It is no secret this lockdown has felt different. The days are shorter, the weather doesn’t allow us to spend much time outside, and the novelty of ‘lockdown hobbies’ is starting to wear off.
That being said we recognise it is important for young people to find ways to keep their spirits up. Without school it is easy to lose any sense of routine and some will struggle to keep in touch with their community and friendship group virtually. All of those factors could contribute to lower mood and poor self esteem.
We wanted to compile a list of handy tips to help our current and future choir members to find something they enjoy doing during lockdown.
Joining a virtual choir or music group
We couldn’t start this list without mentioning the brilliant opportunity to join a virtual choir. We have seen first-hand the beneficial impact this has on young boys and we recommend that everyone gives it a go! It’s easy to join, completely free and lots of fun.
The rehearsals are a great way to chat to people virtually, there are a lot of shared laughs and everyone in the choir enjoys their time during rehearsals. It’s a brilliant way to add that feeling of routine and a great way to feel like you are achieving something and developing a new skill.
Don’t be worried about spending yet another hour in front of a screen either. You are more than welcomed to just keep your microphone on and switch the screen off, making it a great hobby for ending a busy day of online learning.
Learn an instrument
Maybe you are musical but don’t fancy yourself a singer? Ukuleles, recorders and harmonicas are inexpensive and you can order them online, plus they don’t take too much space. There are countless virtual tutorials and it will be yet another hobby to help with that digital detox we have all been craving.
Make sure you talk to the people you live with before purchasing an instrument to make sure they are comfortable with it.
Try a new sport
If you are only starting out and you haven’t been very physically-active before, you could join an exercise class such as Cosmic Kids, Fitness Blender, Swordkit or Kidz Bop. The Body Coach has also been doing great fitness tutorials for his younger audience. Create a schedule and stick to it. Seeing the progress and getting those extra endorphins will massively improve your mood.
For those that want a more artistic hobby, there are a lot of dance classes online. For example, the English Youth Ballet are streaming classes on Instagram.
Start a podcast or a YouTube channel
With everyone being stuck in front of a screen for the foreseeable future, now is a great time to get your voice heard. Research a topic you care about, interview the people around you and share your opinion.
There are many tutorials online on how to edit a podcast or a video, and those skills could be greatly beneficial for future employment/ university courses.
Learn a new language
There are loads of free apps like DuoLingo or Busuu that will help you lay the foundation for learning a new language. Just a few minutes each day will create significant progress. Coursera and Udemy also offer free or inexpensive classes to improve your skills in a new language.
With only 38% of UK citizens reporting that they can speak a language other than their mother tongue, this skill is sure to set you apart in a university application or a job interview.
