Leicestershire & MEHEM Inclusive Choirs
An Inclusive choir for children and young people aiming to share the joy of music making and improve confidence in our musicality and in making relationships. Some members sing, some vocalise, others may use technology or traditional instruments to contribute – all are welcome.
The Leicestershire & MEHEM Inclusive Choirs encourage all members to contribute ideas for repertoire and to build up confidence to lead on particular songs. As a result the music we perform is very varied.
"J has always loved music. Joining an Inclusive choir that meets the needs of young people of all abilities gives her a wonderful opportunity to participate and experience the joy of singing with other people. She gets an enormous amount of pleasure joining in with the singing and will often use her voice more when singing than on other occasions, and she always likes the warm up stretches. The choices of music are great, as she loves a lively pop song and always likes an opportunity for a dance."
Parent of a Leicestershire Inclusive Choir member.
There are always lots of opportunities for performance, both recorded/in the media and live.
Check out our collaboration with the West Midlands Soundabout choirs (to the right), when our members came together in lockdown to sing this Earth, Wind and Fire classic!
We are always keen to hear from individuals who would like to offer their services as a volunteer with our choirs – this could be music students, college leavers, retired individuals or anyone who has an interest in music or in working with children and young people with additional needs
For any queries, please contact anna.wolloff@leics.gov.uk
Please click on a Choir below to access rehearsal dates and venue information.
Nicola Atkins from Leicestershire Music
"We are really excited to be working in partnership with Soundabout to offer a new singing opportunity for young people and their families across Leicester and Leicestershire. The inclusive aspect of this group will enable people from all backgrounds and abilities to discover the joy of being part of a singing community whilst learning new skills and also having a lot of fun in a safe and caring environment."
Clare Cook, former CEO, Soundabout
"Our experience in Oxford has shown us the powerful impact that an inclusive choir has on all involved – creating a musical community around children and young people with disabilities builds confidence in their own musicality and ability to form relationships. Some of the members will be singers, others may use technology or traditional instruments to make their contribution – all are welcome. Our team is aspirational in our approach and we are always looking to create exciting opportunities for leadership and performance within the choir."
To get an idea of how the choir works, please watch this BBC News piece about our Oxford Choir.
We are always keen to hear from individuals who would like to offer their services as a volunteer with our choir – this could be music students, college leavers, retired individuals or anyone who has an interest in music or in working with children and young people with additional needs
For any queries, please contact anna.wolloff@leics.gov.uk
