We join groups for ourselves, but they’re often most valuable when we need others. Groups are special. It could be the Scouts or Brownies, a football team, a chess club. You get to be with people who think a bit like you or agree with how things are done. Over time, friendships can form, and shared experiences can deepen connections.
But being in a group is about more than that, as you become part of something bigger than yourself. It can bring you huge benefits. Let’s face it, everyone has an off day. We can fall out with people; we can get things wrong. We can miss an open goal or forget what to say at a crucial moment. We can be anxious or upset about something in our lives. This is where our new catchphrase, “Together we are unshakable,” comes in.
If you get it wrong, you may feel horribly exposed, but you don’t have to deal with that feeling alone. A good group knows how you feel, and that’s when they support you most.
In performance, if everyone goes one way and you go the other, it’s obvious. At the time it may feel enormous, but it doesn’t have to define what happens next.
If you sing the wrong notes, you can feel very exposed. This happened to me once. As a student, I was in a performance where I had to sing with an orchestra, playing a guardsman in full busby, outside the Houses of Parliament. With such a grand costume, you do feel a bit important. Well, I had to sing a showy little section unaccompanied, then three other people joined back in again. Somehow, I gave them the wrong note, and when the orchestra started up again, it sounded awful.
Afterwards, I discovered many people hadn’t even noticed, but what I valued most was that a couple of the performers said, “It happens” and “I ‘ve done worse myself.” That’s when you realise who is kind and who has empathy.
Some people will always be quick to point out somebody else’s mistake. As a teacher, I tried to discourage that. Criticism is easy. Helping somebody recover takes more generosity. So, I was grateful for my experience. It made me stronger. Once it had happened, I couldn’t change it, but I learned what it was to be truly accepted by the group. From then on, I always tried to support people who went through something similar.
That’s why we chose “Together we are unshakeable.” It doesn’t mean that no one makes mistakes, fails or gets things wrong. It means that when someone does, the group helps them recover. On your own, you can be knocked off course. Together, you find your balance again.
