Click here to visit the Singposium microsite where you will find additional resources relating to the sessions that took place.

0900 Registration

0930 Performance from a choir taking part in the National Festival

0955 Welcome from Lincoln Abbotts, Chief Executive, MFY

1000 An inspirational start to the day with Ian McMillan, Yorkshire Poet & BBC Radio 3 Presenter

1030 Vocal warm-ups with Sue Hollingsworth from The Voices Foundation

1100 Exhibitions and Coffee

1125-1235 Morning Breakout Sessions:

Starting Out
a. Where do we go from here? with Val Whitlock & Shirley Court (Singing Sherlock Series)
How do we move children on vocally? Whether you are starting out as a vocal leader or you are more experienced and looking to develop your skills, this session will look at the process of developing singing with children aged 7-11 years.

Come prepared to energise your voice and body and explore the clues to quality singing and performance.

Try Something New
b. English Folk Song with Rachel Elliott & Sam Lee (English Folk Dance & Song Society)
Looking for some new repertoire ideas? Then come and explore the wealth of folk repertoire available to all choral leaders. Run in partnership with the English Folk Dance and Song Society, this session will explore different ways of interpreting traditional English folk song, the benefits of teaching by ear and engaging today’s youth.

Develop Existing Skills
c. Conducting Skills with David Lawrence
Develop your own conducting skills with one of Britain’s most versatile conductors. Learn how to really inspire the choir in front of you!

d. Vocal Health with Stuart Barr
The importance of looking after your voice cannot be underestimated. Explore some of the potential risks when working with young singers and how to avoid them.

e. Getting Boys Singing with Richard Frostick
Discover tried and tested methods for getting boys to sing.

f. Choral Creativity with Melanie Pappenheim
Work creatively with one of the country’s finest choral innovators in a session for anyone wanting to take their choir to the next level. You’ll be encouraged to think outside of the box, helping you realise your choir's full potential.

1240 Whole Group Session with David Lawrence

1325 Lunch and Exhibitions

1425-1535 Afternoon Breakout Sessions:

Starting Out
a. Where do we go from here? with Val Whitlock & Shirley Court
Refer to Morning Session a.

Try Something New
b. Reaching Out to Other Cultures with Rebecca Ledgard
This inspirational session will demonstrate how to use singing to engage with the many different cultures present in today’s schools.

Develop Existing Skills
c. Conducting Skills with David Lawrence
Refer to Morning Session c.

d. Vocal Health with Stuart Barr
Refer to Morning Session d.

e. Getting Boys Singing with Richard Frostick
Refer to Morning Session e.

f. Choral Creativity with Melanie Pappenheim
Refer to Morning Session f.

Inspiration
g. Young Person Led Session with members of the National Youth Choir
Come and take part in this inspirational session where young members of the National Youth Choir will guide you through their choral techniques and exercises.

1545 National Youth Choir & Finale

1615 Exhibitions