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Funded by the Greenwich Charitable Trust

Trinity Laban offered five training sessions for Greenwich based singing leaders interested in helping those who suffer from chronic health conditions to live well.

Our training series has now finished. If you would like to register your interest in attending further training opportunities, please email The Learning and Participation team: L&PEnquiries@trinitylaban.ac.uk. You can also sign up to our mailing list to receive regular updates from Trinity Laban.

Who was this training aimed at?

This training series was offered as part of our Singing For Good Health programme. The series aimed to equip vocal leaders with the confidence and knowledge for designing activity for people with long term health conditions.

It is recognised that the arts can play an important role in the management of chronic conditions. Singing interventions offer a non-medicalised approach, promoting better mental and physical health and helping those with chronic conditions live well for longer.

Increasingly, singing leaders with the skills to lead in groups are being sought to work with health services to deliver this important work.

The following sessions provided insight into how one can adapt their practice to meet the needs of people living with long term health conditions through training facilitated by trained leaders. Thank you to those who came and helped us build a community of singing leaders sharing practice in South East London.

Singing leaders, with a core repertoire which can be taught by ear, simple breathing and vocal warm up exercises and a basic knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the voice were encouraged to attend.

Previous Training Dates

Singing for Good Health: Mental Health and Trauma Focused training led by Emily Foulkes – Sunday 28th March 2021, 11am-1pm on Zoom

Singing for Pain Management Training led by Emily Foulkes – Sunday 18th April 2021, 11am-1pm on Zoom

Singing for Lung Health Training led by James Moriarty – Sunday 25th April 2021, 11am-1pm

Singing for Parkinson’s Training led by Nicola Wydenbach – Sunday 9th May 2021, 11am-1pm

Community Building 101: Reading the Room on Zoom with Natasha Lohan – Sunday 1st August 2021, 11am-1pm

Singing for Good Health Trainers

James Moriarty – Singing For Lung Health

James Moriarty is a musical facilitator based in London. His work harnesses the power of co-creativity to produce rich musical experiences and build musical communities. Driven by a belief that everyone has the right to engage in creative activity he leads projects ranging from work in schools to collaborations with fellow artists. This work is informed by a commitment to co-creation, to the power of the voice, and the social value of musical participation. James has led Trinity Laban’s Singing For Lung Health group in partnership with Lewisham and Greenwich NHS trust since 2019.

Natasha Lohan – Community Singing 101 & Reading the Room

Natasha Lohan is a singer (holding a Masters in Performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance) who has 30 years of performing experience with music ensembles, dance and theatre companies in her native Ireland and the UK. Natasha’s interest in how voicework contributes to wellbeing has developed over 15 years of leading groups and individuals of all ages and abilities to realise their true singing self. Natasha has been the lead music animateur on Trinity Laban’s programme of older people’s arts activities and has specialised in working with dancers and musicians to find their vocal identities.

Her approach is unique in incorporating her dance, theatre and vocal skills to lead fun and exploratory workshops in which participants are guided in releasing the daily tensions of life and exploring their vocal self. Grounded in a meditative practice, the participant learns to achieve a deeper breathing technique that calms the central nervous system, a skill that can be accessed beyond the sessions. Fun is central to her group work approach; Natasha aims to create a safe and creative space, a place to find the forgotten parts of one’s self.

Emily Foulkes – Singing for Good Health overview and Mental Health/Trauma Focus and Singing for Pain Management

Emily Foulkes is a singer, choir leader and trainer, as well as being Director of Cyaz Music. As a classically trained singer and with a degree in Performing Arts, Emily has a good solid grounding in technique and vocal health. Emily has an MA in Professional Practice – Vocal Pedagogy through Voice Workshop and the University of Wales. Her specialism has been in Singing for Health and Well-being, with a particular focus on Mental Health and Chronic Pain. She is an approved and trained Vocal Leader for the British Lung Foundation and runs a weekly Singing For Lung Health session for people with lung conditions in Liskeard.

She has pioneered a new programme of holisitic singing and relaxation sessions for people suffering with chronic pain. Emily is a Trainer, for TISUK and also with Voice Workshop and as an independent trainer. This is mainly in the area of Singing for Trauma and Mental Health and in Trauma Informed practice for Arts/Singing and Voice practitioners.

Nicola Wydenbach – Singing For Parkinson’s

Nicola is a musical director and vocal coach who works with amateurs and professionals from ages 3 to 95. She is a graduate of the Royal College of Music. She is particularly interested in wellbeing and specialises in singing with people who have Parkinson’s. She runs Sing to Beat Parkinson’s training in London and at Snape Maltings and runs two singing groups for people with Parkinson’s in Pimlico and King’s College Hospital.