Community singing for fun in Exeter

ou are invited to join Exeter's unique community singing for fun sessions on a Monday evening at St Sidwell's School, York Road, Exeter EX4 6PG. 

We are not a choir - started January 2007 - and there is no need to read music, no auditions, no microphones, no rehearsals and no public performances. Sing to backing music with the words projected on the wall. Choose from hundreds of backing tracks and sing about 30 songs on the night. A wide range of music including songs from Abba, The Beatles, Pavarotti, Adele, Frank Sinatra, Queen, Michel Buble, Elvis, Shania Twain and many more.

Forever Young Sing for Fun is now an established community group who regularly sing for fun. Every so often we also have a 'do' at a different venue when, for four hours, we sing, eat and some do a 'turn'. There is no leader, no training, we do not have any performances and you choose the backing tracks. So if you like informal singing, (most people aged from 40s to 70s), to great backing tracks, just for fun, then we're for you. Come along on a Monday evening and give us a try ...
Email: for.everyoung@hotmail.co.uk

People don't often talk about the downside of singing. A few years ago Chris Rowbury wrote something about it in his blog. We know about the health and social benefits but, apart from Chris, few mention the problems.

Singing can become addictive — once you start it's very hard to stop. It's such an enjoyable activity that you will start noticing it everywhere and begin to take every opportunity you can to sing and even whistle (space limitations prevent a detailed description of the negative aspects of whistling).

Singing takes up valuable time — you start by joining a group, you then meet other like-minded individuals who invite to share other activities and before you know it you're having to buy a better TV system to record all your favourite programmes that you're missing because your never in.

You will abandon your friends and family — as you'll be listening to more music via new technology that you don't have a clue how to access let alone download so you have to go to an evening class to learn how to use iTunes and torrents and an App that you could use on that laptop you were given last Christmas but haven't used because it didn't have a mouse and you quite like mice.

You will become unbearable to live with — singing makes you so happy that you will wear a constant smile and be humming along all day long in a state of bliss, much to the annoyance of everyone you live with.

Your health will be affected — Sore throats, (from singing and talking too much); bad back, (from standing too long); aching ribs, (from laughing too much), aching face (from smiling too much) and breathlessness (from singing, talking and laughing too much all at the same time) will only occur if singing to excess.

Singing stops you sleeping — after a session you will be so buoyed up with enthusiasm and joy that you will find it hard to come down off Cloud 9. Not only that, but you'll have all those wonderful tunes bouncing around inside your head that you'll want to find more and different songs on YouTube (assuming you've already been to the IT evening class).

Is there any help available in Exeter?

"Cheaper than therapy and more fun" — is a comment from one satisfied community singer following a Forever Young Sing for Fun session. There are many opportunities to sing in Exeter with different groups. It may be worth finding out about the Monday sessions, from 7-9pm at St Sidwell's School, where it is said that community singing for fun doesn't get much better than this. Can a community singing group survive if it does not depend on a leader, is not a choir and does not rehearse, nor give public performances ..? Come along on a Monday evening and find out ...
 

Two hours of fun, 7pm-9pm, £3.50 on the door.