BLISS has come to spy on a rehearsal of Rock Choir, one of the
country's fastest-growing show choirs. Created in 2005 by Caroline Redman
Lusher, Rock Choir now has over 5,000 members in the UK and is becoming a phenomenon.
They recently signed a four album record deal with Universal (the same label as
Rihanna and Cheryl Cole), which is being released this year, and have performed
at music festivals and even at Disneyland Paris. Wow!
About 100 teenagers filter into the room, all dressed in
black, with their cute Rock Choir T-shirts featuring the groups gold star logo.
Choir leader Tom is not your typical music teacher. He makes the sessions
really fun, with all the bubbling enthusiasm and inspiration of Glee’s Will
Schuester. Warm-ups consist of singing ‘frothy cup of coffee and a piece of
cake" as fast as possible, and soon the whole room is rocking out to
Robbie Williams' Let Me Entertain You, complete with salsa-style choreography. Fifteen-year
old Lucy secretly joined the choir three years ago. She doesn’t look like your
average choir kid, with her skinny jeans and kohl eyeliner. "I was too
scared to join the choir at my school," she blushes. “I didn’t think I was
good enough. So when I started coming to Rock Choir I just didn’t tell anyone.
My friends eventually found out when we were all in class one day messing
around, singing Build Me Up Buttercup, and I started doing harmonies. My
friends just stopped and were like, ‘Er, where did you learn that? so I had to
'fess up. But when I told them about Rock Choir, they wanted to join up
too!"
CONFIDENCE BOOST
"Obviously Glee is much more fantastical than Rock
Choir," explains 15-year-old," Becca, who admits that her mates
reckon she’s a lookalike for New Directions resident diva, Rachel Berry.
"In a choir this big you can't just go, ‘I'll pick up this harmony’, and
the dance routines on the show are obviously so professional. But in terms of
being a place where everyone feels they can fit in and giving you loads of
confidence, then it’s really similar to the club in Glee. The main thing about
Rock Choir is that it’s for everyone, They give solos to people who don’t necessarily
think they're that amazing, and it’s a real confidence boost."
Caroline says she was inspired to start Rock Choir after
helping some of her A-level students "l discovered that a lot ofthe kids I
was teaching couldn't read music, so we ended up with them round the piano
going through my kind of music - rock, pop and Motown," she says.
"Five years later, there were 170 students gathered around the piano at lunchtimes
and I thought this could be a business There are no scary auditions for Rock
Choir and you don’t have to be able to read music. Everyone can join"
THE GLEE EFFECT
"Ever since Glee has been on television, loads of my friends
want to join Rock Choir,” Becca tells us. "We’ve started an a cappella
choir at school, which just used to be about five of us. Then Glee started and
its just been growing and growing. It's cool to sing now."
Hannah, 17, agrees. “When I tell my mates I’m in a choir
they pull a face, but when you explain what you actually do, they think it
sounds really good," she says. "Glee does the same sort of thing. It
shows that choirs don’t always have to be church-related.”’ And not only has
Rock Choir given Hannah the opportunity to discover she has a great voice, it's
also given her loads of confidence. "I had no idea I could sing,“ she
admits. “I thought I was absolutely awful. Then I started coming to Rock Choir
four years ago and now I often sing solos in front of big crowds. I’ve come so
far and it’s really helped me to be confident in other areas, too"
In fact, Hannah loves performing so much that she even wants
to pursue it as a career! “Eventually I'd love to perform on stage in the West End," she smiles. "I’ve had so many opportunities
just from turning up to these rehearsals, its been really good" So next
time you flop on the sofa in front of the telly to veg out and watch Glee,
maybe you should think about getting out there and doing it for real? You might
just meet a load of amazing new friends, boost your confidence sky-high and
discover a talent you never knew you had!
