My top 5 reasons for leading a choir

I've been leading and running a choir for many years now, and as far as I'm concerned, it's the best job in the world. If you're thinking of starting a choir, here are my five top reasons to take the plunge.

To embrace a love of music and singing

Being at the helm of a choir leads you to all kinds of wonderful musical experiences. From choosing repertoire to rehearsal planning, teaching and performance, it's the perfect place to develop your skills and see your ideas come to life when your choir performs something you have chosen for them. Choir leading brings you closer to music than you might ever have been as it requires you to know your pieces and parts inside out. The little surprises along the way can also be a revelation when something works (or doesn't!) beyond your expectation. I think as choir leaders we are always learning new things about music.

To boost community spirit

The friendships and bonds that are formed in choirs still amaze me now. This is an aspect of choir leading that I never anticipated and is one of the most rewarding. When you start a choir you start friendships, you start a family of sorts and the music and the experience deeply matters to people and can prove life-changing for them. Never underestimate your importance as a choir leader to inspire your singers.

To create memorable performances

Leading a choir requires you to seek out performance opportunities. As time goes by you will find new options opening up for all sorts of different performances that you might never have dreamed of when the choir was just an idea in your head. This is exciting for you and your singers and will take you on an amazing journey giving you a wealth of experience along the way.

To have a flexible working life

Leading a choir particularly if you plan to do so as a business can offer great flexibility and works well around family life. As long as you stay on top of your planning, repertoire selection and timescales, you can work the hours to suit you.

To do work that's fun and rewarding

At Total Choir Resources we may be biased but we think running a choir is the best job in the world. An evening spent with singers warming-up, practising techniques and singing amazing music seems like too much fun to be called work! That's not to say that a huge amount of effort and hard work isn't required, but what a privilege to call 'choir leader' your job.

If you are thinking of starting a choir, we're here to help.

We also have a great ebook called the Choir Starter Kit, which takes you step by step through everything you need to know to get your choir off the ground. You can find out more here.