Wren Music is delighted to be launching pilot Singing For Wellness choirs for East and West Devon running during summer 2021. The groups are free to join and open to anyone living with a respiratory condition, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and people with experience of long-COVID.
We will start with five weeks of online sessions from 24 June, with the plan to launch in person in both locations at a later date.
Our first Singing For Wellness group was set up for people with respiratory conditions in the Torbay area. It’s become a wonderful group that really benefits its members, and we’re pleased we could continue it online through lockdowns. New members are now welcome from Torbay, East Devon and West Devon and you can sign yourself up online today.
Members don’t need any previous musical experience or to have ever sung before. We teach songs by ear so there is also no need to read music. Our professional leaders are trained by the British Lung Foundation and bring a wealth of experience in community music. We create a fully inclusive environment to create a group for people from all walks of life, with various respiratory conditions.
In the sessions, we do breathing exercises and voice releasing. As one member of the Torbay group said, “it makes physio fun!”. Songs are specially arranged to ensure there are lots of spaces to take breaths, and the music leaders can always offer alternatives to cater to the needs of individuals.
You will join an online group, hosted in our online community. This group is a place where members can download lyrics and audio guides for songs so they can practise outside the sessions if they want to. As the sessions will take place online this summer members just need to be able to get themselves into a Zoom call.
The group is great for socialising too. We’ll start each online session with 15 minutes of general chat to get to know each other a little and you’ll be meeting new people in your area. Once we’re in person later this year, there’ll be tea and biscuits too!
Here are some of the things our current Singing For Wellness members have said:
- “A joyous, healthy experience”
- “Friendly, informal relaxed atmosphere”
- “I feel enthusiastic before each session, much better after and I have reduced medication as a result”
- “We have fun singing in a friendly and supportive group with inspirational leaders”
- “Joyous. Exhilarated by the singing!”
- “A harmony of musical camaraderie”
The singing groups are free to join and we welcome members of an individual’s support network to join in too. This may include partners, carers or adult children.
How to join
The links below will take you to the group in our online community. The groups are free to join you just need to create an account so you can log in in future.
Singing For Wellness – East Devon
Session time: Thursdays 1.30pm – 2.45pm
Join the East Devon group
Singing For Wellness – West Devon
Session Time Thursdays 3.00pm – 4.15pm
Join the West Devon Group
Both groups will have their first session on Thursday 24 June. There are five sessions from then to the end of July.
The full list of dates is: 24 June, 01 July, 15 July, 22 July, 29 July.
We also run Singing For Wellness Torbay. If you are in the Torbay area you are welcome to join one of the online groups for these five weeks. We hope to resume in Torbay in-person weekly from September,
If you are reading this after 24 June, you are still welcome to join the group and attend as many of the sessions as you can.
Please recommend these groups to anyone you know with a respiratory condition. As mentioned, we hope to launch the new East and West Devon groups in person later in 2021. The more interest we get in these online pilots the more likely we are to secure funding to make this a reality for you.
If you would like more information or have any questions please contact us.
