The Workshop I Was Convinced Would Expose Me as a Terrible Singer |
...had surprises in store that I didn't expect! |
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Photo Credit: Cath Mundy from Mundy-Turner |
I'll admit it. As I walked into last weekend's Coochie Sings Chorale Workshop, I was carrying a small suitcase full of anxieties.
What if we had to sing solo?
What if someone pointed out that one note I always seem to miss?
What if my voice was the musical equivalent of a wheelie bin rolling down a hill?
You know the sort of thoughts.
I needn't have worried.
Not even a little.
What I experienced was the complete opposite of everything I feared.
Instead of judgement, there was encouragement.
Instead of pressure, there was laughter.
Instead of feeling exposed, there was the comforting discovery that everyone was there for exactly the same reason: to enjoy making music together.
And somewhere between the first tentative notes and the final harmonies, something rather magical happened.
The secret isn't actually singing.
It's belonging.
Cath Mundy OAM and Jay Turner OAM have a remarkable gift. They somehow manage to take a room full of people with wildly different levels of confidence and experience and create an environment where everyone feels capable.
Not because they're lowering the standard.
Because they're raising the people.
As one participant said:
Another described the experience as:
And perhaps my favourite description came from someone who tried to explain what happens when the harmonies finally lock together:
Actually, I do know right. Because that's exactly what happened.
A Room Full of Ordinary People Creating Something ExtraordinaryOne of the surprises was discovering just how many people arrived carrying the same fears.
People who hadn't sung publicly before.
People convinced they couldn't sing.
People who thought they'd spend the day quietly blending into the background.
Yet by the end of the workshop, something had shifted.
The room sounded better.
People stood taller.
There were more smiles.
More conversations.
More connection.
It's difficult to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it, but there is something uniquely uplifting about being part of a group creating music together.
Not performing.
Creating.
For a few hours, nobody was worrying about emails, shopping lists, deadlines, social media, world events, ferry timetables or whether they'd remembered to put the bins out.
We were simply present.
And these days, that's quite a gift.
Cath and Jay's SuperpowerI've attended a lot of workshops over the years, on many different topics. From Incident Management to Spiritual Development...
Cath and Jay would have to be among the most skilled facilitators I've encountered.
They make the process feel effortless while quietly achieving something rather extraordinary.
Somehow they transform a room full of strangers into a choir.
Somehow they help people discover confidence they didn't know they had.
And somehow they do it while maintaining everyone's dignity and making the whole experience feel fun.
No pressure.
No embarrassment.
No being dragged into an unwanted solo performance.
Just encouragement, guidance and a lot of laughter.
The Good News? We're Doing It AgainThe even better news is that Coochie Sings returns on Saturday 9 August, and if the enthusiasm from last weekend is anything to go by, tickets may not hang around for long.
Whether you've sung your whole life, sing exclusively in the shower, or are currently convinced you can't sing at all, you're welcome.
In fact, those who think they can't sing may be the ones who get the biggest surprise.
Coochie Sings – A Choral Workshop with Mundy–Turner OAM
If you're curious, take a moment to watch what participants had to say after the last workshop.
You might notice something interesting.
Almost nobody talks about singing.
They talk about how it made them feel.
And perhaps that's the real magic.
🎟 Tickets are on sale now. Would you like to join us?
If last weekend taught us anything, it's that sometimes the best experiences are the ones we nearly talked ourselves out of attending. |
