Sing Your Heart Out

In the beautiful surroundings of the Old Finsbury Town Hall in Islington, a group of strangers stand around a grand piano singing show tunes.

We are encouraged to kick during One from A Chorus Line.

‘How does it feel?’ calls Idit Gold, the teacher.

‘Lovely.’ sighs the Irish man next to me.

This was the first taster class of Singing in London, an open access singing class in which all levels can take part.

I tend to sing only once a year – Christmas carols in church. I know absolutely nothing about singing.

‘Who can do harmony? Who’s a soprano?’ asks Idit. The Irish man next to me suggests that I am a mezzo soprano.

‘Am I singing in tune?’ I asked him.

‘Sounds ok to me.’

We sing Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, I Won’t Send Roses from Mack & Mabel, and songs from Fiddler on the Roof and Les Miserables.

The group sings together, practising every week. There is also a class in Highgate. As you progress you can start to sing solo. ‘Once they start to sing solo, you can’t get them to stop,’ remarks Idit wryly. The material tends to be musicals, great for someone like me, who has the musical taste of a gay man. Liza, Judy, Barbra, bring it on!

Singing, according to writer Bruce Chatwin in The Songlines, was probably the first attempt at speech in humans.

There has been a recent survey which demonstrates that singing is good for your physical and mental health. Amazingly, according to Wikipedia, humans are the only animals that live on the ground and sing.

To join Singing in London’s Islington class on Wednesdays, go to their website www.singinginlondon.com. There is a monthly fee between £23 and £38 depending on your circumstances, so it works out to be less than £10 a class.