We provide the chance for everyone to sing

Apr 1 2008

EX Cathedra's visits to Birmingham Children's Hospital are a weekly date first started four years ago.

Under the banner of Singing Medicine, these sessions form part of the choir's education arm.

Alongside the visits to the hospital, Ex Cathedra alsoruns Singing Playgrounds in which it visits schools across the country to encourage singing for play.

Working with children and staff, the vocal tutors identify youngsters to train as song leaders who can lead their schoolmates in playground songs.

The project also sees assistant project manager Margaret Anderson recording songs the children have created themselves in their playtime. And a third string to the education project is Singing Mix in which Polish children in local schools are partnered with a child who speaks English as a first language to work together to exchange songs and experience a little of each other's language.

Project manager Rebecca Ledgard says: "Our philosophy is that we can provide opportunities for everyone to sing and develop their own style of singing.

"We provide those opportunities in schools, Birmingham Children's Hospital and the community as well as in our academies.

"All of our vocal tutors are professional singers or professionally trained singers and they all have training in this kind of education work so their strength is their own experience and their skills."