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About Phil de la Haye and Get Singing
"The singing workshop was wonderful, one of the highlights of the festival. I was impressed by her ability to conduct and weave in and out of four part harmonies when reinforcement was needed. The choice of songs was great. My only regret is that her community choir is not in my neighbourhood. I'd join immediately."
From a participant at one of the singing workshops at Dulverton Festival 2010
Get Singing Thornbury - weekly sessions
Get Singing Thornbury weekly sessions are held on Tuesday evenings during term time in Turnberries Community Centre in Thornbury.
The teacher
The Get Singing workshops and weekly sessions are taught by Phil de la Haye. Phil has been singing for as long as she can remember. She is a qualified teacher and has had a great deal of experience at teaching singing and music to primary age children. She has got involved in teaching community singing more recently and is passionate about bringing people of all ages together to share the enjoyment and exhilaration of singing in harmony.
The ethos
The tagline says it all. Get Singing is all about singing just because you love it! There is no major commitment and no pressure. Get Singing is just about enjoying singing in harmony with other people.
Get Singing workshops and sessions are run like a community choir. They are open access and all abilities are welcome. You will not be asked to read music, sing on your own or be 'tested' to see which part you should sing. As with most community choirs we don't use sheet music, all the songs are taught by ear. The environment is relaxed and friendly and the emphasis is firmly on fun and enjoyment rather than perfection.
Get Singing sessions and workshops are aimed at anyone who enjoys singing (even if that's normally only in the shower) and has the desire to sing with other people. Even if you think you're 'no good' at singing you will be welcome, hopefully you might change you mind once you've given it a try!
"Phil agreed to run workshops at Dulverton Folk Festival when our booked workshop leader had to pull out just two weeks before. She put together a workshop programme that was full of beautiful harmony songs, and fun rounds that were easy to learn. The resulting sound was amazing - I have had lots of fantastic feedback from those who took part."
From one of the organisers of Dulverton Folk Festival 2010
The range of songs
The songs that Phil teaches are sourced from all over the world and are in a variety of styles (gospel, world music, folk etc). Some will be simple rounds, others will be three, four (or even more) part harmony songs.
Here are some recordings from the weekly group in Thornbury:
Molly Malone (in Dublin's Fair City)
Pay Me My Money Down
Now I Walk in Beauty
Ewe Thi Na (We Walk His Way)
Connemara Cradle Song
Bele Mama
An extract of Phil teaching a round in one of the workshops at Dulverton Folk Festival 2010
Rose Red