9 Unique Facts You Probably Do Not Know About Choir
A choir is a group of singers made up of two or more subdivisions (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass etc.) who performs choral music or simply just singing together. Some familiar types of choir you might know are such as Acapella (pure vocal without any musical instrument), Show Choir (Broadway musical style), Symphony Chorus (classic choral singing with a symphony band) and many more of course!
Ever wondered what are the things that happened to the group of singers whom provided you with a pleasant watching experience but did not tell you about them? As a 9-year-old choir and performed in different occasions over the years, our singers at The Singaholics could relate to the 9 unique facts below:
1. Smile to keep the singers from singing flat (that is why we need a conductor)
Smile is such a magical expression for a choir. For the audience, a smile could easily spark joy while listening to the choir performance. On the other hand, rather than demonstrating the professionalism and happiness behind singing, smile also keeps us from singing slightly out of tune because it helps us to relax our neck muscles. However, the lifting-the-chin strategy is a temporary fix to any given flat notes, but it is not a permanent solution. Hence, that is why some choirs tend to have conductors to always the singers to smile!
2. It is considered a decent sport for everyone
Other than brining the joy of singing and improving the function of lung and heart, singing could zap 100 to 136 calories an hour, depending on the weight and singing position (stand vs sit). It is higher than playing bowling (95 calories) and grocery shopping (117 calories). Even better still, if you move while singing, whether playing an instrument, dancing or acting on stage, extra calories will be burned, depending on the intensity of the movement.
3. When a choir sings, the singers’ heart rates sync
This was the result from a research conducted by Dr Bjorn Vickhoff from Gothenburg University. When the group of singers sing, it is not just their voice and breath that sync, their heart rates sync as well. They found that the more structured the work, the more the singers’ heart rates increased or decreased together. For instance, slow chants produced the most synchrony. Too, choral singing had the overall effect of slowing the heart rate. Putting it into scientific terms, when the singers exhale, the vagus nerve goes from the brainstem to the heart was activated and causing the heart to beat slower.
4. Not everyone can sight-read
Given the amount of time spent on music scores during any practice, the public might regard the singers of a choral group to have the ability to sight-read any given music pieces. In fact, 95% of the singers are not FAT AMY from PITCH PERFECT, hence we do need a piano or tuning fork to give us the right note to begin with. It takes hard work and efforts to practice and master the right notes. It is only the another 5% who are genius that could “sight sing” any new songs.
5. Singing a foreign language song is normally fake-it-till-you-make-it
Some choirs practice choral pieces composed in foreign language, perhaps due to the choral competition’s requirements, client’s demand for their corporate performance, personal interest etc. Most of the time, the singers have a low understanding of the language, meaning, story behind such pieces. From the surface, it looks like the singers are able to master the essence of the songs but in fact we are just making sure to able to memorise the lyrics, notes and any musical patterns that could present us more like the local singers. A better word for fake-it-till-you-make-it might be becoming a professional singer.
6. There’s always one person that each section relies heavily on
It might sound like all singers are perceived as equally capable in any choral performance. However, in choirs with large group of singers, someone tend to be the free-rider by relying on that one person who usually carry the team. The reasons vary (not familiar with such choral piece, not prepared, lack of confidence etc.) And if that important one get sick, basically the section is doomed, and the musical instructor could instantly notice the difference.
7. It is not only meant for children or church!
Choral singing is a thing for all ages & definitely everyone. In fact, one of the choirs with oldest singers is Young@Heart from the US. From The New York Times to TIME, The Ellen Show to The Daily Show, this group of seniors, ranging in age from 73-92, has performed at several continents on over 30 international tours, proving it’s “possible to grow old without growing boring.” Also, if you think that a choir group only sings for a church, you are 100% wrong. One main reason for the wrong reception could just be choral singing not being well-known in your country as a common hobby or career.
8. Basses make funny faces to go low notes
At times, bass singers are cute when they make horrible faces when trying to hit very low notes. Without enough talent, exercise and proper warm up, they often found a hard time to sing note lower than XX. Look at the picture and you will understand why such funny faces are made. That is what happened when you are singing the lowest part of anybody and try to project it to a decent volume to make the overall voice projection a balance.
9. You don’t have to be good at singing to join a choir
One of the common reasons of the people who loved singing but were too shy to join a choir is due to the fear and doubt that make them feel that their singing skills do not make them good enough to join any choral group. In fact, we, probably including other choirs nearby your neighbourhood, would like to counter the perception. Most choirs welcome new joiners without any specific requirements (although demographics and music genre might differ) and you could brush up the skills upon joining as they have musical instructors or peer group learning from time to time. If you are one of them who are shy, take the first step today!
Now that you know these interesting facts about choir, do share it with the singers from any choir and see if they are surprised and agree on the fact! At The Singaholics, we enjoy and appreciate each singing session. Find out more about us from our Website, Facebook and Instagram to catch our latest updates and performance throughout the year.