Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan walked down the aisle to the sounds of songs like ‘Stand By Me’, gospel music has been enjoying a revitalization in the nation.

Based on that, Sound Waves Community Choir will be giving the Hasting residents the chance to experience the pleasure of singing gospel music themselves and to perform in public at Christmas.

Sound Waves is a community choir run by the members of the community, and they also accept singers of all abilities. The musical director for Sound Waves, Debbie Warren observed:

At Sound Waves, we sing a huge range of musical genres – we enjoy everything from jazz and pop to sea shanties and opera. We started planning our current season of gospel music months before the royal wedding, and the huge surge in the popularity of gospel music that followed has provided an unexpected and very welcome boost.

Rehearsals for the choir’s Gospel Celebration is scheduled to commence on Tuesday, September 4^th by 7:30 pm, at the Salvation Army Hall, St Andrew’s Square, in central Hastings, building up to a free concert happening before Christmas at All Saints Church in the Old Town.

Debbie Warren says the choir is always open new members and the first session is free.

Anyone can just come along and sing. There are no auditions and you don’t have to read music. We are a really friendly choir and rehearsals are relaxed and fun.

Though Debbie will be teaching most of the material, there will also be a contribution from guest MD Daniel Thomas. Former the director of the London Community Gospel Choir, Daniel is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and teacher, and has worked as voice coach for Girls Aloud, and on BBC programme Can’t Sing Singers. Debbie is quick to point out that choral singing is not just about learning a tune:

There are tremendous health benefits to singing in a choir. Physically, you get a surge of oxygen into the bloodstream, and the feel-good hormones your body produces boost your sense of well-being. Learning a new skill — and the social element of collaborating with new friends — is also really good for your mental health.