Confluence

Irresponsible Song

A by-product of Helen Porter's training with EVTS.UK was a series of singing workshops designed both to raise the confidence of more timid singers, and also to encourage more people towards Confluence activities. The method used in the workshops to tackle vocal problems (ie. not pitching the notes correctly, singing with too much air in the voice, problems with voice quality) was influenced a great deal by the EVTS.UK training which gave practical solutions to specific vocal problems.

These singing workshops were named Irresponsible Song after a description of the song of the reed warbler, the familiar riverside bird that 'throws its song away', not caring how it sounds or who hears it. The sessions proved very popular - all were full to capacity well before the date on which the workshops were to be held. Setting a maximum number in advance was essential to getting the most appropriate 'student-teacher' ratio.

The course has been helping people both to gain useful technical knowledge about how their voices work, as well as more confidence. The group operates as a vocal ensemble, but there is also the opportunity for the participants to sing solo. Because the emphasis of the work is on 'listening' to the muscles which are used to produce good voice quality, instead of listening only to the sound of the voice, the participants work in a focussed and clear way. The voice is 'freed up' because of this, and everyone has benefited.

The written and verbal response subsequent to the workshops was very positive, and people felt they had genuinely made progress .

These workshops and one-to-one sessions helped to introduce sixteen new people to Confluence projects, including Shreen Harmony and the Otter choir, and all are keen to go on working to improve their singing voices. Having been quite shy about singing in the beginning, they are now excited about performing, and demonstrating their vocal progress.

The success of these original workshops pointed to demand for more sustained activity. A new course filled up quickly, with a maximum of ten participants, mostly between the age of 25 and 45. The course helped people both to gain useful technical knowledge about how their voices work, as well as more confidence. The group operates as a vocal ensemble, but there is also the opportunity for the participants to sing solo. Because the emphasis of the work is on 'listening' to the muscles which are used to produce good voice quality, instead of listening only to the sound of the voice, the participants work in a focussed and clear way. The voice is 'freed up' because of this, and everyone has benefited. This group participated in the Confluence Rain Cabaret in May 2000 (as shown in the picture above). Having been quite shy about singing in the beginning, they became quite excited about performing, and demonstrating their vocal progress, and many appeared in other Confluence activities, such as Otter and The Confluence.

To help make new contacts in West Howe and Christchurch, and draw people into other proposed singing projects, Helen ran another series of Irresponsible Song workshops in the winter of 2000 / 2001. The workshops were held over lunch - to attract non working parents and the unemployed - in Elmrise Early Years Centre and the Henry Brown Youth Centre in West Howe, as well as at the Red House Museum in Christchurch.