The Return of the CF Choir! What Music Means to Us

In today's episode, we are thrilled to be back with the CF choir, guided by our singing teacher Sarah.

We'll be exploring some brilliant tunes, such as Sunshine on My Shoulders and Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go! while learning vocal techniques to help develop and support our voices.

We also chat with some of our singers to discover why music means so much to them. Stay tuned, and sing along with us if you know the words!

Project Managers: Andrea Rai & Phil Powell.

Editor: Phil Powell

Project Managers: Andrea Rai & Phil Powell
Editor: Phil Powell

Huge thanks to the National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund for supporting our Dis-labled podcast. Learn more about their amazing work: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

All enquiries: podcast@communityfocus.co.uk
Website: https://www.communityfocus.co.uk/

Theme Music: Rastko Rasic & the students of Community FocusOther Music: Jazzy Frenchy by ⁠⁠⁠Benjamin Tissot

Transcript

SPEAKER_11 0:07

Community focus. Communicate focus. With you. With me and you.

SPEAKER_10 0:27

The podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:29

A weekend with you. We're here for you. Hooray!

Gila 0:44

Community Focus is an art centre for children and adults with disabilities. We are based in the borough of Barnet, North London and offers selection of creative and well-being activities for all ages.

SPEAKER_07 1:01

We are the holiday! We are the holiday focus podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

This is the Holiday Podcast and the Fisher Jumping and the cordon is hot.

SPEAKER_04 1:54

And your ma is good looking so hush, little baby crash.

unknown 2:23

Wow, and really great.

SPEAKER_15 2:30

In today's episode, we are thrilled to be back with a CF Choir guided by our singing teacher Sarah. We'll be exploring some brilliant tunes such as Sunshine on My Shoulders and Wake Me Up Before You Go Go while learning vocal techniques to help develop and support our voices. Stay tuned and sing along with us if you know the words.

SPEAKER_09 3:07

My name's Sarah Usher. If you've woken up and you're just having one of those days, it can just change your mood within two minutes. Just put on one of your favourite songs and bang, you're you're back in you know in a happier place. It's it's a wonderful thing. And when I sing, for me, it's it's such a like a therapeutic thing to do. Some people like drawing or cooking or dancing or going for a bike ride. For me, it's always been singing, and it's just such an amazing thing to do and a tool to have up your sleeve. And I I just really that that's me. I'm crazy about singing, and I love to share my passion with other people. Hi everybody, and welcome to our choir workshop. I'm really excited to see you all here today, and I'm really looking forward to working with everyone over the next two days. Um, why don't we start the day by going round and introducing ourselves to each other?

SPEAKER_02 4:40

Remy, my name is Remy Sostar. I love singing.

SPEAKER_13 4:44

My name is Ruby, and my favourite song is Abit Bruno Eyes and Rose.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Chris Yay I love Shakira Waka Waka Money it keeps we are the champions, aren't we?

SPEAKER_15 5:18

Hello, I'm Eva and my favourite songs. I always say uh my dad, we I always buy the Google dolls or Bonjoy, we living on a prayer or is my life.

Richard 5:30

My name's Richard. My favourite song is Marjorona by the neck.

Carol 5:38

Hi, my name is Carol. And my favourite song today is I Adore You by Hugo Topic and Arash song.

Gila 5:49

Hi, my name is Gaila and my favourite song is Pump It Up by Indore. Hey everybody!

unknown 5:57

Yay!

Gila 6:06

So I asked Sarah to sing this song because this song made me think about how far I have come in my life and how unique I am. I love singing this song because when I was little I didn't speak and my parents and my brother was concerned about me. They didn't know that I had much participate until I was two and a bit. When I went to Copishwood Primary School, I could only say five words and they taught me to sign. They did it in fun ways, like learning the signs to this song. A one-off of song was I can see clearly now the rain has gone. I can see all obstacles in my way. Although I didn't see myself having any obstacles in my way, this song was my favourite song when I was little. And I asked my parents to turn it up when it came on on the radio. I was able to show off my signing.

SPEAKER_09 7:13

Thank you for sharing that with us. It obviously means a lot to you. And I heard that you said that you learned some signs. I like signing too. I use I do Macathon signing. So maybe we can try and we can try and do a few of the signs whilst we learn the song. Yeah. Yeah, is that a good idea?

SPEAKER_07 7:31

I can sing Lily Rainers.

SPEAKER_05 8:16

Um loves it.

Gila 8:46

I've got Ruby here and I'm gonna ask her some questions about why music is so important in Ruby's life. Ruby, why is music so important in your life?

SPEAKER_13 9:02

Um, because I love music and I take singing lessons every Sunday with Gabby and she is agreeable.

Gila 9:12

Does music make you feel a certain emo emotion when you're singing it?

SPEAKER_13 9:19

Sometimes one song makes me emotional, which is um when I sang to my great grandma grandma. Yeah. What was that song? What a wonderful world.

Gila 9:35

Is that a basic song that you like singing?

SPEAKER_13 9:40

Yeah, sometimes, yeah. I like singing musical songs like cleaners, that's like my favorite thing to sing. When did you start singing? Since forever. I don't know.

Gila 10:00

Yeah. Do you use music to make you feel better if you're down?

SPEAKER_13 10:06

Um singing makes me when I feel down, I feel like more uplifting and be more excited. Because I love so much.

Gila 10:18

Can you suggest a song that you think is uplifting that that will make the listeners feel h happy?

SPEAKER_13 10:32

Um the song that I think of is Lamous Songs, like um, in my life. And um and it explicitly from Billy Elliott. And um there's one more song called Castle on the Cloud from Lamus. That's a good song. That's all I know.

Gila 10:56

Thank you, Ruby, for us answering my questions.

SPEAKER_13 11:01

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_07 11:38

Sunshine on the sun looks so ugly.

SPEAKER_09 11:48

Sunshine on the And we we asked at the end how that song made people feel. Would you like to tell us what you said because it was so nice?

Gila 12:15

It made me feel like I was sitting in a garden just locking out and sinking for flourish and sinking for song by myself.

SPEAKER_09 12:30

And Betty said something a little bit different but along the same lines. What did you say?

SPEAKER_02 12:35

It's like a happy song, happy song. Makes you feel happy.

Richard 12:43

Yes, I liked it. Yes, I think it's a nice song.

Carol 12:56

So I'm here with Avon. So Avon, what type of music do you like listening to?

SPEAKER_15 13:03

Uh pop, rock, dance music, maybe some trances were in there as well. Uh songs I like are probably um what's it? Um some in it by Faith, the root songs. Some of the early 2000s are classics. And It's My Life by Bon Jovi, and uh Livin' on a Prayer by John Bon Jovi and Ivis by the Google Dolls, perhaps. I hear you're a writer. What type of song writing do you write? The songs I've written before, I have written some ballads and I've written some pop songs. I think I did one of my songs was Turn the Lights Off. That was an um one I was quite proud of. And Every Time Is a New Time, I wrote that song like that. That was So most of them are quite lovey dovey songs anyway. Or songs about life as well. Where can we hear those songs? Um probably YouTube, I think, on my YouTube page. My Heart and My Sleeve are funny things, but mainly My Heart and My Sleeve, no spaces. Has any of your songs uh got a big hit? Um songs I covered have got a big hit, but not songs I've written myself. Uh songs I sang that had a a big hit was probably Se Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon and Some of the Bon Jovi's also a big hit, and Boys of Summer as well, that was a good one. That had a massive hit. And what's your YouTube channel called? Um yes, it's My Heart on My Sleeve, No Spaces. And I had funny sings as well. There's also some cave songs I've done.

Carol 14:41

And what songs do you listen to to yourself?

SPEAKER_15 14:47

Uh I could do Druid by a sandstorm, for example, I could pose Cascada, um I could keep the Bon Jovi classics in as well. I don't know, Bash Street Boys might be a bit good as well.

Carol 15:00

Thank you everyone for giving us your time.

SPEAKER_15 15:03

Okay, you're welcome.

SPEAKER_03 15:16

Cheer the buggy. Cheer the buggy, ching, ching.

Carol 15:25

You put the blue bone into my heart.

SPEAKER_07 15:32

Cheer the bone into my brain. Something's buggy, something buggy.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Well, Carol, what do you like about music?

Carol 16:50

Um, what I like about music is uh listening to it and enjoying it and just like vibing to it and singing along to the to mu the music I like.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

And what type of music makes you happy?

Carol 17:07

I've the type of music that makes me happy is like pop music, 80s music, uh 2000 music, um rock, pop um uh electro, um rap.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

If you're sad, what cheers you up, what type of music cheers you up when you're sad?

Carol 17:29

Um I'd probably say pop music, like songs that I can vibe to, like um Is there a particular song that cheers you up basically? Billy Eilish, but she does a lot of side music. Um I like Skellet, they're like a band, like a metal, like a rock band. Like an MM, he does rap music. I like um Ava Max. Um Abba. I like uh I'd say I like Dancing Queen or Mamma Mia, one of like the two iconic songs I like from like I think it's from the 70s or 80s, but I don't know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:18

I like things like that. I like them. Mamma Mia. Um I like music that um Um Cheers you up. I mean what type of um music you don't like?

Carol 18:33

Oh um I'm not really into country music or classical music, it's not really my vibe. Um but I have a s um when I'm like sad, I like to listen to sad music for some reason. It is just it's calming, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

That's interesting because um sad music you like listening to sad music. Uh right. So is it because you can relate to it or something?

Carol 19:01

Maybe um I guess in some ways, but also in general I just like listening to sad music.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

With me, mine's um different. I if I'm stressed out or upset, I'll listen to upbeat music. It has to be upbeat music to uplift my mood, if that makes sense. So that's interesting. So if you wanted to recommend one song to our listeners, what would it be?

Carol 19:33

That's a that's a hard one. I don't know. I have so many favourite songs. Um I think I um a song that I would recommend to the listeners is Omi, uh the song Cheerleader. It's a very like um good song to listen to and it's very like vibrant and um enjoyable to listen to.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Thank you for answering my questions today.

Carol 20:04

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_09 20:13

Why do you love this song so much? Like why did you ask me to do it?

Carol 20:17

Uh I just like fiving to it, I guess. Okay, five too. Have you seen two?

Richard 22:07

Killer What do you love about music?

Gila 22:13

I love the rhythm or for music. I love how I can dance to any music if it's pop or if it is classical I don't really listen to but when I'm around at someone's house and do pop classical and then I listen to it. Um I also like how I can join in and I just love singing.

Richard 22:46

How does music make you feel?

Gila 22:50

Music makes me feel happy and excited to get going through the day and I love singing and I love dancing.

Richard 23:05

What music do you listen to when you feel sad or when when you want to get going?

Gila 23:12

I listen to pop music um and I dance around um like no one watched me. I just dance like no one watching me. Um and when I was really little I was in my nan's house and I danced at her house and she always loved me dancing and singing and it just real like special connection because she couldn't get out of her house or me coming along dancing, singing for her was a real gift.

Richard 23:59

Can you name some songs that make you feel very happy?

Gila 24:04

Happy by Frau Williams, um Top of her world that hopefully we are doing soon. Um This little Light of Mine is another song that I love.

Richard 24:23

How did music fit in when you were very young?

Gila 24:29

When I was young, music always helped me to come out of myself. So when I was really low or have it shut down, I always have my parents sing Go walk out the door. I can't remember if an artist who sang that song.

Richard 24:49

Um did he say go walk out the door?

Gila 24:53

Yeah.

Richard 24:54

That lyric rings a bell. It's the lyric and I will survive by Gloria Gainer. Thank you, Richard Out of the Do, just turn around, you're not welcome anymore.

Gila 25:07

I will survive by Gloria Gainer. Thank you, Richard. Um so when I was bit upset, my parents I always point to the door because I couldn't speak, um, because of my disability, and they always found a song that will fit in. So go walk out the door, don't turn around now, you're not welcome anymore. But they always change up the lyrics, so it will be go walk out the door, you are welcome now.

Richard 25:41

I can't remember if I've been just around, you're not welcome anymore.

Gila 25:46

But my parents switched for song lyrics, um, and I just love music.

Richard 25:54

Thank you for answering the question so brilliantly.

Gila 25:59

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_09 26:08

We've come to the end of our choir workshop. It has been a fantastic two days. We've sung so many different songs from the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, and 2000s. We've had a great time. It's been wonderful to meet you all and sing with you all, and I hope everyone has had as much fun as I have had.

Gila 26:31

I loved how we all become one group singing and mate and it made me feel special.

SPEAKER_13 26:41

So I guess it's in my life.

SPEAKER_15 26:46

The singing warm-up technique is always good to practice, and yes, and come together, learn different songs as a group is quite good. Different vocal harmonies as well.

Carol 26:57

It was a good experience because it was enjoyable.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

This is a goodbye.

SPEAKER_16 27:14

I love going to community focus a teacher to see you choir a teacher to sing Waka Waka.

SPEAKER_02 27:37

I enjoyed it today. I enjoyed singing and singing all different songs and doing a lot of breathing exercises and techniques or singing and fun all different types of types of music singing different types of music.

SPEAKER_11 28:22

Community focused, community focus, we're here for you with me and you.

SPEAKER_03 28:46

We're here for you, yes, yes.