10 Reasons to Join Barnsley Youth Choir

• Research proves that you will do better in school and college.
• Make friends for life.
• Learn from world class vocal leaders from this country and abroad.
• Develop a love and a joy of singing.
• Learn to appreciate the Arts.
• Learn about different cultures.
• See the world.
• Meet the most inspiring and amazing people.
• Develop skills you will need throughout your life.
• Represent Barnsley and Great Britain internationally.
  

We would like to warmly invite boys and girls aged 4 – 24 years old to join Barnsley Youth Choir. BYC is a very inclusive choir and the vast majority of children and young people who contact us are offered a place in one of our choirs. Whilst we are keen to have members who are vocally talented, we also value enthusiasm and commitment highly and no experience is necessary. We have world class vocal leaders who can help children develop into outstanding singers as long as they are enthusiastic and committed.

We know that auditioning can be a daunting prospect, particularly for those that haven’t sung before, and we always make joining a relaxed and fun experience. We will usually audition children and young people in a group and there is nothing to prepare – we don’t want to create undue pressure and stress. We will teach the group a simple song and our Musical Directors will carefully watch the way in which children learn and their ability to listen carefully and sing in tune.

We don’t expect children to sing perfectly and to not make mistakes; in fact, we fully expect this! It’s a key element of the learning process.  The audition is usually a really enjoyable experience and, essentially, it is a free group singing lesson.

We are interested in potential, not simply the current ability of children. If children are enthusiastic, committed and keen to learn, our expert team of musical directors will provide them with all the tools that they need to improve, and young people will develop into really good singers quickly.

Costs

Whilst we are a charity we do have costs that we need to cover and we make a small weekly charge for members. There are also costs for uniform but the choir works hard to subsidise these costs to make them affordable. We offer a bursary scheme for families who may struggle to meet these basic costs. We don’t want any young person to feel that they cannot be involved because of cost – this is very important to us as a choir. Please contact our President and Trustee Ann Wroe on bycannwroe@gmail.com for more information about this. Any information received will be treated with discretion and there certainly isn’t any stigma attached to asking for support.

Safety and Wellbeing

Each choir also has its own registrar team that registers young people on arrival and monitors attendance and well-being. The choir is run by an excellent team of volunteers who meet regularly and plan events meticulously. Whilst it is not a legal requirement, our volunteers are fully DBS checked.

All volunteers are inducted and there is a robust safeguarding policy to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of all members remains a priority. Our Safeguarding Lead, Nicola Ellel, is highly experienced and skilled and works closely with young people, volunteers and families to ensure that young people are safe whilst they are in our care. Many of our directors and volunteers work with young people professionally outside of the choir and have undergone First Aid Training.

New members are carefully monitored and supported and will be assigned another member of the choir as a mentor to support them through their first few weeks. Some young people arrive at the choir not knowing anyone but this is always resolved quickly as they develop new friendships and we pride ourselves on ensuring that all young people feel happy and safe.

Support

Our Membership Secretary Lynne Veal is on hand to support you with any questions you may have. Please do get in touch with her on byclynne@gmail.com and she will support and guide you through this process. If for whatever reason you haven’t heard back from Lynne (she is incredibly efficient and helpful but may be working or away) then please email General Secretary Karen Davis on byckarendavis@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to the amazing BYC family!