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Music Live Singing Group

As part of the BBC's Music Live project a message was sent out on the BBC Radio Solent Breakfast Show inviting people to volunteer for a singing group which would perform with a band as part of the celebration, on Julian Clegg's Breakfast Programme on 29th May.  The conditions were that everyone must have been told when a child that they could not sing, or that they sang out of tune, and had therefore never enjoyed the thrill of singing.

Fifteen people trained with Angela Caine, monitored by radio and TV coverage, as they gain both their voices and their vocal power to perform “The Rhythm of Life”. All of them say that this has radically changed their view of themselves and that it is the most enjoyable thing they have done for some time.  All of these people are over 45 and all are turning into real singers. You see – you only need the opportunity and the right information!

The experiences of these people in being singled out in class for singing out of tune, or turned down in music tests, sometimes as early as six years old, are a message to anyone concerned with education.

Fifteen self-confessed non-singers from Hampshire have shared centre-stage with some of the music business's big names. The BBC's "Music Live" included appearances by Travis, Sinead O'Connor, Steps, Lou Reed and The Corrs. But the non-singers also performed, singing live in the Southampton studios of Radio Solent on Monday. After just eight hours of practice in two months, all at the crack of dawn and under the keen eye of teacher, Angela Caine, they were transformed from no-hopers to polished performers, singing a Russian folk song and The Rhythm of Life.  

Finding their voices...Radio Solent presenter, Julian Clegg (far left), with the 15 self-confessed non-singers who performed for BBC "Music Live".

For Di Woodford, from Stockers Avenure, Winchester, the height of ambition was to be socially accepted when singing Happy Birthday! "I just could not sing in tune," she said.

"I'm still not ready for a choir and I'll never be Leslie Garrett. But it was all about being the best each of us could be. It was about the confidence to sing, the joy of singing in a group - and it was such fun."

She was inspired to apply after her husband heard the idea advertised on the radio. "I wrote off straight away and was thrilled  to think that I might at last be able to join a singing group," said Di. "We did a lot of exercises, bouncing around on rubber (physio) balls. We did not understand it and it was all rather unorthodox - but the fear was taken out."

Angela, a singing teacher for 35 years, runs the Voice and Body Centre in Winchester Road, Southampton, and she describes herself as an "engineer in the voice department".

She added: "I'm all about the mechanics. If you get the body right then the voice comes. "We worked on balance and stretch. I got them to sit on big bouncy balls. They are used in fitness programmes to give the body rhythm. I use them to get the voice and the body in rhythm."

Angela said: "They sang wonderfully. I was very proud of them but the essential thing was that they were so proud of themselves. They all have found a power they did not know they had. I had no doubts. People think it's amazing, they say, 'Oh, how surprising'. But everyone has it in them to sing. This group just found their confidence."