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The Aylesbury Festival Choir |
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The Aylesbury Festival Choir (a large, primarily white, middle-english choir) performs music from the western choral tradition. The choir has been singing for almost 50 years and their conductor, Mr David Aylett was awarded the Making Music Hilary Groves Award in 2004.
We spoke to Pat Aylett earlier this year about the Positive About Equal Opportunities (EO) Award: |
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How does considering equal opportunities make a difference to your choir?
We always make provision for members who need extra support. For example, a member who suffered from polio and uses sticks receives help with transport and access to concerts. He, in return, has swum a number of marathons to raise money for the choir.
How do you think it benefits your choir?
EO fits in with the basic philosophy of our choir: everybody has the opportunity to join us. It links in with our "open to all" policy and culture of support. We are a friendly and welcoming choir and we make sure all our literature shows this policy and attitude.
We have a welcome pack which highlights the fact that we promote Equal Opportunities, and we highlight this on our website. We also use a system of singing buddies who mentor and support newcomers. Consideration for equal opportunities helps us maintain a balance between achieving a high standard of performance and making music accessible.
Why do you think other MM members should apply for the award?
Applying for the award allows your group an opportunity to develop its self-awareness. It provides a chance for self-evaluation and inspires a re-think of your choir's openness/accessibility. It provides an opportunity for your choir to feel good about themselves thus creating a positive and forward looking vibe! It also makes it easier to identify the people in your group who may need extra support.
Is it hard to apply for the award?
No, it is not an onerous task at all. I would recommend groups look at the checklist, asking 'does your society do this?' at the first stage of applying. It is extremely helpful and simple, and most groups will probably find they are very near to achieving all the points already.
Is there anything in particular you would say to a group to encourage them to apply for the award?
There may be a slight misconception that people think achieving the award involves having to do cross-cultural programming in both your repertoire and your concerts. However, if you are a white, middle-english choir, with no members from an ethnic minority, performing only western art music, you can still be a group that is positive about equal opportunities. With a simple, common-sense approach to your activities you can be eligible for the award.
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Content last updated:
4th July 2007 |
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 Making Music, 2-4 Great Eastern Street, London, EC2A 3NW |
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 Making Music Office, 020 7422 8280 |
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 info@makingmusic.org.uk |
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Liverpool Mozart Orchestra |
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Bishopwearmouth Choral Society |
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The process of receiving the EO award helped LMO develop a new procedure for finding and auditioning new members. |
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The choir made sure that their performance venue was accessible by replacing the staging to accommodate the elder members. |
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Nelson & District Choral Society |
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London Forest Choir |
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Choir member Mr Hywel Davies wrote the Society's Equal Opportunities Policy, which is used by Making Music as an example for other choirs. |
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The choir is considering Equal Opportunity aspects, such as access and location, as they search for a new rehearsal venue. |
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