Geoff's GJC - From The Member's

With my cherubic good looks, angelic personality and a voice like Tupelo honey, it seemed obvious that I should join a choir. More accurately, with the look and attitude of an ageing punk rock star and a voice like one it took the desperate pleas of my eldest daughter Phoebe to make up the numbers of her fledgling choir to actually find the motivation .

Well if truth be told I don't really like people, let alone random strangers and I'm a bit of a shy and retiring type. I'm not great at singing either. Nevertheless off I plodded to the Cafe Mila to endure the anticipated pain of singing, or at least attempting to, with a bunch of other budding X Factor finalists.

So fast forward two years and here I am eagerly anticipating my walk down the high street to get cracking on another session of belting out some great tunes under the superb direction of Phoebe and our fantastic keyboard player Alex. Furthermore I'll be doing it with a group of really great people in a very happy and relaxed atmosphere. Singing is second only to laughter for uplifting the soul. Both are in abundance at GJC.

I should also add that the quality of our efforts is unrecognisable from the outset, most of which is down to Phoebe's ability to both coach and encourage our varying talents.

If you're brave, unlike me, you might even get a bit of a solo. Never in a million years, I said to myself, yet there I was during our Christmas performances in my best tweed suit and stick on sideburns rousing the audience in my best Noddy Holder voice banging out "Merry Christmas Everybody". A star was born!

So if you are like me, an introverted recluse who doesn't like people and can't sing then Godalming Jazz Choir is the place to be. If however you are a fun loving gregarious people person who can sing like Frank Sinatra or Barbera Streisand, don't worry all are welcome! And if you are no good with names, just call everyone John or Mary - it seems to work for me.