‘Singing together in unison is so uplifting’
After discovering the joy of singing with others, Hannah Willis started a choir when she moved to a country village
Igrew up in a big family and have fond memories of my mum, who was raised in Germany, gathering me and my five siblings around her piano and singing German melodies. didn’t sing much for years, until 2017, when I joined a choir where I lived with my family in Watford. I wasn’t confident at first, but encouragement from the choir leader, Susan, gave me courage. She taught me that anyone can sing when they put their mind to it. Everyone in the choir was affirming and encouraging. There was never any judgement about your skills.
My husband, John, and I moved to Norfolk in July 2019. Moving from the buzz of being close to London to a village was a big transition and I decided to capture the same nurturing feeling I’d felt singing in Watford, by forming a choir.
I began teaching at a new school and we found a church to attend. When we invited neighbours over for mince pies and wine at Christmas, one of them also expressed an interest in being in a choir. That spurred me on and I put up a notice on the community board to gauge interest. Soon, other women got in touch to say they’d also like to join.
The first session, in January 2020 in the church, was daunting. I feared no one would turn up and I worried about striking a balance between being a helpful guide while not being bossy. However, I soon learned that success was really all about how the choir enriched people’s lives, and it certainly did that. Singing all together in unison is so uplifting.
Choir practice provided a safe place for people to flourish and grow in confidence with their singing. I truly believe that anyone who can speak can sing. Many of the people in our choir joined saying,
I believe that anyone who can speak can sing
‘I love to sing, but I can’t.’ Usually because someone else had shut their voice down through discouragement.
During lockdown, we discovered there was only so much singing we could do over Zoom. So, once lockdown rules eased, a group of six of us would meet on the local green to sing outdoors. By September 2021, more of us got together and started singing in the local hall. We’d collect neighbours and chat as we strolled the short walk to the hall. Once in the hall, we’d sing with gusto. We chose Gospel songs, which are full of soul and passion. With everyone relaxed and singing in harmony, the feeling was electric.
Outside of the group, singing has become a big part of my life, too. One evening, I dreamed about someone who stole songs. I wrote it all down and developed the idea into a book called Archie And The Song-snatcher, named after my eldest grandchild. It was published last December, which was so exciting.
In June 2022, the choir had its first public performance for our village celebrations during The Queen’s Jubilee. Everyone was so nervous but afterwards we were all thrilled and I felt incredibly proud of those who’d overcome their fears to perform publicly.
Not only is singing great for the lungs and good for keeping active, but doing it with others really helps with mental wellbeing. One woman has told me how the choir gave her purpose and uplifted her after she lost her husband. Another confided that before joining the choir, she suffered with anxiety, but she’s now found comfort in new friendships and finds joy in singing each week.
I might, of course, have bumped into these women at the supermarket or in the village, but if it wasn’t for our choir, we may not have formed such a strong sense of friendship and belonging.