Sing Again Community Choir
Free your voice and learn to sing in harmony by ear, with an inclusive, fun and encouraging group!
Are you unsatisfied with singing alone in the car?
Do you miss singing in community (but not a formal choir)?
Would you rather learn to follow your ear than sheet music?
Re-ignite your passion for singing!
Free your voice and creative expression in a safe and supportive, informal group
Sing uplifting songs from the 60’s to today, call & response, world music
Learn to harmonize by ear, and “wing it”. No experience necessary
Explore your range, move around the room and try different parts
Accompanied by ukulele and sometimes bass, piano and percussion
What is harmony?
Pete Seeger once said “harmony is any note you sing that’s different from your neighbour’s”. It’s the sound of two or more notes sung simultaneously (like a chord played on the piano), and it’s my ”raison d’etre” - my greatest joy! The melody of a song is the familiar tune, and a harmony is a higher or lower part, generally following the shape of the melody. Our choir is a diverse mix, from beginners to experienced singers, and not everyone will want to learn to sing a harmony part; this works out well because, without melody singers, there would be no harmony!
Check out this fun video of us creating harmonies on “Let It Be” at The MAC this summer (harmony can make you laugh and cry)!
Sing Again is now in two locations:
Parksville (McMillan Arts Centre)
and
Nanaimo (First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo)
Check out both - they are going to be different!
Sing Again in Parksville:
Four Sessions in September, at the McMillan Arts Centre, Thursdays, 3:30-5pm. Everyone is welcome with no commitment needed - just show up and sing for the joy of it! We’ll learn one featured song per session, plus some fun rounds, world music, call & response, and a little improvisation!
Here are the dates and featured songs:
Sept. 7: “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves (see my video)
Sept. 14: “Rise Up” by the Parachute Club (see my two videos)
Sept.21: “For What It’s Worth” (Stop, Children, What’s that Sound…) by Buffalo Springfield
Sept. 28: “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz (with Sylvia’s humorous lyrics)
I’ll BE AWAY OCTOBER 1-14 for my Community Choir Leadership Training in Victoria, to become part of the Ubuntu Choir Network!
Then, we’ll start our 10-week “Sing Again Christmas” program - with a mix of Christmas songs old and new, and fun “Ubuntu” songs.
Cost*: $20 to drop in, or $16/session when you join the Christmas program.
Payment*:
Preferred payment is cash/ cheque, or E-transfer to sylvia@sylviahumble.ca.
If you wish to pay by credit card, email me and I’ll send you an invoice.
*DISCLAIMER: By paying, you acknowledge that some choir sessions will be recorded on video, and clips will be shared on social media and/or YouTube, to share the joy of singing in harmony. If you’re not comfortable with this, you can stay off camera.
Questions?
Please email me at sylvia@sylviahumble.ca
Sing Again is a choir where every voice has a place, and you can be yourself and enjoy singing with others who share the love of singing, without worrying about getting the notes exactly right… and maybe take some risks and get creative! This is what I call community!
Check out my YouTube channel for more harmony videos and tutorials, and community singalong moments!
This is an audio recording I made for Dynamite. For every song, I make separate recordings for the harmonies, to help you learn by ear.
Sing Again in Nanaimo:
The Nanaimo group will be a little different than my Parksville group, with more “Ubuntu” repertoire, while the Parksville group will shift to a mix of Christmas repertoire in October, for some community Christmas caroling.
We’ll sing a mix of uplifting songs from pop to “Ubuntu”-style songs: call and response, layering songs, rounds, and world music!
All voices are welcome, from experienced harmony singers, to those who need some encouragement to share their voice. This is community singing!
Where? Unitarian Fellowship, 595 Townsite Road, Nanaimo
When?
Monday, September 25, 2-3:30 pm - OPEN HOUSE - try Sing Again, and see if you love it! (By donation, this session only)
(I’M AWAY OCTOBER 1-14 for Ubuntu Community Choir Leadership Training)
October 16 - December 18: Sing Again every Monday for 10 weeks: Mondays, 2 - 3:30pm
Cost:
$20 to drop in, or save on 5 sessions for $80
Become a member for all 10 weeks for $160, with the option to attend the Parksville Christmas sessions any time you wish
Late joiners will get a pro-rated membership price for the remainder of the season.
Payment*:
Preferred payment is cash/ cheque, or E-transfer to sylvia@sylviahumble.ca.
If you wish to pay by credit card, email me and I’ll send you an invoice.
*DISCLAIMER: By paying, you acknowledge that some choir sessions will be recorded on video, and clips will be shared on social media and/or YouTube, to share the joy of singing in harmony. If you’re not comfortable with this, you can stay off camera.
Questions?
Please email me at sylvia@sylviahumble.ca
Sing Again This Christmas (10 weeks)
Parksville: McMillan Arts Centre, Thursdays 3:30 - 5pm
From mid-October to just before Christmas, We’ll sing a mix of traditional and modern Christmas songs, and non-Christmas songs, and prepare for some community Christmas singalong events in December (and potentially some care-home and door-to-door carolling)! Check out my YouTube playlist of Christmas songs we recorded at the MAC last year! This year we’re adding “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway and “All I Want This Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, in among the more traditional carols! We’re also bringing back “Hallelujah” which some of you will remember singing with me in early 2022.
Drop-in Cost*: $20 per session (drop-ins end Nov. 9)
Membership Cost: $160 for all 10 weeks
If this is prohibitive, please email me; energy exchanges (trades) can sometimes work.
Members can come to both Parksville and Nanaimo groups! (Nanaimo is more “Ubuntu” and less Christmas-focussed). Mixing it up a bit will enrich our community!
Late joiners will get a pro-rated price for the remainder of the season.
After Nov. 9, the Parksville group will be members-only with no more drop-ins, so that we can really gel and prepare for a Christmas singalong event (we may be on stage but it’s not a performance, it’s a singalong)!
Payment**:
To register, please send payment by E-transfer to sylvia@sylviahumble.ca.
Then, email me and let me know which location you plan to attend.
If you wish to pay by credit card, email me and I’ll send you an invoice.
**DISCLAIMER: By paying, you acknowledge that some choir sessions will be recorded on video, and clips will be shared on social media and/or YouTube, to share the joy of singing in harmony. If you’re not comfortable with this, you can stay off camera.
Questions? Please email me at sylvia@sylviahumble.ca
Why become a member?
Sing Again is not your average choir; there are no auditions, it’s not judgy and we don’t follow sheet music. You’ll never be pidgeon-holed into an assigned part - you can explore your range, move around the room, and try different parts for different songs. It’s all about creative self-expression and sharing the joy of singing in harmony!
Over the course of 10 weeks, we’ll create some great-sounding harmonies (and melodies, if harmony is not your thing), hone our listening and harmonizing skills, and gel as a group. We’ll also get to know each other and where our voices fit in the group. The experience of singing together gets sweeter the more we connect in song and community spirit!
We’ll have a core set of songs we get to know well and potentially sing at some community events and random flash-mobs, but we’ll also sing some call-and-response and layering songs just for fun, and do some freestyle harmonizing, with lots of opportunity to develop your ear for harmony, experiment, and improvise. Sing Again isn’t about perfection; it’s about being ourselves, being willing to make mistakes, laughing, and growing in confidence and self-expression!
As a member of Sing Again, you’ll have access to a private members page where you’ll find our choir session logs, plans, and song recordings with separate tracks for the melody and harmony parts, to help you learn to sing in harmony by ear (or even just learn the melody). At our sessions, we’ll form groups that sing in the same range, which many people find keeps them on track. I encourage people to explore different parts / ranges depending on the day, or what they’d like to sing on a particular song - it’s all about freedom to play and explore.
You’ll get comfortable with the group, the songs, and your voice. The more we sing the songs, the more magical sound and connection we create!
Satisfied Singers:
“I am amazed...I felt like I freed up part of myself that had been blocked all my life. I am so happy to have found a voice inside me and let it come out more. Sylvia made me feel like it is ok to sing; in fact it is important. She gave me confidence…”
— Denise, Nanoose Bay, BC
“I missed singing with others so much after two kids and a pandemic scuppered my time as a chorister. Sylvia created a super friendly and warm atmosphere for us all to reconnect with the joy of singing together. She made us feel supported and safe. We had fun together and it was a beautiful experience! I highly encourage anyone else with rusty pipes and a love for harmony to spend some time in the singing community being built by the talented Sylvia at Sing Again.”
— Katie, Nanoose Bay, BC
Rob, Nanoose Bay, BC
Kieran, Nanaimo, BC
Shirley, Nanoose Bay, BC
Dunley, Parksville, BC
Sean, Parksville, BC
Jenny, Parksville, BC
Merrien, Nanoose Bay, BC
Mary, Nanoose Bay, BC