Sara Jackson
By day a civil servant, by night, a barbershop ninja
I am super proud to be one of the founder members of this chorus. I don’t have a professional musical background (unless you count O Level Music in 1985) but have always been a very enthusiastic amateur.
At school I sang in choirs and madrigal groups, and played in orchestras. At college, I joined the choir and also helped start another smaller group that focussed on more challenging, multi-part music. When I came back home, I wanted to find something that was a bit more interesting to me than a constant round of Oratorios and Messiahs that many classical choirs cover. By chance, I discovered barbershop and was very quickly hooked.
So why do I love it so much? I find it educationally challenging and stimulating. I love the emphasis on communication with an audience. I love the team work – you can’t do this on your own. It’s about bringing people together to create something wholly magnificent that is much greater than the sum of its parts. I particularly love the national, and international, community that comes with it. I now have friends across the country, and in other countries, that I would have common ground with and be able to sing something with really easily. It’s just fabulous.
There are so many mental and physical benefits that come with singing in this chorus – I could write reams and reams but I know the web designer will have her editing pen out already. Many have said they ‘joined for the music and stayed for the friendship’. Couldn’t agree more.
Sara Jackson
