London Youth Choirs (LYC) has launched their newest regional north-east choir in Tottenham’s creative hub, the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. The choir is for children in school years 3-6 who live in Haringey and the surrounding areas. To celebrate, LYC are running a free half-term ‘Come and Sing’ event for children and their families to enjoy and celebrate singing together. Taking place on Thursday the 16th of February from 4:30-5:30pm at their north-east branch, it is entirely free to take part, children and their families can attend with no prior music experience – it is for those who share the love of music.
LYC has spent the last decade championing inclusivity within choral music, offering a centre of musical excellence for the full spectrum of London’s diverse communities. Proving particularly poignant during the charity’s anniversary year, a report last month – from think-tank Onward – showed a concerning decline in access to music for those from lower income backgrounds, with music lessons largely being the preserve of wealthier children, who are currently three times more likely to sing in a choir or play in a band. In contrast, LYC’s citywide network of four regional and six central choirs for ages 7-23 puts choral singing within reach of children and young people in every London borough.
The charity’s inclusive and secular musical and educational approach provides opportunities for members from different communities, cultures and backgrounds to pursue their passion for music under the stewardship of LYC’s professional conductors and highly-qualified musical and pastoral staff teams. Undoing the perception that choral music is an elitist pastime, LYC has made a concerted effort to integrate the rich cultural fabric of London’s society into their network of choirs. As a collective, 42% of the members in the central choirs – meeting near St. Pauls in Central London on a weekly basis – combined with those participating in the regional choirs come from diverse backgrounds.
