So how exactly does a marketing professor without any experience working in music get involved in Choir Nation? Oh but you must sing right? How long did you sing in choirs for? What instrument do you play? These are the typical questions I have been asked since Choir Nation started meeting with companies and running our weekly choir events.

All of these questions make perfect sense and I realized the fact I love music, have 900 CD’s at home, have written some papers on music, and play the drums in my spare time isn’t really enough. I had to sing and I had to experience what our clients do. I first started by approaching our music director Sarah Jerrom and asking her to arrange some vocal lessons. I have watched every rehearsal and every event with some level of envy wanting to do what they are doing but worrying too much about not sounding great and I thought it was time to try it myself.

I have also struggled with anxiety for over 3 years now and I felt singing might be one way to help with it. Sarah is incredibly encouraging and supportive and has really helped me learn so many technical things while also helping with relaxation techniques that have translated to the classroom.

I also had to get out of my comfort zone and see what it’s like to meet a group of strangers on a Monday night in St Catharines and sing a Beatles, Adele, or Lorde song. I owe Lorde some serious apologies for my butchering of her words. I took part in some performances with the choir at Silversmith Brewing Company. Admittedly, I was really nervous and awkward the first few times but I have gotten a lot more comfortable with it. More recently, we held a great in-store event with Indigo at their Bay and Bloor and without hesitation, I joined the choir and sang with complete strangers who were shopping and stopped by to sing.

I have loved music my whole life and now it goes beyond going to a lot of concerts and owning a lot of albums. Last year, on my son Liam’s first birthday, I kind of mumbled and lip-synched happy birthday because of being self-conscious about how I would sound. I can say with certainty, that is not going to happen ever again.

A lot of people I talk to about our company express similar concerns about sounding awful and say “I can’t sing.” But here is the thing. You can, we all can and we are so happy that so many of you have realized just how great it feels to belt out your favourite song with your colleagues, friends, family and even complete strangers.