A long-established local singing group is reaching out to children at Sutton Coldfield schools, thanks to a grant from Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust (SCCT).
Image: The Singing Community of Choirs
For more than 20 years, the Singing Community of Choirs has been bringing together Sutton residents from all walks of life to sing and socialise.
Now, the group are expanding their reach to schools across the Royal Town through fun and relaxed singing workshops, made possible by a grant of £16,025 from SCCT.
Choir Manager Anne Southgate said: “Our school workshops are an important part of our choir’s mission – helping people forge connections and skills through the power of song.
“Our children’s choirs bring together young people from different backgrounds and schools across Sutton Coldfield, helping them make friends they wouldn’t otherwise have made. It’s really valuable socially and psychologically.”
Founded in 2005, the Singing Community of Choirs have six running choirs, including four open age-based groups for young people aged 4-21, an open choir for adults, and an audition-based Ensemble for people aged 11-21.
Led by an experienced musical team, the community welcomes in members ranging from complete beginners to seasoned singers, and gives them the chance to perform as a whole, with each choir group putting on at least three major concerts each year.
And in recent months, the group have seen an uptick in sign-ups thanks to their pioneering school workshops.
Musical Lead Richard explained: “The idea is to enable schoolchildren to experience music through singing games, rounds and fun exercises. They all get to have a go at singing in a relaxed environment.
“Those who really enjoy it can sign up for trial sessions or our Workshop Wednesdays, where they get to watch our choirs perform live and decide if they want to sign up for good.”
So far, the Singing Community of Choirs have brought their workshops to Hollyfield Primary School, Moor Hall Primary School and Little Sutton Primary School, with many more schools lined up for the future – including Hill West Primary School and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.
Richard said: “Some of the newbies who attended this week’s Workshop Wednesday signed up right after! We had many new faces, so we hope to see more in the coming weeks and months.”
Young people who are already part of the choir family sing its praises and look forward to welcoming in new members.
George Randle, 15, said: “I’ve been a member for 2 or 3 years, and it’s a great place to come. I’ve met loads of new people and always enjoy learning new songs. It’s definitely made me a more confident person. I think anyone thinking of signing up should just go for it!”
With many schools currently struggling to offer in-depth music education, the Singing Community of Choirs offers access to musical opportunities to children and adults from all backgrounds, with low-cost annual subscriptions, no auditions and an active outreach programme.
According to Richard, young people gain many benefits from singing as part of a choir.
He said: “The benefits are almost too many to list: better listening, concentration, language development, improved memory, increased confidence and as well as heightened musicianship skills.
“In fact, singing is the best way to become musical as it internalises all the key musical elements and opens up the world of music in an accessible way. It means learning an instrument is then faster!”
Anne said: “For young children, I notice they really concentrate when they sing. They enjoy what they’re doing, and I can see them paying attention to improving and achieving something wonderful.
“The grant from SCCT has helped us reach out to the wider community and show people we are here, which we’re really grateful for.
“To anyone considering it, I really recommend giving singing a try! We encourage people of all experience and skill levels to join – we’d be happy to have you on board.”
