Alvin M. Keeling 
Then the North York Moors Tuneless Choir might be just the thing for you.
The choir, which will meet in the hall of Pickering Methodist Church, is the brainchild of Nadine Cooper, who was told by a school music teacher in her home village of Cottingham, East Yorkshire: ” Please stop singing, you’re spoiling it for everyone else!’
“I missed singing a lot after that, until I came up with the idea of a voiceless choir,” admitted Nadine.
“Singing releases endorphins – the brain’s feel-good chemicals. And singing in a choir has been shown to have an even greater effect on reducing anxiety and depression and improving life satisfaction.”
Even if you can’t, well – sing?
Yes, insists Nadine.
She first started a Tuneless choir in 2016, while living in Nottingham. She moved back to Yorkshire a year ago, to live in Lastingham – but found she missed the choir.
“It exceeded all my expectations, every session was so uplifting!” she says. “We haven’t done any serious gigs, but we’ve been invited to perform at all sorts of events, even getting free passes to music festivals. Everyone seems to love our enthusiastic ‘singing like if no one was listening’. the same buzz we do!
It will be great to have a melody-free choir in Pickering, she said. “People have been so excited about this idea, so we’re going to have a brilliant choir, full of people who don’t take themselves too seriously and are ready to laugh.”
The North York Moors Tuneless Choir will be conducted by Clare Haynes, who has lived in Spaunton for 24 years – and is actually a musician. She has sung and conducted several local choirs and in shows at Pickering’s Kirk Theatre, and currently directs Moorland Voices.
“I’m thrilled Clare has agreed to lead the choir,” Nadine said. “It’s so important that a person knows what they’re doing!”
Clare said she was keen to encourage everyone, no matter how melodious, to sing in a choir. “It’s so beneficial – and if you haven’t done it in years, you might not even realize what you’ve been missing out on!” she says.
The choir will hold its first session at Pickering Methodist Church from 7:15-9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 – you have been warned. It will then meet twice a month, usually but not always on the first and third Wednesdays, starting at 8 p.m.
The plan is for the choir to weave its way through classic pop songs, including Queen, Abba and The Beatles, and with repertoire ranging from Nancy Sinatra to Oasis.
Unsurprisingly, there will be no auditions. “We welcome anyone who would like to sing,” Clare said. “There will be no applause for hitting the right notes, and certainly no solos!”
For more information, visit www.tunelesschoir.com/nym or the choir’s Facebook page.
