Written by Kirsty Warwick, WCA Trustee
On a warm midsummer evening, myself and many other local singers and musicians joined together for an evening of song, camaraderie and fundraising for a summer concert at local church St John’s on Edgehill. When I say “singers” I mean in the loosest term (for me anyway) but with eight groups ranging from the young to the (not so) old, it was a truly superb showcase of musical talent in our community and catered to a broad range of musical tastes and genres – from Latin and Renaissance, music hall, and right up to Zulu or modern Slovenian pieces. And more than £1,800 was raised to support St John’s disabled WC project and Faith in Action.
Just one month earlier, on another balmy weekend, my choir Bishop Gilpin Community Choir also took part in the annual Singfest event in St Mark’s church in Wimbledon. Now in its 7th year, organised by Merton Music Foundation and Wimbledon Choral, this year it joined together more than 15 choirs ranging from theatre and music hall right up to choral and rock. It’s always such an uplifting occasion to take part in, and listen to, amazing groups that sing in schools, care homes, churches, and the local theatres and community halls week in week out. Often just with themselves as the audience, nonetheless Singfest offers the opportunity to reach out to new audiences and challenge their members to give it a go.
Singfest for me was a huge milestone – earlier in the year I’d completely lost my voice after our various Christmas concerts and events (if you’ve ever been in the Alex in the run up to Christmas you might have joined in one of our singalongs!). Severe laryngitis meant rest for months as my voice failed to get better (although my kids took great delight in this!). It was a huge knock for me! I tried to attend our weekly choir rehearsals but the temptation of singing notes was too much so Thursdays became a much quieter event at home until my voice got better. It wasn’t just the singing or music itself that I missed in those weeks and months, but the camaraderie and friendships that have built up over time. So I was delighted to be able to sing once more.
And that’s the nub of it – participating in a choir or music group isn’t just about the music, singing, talent or otherwise – it’s as much about the friendship and camaraderie, working together as a unit, routine, exercising muscle and brain, and supporting your physical, mental and social wellbeing. It improves respiratory health, releases endorphins that relieve stress and boost your mood and immune system, creates social connections, cultural understanding and improves teamwork. It really does connect people, places and passions.
In Merton, we’re extraordinarily lucky to have such a range of musical choirs and groups for all ages and musical tastes. And you do not have to be the most skilled singer or musician to take part – most are general admission, all welcome groups. We have a fantastic range of theatre groups, music classes and venues, and great music festivals like one-off concerts or the Wimbledon International Music Festival that’s run in Wimbledon since 2009 and still hopes for a world-class music venue to arrive in Wimbledon. And we’re really fortunate that the area invests in music from a young age too – Crib Notes Choir and Baby music classes really encourage parents and babies to interact with music – and our Borough’s music education hub – Merton Music Foundation – and neighbouring Wandsworth Music – involve huge numbers of school children in a variety of groups and performances both at school and in their hubs to learn instruments and sing and play together each week and for regular concerts and tours. Many of our kids (mine own included) have been fortunate to perform in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Tower of London, and Fairfield Halls. And even last week at the AELTC during the Wimbledon tennis fortnight.
But none of this happens by accident, or without investment. Whether it’s time and effort practising, or parents funding lessons and instruments, or schools investing in music teachers and governments recognising the benefits. We’re really fortunate in Merton that many schools still value investing in music, in spite of budget cuts (our own choir master at Bishop Gilpin is also their music teacher and a Classic FM award winner). As a parent and school governor, I’m really pleased Merton and schools are valuing the place that music has in enriching our children’s lives and equally support any initiatives, such as the Dons instruments campaign, to widen participation to more.
So whether you want to find a group to participate in, have an instrument you can donate, or you want to take part in monthly jams at Metronome or support grass roots venues like The Sound Lounge, we’ve got you covered.
Be sure to check Wimblecomm’s ‘What’s On’ pages to find out what’s coming up: Events 24 And search our listings for Community Groups and Venues to suit your passions.