Singing in a choir can be a very rewarding experience. In order to get the best out of it, it's important to choose a choir that's right for you. Here are some thoughts and questions you could ask of choirs you might be interested in.

Experience

How much experience do you have as a singer? If you're a beginner, look for choirs that don't audition and don't ask you to be able to read music. There are plenty of community choirs available, and they range from very informal with no aspirations to perform, through to very accomplished groups. (I run a "people's choir" myself - see www.bevox.co.uk). Consider some of the other factors listed here when making your decision.

If you have plenty of singing experience, you might be stretched more by a choir that performs regularly, with challenging repertoire. Groups that audition normally require a higher standard than groups that don't, and you can probably be expected to read music for these choirs.

Cost

For once, the old adage "you get what you pay for" doesn't necessarily hold true. Some choirs are subsidised by the Arts Council, local government, or by other activities, and so can afford to charge less than others. It's also worth considering what is included, and how flexible the payment options are. If you are asked to pay for a term, season or year, find out if you can spread your payments. Work out how much you're getting for your money - how many sessions are included, and how long are the sessions. To get a fair comparison between different groups, ask them to tell you the effective price per hour - that smooths out the differences between groups that rehearse for different lengths of time. You'll find some groups are charging three or four times as much per hour as others - make sure you're getting three or four times as much benefit!