MARION SAUVEBOIS on the chance conversation that founded a choir

GARETH Malone has a lot to answer for. Not only is he responsible for unearthing untapped talent in the most unlikely of places but the emergence of rock choirs in every corner the country – including Swindon.

BigSingThing is one such group, which without a renewed appetite for community choirs, may never have seen the light of day.

The brainchild of Jen Fisher and Helen Asprey, it was founded in 2011 and now counts a mammoth 120 members.

“At the peak of TV programmes about Rock choirs and Gareth Malone’s choirs, we had a chance Facebook conversation about how great it would be to have a community choir in Swindon that was open and affordable for all,” said Jen.

“There was no Rock choir nearby and the cost of attending was fairly high. There were choirs in the town but as far as they were aware, none that you could just pop along to.” The question was, could they set up something locally? Meanwhile, the Big Arts Day at Lydiard Park was to include a Community Choir led by Val Weston. A mutual friend put them in touch and they agreed to see whether they could set something up. September 2011 saw the start of BigSingThing – a laidback and, most importantly, inclusive group for singers of all abilities.

“BigSingThing’s ethos has always been to give anyone and everyone the opportunity to get together and sing and to aim to be the friendliest choir in Swindon,” added Jen.

“There is no audition, no need to have sung before. “We work from lyrics rather than sheet music, so there is no need to worry about reading music and we use backing tracks to sing along to. We also sit in parts named ‘tops’ ‘middles’, ‘bottoms’ and ‘men’ so there is no need to worry if you don’t know about traditional voice parts such as soprano, mezzo, alto.

“We want people to develop a love of singing and enjoy the benefits that singing can give you. It’s a chance to make friends, have fun and escape from the stresses and strains of daily life.”

Val left as musical director in 2013 and was replaced by Abby Mansi. Since its inception, the group has also raised more than £6,000 for charities, including Prospect Hospice, Cancer Research and Brighter Futures. BigSingThing meets every Monday evening at Commonweal School from 7.30pm to 9pm.

 To find out more visit bigsingthing.org.uk
 or just pop along to Commonweal School at 7.15pm on Mondays.
  
Joining costs £12 per term, or £2 a week