Do you love a good old singalong? When you sing in the kitchen or car, who is it for? Is it a performance because you’re a great singer? No – it’s for your SELF – it’s uplifting and freeing. There’s nobody judging you and it lets off a whole bag of steam!

WHY YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A GREAT SINGER FOR SINGING TO BE GREAT FOR YOU:

Singing on our own is great, but there is a wealth of research showing that singing in groups brings myriad physical and mental health benefits: from improving heart rate, blood pressure, immune system, pain & stress management, breathing & lung health, depression & anxiety, to aiding sleep, boosting our general mood and increasing our sense of connection and belonging. And the best part is that being a ‘good singer’ is not a prerequisite for being able to reap these benefits!

WHY I SET UP SING FOR YOUR SELF:

Having been a singer in various choirs and a band since my early teens, the benefits of singing have long been my friend, but a few years ago I started to form the idea of community singing groups for fun and wellbeing, rather than for performance or perfection. In conversations others had said to me that they would love to join a choir but… for various reasons they felt they couldn’t or shouldn’t. Some would say they think they can’t sing, they can’t read music or they don’t like performing. Others that they can’t make a weekly time commitment or that they worried their health issues may get in the way, etc. The reasons people would give all made me feel that I could do something to plug that gap for them. Knowing from my own experiences the huge benefits singing can bring, I wanted to share that with others. So, harnessing my 25 years of experience as a school teacher and a singer, I set up Sing for your Self - an inclusive group setting where people could come to sing popular songs, without pressure, judgement or expectation, no matter what they thought of their own singing ability.

OUR SINGING SESSIONS:

With enthusiasm and a warm welcome, my aim at “Sing for your Self” is always to create an atmosphere of inclusion, trust and friendship where everyone can relax, sing confidently and leave the session feeling uplifted and happy! After a warm-up, where we leave behind the stresses of the outside world and our daily lives, we sing along to well-known songs from across the decades, from ‘60s right through to modern day. We learn one song more thoroughly each week, pausing to go through any tricky bits, and then we just enjoy singing them out! Our sessions bring together men and women, young and old and provide some great laughs.

After our daytime sessions we enjoy some refreshments together, bringing some much-missed social contact into the day as well. Our FAQs page has more information for you about how our sessions run.

If you haven’t tried us out yet, I really do hope to welcome you to a Sing for your Self session soon to help you discover the joy of singing with others without judgement!