Helen – Tenor

Hi, I’m Helen and I’ve been singing Tenor with Three Crown Sound for three years. At the time I joined, I wasn’t intending on staying. My sister, Rachel, and I saw some clips from the Humber Harmony Chorus on Facebook and both thought they sounded good – nothing like I expected, although to be fair, I don’t really know what I did expect!

When I saw that a female barbershop choir was also starting up, I thought I’d join my sister in trying it out for free. The only problem was the fact that the rehearsal nights were Tuesdays, and I was already committed to those nights with Hull Musical Theatre Company, with whom I’d been for over 9 years. However, it was August, HMTC were having a summer break and when I heard the clip from the very first rehearsal online  (Holdin’ Out For A Hero) my sister and I agreed to try it the second week.

We were both nervous (which is probably why we went along together), and there were a lot of women at that second rehearsal. Everyone was welcoming, however, and we soon felt glad to have made the effort. The best thing about that first night was the feeling of achievement and euphoria I had when we left. My sister and I couldn’t believe how much we enjoyed it. In fact, the only problem I had was that I had to make a decision, and it was quite a dilemma for me, but in the end I stayed with barbershop and took a break from the musical theatre – ideally, I’d do both, but rehearsal nights clash and my love for barbershop/a cappella singing is bigger than I could have imagined.

I think the fact that we usually learn a “tag” each week helps, too. Tags are the last section of a song, maybe 8 bars or so in length. They are usually the most dramatic part of the song – which we sometimes take advantage of!

The way in which Jack, our MD, teaches us is very encouraging, which always helps. He’s able to tell us when we’re going wrong without making us feel silly for doing so, and often uses humour to help us along. If it wasn’t for his enthusiasm, knowledge, and skill in dealing with all the different levels of musical ability that we have, it wouldn’t be as enjoyable.

Of the songs we’ve learned so far, my favourites are Hero (especially since that was the first one we learned and performed in public), If I Can Dream, Lean on Me, All I Have to Do is Dream,  The Way We Were, The Sound of Silence and Hey Soul Sister. One of the songs that I’d most like to sing in barbershop style is Music by John Miles. I’ve seen a male barbershop version of it online, but I’d absolutely love for us to have a go.

It’s so good to be singing in person together again – although despite the hatred I have for all things Zoom, we did learn a few new songs that way – and a couple of those I really like – Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Under the Boardwalk, Bohemian Rhapsody and Lazy Day.

I get so much pleasure from singing, and no matter what frame of mind I’m in, if I go to a rehearsal, I leave feeling better. I’m looking forward to being able to join forces with the male chorus to sing again, too – we’ve sung with them at each concert we’ve done, and it just adds another dimension to the sound. They are also really supportive of us!

I’ve made new friends, giggled uncontrollably at times  – particularly with my sister and Emi (sorry, Jack), developed some confidence in my singing and as we progress, I’d love to be part of an octet with some of the men from Humber Harmony!

I would urge anyone who loves singing (especially in harmony) to try us out – we welcome everyone and can guarantee you will enjoy the experience – whether you decide to stay or not!

If Helen convinced you to come give it a go, have a look at our Joining Us page or send us an email at threecrownsound@gmail.com. We are also hosting a Come and Sing course in September, for more information have a look at our events page.