With Winter just around the corner, the dreaded cold and flu season isn’t far behind. These bugs can wreak havoc with our voices and it’s important to know how to handle them.

Firstly, if you have a cold – DON’T SING. Your voice needs time to rest, trying to sing before it’s had that time to recover will only put them through unwarranted stress. Before trying to sing, make sure you try these tips to help your voice recover.

1. Drink LOTS of water It’s that advice again! In all seriousness, many illnesses can cause the body to hold less water, so making sure you get those fluids in your system is even more important than usual. Normally, we wouldn’t suggest ice water as the cold can shock your vocal cords, however, ice water can help reduce swelling. If you fancy mixing it up even more, a bit of lemon juice can give you a good shot of vitamin C to speed up your recovery. The remedy most singers swear by is hot water, honey and lemon. Evidence suggests that honey has a protective effect against up to 60 kinds of germ and its thick texture helps soothe the throat, curbing irritation and reduce coughing which can tear the throat. It’s also a lot nicer than just plain old water. Additionally, the sugars in honey are helpful in fueling your body, especially if you don’t feel like swallowing – Lucozade was actually developed originally for people who were unwell and need that energy.

Pineapple or Grapefruit juice are also good if lemon doesn’t agree with you.

Back again with her taste for music and a hectic lifestyle, our choir leader Emily Peasgood is returning to POW! Thanet again this year with a new piece; she said: “VOICE100 is a project I am developing to celebrate girls and women, 100 years since women were first granted the right to vote. My team and I are looking for 100 children and adults of any gender to contribute words or phrases that celebrate girls, women and equality…We are keen to visit youth clubs, scout and guide groups, residential homes and schools to undertake recordings. We are also looking to interview elderly people who have memories of family members that were involved in the suffragette movement.” BIGMOUTH chorus are also taking part in this project so if you’d like to come and see us then click here for more information or contact us with any queries.

As part of Bigmouth Chorus, not only are we all fantastic singers but we also possess another marvellous talent. We are masters of a fantastic musical instrument: the kazoo!
In formal terms, the kazoo is a membranophone, an instrument with a membrane which vibrates producing a distinctive tone. Unlike most instruments, you don’t blow into a kazoo, instead you hum into it and a sheet of wax paper acts like a reed, providing a raspy buzz. The kazoo may have been invented around 1840 by an American named Alabama Vest, however this story comes from the Kaminsky International Kazoo Quartet, a group of kazoo players known for their humour, which casts some doubt on the story. Similar devices certainly existed in Africa for hundreds of years, using hide instead of wax paper, though the first patent for a kazoo-like device belongs to Simon Seller, who submitted a toy trumpet design which used the paper reed found in today’s kazoos. Warren Herbert Frost, another American inventor, later patented a true kazoo in 1883. While his instrument used the name “Kazoo” and featured that iconic aperture atop the kazoo, it lacked that streamlined boat shape of modern kazoos. This came about in 1902, thanks to the patent of George D. Smith. This was also the first kazoo made of metal. Several factories sprung up, producing kazoos, with one factory now used as The Kazoo Factory and Museum and produces kazoos in almost the exact same way as it did over 100 years ago. The kazoo became popular quickly, heralded as the most democratic instrument, in that anyone could pick it up and play almost right away. The kazoo first appeared on a recording in 1921, on the Original Dixieland Jazz Band’s recording of “Crazy Blues” though the sound is perhaps a little lower in pitch than we are familiar with.

Throughout the 20s, the kazoo enjoyed a degree of popularity in mainstream music. The Mound City Blue Blowers were one of the most famous band to utilise the kazoo on records, as well as The Mills Brothers, best known as a vocal group, who began as a kazoo ensemble. However, the heyday was not to last and the kazoo became relegated to vaudeville comedy acts for some time. Bold musicians were known to turn to the kazoo though. The Beatles recruited the kazoo for “Lovely Rita” on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band, Pink Floyd featured a kazoo on “Jugband Blues”, the last track Syd Barret appeared on, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience used the instrument on Crosstown Traffic, arguably not just one of the finest kazoo-laden tracks, but one of Hendrix’s finest songs. Barbara Stewart might well be known as the world’s greatest kazooist, starting out as a classically trained singer before moving on to form a quartet called “Kazoophony.” She would also lead the Guinness World Record for Largest Kazoo Ensemble, featuring 5,190 participants and was achieved as part of “Big Red Nose Show” (UK) at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, on 14 March 2011.

These days, the kazoo gets it’s due respect thanks to initiatives such as Kazoo Day, celebrated this year on January 29th, though if you ask us, Kazoo Day can be any day.

BIGMOUTH Chorus rehearse at St Peter’s Hall, Broadstairs on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm-9.30pm on these dates.

Full address: St Peter’s Hall, Hopeville Avenue, Broadstairs, CT10 2TR.

• The hall that we use is the larger one, situated opposite the Co-op, with the entrance near the corner of Church Street and Hopeville Avenue.

Free Parking

There is some free on-street parking in Hopeville Avenue, and a large, free car park on the right hand side of Hopeville Avenue, behind the Co-op’s car park.

There are designated parking spaces for disabled people in Hopeville Avenue, not far from the hall entrance.

Parking near St Peter’s Hall – Parkopedia map

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We all know that the voice we’re born with isn’t the same at the end of our life. The human voice is a marvellous thing that undergoes radical change throughout the years, most obviously in the case of teenage boys when the voice becomes deeper, taking on a more adult characteristic. However, this isn’t the only change, it’s just the most dramatic. Below are a few more ways the voice can shift. Continue reading “Vocal Changes Throughout Life”

Message from Sue:

Dear Fellow Choir Members, We have come a long way since we started up our choir and have achieved some great music making and good camaraderie, all due to Emily’s leadership, musicianship and zany ways, which have kept us upbeat. So, now she needs some time to pursue the other side to her career and we wish her well, whilst giving her enormous thanks for all of her hard work. We owe it to her to keep the choir vibrant and moving forward. It was fortunate that Andrew came to the choir a year ago ready to take over whilst Emily had her operation. Some of you will know that I have sung in another choir under Andrew’s direction for about 6 years and knew of his vast experience, but more importantly, his skill and ability to develop a choir. It has given us the chance to get used to him and for Andrew to get to know us and our ways. So, the ‘change’ should be seamless and our future will be one that Emily would approve of, making her continuing connection with us a positive one.

I hope that you will put your trust in me to look after the choir and in Andrew to develop us as a group of people who enjoy singing.

Adding to our ever mounting entourage of repertoire, we have recently started learning Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Everyone has been really getting into this song and it’s sounding great! Sound like something you would like to try? Come down for a free trial rehearsal or contact us with any enquiries.

BigMouth Chorus is a friendly and innovative non-audition singing group in Thanet for anyone aged 14 and over who loves to sing.  You don’t need experience to take part and don’t even need to think you can sing!  Our role is to support you in believing you can while having a great time. Get in touch if you or someone you know would like to join a fantastic and fun choir.

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.

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.

She, of course, being our ever-striving, ever-smiling, practically effervescent choir leader, Emily Peasgood; who only last night presented members of the public with VOICE100! This piece, commissioned by POW! Thanet was designed to celebrate 100 years since women were granted the vote. POW! Thanet say, “Featuring the recorded voices of 100 children and adults who share their experiences, this powerful and provocative artwork is at the very heart of POW!” In addition to this installation, we along with many members of our sister choir en Choir sung an anthem which we were incredibly proud to be a part of. This sort of happening just goes to show that the power of women, to this day, continues to grow.