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What is a Community Song Group? |
The Community Song Group is a phenomenon that really developed in Scotland in the 1990s. Bringing people together who share a joy of singing, and who wish to combine this with a love of traditional song, seems a simple concept. Looking back, it is strange that it took so long to come about.
So what does a Community Song Group look like? It is a very adaptable concept with one common theme - bringing together people who want to sing. Some groups metamorphosed from evening classes, run by local authorities or other organisations, others arose spontaneously. Groups may be tutored by experienced singers and performers, or they may be led by individuals from within the group. The group may be open to anyone who wishes to attend, or they may have a maximum number of places and a waiting list. The group may sing just for pleasure, or may have an urge to go out and perform. Most groups will have tried all of these options at some time in their existence.
So what distinguishes a Community Song Group from a traditional choir?
Accessibility is important - many Song Groups have members who had never sung in front of others before, or who had always believed that they couldn't sing, despite having a desire to do so. Auditions are definitely not part of the experience; few adults who are not already confident would wish to put themselves forward in such a way, and many people would be denied the benefits of group membership.
Many people are put off by traditional opportunities for group singing because they cannot read music, and Song Groups encourage other methods of learning melodies and harmonies. This is not to say that group members do not work hard - they often have to, because they have no music theory to underpin what they are doing. But what excitement people get from discovering this innate ability!
And this is something recognised by professionals on the music scene. Without a strong layer of support from the grassroots, there is a danger that folk music will becomes something to listen to, rather than to perform. As a result, groups have never had problems finding tutors. Just look at the list of people who have tutored a single group (Sangschule) in recent years - Christine Kydd, Gordeanna McCulloch, Ann Neilson, Aileen Carr, Karine Polwart, Scott and Anne Murray - to name just a few.
So here we have a few simple concepts - availability; a welcoming attitude to all; learning styles based on feeling the music rather than on theoretical understanding; and, most important of all, enjoyment!
And when you get several such groups together, there is an amazing synergy. West Lothian has hosted several such events, with members of up to eight song groups, learning new songs and harmonies, sometimes in languages that none of us speaks - and we have found participants moved to tears of joy by the whole experience.
What this does mean is that for many people, singing with a Community Song Group becomes only one part of a much bigger journey through the world of music. In the decade or so that our local group, Sangschule, has been running, in excess of 150 people must have sung with us at different times, for a wide range of different and very personal reasons. Some have moved on in the world of traditional music - in our group alone over a dozen have increased or developed confidence to the point where they are now recognised as performers in their own right. Others have moved towards formal music, or have discovered instrumental music, or have simply revelled in the freedom that they have discovered in doing something they previously thought impossible.
Not bad, as a result of simply opening your mouth and singing!
A Sangschule service for the singers of Scotland.