Trainee Vocal Leader
Singing with Friends offers the chance for people living with dementia and their family, friends and carers to share the joy of singing. Sessions are led in a responsive and person-centred way, drawing on the diverse heritages of the choir’s members and learning songs in many different languages. Whilst there is a strong focus on healthy vocal technique and exploring an ambitious range of repertoire, Singing with Friends is just as much about connecting in the moment through singing.
Each session includes plenty of time to socialise and connect with others in the group, and the choir give performances at Wigmore Hall each year. The sessions are full of openness, joy and warmth. This is a supportive, vibrant group with a strong sense of community, with family members, friends, carers, Wigmore Hall staff and people living with dementia all contributing to the dynamic and spirit of the group.
“I love to come here. I always feel very good when I come here. It makes my day and the following day too.” – Singing with Friends member
Singing with Friends meet weekly during term-time at Wigmore Hall, with additional online sessions taking place every other week for those who can’t join in-person. Each session is led by Issy Adams and involves approximately 20 participants (including people living with dementia and their families / carers), 2 Support Musicians, 1 Guest Musician from the Royal Academy of Music and 1 Trainee Vocal Leader.
Participants enjoy refreshments and social time before the session begins with a warm-up for everyone. Repertoire includes songs with and without lyrics, Guest Musicians perform a short piece and we experiment with movement and poetry. Online sessions are led by the musician team from Wigmore Hall with participants joining remotely.
Imagine you are meeting the Singing with Friends group for the first time in a session at Wigmore Hall.
Please record a video which shows us how you might introduce yourself and your voice or instrument to the group. We'd love to hear you sing or play something short as part of this to get a sense of your musical experience.
Your recording should be no more than 3 minutes in total.
Please do not worry too much about the quality of the recording – we are interested in your musical and communication skills, not your technical skills! Please contact Lydia Nickalls, Head of Music for Life, on 020 7258 8249 or lnickalls@wigmore-hall.org.uk if you require any support uploading your video.