The man behind the East Melbourne Community Choir

Since stepping in as choir director in March, Richard Lawton has brought decades of vocal expertise and breathed new life into the East Melbourne Community Choir.

Originally from a working-class family in Liverpool, a career in the arts wasn’t something Richard was born into.

However, at school he was exposed to literature and studied French and Spanish, which opened his eyes to the world beyond England.

The choir leader admitted that England was “too small” for him and that he developed an itch to travel and live abroad.

After finishing university, he found his way to Australian shores with a theatre group. Forty years on, he still calls Australia home and has worked with a number of choirs around the country.

Mr Lawton’s passion for community theatre is fuelled by the impact it has on choir members and the way singing allows people to uncover their full potential.

Under Mr Lawton’s leadership, there has been a shift in the choir’s approach to learning new songs, veering away from using sheet music and focusing instead on people singing to each other.

He wants those who come to the choir to find their voice and enjoy the benefits and wellbeing rewards of singing, rather than feeling discouraged because they can’t sight-read.

He believes the most rewarding part of the job is watching people develop a new sense of confidence and emotional security. In one instance, a member told him that he had saved them a fortune in therapy.

People shrink their voices to fit their suburban living rooms. They forget where they put it, he said. When they finally get permission to really let it out, they realise their voice can have payoffs in other areas of their lives. It’s liberating.

“Community choirs are different. People come to release and to forget their troubles,” he added.

Studies in recent decades have confirmed what Mr Lawton sees every week – that group singing releases oxytocin and dopamine, the body’s feel-good and reward hormones.

Research led by Genevieve Dingle, director of clinical psychology programs at the University of Queensland, found that participation in choirs benefits the emotions of both healthy adults.

The research also found that adults with chronic mental health conditions were equally able to derive emotional benefits, with all participants reporting a significant increase in positive emotion.

“You literally get things off your chest,” Mr Lawton said. “You can see it in people’s faces – they start to look angelic when they’re singing.”

“When people get permission to really let their voice out, they find that actually, it has pay-offs in other parts of their life too.” •