My name is Tamar and together with Clare, we run howl choirs. We currently have a family of 3 choirs: night howl for adults, howling for 10-16 year olds, and our very first choir, howl, where you can bring your little ones to play while you sing. All of our choirs are drop-in with a new contemporary song each week, so no homework, and the whole song is completed in one hour. We teach everything by ear so there is no need to read music, we keep our pay-as-you-go entry affordable, it’s fun and everyone is welcome! We want as many people as possible to experience the benefits of group-singing, and everything we do is designed to help that happen.
I originally started howl in January 2012, as a direct result of realising how my mental health and self-esteem had been really affected by the relentlessness and loneliness of parenthood. I love to sing and really enjoyed doing baby music groups when my kids were small but after years of singing Wheels on The Bus, I wanted to sing something for myself! I found having to commit to an evening choir and sign up for a whole term both expensive and difficult with young children. Most choirs start at 7pm – just when you are putting kids to bed - and I found it hard to justify spending so much on termly fees, especially as I inevitably had to miss some sessions due to family priorities.
So I started to think about what I would have wanted to do when my kids were tiny and the idea of howl was born. It is a simple but effective concept! Singing for the joy of singing (shower singers very welcome) in an informal and friendly space, where your pre-school children are super welcome but you are the focus. It's your choir. Something for you, but the kids love it too! The babies / children are on laps, breasts, slings or playing in the middle so their parents are right there to tend to any of their needs. We also have a huge box of toys in the centre and breadsticks and biscuits on offer. We were worried initially that the kids might get bored but they love to dance, sing along, make their own friends and really play happily together for the full hour.
Very importantly, we are a drop-in choir, so there are no expensive term fees, just £6 per session per adult. We learn a new song, with three part harmonies, in just an hour each week and there is still time for a chat and a cuppa after too. You leave feeling you have really achieved something. One of our regular choir members said “I love how it always comes together even when it doesn’t feel like it’s going to. It is so satisfying and I feel massively proud every time I go! It’s one of my favourite hours of the week.” And because we are drop-in, if you miss one week it really doesn’t matter. We will learn a brand-new song the following week. We sing everything from Bowie to Beyoncé. You name it, we will probably sing it…or perhaps we already have! New song suggestions are always welcome.
Clare, our fabulous choir leader, was one of our original choir members way back in 2012. We’ve had some extraordinarily wonderful choir leaders over the years but with Clare’s incredible musicality, her patience teaching her amazing arrangements to often quite distracted parents, a very necessary sense of humour and professional dedication, we were able to expand the howl family. As howl children grew up and started school, or their parents went back to working on a Friday, we were being asked to please start an evening choir. So in 2019, we started night howl. The drop-in, informal, fun ethos still remains but this time it’s in the evening and we are in a pub without kids! We remembered our original guiding principles though and thought hard about timings, so we start a little later than most choirs at 8pm giving people the chance to put kids to bed and partners time to get home.
Then this year, our original howl babies all turned 10,11 and 12 years old so we thought it was time for them to have their own choir! Howling youth choir started in 2023 and is open to all young people aged 10 to 16 years old. It’s fast becoming a fun, energetic group of young people, but we always welcome more to join us. This group of young people have arguably been some of the most affected by the pandemic and mental health issues, particularly anxiety, are unfortunately very common. We had this mental health aspect very much at the root of our decision to start howling and are thrilled that the young people who attend are really responding positively. As one of our parents said of her child who comes regularly to howling: “As an anxious young person she loves the low pressure environment as it is such a break from school and a great way to connect in the community away from screens. She loves the modern song choices, the relaxed atmosphere and just being able to sing her heart out with her friends! We just wish that we'd known about it sooner”.
I think what I am most proud of is the community that we have created together. It’s an incredible group of people, who have found friendships, support, comfort at all different stages of their lives and really cherish these relationships – some for the whole 12 years of howl’s existence! And now a new generation of howling young people are forming really lovely friendships outside of their normal school and friend groups. I think this night howler sums up being a howl choir member beautifully:
“I absolutely love howl, it fills me with joy! Singing is so therapeutic for me. It's the one time during the week where I can't think of anything else because I'm just focused on listening and learning my parts. Singing with other people also makes me feel like I belong and there's a real sense of community and togetherness at howl every week.” How wonderful is that!?
Amazingly, we have had over 1200 people sing with us over the years which fills me with such pride and happiness. Why not join us? Our howlers urge you to give us a try too!
“You won’t regret it. You don’t need to be a great singer, it’s just about turning up, joining in. This is a place where you’ll feel accepted, and valued”. “Just turn up once and give it a try! If you're nervous then go with a friend. Suggest a song, as it's really feel-good to sing something you love. You get that same endorphin energy like going to the gym but without the awfulness haha!”. Love that!
If you want to join any of our wonderful family of choirs, please visit our website www.howl.org.uk or find us on Facebook (howl, night howl and howling) or on Instagram. And then just drop in!
howl is held on Fridays (term-time only) 10.15 – 11.30am
Central United Reformed Church Hall, Blatchington Road, Hove
night howl is held on Wednesdays (term-time only) 7.45 - 9pm
The Platform, Railway Inn, 2 Station Road, Portslade BN41 1GA
howling is held on Wednesdays (term-time only) 4.45 - 6pm
Central United Reformed Church Hall, Blatchington Road, Hove
