** LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS ARE SEEKING A CHORAL INTERN! ** Are you interested in joining a successful Choral Organisation to experience first hand, everything from Choral Admin to Conducting?! Read this Internship Review from our outgoing intern and SHARE this status for your friends too! Get in touch with emily@londonyouthchoir if interested. ******** My LYC Internship Experience When I decided to have a gap year I wanted to expand and develop my experience and knowledge of the music industry, before going to University to study music. I approached Rachel Staunton (whom I knew from National Youth Choir) for some advice and she offered me work as an “intern” with London Youth Choir. Immediately I knew that this was an opportunity not to be missed and couldn’t wait to start in September. Straightaway I was involved in almost every aspect of the running of the five choirs. I attended the first LYC management meeting on September 16th and soon felt like I’d been there from the very start. The meetings take place every Monday for an hour, before the main evening rehearsals get going. Everyone at the meeting who had ideas about concerts, workshops, rehearsals and social media, was allowed to contribute to the discussion. Although I didn’t yet have much experience of what goes on behind the scenes of a choral organization (for example, I had no idea about the importance of the roles of the young leaders and librarian in the running of the choir) I felt that my opinions and ideas were valued and respected. One of the first admin tasks I was given was to compile all the statistics that we had and make them understandable for a trustees meeting and from a social media point of view. I found the task quite daunting. But, having arranged all the information we had about our choir members and our intake from boroughs across London, I felt like I had helped the choir make another step forward. I was soon put in charge of the Facebook page (along with Anthony Harris) and the website. In any organization, social media is an essential part of publicity and exposure. Any parent, for example, who was looking for a youth choir in London would simply Google it! Anthony and I made it our priority to keep the Facebook page updated with photos, videos and rehearsal and concert updates. I was also slightly apprehensive about taking control of the website but Wordpress was very intuitive and I soon found it very easy to add a concert or workshop date. Recently we have also started a Choir Blog. This consists of musical experiences that some of the choir members have had, whether it be a residential course, concert, a workshop or even a music lesson with an esteemed performer/ teacher. We felt this gave the members the chance to tell us about their achievements and experiences outside of LYC and also to inspire other members and potential members. After the management meeting, I attended all the choir rehearsals. This gave me the opportunity to see wonderful conductors (such as Ken Burton, Tim Brown, Ben Parry) and singers at work. As I am a singer myself, who is very passionate about choral singing, I relished every opportunity to learn new warm ups and rehearsal techniques – all which were very different with each choir, depending on their ages and musical ability. I also found that pastoral care is a huge part of working with young people. Although I am still quite young myself, when working with the junior choirs I found that they saw me as a superior and someone that they could put their trust in and confide in. From Wendy Menon, especially, I learned the pastoral care skills that are essential to an organization such as London Youth Choir. The first LYC concert I was involved in was The Britten Centenary concert at Middle Temple Hall. When I arrived in September most of the arrangements had already been sorted out but all the final details were still to be decided. It soon became clear to me that this concert was a rather big deal, with almost all the composers from whom pieces had been commissioned attending and also people who would be willing to sponsor and support London Youth Choir. I took an interest in the programming of the concert and also how much time and money goes into these events. Often, as a singer you don’t realise what the people behind the scenes do as it is almost handed to you on a plate – learn the music, and be there. Along with the rest of the LYC team, I whipped out my best black tie and felt so proud to be part of such an amazing organisation that supports young singers all over London. At the concert alone we raised £5296.80. I have learnt more than I could possibly have imagined in my year with London Youth Choir and from my involvement in the LYC community. I have discovered new music and new skills, from running a website to teaching musicianship to the junior choirs. I have also grown as a person. I really have thrived this year and a job in music management is something I’d love for the future. Whether you’re put in a position of authority at a concert or looking after music for weekly rehearsals you immediately have people relying on you. I now feel more able to deal with issues that could arise in my working life. London Youth Choir has not only prepared me for my degree in music, but also for my working future. Anya Chomacki
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:26:47 +0000
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