A SENSE OF BELONGING

ABCI tutor Monika Harris believes the bonding and teamwork that comes with being part of a choir is just about the best experience you can have.

‘That sense of belonging in a choir is unlike anything else I’ve experienced,’ she says. ‘Everything else is a competition – you may be part of a team, but still need to beat someone. Choir builds a cohesive team that’s about support rather than who’s best.’

Monika has worked with the Australian Boys Choir in several roles since starting in 2015. ‘I’m now doing group tutorials for the Tyro level, but I have done a bit of everything – Probationer tutoring, Junior and Senior Singers, and Cambiata,’ she says. ‘So I have been involved at every level.’

When not teaching choir, Monika is a speech pathologist, working mainly with children who have speech and language disabilities. She also sings with church choirs, in operas, and with a jazz a cappella group.

‘You get this euphoric feeling when performing as a group. There’s a lot of research into the chemical benefits of being in a choir. Your heartbeat syncs with those you’re with, it releases serotonin so you have a chemical reaction to singing in a group, it reduces anxiety. Music is so intrinsically joyful.’

Monika first joined a choir when she was five years old, and 20 years later is still involved in the same singing group. ‘I’m half Hungarian, and the community is very musical. I stayed involved because it was so enjoyable. I’m still friends with the people I met aged five!’

She says the ABCI provides about the best training you can get in Victoria, if not Australia. ‘It’s a fantastic training program. Boys who have gone through the choir are now so sophisticated in their musicianship; their sight-reading and their voice quality is amazing. This level of training is unique.’

Monika says music is an international language that brings people together. ‘I’ve done work internationally with choirs where people can’t speak to each, other but they can sing together. I’d love for everyone in the whole world to be in a choir!’

Author: Simon Torok