FAQs

No, we do not provide sheet music for our arrangements. Learning by ear creates a level playing field for all members. Sheet music can sometimes create divisions, with those who can sight-read being perceived as "better musicians" than those who cannot—though this is not necessarily true. Those less confident with sight-reading can also find complex syncopated rhythms confusing. Reading sheet music actually increases the time it takes to learn, as it adds an extra step between the eyes and brain. In contrast, learning by ear and by rote allows for a more direct and intuitive approach, focusing on imitation and developing a stronger musical memory. Most pop and soul music is learned this way, and over the course of approximately three months per term, we find this to be the most effective method for mastering parts. Our leaders do use sheet music to ensure consistency across all sessions. This means that no matter which session someone attends, they will receive accurate and consistent instruction. Many of our visually inclined learners print copies of the lyrics, and some make notes on melodies and harmonies as they go. However, we always encourage members to trust the process of learning by ear, with lyrics used sparingly—mainly during section run-throughs or full-song rehearsals. Learning by rote often involves repeating small sections multiple times, which helps commit them to memory more quickly. While this may feel unfamiliar at first, we have seen thousands of singers successfully adapt to this approach over the years. Ultimately, it leads to a stronger performance, as we always perform off-book at events. It does become easier with time. We say all this as highly experienced sight-readers ourselves. Sight-reading is most useful when you need to perform material quickly without truly learning it, such as in professional recording sessions. However, in rehearsals, we advocate for a deeper and more musical learning process that takes place over weeks and months. Sight-readers often do not retain the information long-term, which is not ideal when preparing for performances that require us to be off-book. We hope this helps explain why we do not provide sheet music.

Once you have signed up, you can cancel or change your plan from your profile (go to my profile/billing once you’ve logged in) at anytime - even in advance of your renewal - so any changes are reflected on your next renewal date. We send you a reminder one week before your renewal date but we recommend you set a reminder in your diary as well so you can make the best decision with enough time. We always offer a cooling off period of 14 days too so in the worst case that you renew by accident and do not intend to continue with choir then we will always refund or help you choose a different plan if applicable. Check out our early cancellation policy in our membership terms in the footer of this website too.

No. We use facebook to host our livestreamed rehearsals in order to membership costs down for members. Choosing another platform would involve fees which we don't want to have to pass on to members. If you don't use facebook we recommend setting up an account dedicated for this use only. You do not need to add friends or any personal details other than for log in purposes and if you choose not to use your own name, please let us know which name so we can allow you access when you join the facebook Home Sing group.

No! Contrary to belief, singing is simply the ability to use a combination of your voice muscles (vocal folds) and ears to reproduce melodic and rhythmic sounds. If you have minimal singing experience then it is completely natural to feel insecure about using your voice - we highly recommend purchasing our Community Singer Course which will introduce you to all the basics you need to start your singing journey. Simply sign up for either our free community membership or any other memberships (if you haven't already) and purchase from the dashboard. Please let us know how you got on!

As a free or subscribing member you can click on the WORKSHOPS badge from your member's dashboard. This will take you to the dedicated workshop page where you can book tickets and make a note of the dates in your calendar.

From the dashboard, click on the teal Community Singer badge to buy the add-on. This will be added to your account. Depending on your browser settings, you may need to log out and back in again to see the changes.

Yes. Simply upgrade to a FREE TASTER membership from your Community dashboard. Log out, and log back in again to affect the changes. Once you have signed up for a FREE TASTER membership, you can attend one free session before deciding which paid membership plan suits you best.

No. The Free Community Membership is a platform to help you discover opportunities to sing like workshops or performances and develop your skills by purchasing The Community Singer Course. If you want to attend live sessions then please upgrade to a FREETASTER membership from your dashboard.

No, the joy of choir is the chorusing of voices, many sound much better than one in our opinion. Occasionally we do have small solo opportunities within arrangements to mix up the textures and anyone can audition for these by sending us a recording using their phone once we’ve been learning it for a few weeks. We’ve had so many members who vowed never to sing a solo who now put themselves forward all the time. We also have members who have been with us for years who still have no interest in doing solos, it’s entirely up to you!

Absolutely! UK Soul Choirs is as much about friendship as it is about singing and great friendships have been made at all our branches. We have a private members facebook group for London and for Kent, so members can chat and get to know each other between rehearsals. We encourage people to get to know one another in person too and often go for a local post-rehearsal drink. Everyone is very friendly so even if you come to choir by yourself you wont be left alone. We also have social secretaries in each of our 3 choir areas who organise at least one termly social event which everyone is invited to attend. This can be anything from a dinner or a party through to a coach trip or a theatre show. Our social secretaries are great at finding fun things that appeal to all our members and we have had many brilliant events!

If you can commit to our choir annually then we get to spend more time arranging great songs and organising exciting gigs - and less time administrating you! We are more than happy to pass on the saving to you, the more you can commit, the better the saving. We also want to reward a higher level of commitment from members because we know that people get so much more if they create a sustainable routine of singing in their day to day.

We offer a drop-in style in-person membership - if you can't make your usual home choir then you can drop in to any other session that week so you don't have to miss out. If you are away for the whole week then our monday night rehearsals will be livestreamed and archived on our exclusive facebook group UK Soul CHoirs - HOME SING so you don't fall behind.

Ideally we prefer members to learn everything by ear during rehearsals but we understand this is scary at first, so you can use lyrics whilst you're getting to grips with the words. Usually lyrics can be found on google on your phone if needed or always via the members resources area. As a member you have full access to learning resources on the website. Here you can find recordings for each song with individual voice parts, plus 'full parts' so you can practise singing along and sticking to your part at home. It's not obligatory to practise between sessions but we know that those that do find rehearsals and performances easier and more rewarding. Our recordings can be downloaded so you can listen to them as and when you like - in the car is always a good one!

All of our choirs are partnered with at least one other choir running in the nearby area (usually 10-15mins away by car) but on a different night. For example, Tunbridge Wells Choir runs on a Monday evening and Tonbridge Choir runs on a Wednesday eve. This gives members the opportunity to attend either or both choirs as and when they need to - for example, you have a one off engagement but don't want to miss out on the learning, or your shift patterns change from month to month. You do not need to let anyone know, just turn up. The same material is learnt across all our sessions every week for consistency and progression. You are also not limited to the nominated partner choir, for example, you could drop into one of our London choirs before commuting back to Kent.

There are several options for members if you can't make your usual rehearsal. Firstly, you can just go along to a different rehearsal that week and join there instead - they will be learning the same song at a similar pace. If you can't make any in person rehearsal you have the option of logging in to our private facebook group to watch a video of the Monday evening rehearsal that week (or watch it live) so you can catch up anytime on any weeks you miss. As a member you will also have full learning resources with recordings of everything we are learning in choir so you can certainly keep up to date by practising from these resources at home.

Each of our 3 terms work towards at least one end of term performance in each of our 3 main areas (SE London, Kent (Whitstable and Canterbury) and Medway (Maidstone and Rochester). This usually includes a ticketed evening concert raising funds for charity, when friends and family can come and enjoy the work you have put in all term. These concerts are not obligatory but we do encourage members to take part - even in their first term - as they really build confidence and are brilliant fun! We also regularly do local public events too such as community fairs and events etc or even busking for charity! We have been involved in many high end performances such as the main stage at On Blackheath Festival and Dreamland Margate and also performed alongside major artist such as Jocelyn Brown and Lemar. As well as the main choir, we sometimes audition for our smaller chamber choir to perform at concerts and we also have a professional arm of the choir for more experienced members where we perform at weddings and corporate / private events. We dedicate the summer term to outdoor and popup performances at community events and local festivals.

We don't have any uniform at UK Soul Choirs so you are welcome to dress however you like for rehearsals. We recommend something loose and comfortable so you feel relaxed when you sing. For performances we ask everyone to dress in black and purple (without patterns) as these are our choir colours, but this can be as smart casual or as glam as you like. We also always encourage a bit of sparkle!

In most cases the leader will get a good idea of your natural voice part by listening to your talking voice but if you haven’t sung much before or it’s been a while you will find your range has decreased, usually putting you in the altos rather than sopranos (as a female voice). As an alto, when your voice strengthens you may find you will move into the sopranos which might be better suited to your voice. If you have a male voice, you will be sat with the tenors but don’t worry if you don’t have a high male voice, most of our parts sit in a baritone range between bass and tenor, always with options on the high notes!

This will vary between people but as the voice is made up of a series muscles, the more frequently you work on it by listening and practicing, the easier it will become. Be patient, most people start feeling more vocal confidence after the first or second term. Remember, our membership includes dropping in at any rehearsal each week, and since we practice the same material across our sessions, you can dive in for as much choir as you want!

Arrive 5-10mins before the session start and introduce yourself to the leader who will probably be near the piano at the front. They will help find you a seat by asking you a few questions about your voice and introduce you to some people in your part.

A year. It is still an Annual plan but by paying monthly you still get a saving for your commitment and the membership is split into manageable monthly payments. If you sign up for this plan then you are still committed for a year. However, if you wish to cancel within this term, you can revert to a FLEXI Monthly plan (what you would have been on for flexibility - and pay an early cancellation fee worked out as follows; Months with us @ £40 minus fees already paid. We have since introduced a 4 month get out clause where if you have paid for 4 months (approximately the equivalent of a term), you can cancel with no other fees.

Once you have paid and registered as a member, you will be sent an email to confirm and you will be redirected to the members page. You will have access to the choir resources from there.

We do not offer refunds unless something has been charged in error. We have Pay As You Go plans for those who are not yet sure if they want to commit for a year, so if you are unsure, choose one of those (monthly or termly) and you can upgrade to an Annual plan whenever you want, should you want to. Please refer to our membership policy on our website footer for our cancellations policy on Annual Plans.

Yes we do, we offer the following concessions, if you fall under one of these categories then apply CONC30 as a discount code on annual one off membership or CONC30MONTH for annual monthly payments. This will reduce your membership by £30. Concessions are only applicable to Annual Memberships and Annual Pay Monthly Memberships. You are limited to one concessions discount per membership. We can only operate concessions on a trust basis so please consider not using the code if you don’t need to so we can prioritise those that do. We reserve the right to withdraw our concessions policy if misapplied. Please check the following concessions definitions to see if it applies to you: Senior/Retired - If you are officially retired or aged 66 or over. Family - It’s a family affair! For those who have a spouse or family member also paying choir membership (including any multiple household members). This should be applied to all family members. I.e mother/daughter, spouses, long-term partners. Unemployed - For those who are receiving jobseekers allowance, or the self-employed going through a difficult patch, no questions asked. Students - Students in full-time or part-time education. Registered Disabled - If you have a registered disability and receive benefits or a blue badge for example. NHS and emergency services workers. A small thank you for the work you have done over the last few years and continuing forwards.

No. Unlike some other choirs, we believe that your membership should include the core tools to learn the repertoire we teach. And so all learning resources are included in your membership and fully accessible through your member's area using your registered email address to login!

Absolutely not! Whilst we welcome experienced singers who become an integral part of choir makeup, we also thrive on nurturing untapped ability which we believe 99.99% of people have. The voice is a muscle that needs training and your ear is a sensor that needs training. If you’re keen then anyone can do it! Check out our testimonials from current members!

No, we introduce all the material in the session and if you are on a Free Taster in the middle of a term then whilst there may be some songs others have learnt, there will always be new material for you to try in the session. If you don't manage to join at the beginning of a term then catchup is made easier for you, as,when you sing through songs, others who have already learnt them will have more confidence around you.

No. Unfortunately we don't have the facilities or support team to manage payments weekly at sessions. We offer PAYG monthly and termly for those that want the option of a shorter commitment although we recommend the annual memberships for the best savings! We also believe that in order to get the most out of choir, a degree of commitment is necessary. We also run a workshop series if you are looking for one-off events.

No. All payments are handled through the website using Stripe's secure card payments. We no longer accept cash or cheque or accept payment through BACs.