My friend has always maintained that she can’t sing so I was surprised when she told me that she had joined a choir.
“How come they accepted you?” I asked.
“Ah, well, it’s a special choir” she answered “it’s called the Can’t Sing Choir. It’s for people who think they can’t sing.”
The leader of the choir is adamant that everyone can sing. Some will have more aptitude than others but nobody should exclude themselves by refusing to attempt it for fear of failure. You may not be the best singer in the choir but that should never be seen as a failing: quite the opposite, in fact. If you think you can’t sing but you make a point of overcoming your inhibitions and trying your best you will experience something that you would otherwise have missed – the sheer joy and pleasure of singing. You will also be able to claim a personal triumph: you will be able to say “I did it! I sang in a choir! I made a dream come true!”
Many of us have lost our sense of play, of doing things for the fun of it. We are constrained by fears; the fear of being derided by our peers; the fear of not being successful in everything we attempt. Such fears inhibit our actions and exclude us from adventures. My friend was fearless: she may not be a great singer but she is a great person. She was prepared to dive in and have a go, to ‘risk’ failure. Her action set her free from constraints, free from preconceptions and free to indulge in something she had previously only dreamed about. It doesn’t matter that you’re not the best singer in the choir: what matters is that you are prepared to try, to become a player – and to make it fun.
You might also like
A message from our founder, Jane Kenyon: Anyone who thinks running a not for profit or charity is somehow less stressful or challenging than a commercial operation has obviously never done it or had the benefit of serious financial start-up capital or many wealthy donors! My resilience is tested every day. Growing a business where […]
Read more
We’ve all heard the jokes and the sarcastic comments about lazy teenagers who can’t get out of bed: but it’s time we faced up to the facts of the matter. Scientific studies repeatedly conclude that teenagers are not wilfully lazy – they are simply bio-rhythmically challenged. Our bodies release melatonin to help us sleep but […]
Read more
We were delighted to see an article in the Oldham Chronicle about a few of our ex Little Sisters, Ellie and Dione picking up the mantle to continue our work in their school, after our contract expired. Girls at Oldham Oasis Academy decided to establish a student-led mentoring scheme where Year 10 girls support year […]
Read more
GROWING UP A GIRL IN THE UK – NO THANKS! I feel compelled to put pen to paper about our girls this week. Over the past month the press have gone into meltdown over several new research reports highlighting the challenges of growing up a girl in the UK. Clearly as a teen girl champion […]
Read more
Our Founder Jane shares her wish list for 2018 2018 is welcomed in by the media as the Year of the Woman? I thought that was a permanent state of affairs, however I have decided to embrace this with positivity and grace as opposed to feeling patronised and somewhat bemused! In my opinion, there is […]
Read more
My friend has always maintained that she can’t sing so I was surprised when she told me that she had joined a choir. “How come they accepted you?” I asked. “Ah, well, it’s a special choir” she answered “it’s called the Can’t Sing Choir. It’s for people who think they can’t sing.” The leader of […]
Read more