Sight Singing for Singers – Level 1

Come and learn to sight sing in a safe and friendly environment. Designed for singers with no, or very little, experience and knowledge of music theory, this 10 week course will teach you to read music and sing simple melodies by sight. It will also help to improve your listening skills and give you a great foundation in music theory, allowing you to progress on to our level 2 course.

This course is aimed at complete beginners with no reading ability or music theory knowledge who wish to learn and improve their sight singing ability.

The course will focus on the following:

• Basic theory
• Major scales
• Treble clef
• Simple time signatures – 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 predominantly
• Rhythms up to quavers
• Rests after a phrase
• Scalic melodies
• Melodies always returning to root note

WHEN:  This 10 week course begins on Tuesday May 14th and every following Tuesday until July 16th from 6pm-8pm

WHERE: The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX

COST: £75

BOOK:  You can book by calling the Sense of Sound office on 0151 702 7799

Sight Singing for Singers – Level 2

Level 2 is designed for singers with a basic knowledge of music theory. This 10 week course will help you to navigate more difficult intervals and rhythms and get you sight singing more fluently in a wider range of styles. You will build on your existing theory knowledge and improve your aural skills.

This course is aimed at singers with basic theory knowledge/ ability to read music but little sight singing experience or as a follow on to level one

Additionally focuses on:

• Minor keys
• Accidentals (predominantly in relation to harmonic and melodic minor)
• Compound time
• Intervals, bigger jumps in melodies
• Syncopated rhthyms
• More rests
• Two part sight singing

WHEN:  This 10 week course begins on Wednesday May 15th and every following Wednesday until July 17th from 6pm-8pm

WHERE: The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX

COST: £75

BOOK:  You can book by calling the Sense of Sound office on 0151 702 7799

The workshops will cover important aspects of physical and vocal technique, breathing exercises, improvisation and the exploration of repertoire.

There will be lots of opportunity to ask specific questions and discuss vocal health. It will also be a lot of fun.

These will be an a cappella workshops so all you will be required to bring is yourself, flat comfortable shoes and somethng to write on and with.

Times: 10am-4pm

The course is designed for those aged 16 and above.

These singing days are open to everybody regardless of your singing experience.

When you book a place on the workshop, please let The Bluecoat know ahead of time whether you have any special requirements.

Where: The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX

When: Saturday 27th April,  Sunday 2nd June &  Saturday 29th June

Times: 10am-4pm

Cost: £25.00

Book tickets by calling Bluecoat Box Office on 0151 702 5324

Within the last 10 years Wolf has collaborated with musicians such as Patti Smith, Angelo Badalamenti, Florence Welch, Marrianne Faithfull, Eliza Carthy, CocoRosie as well as art world luminaries such as Nan Goldin, Wolfgang Tillmans, Tilda Swinton and Ryan Mcginley.

Sense of Sound Singers is delighted to be collaborating with Patrick for a second time for this performance at The Epstein Theatre, the first time being in 2007 at The Barbican as part of The Plague Songs under the musical direction of David Coulter.

Sense of Sound Singers is a national collective of a cappella singers who deliver their own unique brand of composition and song interpretations that is disctinctive and breathtaking.. It is this uniqeness that has seen them featured on BBC Choir of the Year, Garth Malone’s BAFTA award winning programme, The Choir: Boys Don’t Sing and BBC’s Last Choir Standing in which they were live show finalists.

Their artistic collaborations have seen them working with a diverse range of celebrated artists ranging from Massive Attack, Paloma Faith, Noah and the Whale, Jon Bon Jovi, Brian Eno, Imogen Heap, Thea Gilmore, Richard Hawley, Pano Pena, Martha Wainwright and Damon Albarn.

Date: Thursday February 7th

Venue: Epstein Theatre, Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 3DY

Time: 9pm

Bookings: Tickets are £15 can be booked on line from here:

Fancy coming to audition? If so, the 2 staged audition process will take place on 27th and 28th January 2013 at The Bluecoat in Liverpool city centre.

The first stage on Sunday 27th January will be individual auditions (one a cappella song of your own choice) and if successful you will then be invited to take part in stage 2 on the evening of Monday 28th January which will be the group auditions. In stage 2 we will gauge your ability to harmonise, work effectively in a team and blend well vocally and physically. At this stage, you will be invited to learn some repertoire alongside current Sense of Sound Singers choir members.
For more details contact Jennifer John: jennifer@senseofsound.net OR ring during office hours and leave a message 0151 702 7799

As 2012 draws closer to the festive season we have a really special choral concert in store for your enjoyment. The concert, Winter Clear,  will take place in the intimate setting of The Bluecoat’s performance space on December 13th. It will feature Sense of Sound Singers performing highlights from this year’s previous projects plus some original and fun Christmas repertoire to help celebrate the season in style.

Tickets: £10/£8 and can be purchased from The Bluecoat box office by calling 0151 702 5324 or by booking on line at The Bluecoat.

Venue: The Bluecoat,  School Lane,  Liverpool, Merseyside L1 3BX

Date: December 13th 2012

Time: 8pm start

As part of this year’s Liverpool Biennial and Long Night, Sense of Sound Singers premier their new work, Stargazing. The 20 minute piece will explore the universal theme of mythological story telling.

Weaving together the narrative of the night sky as explained in ancient Greek and Celtic traditions, Stargazing, is an interpretation of the story of the constellation, The Pleiades also known as the Seven Sisters.

This original a cappella composition is vocally emotive and ambitious drawing on the group’s diverse musical influences embracing jazz, classical and gospel.

There will be 3 performances of Stargazing at Liverpool’s Walker Art gallery on October 19th: 7pm, 8pm & 9pm and the event is FREE

On the morning of October 5th 2012 music lovers from all over the world will come together in Liverpool for a mass participation World Record breaking attempt that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles debut single ‘Love Me Do’.

Organised by the City of Liverpool in conjunction with the award-winning Beatles Story attraction, this unmissable experience is set to take place at the city’s historic Albert Dock.
The task is to sing Love Me Do in a round and the current world record is 640.
Sense of Sound has the job of recruiting 2000 experienced singers to take part so if you are a member of a choir or vocal group on Merseyside and beyond and want to be involved please email – jennifer@senseofsound.net stating the size of your choir.  You will then be sent the necessary information. COME ON LIVERPOOL!

After setting the stage alight during BBC’s Last Choir Standing, Welsh Choir Ysgol Glanaethwy and English Choir Sense of Sound Singers are reuniting for two very special concerts this autumn. The Choirs will visit Liverpool Anglican cathedral on Saturday Nov 3rd

In joining the two nations of England and Wales, the nationally recognised choirs will perform both separately and together, singing in English and Welsh at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on Saturday 3rd November and at Venue Cymru, Llandudno on Saturday 24th November.

Before Last Choir Standing both choirs had an impeccable pedigree for international award winning performance. Ysgol Glanaethwy are regular winners at the Music Youth Festival and have received seven Outstanding Performance Awards as well as attending festivals all over the globe including Switzerland, China and many more! The awards and praise continue to flow from all directions with Ysgol Glanaethwy winning the youth category in Budapest at the Musica Mundi Festival and even receiving the honour of being made ambassadors of the Llangollen Festival.

Cefin Roberts – Musical Director of the Glanaethwy Senior Choir said “Sense of Sound made such an impact on the members of our youth choir on Last Choir Standing. Today we have a completely new ensemble of singers and I know that these new members will have the same joy of listening and working with such a diverse and amazing choir. We are also excited that we will be singing a few songs with Sense of Sound in the concerts, and hope that this will create a new synergy of sound and music making. It will certainly be a new learning curve for the Glanaethwy Singers.”

Equally Sense of Sound Singers are one of the UK’s most successful, dynamic and contemporary choirs having collaborated with artists such as Brian Eno, Imogen Heap, Damon Albarn and Paco Pena. They are renowned for their stunning vocal acappella arrangements of existent and original songs. Sense of Sound Singers are thrilled about this moving collaboration between the two choirs, learning about each other’s culture, style and technique just as they did during Last Choir Standing in 2008. Together these two choirs will produce uncompromising musical performances that will display new and unique sounds, highlighting what has been an incredibly exciting journey for each group.

Jennifer John – Musical Director and Manager of Sense of Sound Singers said “Music is a universal language and the human voice, regardless of the vicinity it comes from in the world, has a resonance and truth that manages to transcend boundaries and borders. Whenever I hear Ysgol Glanaethwy sing, my heart opens a little more because under the Musical Direction of Cefin Roberts they can communicate in such a pure and beautiful way that the intention to move and inspire cannot be denied. It is an honour to collaborate with such a choir and I am delighted that we met, shared a stage, and are about to do so again in a much more profound way.”

The choirs will each perform highlights from their extensive repertoire from classical to modern and will even perform some numbers together in both English and Welsh. Two Choirs Standing is an evening of unprecedented vocal performances that cannot be missed!

Ticket details

Date: Saturday 3rd November
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: £16.50 and £14.50 *

How to Book:

Box Office:  0844 8000 410
Online:  at www.ticketquarter.co.uk
or in person:  at TicketQuarter, Queens Square, Liverpool *

(*Subject to booking fee).

Working in a group you will sing carefully selected a cappella arrangements from around the world including African to contemporary pop and R ‘n’ B songs.  You will get the chance to sing in a choir with lots of other young people in a funky, fun environment. At the end of the week there will be a performance for family and friends.

Summer School participants will learn:

 Singing in Harmony          Improvisation        Performance skills

 Warm-ups, scales, arpeggios and intervals

 Breathing techniques        Teamwork

 Vocal Expression and Phrasing

 Sense of Sound is renowned for developing young singers so get inspired by checking out some performances of past choir members

Jetta http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrITKatzefg

Jay Norton – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDIZ0cPk3Jg

Esco Williams – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAGaLxhyw84

Watch Sense of Sound Singers – Cry Me a River

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESi496Pk8wk

Where: At the Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX

When: Monday 13th August to Friday 17th August: 10-4pm daily with performance on Friday 17^{th  -}

Cost: £100 (non -refundable) Call Bluecoat box office to book 0151 702 5324

 SING                                       PERFORM                                LEARN