Frequently Asked Questions

What is SC Choirs?
Singing Community of Choirs is a choral organisation and charity which provides regular, weekly rehearsals across five choirs, ranging in age from 4 through to adult. In our younger choirs we cover as many as 30 schools via our membership.
We also provide educational workshops and outreach projects, working with school staff and pupils to raise the profile and positive impact of singing.

Why choose us over other choirs?
SCC is a warm, welcoming organisation and cater for such a wide age range! We are a family-friendly community in so many ways:  in may cases, 2 or 3 members of the same family come to our choirs. Our family of choirs not only get to perform as individual choirs but also all together! Our Music Team is second to none, providing music leadership that really raises the bar in a fun, approachable way.

Why sing in a choir?
Choral singing is the original “performing art,” and offers an educational growth experience that challenges, develops, and rewards the body, mind, and spirit. Besides teaching new skills, choral training offers an intersection of new friends, cultures, languages, teamwork, discipline, coordination, stamina, self-confidence and respect. Finally, being in a choir is a lot of fun - singing and performing with others is a unique experience! 

How often are rehearsals?

All rehearsals are once a week during term time, and vary from 45 minutes to 1.75 hours depending on the choir. Sometimes there are extra ones in the elad up to, or on the day of a concert. Please see the choir schedule for this information - this is emailed out, handed out and is also on the website.

What do you teach?
We teach a very wide range of music styles via both by ear and via musical notation. Our younger choirs all learn how to pitch well through ragular use of solfege Kodaly methods.

The training we give through our choir setting actually protects your voice, since it teaches good vocal habits. In fun ways we teach and remind everyone about good posture, breathing and excellent tone at every rehearsal.

How is SCC different from a school choir?
We are a source of positivity and friendships outside school - crucial for a child who may be going through some turbulent times in school or elsewhere. For many, meeting to make music with students from other schools and areas ends up being a highlight of the child's week, and over time, a much loved and valued second family. 
Our choirs provide an extension to any school choir through the training we give, the friends you will make and the many venues we perform in!

Do we have to live in Sutton Coldfield to join?
No - if you can get to rehearsals and you're happy to commit, then you're very welcome!
How many concerts are there?
There is generally at least one concert per school term, often two with the older choirs, depending on the time of year. Depending on the age of the choir, we perform in various churches and concert halls throughout the local area.  More experienced choirs get the opportunity to compete both nationally and internationally to

What is the commitment?
We like members to commit until the end of the year. It's crucial that we don't have people coming and going if we are to keep our standards high. This is a team effort and music-making is one of the best ways of developing teamwork.
Please let us know in writing in good time if there is an unavoidable rehearsal absence. We generally expect everyone to attend performances, but we do understand that sometimes there may be a clash. Again, please let us know in writing, as soon as a concert date is released. This avoids sudden unexpected absences before a concert!

What if my child what's to give up?
We ask that all parents discuss this with one of the team before making a decision. Sometimes children and young people go through phases of not wanting to come, but we ask that you, as parents, support us in encouraging your child to keep in the race.
Dropping out mid-way through the year sends an unfortunate message about commitment and also deprives them of reaching the finish line - the performances that the whole team work so hard for - and is unfair on the rest of the choir.

Can we attend a rehearsal before we make a decision to join?
Absolutely. Send an email to enquiry@scchoirs.org.uk and arrange to attend a rehearsal (available at the conductor’s discretion). If you are considering joining SCC, we also highly recommend you attend one of our concerts so you can experience first-hand the quality of the choral music we produce.