Viva Voices

About Viva Voices

Viva Voices (formerly known as Music for Life) began as a two-year research project that was a collaboration between Musica Viva and Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2007.  Sweet Tonic (as the group was called) had three areas of focus; weekly singing workshops, Coffee Concert performances and research (to investigate if participation has an effect on the health and well-being of seniors). The Sweet Tonic group continues.

In 2009 the program expanded nationally; to Mandurah, WA and Inala, QLD.  In 2010 a group began in the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria in Rosebud and in May 2011 a new group commences in Hastings in the same region.  Stay tuned for updates.

Music Education for Seniors

Viva Voices is a weekly singing workshop for seniors to learn voice control, rhythm and harmony, with the option for collaborative song writing. The two-hour workshops will teach songs from a wide variety of genres, and of course provide ample opportunities for socialising during the tea break.

About the Workshops

Each workshop is 2 hours long, which includes a 20 minute break for participants to have a cuppa and a chat.  Each workshop begins with vocal and physical warm-ups.  This is not just for the usual reason of ensuring the body is ready to sing, but also gives the participants skills to develop the their voice and voice control.  The vocal warm-ups start off the education component of the workshop, and the physical warm-up (gentle stretching etc) starts off the well-being component.  Rhythm exercises, rounds and blending exercises are also used to warm-up the voice and body, as well as increase musical knowledge.  Participants then learn songs, including songs in voice parts (harmony).  The songs learnt are from a wide range of genres, including world music.  Participants will learn to sing a cappella (without accompaniment), although songs may also be accompanied by piano, guitar or backing track.

Another possible aspect of the program is collaborative song-writing. Some workshop time during the program may be devoted to collaborative lyric and melody writing, which is then arranged by the facilitator.

An end-of-program performance for family, friends, and the wider community is a celebration of the participants’ achievements and also works to promote seniors in the community.