Awful singers in Leeds and nearby areas will soon have an outlet for their not so smooth voices as a new and unusual choir hits the area.
Horsforth resident Katie Whitham has set up North Leeds Tuneless Choir, so she can warble good songs badly with others who can’t hit all the right notes but really want to ‘sing like no one is listening’. Katie heard about Tuneless Choir through a magazine article and the idea behind it immediately resonated with her, Katie Whitham said:
“I love to sing along with popular songs but often find I get strange looks or grimaces from people as I’m doing so. As a young child in junior school, I remember the teacher telling me there was no need to shout when we were doing an assembly rehearsal and that I needed to sing a little quieter. This did confuse me at the time as I knew I wasn’t shouting. It was only later in life that I realised this was their way of telling me I was making an awful noise that others didn’t want to hear!
“I have learnt over the years to mime when singing in public so as not to draw attention to myself or embarrass people I’m with. I used to see my mum doing this when I was a child and I always wondered why she wasn’t singing – being tuneless obviously runs in the family.”
Katie Whitham has recruited a musical but very tolerant choir leader, Yeadon resident Hannah Dickinson, who is looking forward to sharing her love of music and singing with the tuneless of Leeds. Hannah said:
“Singing gets our endorphins flowing, which are known as the happy hormones. So, as well as reducing stress it can help with anxiety and depression. It’s even been shown to help boost the immune system. With so much bad news and worrying events in the world, we all need something to cheer us and make us smile, a Tuneless Choir can do just that.”
North Leeds Tuneless Choir will launch on Tuesday 14th March 2023 and will then run every second and fourth Tuesday evening of each month, at the Grove Centre on New Street in Horsforth. There are already around thirty Tuneless Choirs across the country and Katie and Hannah hope the new North Leeds one will attract lots of tuneless individuals who will benefit from the feel good factor and joy that singing can provide – whatever it sounds like.
Anyone who finds themselves lacking the ability, practice or confidence to sing in tune is welcome at North Leeds Tuneless Choir, you can never be too bad for a Tuneless Choir.
More information and tickets for the launch event can be found at www.tunelesschoir.com
