You don’t need to audition, read music or have sung in front of anyone before to join Pop Choir. The Melbourne community choir welcomes people with no singing experience, bringing members together at weekly rehearsals to sing in harmony and get to know one another.

Founded by vocal coaches Darryl Moulton and his wife Sharon Stokes in 2014, it began with 20 members. It now has more than 1,100 across six Melbourne locations: Moorabbin, Mordialloc, Mornington, Oakleigh, Eltham and Frankston.

Its approach is summed up in the words: “If you can speak, you can sing.” Members sing different vocal parts together, with Andrew Looker recalling how his first session began with a note in three-part harmony. For many, those weekly gatherings have become a regular opportunity to make friends and take a break from work, worry or grief.

Alongside rehearsals, Pop Choir records an annual charity single. This year, 550 members gathered at Melbourne’s Iwaki Auditorium to record Love VS Fear, an original song by Darryl, as part of an October campaign raising funds for Beyond Blue.

The campaign also includes the choir’s version of A Thousand Years and Darryl’s solo song I Want To Live, connecting the group’s love of music with support for mental health.

For Andrew, 63, the appeal starts with an hour on Tuesday when he can put the rest of the week out of his head. The manufacturing operations manager is still working full-time, with longer hours than ever, and the news often adds to the noise.

“For me, that hour is time for me, to unwind and shut everything else out,” he says. “It is the only thing I do all week that I do selfishly. I use that hour to bellow out music, hoping it is in tune, and not worrying if it isn’t.”

For Andrew, who joined in 2024, finding the group came at just the right time. A smaller choir near his home in South Gippsland had folded, and that same day he spotted a Pop Choir advertisement.

“I joined Pop Choir in 2024 because I have a need to sing, and that need has been growing more insistent the older I get,” he says. “There is music in my head all the time and it needs to get out.”

His first rehearsal brought nerves about walking into a crowded room and making a fool of himself, but those worries soon eased.

“Within minutes we were singing a note in three-part harmony and I remember thinking, yep, this is going to work out. I was hooked.”

Now, a group within the Mornington choir meets each week to chat and sing. They have matching T-shirts and a WhatsApp group, and Andrew wishes he had joined years earlier.

“Pop Choir is what I call my ‘new gang’,” he says.

For teacher Julie O’Donnell, 56, singing carries memories of Sunday afternoons when records played, guitars hung on the walls and her family gathered around instruments, singing and banging tambourines on their thighs.

Her mother and other close relatives have been affected by Huntington’s disease. Some have died, while others are still living with it, and music remains a connection to the family life she grew up with.

“Singing and being musical are one way I feel I can keep the musical spirit of our family alive,” she says.

Julie joined knowing how much she enjoyed singing and wanting to make it a regular part of her life.

“Pop Choir has given me a chance to sing for enjoyment, grief and nostalgia. It has given me the renewed experience of being in voice with others and being totally captured in the art of singing.”

Singing Love VS Fear can be emotional, reflecting both her love for her family and the anguish of what they have experienced.

“It is a challenge for me each time to get through this song without my voice cracking!” she says.

The song also grew from a difficult period in Darryl’s life. In 2016, the day after his daughter was born, he developed sudden, intrusive ringing in both ears. It affected his sleep, concentration and confidence in his work, and he stepped away from Pop Choir for a time.

Teaching singing became difficult as Darryl worried that loud sounds might worsen the tinnitus. He consulted doctors and specialists, hoping to find a cure.

“I felt trapped and started suffering anxiety,” he says.

“It was frightening to think I might have to give up something so central to my life.”

Over time, he became accustomed to the tinnitus. Returning to the choir helped him reconnect with the work he loved.

“Ten years later the sound is still there, but it stopped taking up so much of my attention.”

“The joy of singing with people and feeling part of that community reminded me why I loved my work. Gradually, I felt confident leading the choir again alongside Sharon.”

Love VS Fear was inspired by an exchange with author Jonathan Fields, who described responding to the sound with love rather than fear. Darryl found that difficult, but the idea stayed with him.

“Hearing hundreds of Pop Choir members sing it has been incredibly moving. Many have told me what the lyrics mean to them, often in ways I hadn’t imagined.”

For Julie, it has become a personal mantra, a way to acknowledge the fear while continuing to sing in the spirit of her family.

“The fear is there, but I’m going to put the love into myself,” she says.

For Andrew, the invitation to anyone considering joining is straightforward: “Anyone thinking of joining should just take the plunge and do it.”

Love VS Fear is available now on all streaming platforms. To donate to this year’s fundraiser for Beyond Blue, visit www.popchoir.com.au