Month: December 2017

This term we ran community singing groups across two libraries, Forest Gate and Stratford, both in Newham. This project was led by three young artists – Itoya Osagiede, Mohan Dhar and Priscilla Hossain and funded through a small ‘Go For It’ Grant from Newham, London. This was managed by Forest Voices Community Choir and produced through Living Song CIC. The choirs shared their learning at two ‘Informances’, which included the switching on of the Christmas lights at Stratford on 1st December.

Choral Teacher Education. On Wednesday 15th November we held the first of three training days for our London Based CME course. 20 delegates signed up, many of whom were returning to deepen practice, but we also had a good number of new attendees. Jane Wheeler and David Lawrence took delegates through the course outline, ‘Circle of Sound’ voice work, and introduced the repertoire and techniques for score study. The repertoire focus for this year included Laudamus Te by Antonio Vivaldi, arr. Doreen Rao; I Hate Music, A Cycle of Five Kids Songs by Leonard Bernstein, Arr. Robert Page; Odi Odi, a Tamil folk song, arr. Stephen Hatfield; Seoithin Seo, …

Community Links has commissioned Living Song CIC to set up and run two singing projects. The first is at the ASTA Community Centre in Silvertown, where we hope to bring the community together through singing. The second is working with two groups of B.A.M.E women, supporting them to develop their confidence through singing, with the aim of achieving successful interview-for-work techniques. We will evaluate the impact in February.

Forest Voices Community Choir has gone from strength to strength this year. They have grown to a regular 25 members, singing a wide range of repertoire from classical choral, world folk, pop and rock favourites. They have supported their local community, managing and often singing as part of the Library Choirs Project, singing for the switch on of the Forest Gate and Stratford Christmas lights; as well as raising funds for two charities, singing at the local Saturday market and on their annual ‘pub crawl’ fund raiser. If you’d like to join the choir, contact Forest Voices E7 on Facebook.

For the fourth year running we were asked to run the Turn It Up project for the whole of Year 4 at Plaistow Primary last month. Working with two of the Living Song team, the children developed their singing skills and confidence, and explored their learning about music through creating two new songs collaboratively. The children were 100% engaged throughout and both teachers were thrilled at the outcome.

We congratulate NewYVC on another highly successful evening, led almost entirely by the young artists themselves. The audience was treated to quality solos, duets, choral and audience singing, warming the hearts of everyone present. We look forward to 2018 with great relish.