Most of us understand the joy that music can bring to our lives. We have all spent happy hours listening to and sharing music we love with those closest to us. Many of the people we serve in ubu are incredibly gifted and play a wide range of musical instruments and enjoy singing and performing for other people.
Judith is enabled by ubu to live more independently in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, and has started taking singing lessons in order to ‘grow’ her musical talents. “I’ve always loved singing, I can’t stop singing songs from musicals and I love to sing at church every Sunday”. So when Judith’s ubu enabling team suggested that she might like to have some singing lessons with a tutor, she thought it was a great idea.
After asking around and getting some useful advice, Judith has found a singing tutor who suits her style and who has started giving her private lessons. She has become even more confident in her singing and performing ability. “I pick all the songs I love and want to try out! It’s so special because I’m finding and learning the songs that actually suit my voice. I’m doing what I love every week and everyone says that I’m getting better and better with every lesson!” Judith practices every day and she can be heard singing her very favourite songs from musicals like ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ by her friends and neighbours. Everyone enjoys hearing Judith sing and seeing how her passion for music is making such a difference to her life and those around her.
John, lives in a shared support, enabled in North Tyneside. He has also started sharing his talent for singing with a local North East choir ‘Northern Notes’. John says, “I have a massive CD and cassette collection and I‘ve always loved singing!” John already knew a few of the choir members before joining, but this has been a chance to make friends with people who share similar talents and interests. “My first session was amazing! We sang so many great Geordie songs… we were all belting them out; it’s such a good laugh.” The choir had been practising especially hard for a summer Festival. “We put on our choir’s specially made t-shirts and headed to the Festival to perform. It was such a beautiful sunny day and there were so many people that had come to see us or stopped by to listen. The crowd really loved us!” John had already met some choir members and this event gave him a chance to get to both know and feel comfortable with others too. “I knew a few people there from activities and workshops I go to during the week.
Becoming a member of this singing group has meant that I don’t get nearly as nervous as I used to about joining in. I love singing at all the local events and showing people just what we can do with our voices! I can’t wait for the next show we do!”
The enjoyment that we have from singing and listening to music is universal. Judith and John have both chosen to build on their talents, learning new skills and sharing the happiness they feel when they are singing. With minimal enabling support from ubu team members, they have decided to use some of their spare time to develop their own musical abilities and share them with other people in their local communities. It’s been said that ‘music is the food of love’.
With seasonal celebrations on the horizon, Judith and John are hoping to help inspire everyone to have a go at singing together spreading and sharing all the happiness it can bring to the people we love, our work mates and to our friends, neighbours and families too.
