If you enjoy singing and attend Church, why not combine the two and join the Church Choir.
The usual answer is "I'd love to, but I haven't got time to go to all the practices and services, and I can't
read music".
That's no problem, as neither does the current choir. They only attend the services they like and practice is limited to
1 (that's right: one) hour per week. And contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be able to read music to sing in a choir.
So what is really involved?
The Choir is there to help lead the congregation in song and worship at Parish Communion and Choral Evensong plus
special services i.e. Christmas and Easter.
Our main services are: Parish Communion on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays and Choral
evensong (evening) on the 1st Sunday of the month. (But we only ask that you attend the services you want to.)
The choir meet every Thursday in the Church at 7:30 pm for an hour. A practice usually involves learning the hymns for
the next service, music for during communion, and new music for future events. However it is not all hard work, we usually
have a good laugh.
Who do we want?
We really need more ladies to sing the tune so that we can lead the congregation better. Plus more men to help give
greater balance to our sound i.e. everyone is invited who enjoys singing.
How can I find out more?
Contact Ingrid Horne, our choir leader, after a service or let the Parish Office
know you are interested - alternatively you will find any member of the choir will be prepared to let you know more.
P.S. Joining the Choir also guarantees you excellent seats at major festivals e.g. Christmas and Easter...
(and heated seats in winter...)
From the Pompey Chimes "A-Z of the Church of England" (Which is tongue in cheek, honest!):
ANTHEM: Scriptural words set to sacred vocal music. Usually sang by the Choir, or recited by the congregation (not usually at the same time). Can be repeated indefinitely if the vicar can't think of what comes next in the service. CHOIR:Group of people who are given the unsingable bits to sing so the congregation doesn’t have to. Easy to offend, especially when you give them un-singable bits to sing. CHORUS:Like a hymn, but shorter, and therefore almost always sung twice. TE DEUM:The Latin words that begin a hymn which is an integral part of some church services. Sadly, in some churches, it’s more like the English word suggested by the name.