Introducing
THE SHOW CHOIR
THE SHOW CHOIR
Paul Day
I've come to meet Paul Day and Steve Morgan, who are both telling me how excited they are for the future of their joint labour of love which they formed together just three years ago in 2012 - The Show Choir.
Steve’s original vision for the choir was for it to have over 100 members and to be able to perform at a local theatre. He is pleasantly stunned that they have exceeded all his expectations, as this March they will appear in their biggest show yet at The Palace Theatre, Southend on Sea with all 150 members in attendance. They will be inviting guests from local musical theatre groups to appear alongside them and it looks set to be a fabulously entertaining evening.
“Southend is a really musical place,” Paul explains. “There are so many different groups in the area with lots of musical theatre companies and choral societies. A lot of these groups have a very high standard and whilst we strive to get a great standard from The Show Choir, we are a lot more relaxed and like to keep things very simple.” Paul’s been keenly involved over the years with lots of amateur musical groups in the area as well as Summer Youth Projects which are performed at The Palace Theatre, as well as being part of orchestras and local choirs. He explains to me that The Show Choir is probably a more simplistic way of being involved in music.
Steve’s original vision for the choir was for it to have over 100 members and to be able to perform at a local theatre. He is pleasantly stunned that they have exceeded all his expectations, as this March they will appear in their biggest show yet at The Palace Theatre, Southend on Sea with all 150 members in attendance. They will be inviting guests from local musical theatre groups to appear alongside them and it looks set to be a fabulously entertaining evening.
“Southend is a really musical place,” Paul explains. “There are so many different groups in the area with lots of musical theatre companies and choral societies. A lot of these groups have a very high standard and whilst we strive to get a great standard from The Show Choir, we are a lot more relaxed and like to keep things very simple.” Paul’s been keenly involved over the years with lots of amateur musical groups in the area as well as Summer Youth Projects which are performed at The Palace Theatre, as well as being part of orchestras and local choirs. He explains to me that The Show Choir is probably a more simplistic way of being involved in music.
Steve is an accomplished musical director, pianist and vocalist who has worked throughout the county with choirs across the full range of ages and abilities for many years. He has wide experience of live performance and has a strong background within church and school music. Having also worked within therapeutic environments, Steve is experienced at using music to bring about positive change in emotional wellbeing through live music and community singing. You can tell that he is passionate about all he does and he believes that everyone, given the opportunity, can enjoy singing and being part of a choir. Steve has also recorded several charity singles and is involved with a local acoustic trio who perform at various live events.
Steve used to be part of a pop choir. “Music is therapy for me” he tells me. He says the difference with a pop choir and The Show Choir is that there is a more diverse amount of songs that can be sung. “Some of these show tunes have been around for years and years, Les Mis for example has been going for over 25 years, whereas pop songs tend to have a shorter shelf life from an audience perspective.”
They had a lot of interest in the choir; initially 80 people turned up just through the power of advertising in local papers and leaflet flyering and now they have a whopping 150 people in the group which is now made up with separate groups in Thorpe Bay, Leigh-on-Sea and Ashingdon. “At the time” Steve tells me, thinking back, “there was a real buzz for people to sing after the likes of Gareth Malone made the Military Wives famous.” With this in mind, Paul and Steve felt that they could give local people the accessibility of sharing the same hobby and an opportunity of joining together as a group.
There always seems to be a wonderful ‘feel good’ factor to being part of a choir and Paul tells me, “What we’ve noticed is that when you bring a large group of people together, they get really friendly but also, you know, they have problems as well and we sometimes tend to get people bringing their problems to us. I guess we are quite accessible people. It certainly encourages people to stay and enjoy the group. I often see on our Facebook Page that there’ll be one of our members saying “Oh great, it’s Monday - I need Show Choir after the day I’ve had.’ It is quite therapeutic for people.”
Steve used to be part of a pop choir. “Music is therapy for me” he tells me. He says the difference with a pop choir and The Show Choir is that there is a more diverse amount of songs that can be sung. “Some of these show tunes have been around for years and years, Les Mis for example has been going for over 25 years, whereas pop songs tend to have a shorter shelf life from an audience perspective.”
They had a lot of interest in the choir; initially 80 people turned up just through the power of advertising in local papers and leaflet flyering and now they have a whopping 150 people in the group which is now made up with separate groups in Thorpe Bay, Leigh-on-Sea and Ashingdon. “At the time” Steve tells me, thinking back, “there was a real buzz for people to sing after the likes of Gareth Malone made the Military Wives famous.” With this in mind, Paul and Steve felt that they could give local people the accessibility of sharing the same hobby and an opportunity of joining together as a group.
There always seems to be a wonderful ‘feel good’ factor to being part of a choir and Paul tells me, “What we’ve noticed is that when you bring a large group of people together, they get really friendly but also, you know, they have problems as well and we sometimes tend to get people bringing their problems to us. I guess we are quite accessible people. It certainly encourages people to stay and enjoy the group. I often see on our Facebook Page that there’ll be one of our members saying “Oh great, it’s Monday - I need Show Choir after the day I’ve had.’ It is quite therapeutic for people.”
Catherine Wood
I mention that I’ve been told in the past that everybody can sing and that there’s no such thing as being tone deaf. “Yes, that is true! If you can talk you can sing - basically the function is the same” says Steve. Paul admits, “People need to listen first. Steve is very good at getting people to listen and copy him. It’s amazing what he does.” He continues, “We do try to stretch people sometimes but it’s all in a really relaxed atmosphere and there certainly isn’t any pressure on anyone to be perfect.”
“It’s great to hear members finding their voice and realising that they can sing.” says Steve. Paul says, “One of Steve’s great skills is that he can get a group of people who have never sung before to sing a three part harmony in about 20 seconds.” Impressive stuff!
If you’re thinking of joining, don’t worry about going along and being picked out to do a solo either. This is something that Paul and Steve are totally in agreement with. “This is all about being part of a choir, so we may have a guest soloist that the choir will be doing the backing for from time to time but no-one will ever be asked to sing a solo.” Local musicians, Simon Bristoe, Claire Wilson and Stuart Woolner have all guested for the choir in the past. Steve says, “The time for one voice has gone, for me it’s the time for many voices and the sound created with lots of people in the choir is really exciting; and actually being the back up for someone who’s leading can be just as fun and exhilarating.”
In the past they have done lots of singing for various charities, and this year alone they have done a concert for the British Legion, The Last Resort, and Wheelz, a band whose sole purpose is to do all their gigs for charity.
“It’s great to hear members finding their voice and realising that they can sing.” says Steve. Paul says, “One of Steve’s great skills is that he can get a group of people who have never sung before to sing a three part harmony in about 20 seconds.” Impressive stuff!
If you’re thinking of joining, don’t worry about going along and being picked out to do a solo either. This is something that Paul and Steve are totally in agreement with. “This is all about being part of a choir, so we may have a guest soloist that the choir will be doing the backing for from time to time but no-one will ever be asked to sing a solo.” Local musicians, Simon Bristoe, Claire Wilson and Stuart Woolner have all guested for the choir in the past. Steve says, “The time for one voice has gone, for me it’s the time for many voices and the sound created with lots of people in the choir is really exciting; and actually being the back up for someone who’s leading can be just as fun and exhilarating.”
In the past they have done lots of singing for various charities, and this year alone they have done a concert for the British Legion, The Last Resort, and Wheelz, a band whose sole purpose is to do all their gigs for charity.
The Show Choir appearing for The Last Resort charity show
The first gig The Show Choir did was at the Village Green in Chalkwell Park back in 2012, where they only had a few months from forming the Choir to performing on stage, which went down really well.
So what kind of people are involved with the Show Choir? “All sorts!” says Paul. “We have teachers, nurses, artists, restauranteurs, housewives - a huge variety of people?!” “Lots of people who come have never even sung before and can be quite nervous to start off with but they soon settle in and it's great for making new friends.”
Steve tells me “We have a lady in our Ashingdon group whose husband contacted us and told us that his wife would like to be part of the choir. Very sadly, he had cancer and passed away. After he died, this lady was going through his emails and found the one he sent to The Show Choir. She contacted us and told us she’d seen it and said, ‘I’m deeply bereaved but I’ll come but don’t expect me to do anything, I just want to sit at the back.’ And she did, she came in and sobbed through the first hour. It took her a little while to find her voice but now she loves it and is a huge supporter of the Choir.”
Paul tells another inspiring story; “We have a member who suffered from a stroke and sadly couldn’t come along to the rehearsals any more as he was moved into a home but then I had a phone call from his carer to say that he had improved enough to go back home and as she always fancied being part of a choir herself, she’s going to bring him along to rehearsals. Apparently all he talked about while he was recovering was The Show Choir and how much he was missing it.”
There really is a great support network within the group and they even have one lady who travels all the way from Upminster to be part of the choir.
As well as raising money for charity with the concerts they’ve been invited to, they’ve also been part of a Nativity flashmob and sung at the turning on of the lights at Leigh and Thorpe Bay every year.
The style of music they perform not only appeals to the choir members themselves but equally to people who come to see their shows. Paul beams, “It’s lovely just watching the smiles on people’s faces when they see us.”
Don’t miss The Show Choir on 13th March 2016 for their very own show at The Palace Theatre, Southend on Sea. Tickets are already selling fast.
So what kind of people are involved with the Show Choir? “All sorts!” says Paul. “We have teachers, nurses, artists, restauranteurs, housewives - a huge variety of people?!” “Lots of people who come have never even sung before and can be quite nervous to start off with but they soon settle in and it's great for making new friends.”
Steve tells me “We have a lady in our Ashingdon group whose husband contacted us and told us that his wife would like to be part of the choir. Very sadly, he had cancer and passed away. After he died, this lady was going through his emails and found the one he sent to The Show Choir. She contacted us and told us she’d seen it and said, ‘I’m deeply bereaved but I’ll come but don’t expect me to do anything, I just want to sit at the back.’ And she did, she came in and sobbed through the first hour. It took her a little while to find her voice but now she loves it and is a huge supporter of the Choir.”
Paul tells another inspiring story; “We have a member who suffered from a stroke and sadly couldn’t come along to the rehearsals any more as he was moved into a home but then I had a phone call from his carer to say that he had improved enough to go back home and as she always fancied being part of a choir herself, she’s going to bring him along to rehearsals. Apparently all he talked about while he was recovering was The Show Choir and how much he was missing it.”
There really is a great support network within the group and they even have one lady who travels all the way from Upminster to be part of the choir.
As well as raising money for charity with the concerts they’ve been invited to, they’ve also been part of a Nativity flashmob and sung at the turning on of the lights at Leigh and Thorpe Bay every year.
The style of music they perform not only appeals to the choir members themselves but equally to people who come to see their shows. Paul beams, “It’s lovely just watching the smiles on people’s faces when they see us.”
Don’t miss The Show Choir on 13th March 2016 for their very own show at The Palace Theatre, Southend on Sea. Tickets are already selling fast.
Would you like to join The Show Choir?
They rehearse at 3 locations in Leigh, Ashingdon and Thorpe Bay for 2 hours a week and membership is really growing. They have a membership fee of just £60 a term and say they are fairly adaptable for people who may struggle to find that initial outlay, allowing members to pay £6 per week, if needs be. “The last thing we want to do is turn people away, I like to think that we are quite accommodating.” says Paul. Go along and your first visit will be entirely free!
Contact Paul or Steve via their website: www.theshowchoir.co.uk or telephone: 07802 813497 or pop along to their Facebook page click here
They rehearse at 3 locations in Leigh, Ashingdon and Thorpe Bay for 2 hours a week and membership is really growing. They have a membership fee of just £60 a term and say they are fairly adaptable for people who may struggle to find that initial outlay, allowing members to pay £6 per week, if needs be. “The last thing we want to do is turn people away, I like to think that we are quite accommodating.” says Paul. Go along and your first visit will be entirely free!
Contact Paul or Steve via their website: www.theshowchoir.co.uk or telephone: 07802 813497 or pop along to their Facebook page click here
Paul Day displaying his 'jazz hands' technique...