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.
Our membership has risen from just a handful
at the start, to over 50 currently, with an ever-growing waiting list
of members wanting to join.
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.
In 2001 the Hands & Voices Committee was set up at the request of members wanting to take on more of the day to day running of the choir. The committee is now integral to the choir’s development and they were the driving force behind the first initiative in the UK to train learning-disabled musicians as apprentice workshop leaders.
Members who take part in the programme can also get involved in running
workshops in schools, and other with groups up and down the country (from
the Royal College of Music to our local playgroup), thus making an important
contribution to the community, as well as promoting an extremely positive
model of disability.
One of our educational projects called Vocalise (run in partnership with Live Music Now) has been recognised as a model of good practice within music education, where the project was short-listed for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award within the education category in 2009. Click on this link to see the performance.
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. Hands & Voices (even though we
say so ourselves) are an inspiration to watch and really good fun, who
have been referred to as:
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. In 2001 the Hands & Voices Committee was set up at the request of members wanting to take on more of the day to day running of the choir. The committee is now integral to the choir’s development and they were the driving force behind the first initiative in the UK to train learning-disabled musicians as apprentice workshop leaders.
Members who take part in the programme can also get involved in running
workshops in schools, and other with groups up and down the country (from
the Royal College of Music to our local playgroup), thus making an important
contribution to the community, as well as promoting an extremely positive
model of disability. One of our educational projects called Vocalise (run in partnership with Live Music Now) has been recognised as a model of good practice within music education, where the project was short-listed for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award within the education category in 2009. Click on this link to see the performance.
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. Hands & Voices (even though we
say so ourselves) are an inspiration to watch and really good fun, who
have been referred to as:"One of the most exciting choir’s to emerge from
Yorkshire in recent years." (Charles Hutchinson, York Press).
We usually meet each Wednesday evening from 7.30pm
– 9.30pm during term time, however there will be no rehearsals from September
– December 2009. Please contact us for more
information.
Hands & Voices is supported by:
