What is SING NOTTINGHAM!?
SING NOTTINGHAM! is an exciting new choral project run by St Mary’s Church in the Lacemarket.
We are working with primary schools in and around Nottingham to introduce children aged 6-11 to the joys of singing. Led by our highly experienced Children’s Choir Director, Lucy Haigh, we will be running workshops and regular singing sessions with selected local schools, providing some great new opportunities for music making in our city.
Singing in Schools
Our Children’s Choir Director Lucy Haigh is working with primary schools in and around Nottingham, running fun singing activities with children in Years 2 to 5. The focus is on helping children to appreciate the joys of singing together. Children that are keen to progress further may wish to consider joining one of St Mary’s Church’s Children’s choirs (see https://www.stmarysnottingham.org/childrens-choir/)
In some schools Lucy will also be running free, weekly singing sessions in line with the new Model Music Curriculum.
The sessions are provided within the primary school site and there is no cost to the schools involved.
Why should children sing?
- Studies have shown that children who sing in choirs have greater academic success and more advanced social skills than children who don’t sing.
- In one study, 70% of parents/carers reported that, since joining a choir, their child had become more self-confident and that their self-discipline and memory skills had improved.
- Singing releases endorphins which make singers feel happy and energetic. It increases children’s self-esteem and their sense of social inclusion, bonding them together.
- The physical act of singing improves breath control and strengthens the immune and cardiovascular systems, making us more healthy.
- Choral singing helps children to express their emotions in a suitable way and to manage their feelings more appropriately.
Who runs it?
SING NOTTINGHAM! is run by Lucy Haigh, the Children’s Choir Director at St Mary’s Church in the Lacemarket. Lucy has exceptional experience in establishing and running children’s choirs. In 1991 she founded The Hildegard Choir for girls, and later its two junior choirs. In 1998 and 2000, The Hildegard Choir reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year competition and won the International Choir Festival of Jersey in 2004. Meanwhile, Lucy studied Music, including Vocal Performance, at Durham University. In 2006, Lucy relocated to Perth, Western Australia to take up the post of Head of Choral Music at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls. In 2010, she returned to the UK to become Cathedral Choral Director at Leeds Cathedral. While at Leeds, she formed the successful Cathedral Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs and the Cathedral Children’s Choir. In addition, she is a freelance singing teacher and choral director.
Lucy is employed by the church of St Mary’s in the Lacemarket, Nottingham.
How can our pupils get involved?
If you are in a primary school in or around Nottingham and would like to benefit from the free singing workshops or have any other questions, please email lhaigh@stmarynotts.org.