Casablanca’), and listened to Rolf Harris sing along as I played ‘Yesterday’ in a restaurant!(He was taking his Mum out for dinner! I have a doodle of his and an autograph on some of my piano music).
Recently, I retired from full-time teaching where I was a Director of Music at Rushmoor School in Bedford until January 2010. It was here that I started a new choir, where there was virtually none before. After 3 months of rehearsing, the choir won first prize in their category in the Bedfordshire Music Festival in 2009 and a trophy worth £1,500! The boys ranged in age from 10 – 16. I had 68 boys’ voices on the choir register when I left the school. Who said, “Boys don’t sing”! The adjudicator’s comments were,”They sang with real passion”. I was so proud of them.
My husband calls me Gareth now (the one on the telly who went to Lancaster boys’ school and started a choir, culminating in a concert in the Royal Albert Hall). All I know is, whatever you do, especially with music, you have to love what you do, or it won’t work.
No matter what life has thrown at me, music has always been there to comfort and support. In April 2007, my only brother aged 51, died suddenly and tragically, from MRSA, contracted while in hospital. I was rehearsing with the Northampton Bach choir for a major concert when he was taken ill after a heart bypass. After his funeral, I decided to continue with rehearsals, and eventually performed at Northampton Derngate, 2 months later, with the Royal Philharmonic orchestra, in a performance of the ‘Queen Symphony’, a choral work in 6 movements, based on Freddie Mercury’s music, conducted by the composer, Tolga Kashif. It was one of the most profound experiences I have ever had as a musician. After the concert, Tolga autographed a CD of the work and said to me, ’This performance was for your brother. Thank you for singing for me tonight’.
Until then, I had always been a soloist. This time, I was singing with 135 voices and a professional orchestra. The sound enveloped me. The richness of the voices and the harmonies with the orchestra were exhilarating! I could feel my brother with me during the whole concert. Every note I sang, I sang for him. I knew he was where he wanted to be. The most pertinent part of the composition for me was the lyric, ’Who wants to live forever?’ The whole experience was uplifting. Singing helped me through a very difficult period in my life.
A year after my brother died, I was diagnosed with a tumour on my thyroid, (very close to the voice box), requiring immediate major surgery. I was told that my singing voice may be damaged after surgery, and I would not be able to sing again. My husband, children and I waited a week for results, which were benign, thank goodness. It took a few months, but gradually my singing voice came back, and I
am now singing better than ever – I think!
I have seen singing transform lives; both for children and adults. It is a great physical exercise, a real confidence booster, and really does make you feel fantastic after a good work-out! It has also been proven, that in schools where children are part of a choir, they have the highest maths and science examination results, compared to schools where no singing takes place!
Being part of a choir can also be a way of meeting new people and socialising, no matter what age you are. Of course, it is always hard to take that first step, and actually try something new with people you do not know. I sat next to a lady in the soprano section of the Northampton Bach choir a few years ago and she was a young 88. She came to rehearsals every week and her eyesight was not good. In fact, she used a huge magnifier! We even had music in large print for her. Living on her own, the choir rehearsal was a weekly outing she never missed. She even managed to sing on stage with Aled Jones in one of his Northampton concerts. An amazing lady.
Another lovely gentleman, in his 70’s, in the tenor section, was always so kind to me when I first joined the choir, and always had time to chat at tea-break. He had such a good sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye. Unbeknown to me, his wife had terminal cancer and he had been nursing her at home. A few months later, she died peacefully one Friday. He came to choir rehearsal on Monday. He sang, and cried, and spoke of his loss to his friends. The choir was a supportive lifeline for him when he needed it.
If anyone reading this has a passion for singing and really wants to make a difference in our community by being part of a new and exciting choir, and raising money for charity through singing, then please contact me for further details, leaving your name, address, phone number and contact details. I intend to have a first rehearsal/meeting approx 2nd week in January. I am seeking a venue for rehearsing the choir, and have one or two places I think may be suitable.
Our community choir will be open to all ages from 10 and beyond! Repertoire will be varied: Gospel, Popular, Jazz and Blues, Classical. Music –reading is not essential as most will be taught by rote initially.
Rehearsals will be weekly, possibly 6.30 - 8.00.
It is my intention to have the choir as a charity and to raise money for worthy causes through local concerts, perhaps 2 or 3 times per year. My services will be free of charge. As a first study pianist, I will of course use piano in rehearsals. However, I wish to concentrate on conducting the choir. I will therefore be seeking an excellent repetiteur (posh word for accompanist!) as and when required. I have one name I am thinking of as I write- just wait for the phone-call!
Let’s make this the best community choir in the area! Most of all, let’s just sing and enjoy it!
Gillian Toosey L.T.C.L(GMT);L.G.S.M(Piano Teaching);AbdnDMusEducation; Equity(variety)
Phonebox Magazine 63