I will be giving a masterclass for the Association Of Teachers Of Singing’s North Professional Development Day at Leeds College of Music.

In this digital age of innovation and fragmentation, the fundamental need for human interaction can be easily and quickly neglected and at worst, forgotten. As a choir leader I know all too well how positively impactful, healing, empowering, life changing and socially cohesive group singing is. Whether in workshops, ensembles or choirs, it creates and strengthens communities and gives people a voice, literally and metaphorically. In addition, it also increases confidence and inspires participants to express themselves through musicality in ways they often never thought possible.

On that basis, I have called this session The Free Voice with the trust that through collective singing we will share an uplifting day of vocal exploration, increased physical awareness, and harmonising that will leave us all feeling better than when we arrived.

Programme:

• Physical warm up, vocal warm up and the importance of our internal pulse for group singing.

• Call and response and guided improvisation – thinking about the voice like other instruments and thinking about vowel shapes to suit the genre especially around soul and jazz. The importance of blend.

• Learning 2 songs

• Q&A

Saturday 4th April, at Leeds College of Music.