News & Events

Thanks to funding from ‘Go For It’ Newham Council and INNOVATE from Sound Connections, Boys 4 Voice have a core of committed young artists, keen to develop their singing, rapping, song making and performance skills. They are a small group at present, seven of whom were able to perform for the summer Festival in Beckton this year. They are working with two vocal leader / musicians and two young music mentors and are keen to continue next academic year, growing in numbers, skill and reputation. We are grateful to the Beckton Globe Library team for all their support and encouragement. …

For children with Special Educational Needs Once again the children and teachers of schools across Bromley excelled through this project. ONE VOICE was a collaboration between BYMT and Living Song CIC and funded by Youth Music. The project enabled KS 2 children from special provision classes across 10 schools to work creatively with young artists, who are developing their leadership and creative music skills. Catchy and accessible songs have been made by the children in a fun, engaging learning environment and facilitated by the Living Song team.  Songs about the Seasons, The Body, Electricity, The Sea, The Tempest, Crayons, Tuesdays …

We are very proud of the Newham Harmony children and young people. They have worked hard all year to develop the quality of their singing and to widen their knowledge of different styles and origins of music. Children from across 21 schools performed in three clusters over three nights at Stratford Circus this July They worked hard all day in final preparation and sang their hearts out in the evening for packed houses. They performed music by J.S.Bach, Nick Page, Bryan Welton, Kathy Armstrong, Andrea Ramsey, Stephen Hatfield, Bruno Mars and the Beatles as well as traditional folk songs …

Young Artists from NewYVC were thrilled to be invited to sing with the ONE WORLD choir for their spring and early summer tour this year. The project was led by Helen Yeomans who composed and conducted all the music and brought the choir together especially for the programme. The choir sang out with passion about their commitment to climate change issues and social justice. The songs were interwoven with original texts by spoken word artists Vanessa Kisuule, Luke Miller & Cheryl Moskowitz. The Young Artists added their own twist with body beats and beat boxing from Connor Spillane. The whole evening at each …

We are delighted to celebrate that 23 delegates went through to certification on our Choral Music Experience course this year. Half were returning conductors for the second, or third time, deepening their singing, teaching and conducting practice, half were new to the course. Feedback was resoundingly positive. For Example: “I’m getting more and more each year. The more you look, the more you see!” Young Artist, NewYVC “Great fun and I learned a great deal. Hopefully i will be able to use it in rehearsals” Organist and Choral Director, Cambridge “It has enabled me to be able to develop …

We Continue to work with Bromley Youth Music Trust (BYMT) to create new songs with the children learning within Bromley Special Educational Needs Units. Having completed workshops for children in KS 1, we are now working with children in KS 2, teaching active warm up and engagement songs and facilitating song making based on topics the children are working on. Everything from The Tempest, or Electricity, through to Dinosaurs. Click here for the first draft recording! The children are now set to practice their songs and will be sharing them with other participating schools in the summer. This project is funded through Youth Music. Final …

The NewMen boys only choir project is coming to the end of it’s pilot phase. We have chosen to focused our energy on just one venue Beckton Globe Library for this project. This is as much because of their incredible support, but because we have identified a strong need for engaging, fun, safe activities for boys in this area. We are encouraged by the growing numbers of boys wanting to join the group. For the last two week the lead team of young male artists have offered workshops in surrounding schools on a voluntary basis to ensure that boys in the …

NewYVC, based at Stratford Circus is in full flow this term. The young artists are delivering workshops in 22 schools, along with a music peripatetic from the Newham Music Trust. This is towards the cluster rehearsals coming up at the end of March and the four nights of our Summer Sing in July. The choir also had an opportunity to work with Helen Yeomans in preparation for their part in One World London in April and May. This is a series of four performance events across venues in London, raising awareness of how we need to absolutely start looking after our world. A representative of Amnesty International described it as “One of the …

Many thanks to CILIP who contacted Living Song last month, asking us to provide a special performance for the launch of National Libraries week on Tues 9th Oct. Our Young Artists performed at the House of Commons, Portcullis House, Westminster for an audience of MPs, Librarians and other important guests. NewYVC Senior Artists sang a range of a capella repertoire, including a South African medley, a Michael Jackson song and Higher and Higher, by Jackie Wilson.  The audience clearly enjoyed the performance and spent time afterwards talking with members of the group. The organiser said: “A huge thank you to …

The month of October is Black History Month. As part of the celebration, Living Song is running creative sessions in four libraries, working with Journey to Justice.  Drawing on film, discussion and song making, the local community are sharing their idea’s and feelings about Black History Month. So far we have made three new songs, one at Stratford Library, one at East Ham Library and one at Plaistow Library where over thirty men, women and children from our diverse community collaborated to create our third song in the project. Participants engaged strongly with the activity, singing and chanting their …