Disability Programmes >>
Hands & Voices
Hands & Voices is the first ever singing and signing choir set up in 1997 and a unique community choir that is open to anyone, whether they have a disability or not.
Hands and Voices are an inclusive community choir comprising mainly of adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. Membership has grown from 16 to over 50 and their repertoire covers a wide range of musical genres from rap to opera, with a significant amount of original material being written by the choir themselves. With ongoing support from our Patron Alan Hacker, OBE (the internationally renowned clarinettist and conductor), the choir has gained international recognition for its pioneering work.
Signing is an integral aspect of Hands & Voices and signs are taken from a range of signing/language programmes and used as a means of enabling people who may have difficulty expressing themselves with words to communicate more easily.
Choirs for hearing-impaired people are well known, but the Hands and Voices style of combining singing with signing is less usual, as it empowers people with a wide range of learning and communication difficulties to reap all the benefits associated with being part of a choir, as well as being great fun to do. We primarily use Signalong, a sign-supporting system, and with whom we work in partnership.
The Hands & Voices Committee was set up in 2001 at the request of members wanting to take on more of the day-to-day running of the choir, who are now integral to the choir’s development and were the driving force behind the first initiative in the UK to train learning-disabled musicians as Apprentice Workshop Leaders.
One of our projects run in partnership with Live Music Now, Vocalise has been recognised as a model of good practice within music education, and was short-listed for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Education in 2009. Click on this link to see a slideshow of the performance.
The committee was the driving force behind setting up the Hands & Voices Apprentice Programme – the first programme in the country to train adults with learning difficulties as assistant workshop leaders.
Signing is an integral aspect of Hands & Voices and signs are taken from a range of signing/language programmes and used as a means of enabling people who may have difficulty expressing themselves with words to communicate more easily.
Choirs for hearing-impaired people are well known, but the Hands and Voices style of combining singing with signing is less usual, as it empowers people with a wide range of learning and communication difficulties to reap all the benefits associated with being part of a choir, as well as being great fun to do. We primarily use Signalong, a sign-supporting system, and with whom we work in partnership.
The Hands & Voices Committee was set up in 2001 at the request of members wanting to take on more of the day-to-day running of the choir, who are now integral to the choir’s development and were the driving force behind the first initiative in the UK to train learning-disabled musicians as Apprentice Workshop Leaders.
One of our projects run in partnership with Live Music Now, Vocalise has been recognised as a model of good practice within music education, and was short-listed for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Education in 2009. Click on this link to see a slideshow of the performance.
The committee was the driving force behind setting up the Hands & Voices Apprentice Programme – the first programme in the country to train adults with learning difficulties as assistant workshop leaders.
Furthermore from Jan – March 2010 Hands & Voices became the first ever ‘Community Ensemble in Residence’ at York St John University, co-ordinated by the choir’s Artistic Director, and senior lecturer in Music, Chris Bartram. The residency included placement opportunities for degree students to work with the choir, as well swelling the choir’s ranks to nearly 70! The project culminated in a spectacular performance at in the University Chapel where Hands & Voices performed alongside the University Big Band and Gospel Choir. Artistic Director, Chris Bartram had this to say about the project:
“I was thrilled by the success of the University’s first ever residency with Hands & Voices and especially seeing the way in which the students and choir members benefited from the experience. The atmosphere at the performance was electric. This was possibly the best Hands & Voices performance to date!”
Hands & Voices usually meet each Wednesday evening during term time, 7.30pm – 9.30pm, Burton Stone Community Centre and costs £3 per week.
If you would like more information on the Hands and Voices choir please contact us for more information.
If you would like more information on the Hands and Voices choir please contact us for more information.
