As the world is asked to social distance and self-isolate due to the coronavirus pandemic, you might rightly assume that social events will grind to a halt, too. Your weekend Parkrun? Not socially distant enough. How about church? Slightly too close to other humans, unfortunately.
But that hasn't stopped choir leader James Sills who, when faced with the possibility of not being able to get his own choirs together in person to practice, took it upon himself to come up with a rather creative alternative, instead.
That creative alternative came in the form of a movement that's far wider reaching than his regular choir practices. That's right: James launched the 'Sofa Singers', a choir that gathers online on a video conferencing call and invites people of all ages, shapes and sizes from all over the world to join, too.
Asking humans to come together and connect through the medium of music, anyone can take part—from the comfort of their own home.
If you're keen to join in, it's as simple as popping 7.30pm on a Tuesday evening in your diary and getting in touch with Sills to book a spot in the weekly sing-a-long. He'll send you a link to log in, with 500 digital spaces currently offered free of charge.
All Sills asks is for you to "sing as if no one is listening.. because they won’t be!", and to "share the final performance with other people", to spread a little bit of the joy you'll feel partaking.
This week, the choir met for their first ever 'rehearsal' or video call, and spent 45-minutes belting out Ben E. King's Stand By Me and Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars. Vitally, they didn't break any of the new rules about social gatherings, as the whole thing was conducted online, without unnecessary human contact. It's seriously heartwarming to watch—a little like the current kindness campaign sweeping the globe.
"I was so moved by seeing the neighbourhood singing in Italy and wondered if we could recreate that spirit with an online choir," Sills said to Positive News. "And so the idea for The Sofa Singers was born. I guess it’s a bit of an experiment. But it will be amazing to have hundreds of people joining me for a simultaneous singalong."
It was overwhelmingly well received, with one happy participant, Lou Baxter, taking to Twitter to share: "Just spent a lovely 45 minutes singing online with The Sofa Singers and 400 other people from around the world! Still smiling and really looking forward to joining again next week.”
If you're starting to wonder what to do with your time inside, we've got just the thing for you: a guide to how to stay fit and healthy during self isolation and ten best books to buy right now. Or, keen to take part in the digital choir? It's as simple as heading to thesofasingers.net and jamessillsmusic.co.uk.
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