Do I have to audition to be in a Sing Australia Choir?

Will I be able to join a Sing Australia Choir if I cannot read music?

Do I have to attend Choir Every Week?

Do I have to perform at Gigs?

Do I have to know my voice type to join a Sing Australia Choir?

Can I obtain further instruction on Singing to assist with my involvement in a Sing Australia Choir?

What are the costs of joining Sing Australia?

Do I have to buy the uniform and the songbooks?

What if I'm tone deaf?



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No. The Sing Australia Choirs are totally inclusive. We want people to feel completely welcome to participate based on their love of singing. The Sing Australia concept is that everyone is equal in their desire to sing and that is the basis for the formation of the choirs. It is a non critical and non judgemental approach to singing. Allowing everyone the freedom to express themselves with their singing voices is very important.

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Yes - most certainly. Reading music is a helpful tool but it is not essential. The music performed by the Sing Australia choirs is well rehearsed providing good opportunity to learn the notes without being able to read them. Practicing hearing is also a good tool for learning and performing music. Some people can learn music just as quickly by hearing the notes as reading them. They can most certainly memorise just as quick if not quicker than sight readers. The main thing is to come prepared to just enjoy yourself.

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No. The concept of Sing Australia Choirs is to make it possible for people to attend when they can. It is appreciated that most people lead busy lives and it is not always possible to keep to a weekly commitment. Some people have extended leave for several months involving overseas trips and they are always welcomed back to choir.

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No. We realise that some people find it difficult to perform in public and so there is no obligation to do so. The only requirement that we do have is that people performing at gigs must attend a sufficient number of rehearsals to be prepared.

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No. While we do work on some part singing we allow people the opportunity to place themselves in a voice type(Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) that makes it easiest for them. In time we have found that most people discover their voice type when they understand more about their voice. We can assist in the process of helping people to determine their voice type but it is not one we rush into.

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Yes. The Leaders of the choirs will either assist you directly in providing singing lessons individually or in classes or refer you to a Singing Teacher. Sing Australia runs weekly singing classes in Canberra.

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Sing Australia is based on a users-pay-principle. We do not believe that we should seek Government assistance to support something we all love. If you become a member of Sing Australia, you pay an annual membership fee of $70 + GST, which is due 21 days from your first visit of a choir rehearsal.

Pensioners pay a special rate of $60 + GST. If a pensioner's couple join together, the second member will only pay $30 + GST. Your pensioner's card will have to be sighted by the choir leader before you are entitled to the pensioner's rate.

The annual fee covers the overall administration of the network, a performance license for each choir, the public liability insurance covering all choirs for gigs and performances and the copyright of the songs we sing. You also will be provided with a Member's Handbook and receive a periodical Newsletter informing you of network developments and interesting snippets.

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There is no pressure for people to purchase the choir uniform right away. The ladies' shirts are manufactured for us in Australia, but you will probably find that other parts of the uniform are already hanging in your closet. Being in the uniform might make you feel more part of the performances though.

It is essential though to buy the Sing Australia Songbooks 1 and 2, since these songbooks are the most important 'tool of trade' for choir members. We have a number of other songbooks too. These vary in price but they are all produced at cost.

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Tone-deafness is a contentious matter. It often presumes a permanent problem, whereas in our opinion in most cases it is simply due to a lack of experience in singing and therefore in tuning to what you are hearing. You might be surprised to discover that you can sing in tune with encouragement and a few tips. This has been the experience of many who have joined Sing Australia. But one thing is for sure: you will never tune up if you don't sing!