Kids to find their voice and tribe

A NEW choir is making quality choral education accessible to children of all backgrounds across the city.

Ballarat Voices has been created to cater to young people between the ages of nine and 15 who are passionate about singing but may not have access to a choir at their own school.

Co-directed and conducted by Lyndell Allen and Brooke Johnson, the ensemble rehearses once a week at the Ballarat South Community Hub, with the support of accompanist Wendy Rechenberg, and tutor Sebastian Allen.

“In our initial stages of development, we’ve been billing it as after school sport for singers, providing a unique opportunity to build teamwork skills and develop their passion for what they love,” Mrs Allen said.

“The idea is not just to build performance and singing skills, but to develop their oral skills, musicianship, and music reading skills.”

The choir has also been designed as a post-COVID means of bringing kids together, whether they go to a local primary, or independent school.

“Given the last two years and the disconnect amongst young people, this is a chance for them to connect with like minds from across Ballarat.

“Sometimes there’s only one or two children at a primary school with an interest in singing, but if you can bring those together, they’ll realise there are more kids like them who love singing, and that’s awesome,” she said.

“It’s all about finding your tribe, and opportunities.”

Mrs Allen said singing together also has a positive impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing, increasing endorphins in the brain and breath capacity, and reducing stress.

“There’s also a connection amongst people that sing together where heartbeats can align, and their breathing mimics each other.

“It’s not a physical connection by touch, but it happens by us all doing the same thing together,” she said.

Ballarat Voices will perform at community events and celebrations, and could be a springboard for ensemble members to take part in programs including Gondwana Voices, a national children’s choir for treble singers between the ages of 10 and 17.

Mrs Allen and Ms Johnson have a goal to offer free workshops in schools to get more children excited about singing, to help schools develop a choir, and link more young people to Ballarat Voices’ offerings.