I have always loved to sing, and was in a choir all through high school, plus I performed in several school musicals.Post schooling, my singing efforts tended to be restricted to karaoke events and concerts.But in 2022 after The Husband and I had gone white water rafting in Far North Queensland, I was lamenting to my 21-year-old son how I felt I didn't have enough adrenaline rushes in my current life.“Go back to performing Mum '' my wise little old soul suggested. [Side note: He has acted and performed in various ways including school bands / musicals / drama schools since he was 5 years old, so he knows a thing or two about performance rush].I took his words to heart, and then dragged The Husband under the guise of Date Day to Pop Choir at the Bar , which is a Sunday afternoon session where members of the Choir and anyone interested in joining, gather together to share a drink or two and learn a song.Short story: we were hooked and decided to join in the regular weekly sessions at the Murrumbeena [now Oakleigh] group. Pop Choir holds weekly sessions in 4 locations across Southeast Melbourne.
The husband and I and a few of our Pop Choir mates performing at the Pillars of Light Festival, Federation Square, Melbourne December 2023.[/caption]Fast forward 21 months, and here are just a few of the highlights of being in this choir: [BTW the words in orange are links that will take you directly to the video/ article referred to]
- Going viral on TikTok for our 20 second clip singing Radiohead’s Creep. As at the date of writing this blog, the clip had amassed over 11 million views; and that is not taking into account the countless memes that have been created from the clip.
- Becoming subsequent media darlings that saw us featured in (amongst other outlets) The Age, Today Extra, ABC Radio and The Project.
- Release of our first, professionally recorded single, Windows with Smiles: which has the double bonus of a professionally crafted video as well as raising funds for the Lighthouse Foundation which aims to end youth homelessness.
- On the 25th of November 2023, 350 of us performed with a live band and professional solo artists on stage at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda. Note: This is the same stage that my musical idol, The Boss (ie Bruce Springsteen), as well as a couple of others you might have heard of [Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Ed Sheeran] have previously performed. #lifegoals
- Two flash mobs, one in Mornington in December 22 and one in Fed Square in April 23.
- 9 performances at the Festival of Voices in Hobart in June 2023 - kicked off with an impromptu airport lounge performance, that you can check out here.
- Pillars of Light Festival at Fed Square.
- Half-time entertainment at a WNBL Boomers game.
Musing of a workplace culture nerd.If you are new to my blogging, you may be surprised to learn that I am a self-professed workplace culture tragic.Which means I inevitably, and often subconsciously, compare ‘things’ I am passionate about to examples of exceptional high-performance culture.Example A: I wrote an eBook and a shorter/summarised White Paper called What’s Culture got to do with it? A look into Carlton’s season turnaround in the eyes of a workplace culture (and Carlton) tragic. Example B: This blog, where I am pondering the question of whether the ingredients of a successful community choir are common to the ingredients of high performance / exceptional workplace culture *.
Ok, so what are the ingredients of a successful choir?
From my observations over the last 21 months, I would summarise the commonalities between a successful community choir AND exceptional workplace culture as follows:
- Teamwork
There’s no I in teams.You’ve no doubt heard this before; and as is the case with many generalisations, there is a reason why this generalisation exists.And when we are talking about the key ingredients of exceptional culture, teams are one of the top three ingredients necessary for success.Because it is teams working together that ultimately deliver results.What does a successful team look like? You can read this blog T is for Teams for a longer answer to this question.
In summary though, the paramount ingredient is trust. Without trust, there will never be a successful team.
One of the best things about being in a choir is trust. I don’t have to be solely responsible for how well a song is performed - I can trust that my choir mates will hold the tune when/if I can’t.If I forget the words (or sing a mondegreen ie incorrect lyric) it doesn’t matter, because I’m only one small voice who won’t be heard.BTW yes, hands up, I’m guilty of this. Exhibit A - Jack and Diane. I believed for 20 plus years a line in the song was “...does his bear exchange scene”. Why? Who knows. The actual words are “does his best James Dean’. [caption id="attachment_3815" align="alignnone" width="470"]
Pre-Flash Mob at Federation Square.[/caption]2. CommunicationAs I mentioned, Teamwork is one of the top three crucial ingredients of exceptional culture.Want to know another one?Yep, it’s communication. What I often refer to as my favourite child of culture.Each and every time I have conducted a cultural health check, facilitated focus groups around engagement, or even when I conduct investigations into inappropriate workplace behaviour, I find that communication is ALWAYS something that can or MUST be improved.Always.In Pop Choir, communication is delivered in many different ways, which (deliberate or otherwise) is a nod to the fact that people receive messages best in different ways.This includes:
- Oral and visual clues about how to sing the songs at weekly singing sessions and performance rehearsals.
- Lyrics are provided and marked according to which part you sing (ie part 1, 2 or 3)
- All parts are separately recorded with backing music and loaded onto both a member's webpage and a shared Dropbox.
- We are sent regular, clear emails.
- And there is a judgement free Facebook group where information is shared, questions are asked and answered, and videos are posted so we can see and hear our progress in the weekly sessions. Plus, more informal chats occur which helps build a sense of community.
Oh, and our Pop Choir founders and leaders, Shaz and Daz, are always available if we need to ask questions that the above hasn’t answered.Tick, tick tick for communication!3. Connection and belongingHumans need connection.Maslow laid it out way back when in his hierarchy of needs; and if there was one positive thing that being endlessly locked down in our homes during 2020-21 taught us, it was that this fact is very, very true.Belonging in a workplace culture context is defined as “An employee's sense that their uniqueness is accepted and even treasured by their organization and colleagues.” [Great Place to Work]And infamously, belonging is described this way:
“Diversity is being invited to the party;Inclusion is being asked to dance;Belonging is feeling free to dance however you want.”
Or in the case of Pop Choir, members feel free to sing however you want, as loudly as you want, and as often as you want. And yes, also to dance how you want- well, we do in my corner. 😁Belonging and connection in action![caption id="attachment_3814" align="alignnone" width="441"]
Connecting with a few of my Choir mates pre WNBL performance December 2023.[/caption]Bonus point: Singing is good for you. This is a fact.Why?Because:
Singing increases oxytocin levels (aiding bonding) and decreases cortisol (lowering stress). It can also rapidly result in feelings of connection and flow – improving our mood, strengthening sense of identity and helping out long and short-term memory. [Uni Melb]
Singing with a group of people, especially once those peeps become friends as well as choir mates (hello there A Team, yes, this is a shout out to you all!) is also heaps of fun. Humour and fun are also key ingredients of exceptional workplace culture.For more information, you can check out this blog I prepared earlier; H is for Humour .Honestly, the high that comes from singing with 100 plus people who love singing as much as you do - and knowing you've sang the song well - is a feeling like no other.In summary:If you aren’t already a member of a Choir, but singing is something you enjoy doing - then Nike it and Just Do IT.
Alternatively, find something else you are passionate about and do that. Because that is an example of living a PERMAH life and looking after your wellbeing - which is again a feature of high performance cultures.Want to know more about PERMAH lifestyles and/or personal wellbeing? Here’s something else I prepared earlier .*
BTW if you are keen to learn more about the ingredients of exceptional workplace culture, you could either read Workology Co’s White Paper, read an entry from the A - Z of Workplace Culture blog series such as C is for Communication; or watch out for the launch of my first business book, the ABC of Exceptional Workplace Culture coming your way VERY SOON.