Singing carols restores a rich and joyous tradition

I went to a church school, learning the wonderful John Rutter arrangements of carols as a boy treble. I came to love the Victorian classics: In the Bleak Midwinter is perhaps my favourite. I can't think of another country with such a rich and joyous tradition of choral Christmas music, not even Germany, from whose Weihnachtslieder (Christmas songs) many English carols originate.

When I was a chorister, the run-up to Christmas might start as far back as September, to practise meaty works such as Bach's three-hour Christmas Oratorio. By early Advent, the music has become so familiar that the jokey side of choirs comes out, with the singers lapsing into alternative lyrics like "O Little Town of Birmingham ..." during rehearsals.

Last year I rekindled that spirit by joining conductor and music campaigner Suzi Digby's young chamber choir Voce for their Christmas carol concert, which was a wonderful experience. I have missed having no time to do church carols this year.

Each autumn I hear anecdotally from friends in music teaching that the number of people wanting to join choirs in time for Christmas soars. It's like the arrival of summer seeing everyone wanting to play tennis. It's best if people can sing throughout the year and keep improving but Christmas music should be all about the taking part.

We have become a bit hung up on the idea of classical music having to be neat and rehearsed to perfection, when the point with community carol singing is to aim high but not make anyone feel bad if they aren't completely in tune.

It's like a wedding where the spirits soar as everyone sings the hymns with gusto - and where it's such a let-down in the parts of the congregation where people are too timid.

To be fair, I also expect some degree of dedication to knowing the material. I was painfully disappointed when three young girls came to my door last year to give a rendition of O Little Town of Bethlehem and didn't know the words of the second verse.

It has been a huge pleasure to work with the Military Wives and see the response to the single. I'm tickled to think that the same record will be being played almost simultaneously on Radios 1, 2 and 3 on Christmas Day - I hope Radios 4 and 5 will join in too. I also hope we have at least contributed one more song to the pantheon of Christmas music that stores blare out from October, so that future shoppers have to listen to Slade a little less.

At heart it's a very simple thing that we've done - to celebrate the joy of endeavour and giving, and to sing out the message of Christmas at a time when it risks being overtaken by superfluous commercialism.

And please, remember singing on Christmas Day itself. Put some carols on the CD player and have a singsong, whether around a piano, on a walk after Christmas dinner, or in the car on the way to visit relatives. Reluctant singers can blame me.

Gareth Malone is choirmaster of the Military Wives' Choir