Meet the Northants choir founder helping members find their voices – including those with lung conditions
Meet the Northamptonshire choir founder, dedicated to helping members find their voices and supporting individuals with lung conditions.
Chris Startup is the founder of Project Sounds, under which he runs The Project Sing Choir from Ecton Village Hall alongside his partner Maud Carter.
The choir aspect of the project was founded in June 2021, with the aim of helping members embark on a journey through the world of music and to help them find their voices.
Chris believes that singing benefits mental health and he wanted to create a space where anyone could come together to learn songs and harmonies. The group is for everyone and no singing experience is required.
Today’s focus remains on promoting wellbeing and building strong community spirit through breathing exercises, vocal techniques and singing songs in unison and harmony.
The wider Project Sounds also encompasses Chris’ work as a ‘singing for lung health’ and ‘harmonica for lung health’ practitioner, in which he is trained to teach individuals with conditions.
His plan back in 2021 was to start his own business teaching people primarily with lung conditions. Though this is still ongoing, all strands were grouped together under the Project Sounds umbrella during the pandemic.
Everything Chris does is centred around giving back to the community, and any fundraising events they do are in aid of The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation. Earlier in 2024, he was given a Rose of Northamptonshire Award for what he does across the county.
Having first established the choir in a field during the pandemic, which then evolved to Overstone Village Hall and now Ecton, Chris was asked why the village is the ideal location.
“The local pub brings communities together and we have members from Ecton,” said Chris. “There is a community vibe. We started with eight people and now have around 30 altogether, and we’ll be enrolling in January.”
Looking to the new year, Chris shared that The Project Sing Choir will be performing concerts at Easter, summer and Christmas time in 2025 and will continue to support The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation.
Project Sounds continues to work alongside Asthma + Lung UK on the singing and harmonica for lung health side of things, with the hope of helping more people this year and beyond.