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Where are the best singing classes in town?
by Anna Rushton
 It
might be the sea air, but Brighton is a great place if
you fancy doing some singing. Images of formal dinner-jacketed
choirs gazing at musical scores may seem daunting, but
don't worry - this is Brighton and they do things differently.
Already
this year there has been the launch of the Dome with Babble,
a community event in which anyone who wanted to turn up
and join in the singing could, and if you were wandering
round town in May, you could have been forgiven for thinking
you were in Italy as singing poured out over the accapella
festival weekend. Community choirs from all over Sussex
came to sing in the streets, in the Pavilion Gardens and
finally at the Gardner Arts Centre. You may have been
one of the lucky people that weekend sitting in Dolphin
Square and trying to drink a cappuccino while pretending
30-odd people weren't peering over your shoulder at what
you were having, while belting out an inspired version
of a Stevie Wonder song in perfect-ish harmony. If it
made you think "I could do that", you would
be right.
The
beauty of community choirs is that it is singing without
the fear, because the sole requirement is that you turn
up and sing. You won't be asked to sing alone, you don't
have to do an audition and you certainly don't need to
be able to read music. The wearing of a dinner jacket
is entirely optional and might blend in well with the
generally black and boho chic of some of the other choir
members - and if not, nobody will mind.
Whatever
your musical tastes you will find a choir to match. Versatility
and variety are key characteristics so the music can range
from blues to gospel, The Indigo Girls to Abba and all
shades in between. Three prominent local choirs are Hullabaloo
Quire, Singers Anonymous and The Singing Workshop. Hullaballoo
Quire is the longest established and is large, lively
and vigorous. Their leader is community musician and songwriter
Kirsty Martin whose skill at making even the newest singer
feel confident and capable is greatly appreciated - and
much in demand with other choirs round the country. Her
arrangements cover new, old and specially written material
and if you are looking for variety, fun and enthusiastic
teaching in a friendly setting then that would be a good
place to start. Singers Anonymous is run by musician Philip
Milburn. He concentrates on group singing, voicework,
musicianship and aural training to develop vocal creativity,
flexibility and power. He doesn't call his group a choir,
more a regular opportunity to develop your level of self-statement.
The Singing Workshop which Mella Faye runs is very friendly
and focuses on harmony and improvisation in a wide range
of pop and contemporary music and you have the chance
to take part in an optional group performance at the end
of each term.
If
that's not enough, then there is also the Healing Arts
Festival in Brighton from September 13 to 19 offering
an amazing choice of concerts and workshops of singing
and chanting. There is a great tradition of using sound
for healing in all cultures because the energy field of
the body is positively changed at the cellular level when
you sing or chant. That's why literally "singing
the blues" can be a way to help to shift them. There
are no better people to do that than the London Community
Gospel Choir, who kick off the festival with an energetic
and inspiring concert with its roots in jazz and the spiritual
songs of the American South. Connecting with spirit through
sound is the way that classical group Sulis fuse the traditional
sounds of voice, violin and early harp with the ethereal
tones of Tibetan and quartz crystal singing bowls. They
are named after the Celtic goddess of healing and they
create a unique sound which takes the audience deeply
into a meditative and contemplative state. Celia Harper
and Jacqueline Evill from Sulis will also be giving two
singing workshops to help you free your true and natural
sound so you can centre the voice in the body and open
the heart.
If
you are still not sure singing is for you, remember "if
you can talk, you can sing', so what are you waiting for?
Try one of the choirs below, or look in your local library
- or The Insight listings - for even more choice.
Kirsty
Martin for Hullabaloo Quire on 01273 699 725
Philip
Milburn for Singers Anonymous on 01273 730707 and www.lifemusic.org.uk
Mella
Faye for The Singing Workshop 01273 736544
Healing
Sounds Festival box office 01273 709 brochure details
online at www.healingsoundsfestival.co.uk
copyright The Insight 2002
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