Ailsa's Blog: Meet Our Members: Carole
Unlike many in the choir I have no background in classical music or choral singing and have come to this much later in life!
My childhood, though, was filled with music but of the 'popular' variety! My mum loved listening to, what she called, good singers or anything with a good tune. There was always music playing in our house, something that I continue with today, and still anything with a good tune that I can sing along to! I hear so many songs that bring back so many happy memories, of my childhood, my children's childhood and beyond. It's amazing how music can instantly take you back to a place and time.
My first introduction to classical music was not until I was about thirteen or fourteen when a new music teacher joined our school. She is really my musical hero as she opened up new experiences for me. She persuaded me to sing in the choir (an alto at that time!) and also to take part in a production of Trial by Jury (I wanted to just help out, but she got me singing!). She taught us musical theory and I passed my grade five theory even though I didn't play an instrument, and I started to write three part harmony even though I had no idea what it sounded like! We also did ballroom dancing in our lunch break, pushing back all the desks in her classroom to make room. And sometimes we would just sit in her classroom on a rainy day listening to classical music. Thank you Miss Trewartha!
I've always been a frustrated musician but never had the opportunity to learn an instrument, except for the recorder, or sing in a 'proper' choir. So, when I moved to Seaford in 2018 it was something I was keen to address. My friend, Gill, had also just moved here so we went to the summer concerts of a couple of choirs and decided to join SCS. My partner, Allan, plays piano so I checked out my singing range and googled the results which said I was the exact range for a tenor! So in September 2018 I turned up at the first rehearsal never having sung in an SATB choir, never having sung as a tenor, and never having sung in Latin! After the first rehearsal I was ready to give up as it was all a bit much. But, with the help of Allan I persevered and am so glad I did. There's usually a moment in a rehearsal not long before the concert when everything starts to come together and it all sounds so beautiful that I get choked up and can't sing. It's just an amazing thing to sing with seventy or eighty others and produce a wonderful sound. The first time I sang the Hallelujah Chorus at a concert I was in tears by the end! How lucky am I to be able to sing with such an amazing group of people and a wonderful conductor!
