Purple Cats and Natural Voice Singing
Purple Cats was formed to provide a platform for natural voice community singing in Sheffield. Created by enthusiasts who all wanted this type of Choir but couldn’t find one in Sheffield, we started with a series of 6 workshops beginning in January 2001.The demand for these workshops was so great that we were soon full, with many people on a waiting list.
Another 4 workshops were arranged and the hunt for a new venue began. Our aim was to become a weekly Natural Voice choir combining regular community singing with exciting workshops on different themes.
We wanted a comfortable, accessible venue suitable for singing. We originally met at the Quaker Meeting House in the city centre. After Easter 2001 we moved to a superb new venue at St. Mary’s Church and Community Centre on Bramall Lane.
Why are we called Purple Cats? At last the truth is revealed in this document from 2001
What is Natural Voice? We learn songs the Natural Voice way at Purple Cats. Below is a definition of Natural Voice taken from the Natural Voice Practitioners' Network (NVPN) website: www.naturalvoice.net.
Since Purple Cats got underway, there's been an explosion of interest in singing. But the Natural Voice way remains distinctive in its approach and values. This is well expressed in a letter published in Radio Times in late 2013 from Janet Stansfeld, NVPN Chair:
"Gareth Malone has done a fantastic job of raising the profile of choral singing. However, I disagree with his assertion (RT 2-8 November 2013): 'Music is immensely competitive. It just is'. That's on a par with arguing that cooking is inherently combative!
"For most of human history, group singing has been a way of connecting communities, marking cultural events and having fun. Many community choirs get together purely for the pleasure of singing, with no competitions in sight. It's a fun, feelgood activity!"
If this sounds like your idea of singing for pleasure, do come along to Purple Cats.
Another 4 workshops were arranged and the hunt for a new venue began. Our aim was to become a weekly Natural Voice choir combining regular community singing with exciting workshops on different themes.
We wanted a comfortable, accessible venue suitable for singing. We originally met at the Quaker Meeting House in the city centre. After Easter 2001 we moved to a superb new venue at St. Mary’s Church and Community Centre on Bramall Lane.
Why are we called Purple Cats? At last the truth is revealed in this document from 2001
What is Natural Voice? We learn songs the Natural Voice way at Purple Cats. Below is a definition of Natural Voice taken from the Natural Voice Practitioners' Network (NVPN) website: www.naturalvoice.net.
Since Purple Cats got underway, there's been an explosion of interest in singing. But the Natural Voice way remains distinctive in its approach and values. This is well expressed in a letter published in Radio Times in late 2013 from Janet Stansfeld, NVPN Chair:
"Gareth Malone has done a fantastic job of raising the profile of choral singing. However, I disagree with his assertion (RT 2-8 November 2013): 'Music is immensely competitive. It just is'. That's on a par with arguing that cooking is inherently combative!
"For most of human history, group singing has been a way of connecting communities, marking cultural events and having fun. Many community choirs get together purely for the pleasure of singing, with no competitions in sight. It's a fun, feelgood activity!"
If this sounds like your idea of singing for pleasure, do come along to Purple Cats.
Natural Voice Practitioners' Network: Philosophy and Working Principles
As Natural Voice practitioners we believe that singing is our birthright. For thousands of years all over the world people have sung - to express joy, celebration and grief, to accompany work and devotion, to aid healing -without worrying about having a "good" voice or "getting it right". Song has been a part of life, a way of binding the community together. We aim to recreate the sense that vocalising, singing and singing together is natural and open to all.
Each person's voice is as unique as their fingerprint and, respecting that individuality, we aim to provide people with opportunities to express themselves vocally and to develop their full vocal potential. The voice we are born with is capable of freely expressing a full range of emotions, thoughts and experience - this is what we mean by the "natural voice". However, the tensions and stresses of daily life create physical and emotional blocks to the natural voice. We therefore focus on breath and bodywork as the foundations of healthy voice use.
We are principally concerned with the melodic voice - the voice as it moves from speech to melody - the voice that is instinctively used in folk traditions around the world. In this culture many people see themselves as non-singers because of previous experiences of criticism and judgement. Many are excluded from singing groups if they do not have music reading skills. Therefore, in our work we aim to counteract these experiences and to give people confidence in their melodic voice by providing a supportive learning environment.
We believe that vocalising, creativity and song should be accessible to all regardless of previous musical ability or experience. Therefore, creating a sense of an accepting community is an essential element of our approach in working with groups.
These underlying principles inform our work practice in the following ways:
(a) we provide a range of opportunities for people to explore their voices and enjoy song including running voice and song workshops, offering training, short courses and creative projects and by running community choirs. Within each context we work according to our guiding principles.
(b) we work at a pace and using an approach which recognises the needs of the less experienced and slower learners
(c) we use demystifying and accessible language and strive to avoid technical language and jargon
(d) the majority of music in the world comes from the oral tradition and we aim to teach songs as far as possible by ear recognising that this is the most accessible and effective way for the majority of people to learn and retain songs in the longer term
(e) vocal and physical warm ups are an essential element of our work. They ensure healthy vocal use by anchoring the voice in the body and breath and generally prepare the voice for action. They also allow opportunities for increasing creativity, practising listening to others and creating a sense of community
(f) we are concerned with the enjoyment of singing and accessibility and so in our work the main focus is on the process of coming together to sing whilst at the same time developing people's vocal skills and, within the context of performance, aiming for the highest standards
(g) respect for individuals, traditions and creativity is essential to our work -therefore we take care wherever possible to acknowledge sources and song writers and set songs in the context of their history and culture.
As Natural Voice practitioners we believe that singing is our birthright. For thousands of years all over the world people have sung - to express joy, celebration and grief, to accompany work and devotion, to aid healing -without worrying about having a "good" voice or "getting it right". Song has been a part of life, a way of binding the community together. We aim to recreate the sense that vocalising, singing and singing together is natural and open to all.
Each person's voice is as unique as their fingerprint and, respecting that individuality, we aim to provide people with opportunities to express themselves vocally and to develop their full vocal potential. The voice we are born with is capable of freely expressing a full range of emotions, thoughts and experience - this is what we mean by the "natural voice". However, the tensions and stresses of daily life create physical and emotional blocks to the natural voice. We therefore focus on breath and bodywork as the foundations of healthy voice use.
We are principally concerned with the melodic voice - the voice as it moves from speech to melody - the voice that is instinctively used in folk traditions around the world. In this culture many people see themselves as non-singers because of previous experiences of criticism and judgement. Many are excluded from singing groups if they do not have music reading skills. Therefore, in our work we aim to counteract these experiences and to give people confidence in their melodic voice by providing a supportive learning environment.
We believe that vocalising, creativity and song should be accessible to all regardless of previous musical ability or experience. Therefore, creating a sense of an accepting community is an essential element of our approach in working with groups.
These underlying principles inform our work practice in the following ways:
(a) we provide a range of opportunities for people to explore their voices and enjoy song including running voice and song workshops, offering training, short courses and creative projects and by running community choirs. Within each context we work according to our guiding principles.
(b) we work at a pace and using an approach which recognises the needs of the less experienced and slower learners
(c) we use demystifying and accessible language and strive to avoid technical language and jargon
(d) the majority of music in the world comes from the oral tradition and we aim to teach songs as far as possible by ear recognising that this is the most accessible and effective way for the majority of people to learn and retain songs in the longer term
(e) vocal and physical warm ups are an essential element of our work. They ensure healthy vocal use by anchoring the voice in the body and breath and generally prepare the voice for action. They also allow opportunities for increasing creativity, practising listening to others and creating a sense of community
(f) we are concerned with the enjoyment of singing and accessibility and so in our work the main focus is on the process of coming together to sing whilst at the same time developing people's vocal skills and, within the context of performance, aiming for the highest standards
(g) respect for individuals, traditions and creativity is essential to our work -therefore we take care wherever possible to acknowledge sources and song writers and set songs in the context of their history and culture.