By Alex
For a few weeks already at Sing! we could feel an extra ripple of excitement in the air as we all knew this year’s weekend away was just around the corner. As laptops shut and office doors closed on Friday afternoon, Thetford forest felt tantalisingly close.
This year we returned to Thorpe Woodlands Adventure Centre, which for some felt like an old friend, whilst for newer choir members such as myself it was an exciting unknown. As we approached on the tranquil roads, we could already feel the restorative effects of the forest descending.
Friday evening was a time to spend as we pleased, to find our bunk rooms (or for some of us, our peaceful pods amongst the trees), eat together and play board games in the spacious common area. Some of the earlier birds amongst us eagerly signed up to set up breakfast the following morning (but there were plenty of jobs more suited to the night owls too!)
On Saturday morning we were treated to bright sunshine. Some keen runners headed out early to take part in Thetford Parkrun a 10 minute drive away. Others soaked up the morning rays in an impromptu shady reading corner under the canopy of the trees.
The day’s activities then started. Several talented choir members had organised workshops to share their enjoyment of their hobby with others:
Thanks to all the dedicated workshop organisers for their hard work and enthusiasm!
As well as the workshops, a number of activities were led by the dedicated staff at Thorpe Woodlands (many thanks to Luke and Isis for running these activities for us). A raft-building competition saw two teams build rafts and launch them on the River Thet. Testament to the engineering skills of the teams, everyone stayed dry (until they all jumped into the river to cool off from the heat of the day, that is!)
The tree trekking activity took place in the forest and included navigating two different high-ropes courses between the trees and also climbing trees using handholds and an auto belay system. Jumping from a platform metres above the ground, relying on a harness to slow our fall, certainly got the adrenaline going! A special mention has to go to Becca who chose to climb barefoot, much to the initial bemusement and then awe of the instructors.
The third venue-led activity was focused on team building, with such games as trying to fill a bucket with water as quickly as possible using water carried in a pipe filled with holes (resulting in quite a few somewhat damp choir members!) and a blindfolded trust trail through the forest.
Of course, no day on a Sing! weekend away could pass without… singing! As the light faded in the evening, we all gathered around the campfire and sang choir repertoire past and present.
Sunday came just as bright and warm as Saturday, and we were all looking forward to taking part in a choir workshop run by Stuart, a professional choir leader who had travelled all the way from Manchester to join us. He started out by teaching us two gospel songs which were great fun to sing, and encouraged us to sing with our whole bodies, and our facial expressions, not just our voices, coaxing out the meaning and emotions in the words we were singing.
A particular highlight was the culmination of the workshop, standing round in a massive circle in the forest clearing singing our hearts out. Stuart also gave very insightful feedback on a couple of the songs we had been learning this term, bringing out our inner backing singers for “You Make My Dreams” and having us rising passionately from our chairs for the bridge in “Already Home”. Thanks so much to Stuart for teaching and inspiring us – we’ll all be drawing on what we learned in our singing over the coming weeks of rehearsals.
All too soon, the weekend came to an end. I speak on behalf of the whole choir when I say that the weekend away brings us closer together through not just singing but our shared enjoyment of other activities and being amongst nature. A very special mention must go to Jon who organised us all to make the weekend away the success it was.
