6 reasons to join a choir, according to Meg Bignell’s new book

If you’ve been searching for a new hobby, we’ve got two suggestions:

1. Read The Angry Women’s Choir by Meg Bignell.
2. Once you’re feeling inspired to sing for yourself, join a choir.

As the book’s title suggests, The Angry Women’s Choir centres around Freycinet Barnes as she joins a group of unstoppable women who channel their love, anger, and friendship through the power of song.

The novel opens with Freycinet feeling bland, drab, and unsatisfied with the direction her life is headed. When a wild accident leads her straight into the arms of some fiery songstresses, Freycinet discovers that life can be both crazy and beautiful.

As the plot twists and turns, our protagonist has to come face-to-face with some unfortunate realities, but all along the way, her crew of choristers provide her with a steady support system.

Reading the book will leave you with hundreds of reasons to join a choir yourself, but we’ve pulled out a few of the most prominent benefits of choir singing displayed in the book. Keep reading to find out why joining a choir just might be the best life-changing decision you could make, and scroll on to find several local choirs you can join.

You’ll be belting your heart out in no time!

Reasons to join a choir, based on the book

1. Choirs are a great place to make new friends: When Freycinet first watched the choir perform, she was awestruck by their power. The women quickly welcomed her into their group, however, giving her an entirely new set of friends outside of her immediate social circles.
2. It will make you more tenacious: According to the choir leader in the book, strengthening your diaphragm, ‘helps to sustain tenacity.’ Throughout the novel, the women in the choir display extreme tenacity, empowered by their love of singing.
3. It will make you feel good: One of the major characters in the novel, Kyrie says ‘singing is the best medicine I know.’ And she’s right – studies suggest that choir singing can stimulate the immune response, helping you to stay healthy.  
4. You meet people you wouldn’t normally meet otherwise: When Freycinet first sees the West Moonah Woman’s Choir rehearse, she can’t help but realise the wide spread of women involved. From a young academic, to ballgown-wearing murderess, to an ethereal choir director, a shared interest brought unlikely acquaintances together. The same is true in most choirs, where a shared passion for singing brings together vocalists of all ages and backgrounds.
5. A choir can be a support network: Throughout the novel, several characters experience hardship. Whether those hardships take the form of marital problems or terminal illness, the choir nevertheless acts as a support network during tough times.
6. Doing an activity you love can give you a sense of purpose: At the beginning of the novel, Freycinet feels lost and bored in her day-to-day life. When she first comes across the choir, she feels revitalised, excited and inspired – all feelings that had been on the backburner. Once Freycinet joins the choir, she feels like it was the missing piece to the puzzle and is far more fulfilled than before.

If all of this sounds pretty good to you, perhaps it's worth looking into joining a local choir. Here are just a few of the many amazing choirs across Australia. Even if you're not quite ready to join, the book might inspire you to check out an upcoming concert. 

Find a choir near you

Interstate

• Hummingsong Community Choirs, various locations in NSW and Melbourne (Women's Choir)

Choirs in NSW

• Sydney Philharmonia, Sydney
• Newcastle Chamber Choir, Newcastle
• Central Coast Chorale Inc, Central Coast

Choirs in VIC

• Beyond the Bathroom, Melbourne
• Melbourne Contemporary Choir, Melbourne
• Geelong Harmony, Geelong (Women's Choir)

Choirs in QLD

• Brisbane City Sounds, Brisbane
• The Blenders, Gold Coast (Men's Choir)
• Soul Song, Cairns

Choirs in WA

• Perth Harmony Chorus, Perth (Women's Choir)
• Circle of Friends Women's Community Choir, Joondalup (Women's Choir)

Choirs in SA

• High Spirits Harmony, Adelaide (Women's Choir)

Choirs in NT

• Darwin Chorale, Darwin

Choirs in ACT

• Pop Up Choir, Canberra

Choirs in Tasmania

• Choir of High Hopes, Hobart

Want more? Check out a Q&A with Meg Bignell, the book's author.