People who sing together cling together

[Jilly]

If you saw it you may agree, The Choir was a great experiment. If you didn't see it, here's my review.

Last night I saw the last of a four part TV documentary show called "The Choir". (BBC 2)

I was immensely moved at the outcome and I doubt I can do it justice in words now. To feel what I felt you had to see the sadness, timidity, cynicism or defiance in the faces of the participants turn into pride and hope, confidence and gratitude.

The plan was to bring together different factions of a somewhat neglected, denigrated town and it's inhabitants by means of creating a community choir.

A dynamic music teacher /choir master was sent in and told to recruit singers. This he did by visiting pubs and clubs, schools and workplaces and touting on the careworn streets. He was met with much reluctance and suspicion - it seemed no-one could sing or cared to try. Eventually his persistence paid off, he sipped tea with the old ladies, he downed pints with the cynics, he boxed with the lads and skipped in the playgrounds. He got them singing, pop classics at first and eventually, to their own amazement, they were covering multiple harmony pieces in Latin - and loving it.

What moved and amazed me so much was how a simple thing like singing together enabled real friendships to form. Families were re-united, lonely folks had something to come out for. There was a communal pride and unity that transformed this shabby hopeless town. Singing put them on the map and gave them a shared focus almost akin to wartime spirit.

This simple idea changed people's life, changed their thinking, their priorities. He found hidden voices in the most unlikely places, he created leaders and carers, he encouraged new skills and renovated lost ones. He rejuvenated a whole generation of tired senior citizens. The hugs and kisses, the confidential chats, the teasing, the blushing ... it all paid off.

One of the highlights of the show was when it was decided that they record a promo CD. They did this in the famous Abbey Road studios in London - all 250 of them. When it was mixed down and played back there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Then they heard themselves on local radio, relayed in the normally deserted High Street, they whooped with delight.

Finally, Gareth, this unpretentious, music master turned star, helped them to organise a festival on the park. They had a giant concert stage under giant rain clouds but in the end the day was a big success and they sang to a crowd of 6,000 neighbours.

If the Government could find their way to fund other projects like this then the Health, Social and Crime budgets could be decimated I'm certain.

Cheers Jilly.