July 2025

Some weeks ago we looked into how singing in a choir could help us to psychologically feel better within ourselves and improve our sense of wellbeing. This week we are going to delve into the physiological side of the argument; coming hand in hand with mental wellbeing, our physical health can be hugely impacted by singing in a choir, so here are just some of the benefits. Firstly, whilst “Exercise is one of the few activities in life that is indisputably good for us,” Daniel H. Pink tells us in his book, “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.” “Choral singing might be the new exercise.” It is thought that the practice of singing can increase your lung capacity, regulate your heart beat and increase the rate of release of endorphins (happy hormones). Research undertaken by Cardiff University even uncovered a secret within singing that could improve symptoms of lung cancer and Parkinson’s. A Music Professor Brenville Hancox “established, Skylarks, a choir aimed at people with Parkinson’s Disease. One of the participants in the choir explained how his voice had been strengthened, despite receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s five years earlier. Reasons for the improvement have been suggested as deep breathing and the extended use of the vocal chords.” Add all these impressive health benefits to those psychological benefits we discussed previously and singing in a choir sounds like a fantastic idea! You can give it a try at a free trial rehearsal or contact us with any queries.

Sources: CNBC, CMUSE, The Telegraph 

Background reading: City Academy, BBC iWonder

If you’d have said the word ‘choir’ a few years ago, you’d expect eye-rolling or a glaze to fog up people’s eyes but in the last decade, choirs have taken on a very different tone (no pun intended). In the last ten years, Choirs have become cool.

Instead of focusing strictly on gospel affair, there’s been a swell of interest in choirs catering to more modern tastes, like Bigmouth Chorus and en Choir in Whitstable, covering rock, pop and soul songs with the power and versatility of a choir. It’s estimated that about 2.8 MILLION Brits have joined a choir, no doubt inspired by the shift in focus from classic music to more accessible genres. In fact, it’s not even unheard of for choir acts to find their way onto TV talent shows such as X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent.

Until this recent resurgence, many were put off by the idea of frilly shirts and religious themes but as the door to the choral world opens, the fun side is on show. Gone are the formalities of traditional choirs (jeans and t-shirts are fine) and hymns (rock, pop and soul are the order of business). Singing in a group creates a kind of euphoric high, especially when you love the music being sung. It’s almost impossible to come along to a Bigmouth rehearsal and not find at least one song you love, and with an ever-growing list of songs arranged by our fearless leader Emily Peasgood, it’s only a matter of time before your favourite song gets the choral treatment.

This sharing of songs we love is a massive part of the community aspect of choirs. It’s the same kind of joy we find when we send songs to a friend and find out they love it too. Sometimes, singing in a group changes our opinion of songs, giving us a strong, positive memory attached to them.

Singing in a choir helps us tap into those skills we cherished so much as children, it encourages our sense of creativity, as well as bringing us together with like-minded people. A major reason people are joining is the sense of community. Joining a community choir is an easy way to meet and share interests with dozens of people, as well as developing a fun and highly sought-after talent.

We’ll go more into some of the benefits of a choir in the next few weeks, as we get ready for our new term.

No, not until Christmas Day! There’s 34 days until the most festive party of them all! That’s right, we are in full preparation for our Friends and Family Charity Concert in aid of Oasis UK Domestic Abuse Service on 12th December. We like to raise the Christmas spirit with a few festive classics such as ‘Fairytale of New York‘ and ‘Carol of the Bells‘ plus much more at the same time as raising money for a great cause. Sound good? Come down for a free trial rehearsal on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 or contact us with any queries; all we ask is enthusiasm and there are strictly no auditions!

We’re back! With well rested throats and clear albeit chilly lungs, we roared back last night with an awesome rehearsal! This term will not only be a continuation of the fun and varying difficulty songs that we talked to you about in previous entries, but also it is the run up to our Christmas party so we will be learning and rehearsing some more festive tunes! If you’d like to give BIGMOUTH Chorus a try then feel free to pop along to a free trial rehearsal or contact us with any queries.

Last night was our last rehearsal for a little while as we take a break over school half term; and it was a rather brilliant one, even if we do say so ourselves. But never fear! We will be back in force, singing our lungs out in just two short weeks. If you’d like to give BIGMOUTH Chorus a go then please feel free to attend a free trial rehearsal…just not on Tuesday 24th October! We’ll be back on Tuesday 31st October so come on down or contact us with any enquiries.

We are really excited to announce that on 12th December we will be hosting a family and friends charity event at Dreamland, Margate! This fundraiser will be in aid of Oasis UK, a charity committed to aiding and improving the lives of those affected by domestic abuse. If you’d like to be part of the choir behind this event, feel free to pop down for a free trial rehearsal or contact us with any queries!

Have you heard? The official photos from the concert we featured in this year are now available for viewing! The awesome photographer, Ren Smith, did a marvellous job of capturing both the final rehearsal and the concert. So if you’d like to see a bit of what we do then please feel free to have a browse! If you’d like to come to a free trial session then you’re welcome to attend on a Tuesday evening at 7:30pm or contact us with any queries.

This week in a fantastic rehearsal we were learning ‘True Colours‘ as performed by Cyndi Lauper in 1986. We’ve also been tackling tongue twisters with the fun and fast paced ‘Rhythm of Life‘ by the talented Sammy Davis Jr. and as seen in Sweet Charity. Fancy trying these and many more songs? Come down to a free trial session on a Tuesday at 7:30pm or contacts us with any queries.

We are back in strength as we start our new year of rehearsals! We’ve already started cracking on two songs with, ‘True Colours’, ‘Hit the Road, Jack’ and ‘Only You’. Everyone seems really excited to be back and we are over the moon to tell you we’ve had lots of new and returning faces coming through the door! Would you like to give en Choir a try? Come on down to a free trial rehearsal or contact us with any queries.

At the end of last term we decided that choir members would choose every song we are singing this year and next by popular vote. After making a very long list of songs, the results are in! So far some of the highlights have been ‘California Dreamin‘ (The Mamas and The Papas) and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ (Queen) with over 20 votes each! The choir have decided to bring back some of last year’s songs that they enjoyed too much to say goodbye to such as ‘Hallelujah‘ (Leonard Cohen) and ‘The Lamb‘ (John Tavener); but we have also branched out to some new songs featuring artists such as ABBA, Sting and The Bangles. Fancy singing any of these great hits and many more? Come down for a free trial rehearsal on a Tuesday night at 7:30pm at the Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Our final rehearsal of the year was last night and it went with a blast! The choir sounded incredible and we’re set to go to Whitstable this Saturday to feature in en Choir’s annual summer concert along with the brilliant house band with Matt Hodge on percussion and Akos Hasznos on bass. Doors open at 19:00 this Saturday, 22 July and we hope to see you all there!

We are off to try a new venue this week! This upcoming Tuesday will mark our trial of the Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate. With a spacious function room at this lovely sea side venue, we are hoping to start a new chapter in BIGMOUTH History! Feel free to come on down for a free trial session or contact us with any queries.

Last week, we spoke about the origins of singing itself. While exploring how archaeology is uncovering the history of song, we also stumbled across the wonderful history of “Do Re Mi” or Solfège, a method of teaching music that many of us will remember.

While the sounds, Do Re Mi So La Fa Ti might seem like nonsense, they actually form a mnemonic device that has revolutionised the way we think about music. Continue reading ““Do Re Mi” – A History”

We speak a lot about the benefits of singing. Each week, we try and highlight an incredible way that expressing oneself through song can help the mind and body but within many of us, there is a still a little spark that says “you can’t sing.” This week, we look at the origins of singing in a bid to prove that singing is a deeply ingrained part of us all. Continue reading “The origins of singing”

Last week, we spoke about how exercise can help us develop as singers, this week we’re going to look at the other side, how singing can contribute to an exercise programme. Now, this isn’t to say you should ditch the gym membership and only come to choir. Singing, while great, can’t replace exercise but it does have proven physical benefits. Continue reading “Singing as Exercise”

As it’s the new year and many of us are getting back to the gym, it’s time for us to give you a bit of extra motivation. Exercise is more than about getting beach body ready, regular cardio workouts can improve your singing ability.

Cardio is short for cardiovascular, and refers to any activity that gets the heart rate up and keeps it there, forcing us to to take bigger breaths. By training our breathing, we are able to sing with more power and stamina, two hugely important components of a singer. Continue reading “Does exercise help you sing?”

It turns out choir practice may have even more health benefits than we first thought! In a fascinating study, it seems regular choir practice might even help boost the immune system of immunocompromised cancer patients.

Not only were there measurable reductions in stress hormones but patients involved in choir activities saw an increase in immune-related proteins and a reduction in inflammation-related proteins. This was measured directly after the singing session when the results were assumed to be strongest. Continue reading “Choir boosts your immune system”

There are dozens of reasons people avoid singing in public. Everyone has their own reasons but it seems like such a shame to let things stop people enjoying the joyous activity of singing. It might be something that happened in the past or it might be something entirely in the singers head but these reasons are incredibly telling, they reveal something immensely personal about ourselves. What is definite, however, is that each reason can be overcome. There’s is nothing that will stop someone singing if they are committed to the idea and have the support of a teacher and peers like you’d find in a choir.

So let’s look at these reasons and dig a little deeper, and try to find the reasons to sing anyway. Continue reading “Top Misconceptions About Choir”

As choir singers, it isn’t often we have to deal with equipment. We’re a big, loud group so amplification isn’t always needed, and if it is, it’s usually the whole ensemble who are miced up rather than the individual singers. However, if there’s one bit of musical gear everyone should be familiar with, it’s the Shure SM58 microphone.

The SM58 has been the go-to vocal mic for around fifty years, ever since it was first produced in 1966. Now it, and it’s instrument-minded sibling the SM57, are the best selling microphones in the world. The SM58 wasn’t originally intended for a live performance setting, the SM stands for “Studio Microphone”, indicating its destiny in the studio, replacing fragile ribbon mics which created many issues when recording or broadcasting. To combat these problems, the team at Shure developed the 565, the first microphone to use the ball shaped grille, now the standard shape for microphones. The 565 became iconic thanks to it’s handheld functionality, a rarity at the time, and saw extensive use during the original Woodstock Festival. However, with free-roaming capabilities, new problems of feedback and handling noise emerged.

The microphone is made of three main parts: the body which you hold, the microphone capsule where sounds are turned into electrical information, and the windscreen or head of the micro that you talk directly into.

In technical terms, the SM58 is a cardioid, dynamic microphone. This means two things. Firstly, the area it picks up best is roughly shaped like a heart (cardioid, as in cardio). This helps to reduce noise from the side and concentrates its effect directly in front of it. As with most cardioid microphones, a singer familiar with the mic can achieve a low-end boost by moving closer to the microphone, though this can also cause distortion.

Secondly, the SM58 is a dynamic microphone, which means it achieves its amplification through electro-magnetic induction. This is how a loudspeaker works, turning a magnet on and off to move a diaphragm, however a microphone reverses this, translating the movements of the diaphragm through a magnetic field into electrical current. This kind of microphone is very common as they are cheaper, resistant to moisture in the singers breath and durable enough for everyday use.

Most microphones use a form of suspension inside the head to reduce noise pickup as the microphone moves. Often, this is a series of springs or rubber bands around the capsule, however the SM58 stands out as it uses a rubber balloon. This keeps the capsule insulated from shock on all sides and allows the singer to move around a stage without fear of rumbling through the microphone. It also helps to filter plosive sounds, the hard “” or “K” syllables that can cut through an audience’s ears.

It can be tempting to hold the mic by the grille, just like rock musicians have done for years, but this actually changes the way the sound of your voice is picked up. Pacing your hand over the grille can muffle high notices and sometimes even boost mid-tones. For best sound, it’s advisable to hold the microphone about halfway down the body. This creates a nice balance in the hand without interfering with the cartridge and sound of your voice. It’s worth remembering, these musicians have spent years learning how to get the most out of these microphones – especially when they are as common as the SM58 – and often, they are subtly using their positioning on the mic to hide weak points of their voice.

There’s plenty of other microphones out in the world, not just the SM58, but chances are you’ll end up noticing one next time you’re onstage or in the toolkit of every sound engineer, so it’s well worth knowing a little bit about what you’re dealing with.