Do you know a 'non-singer'?

Nearly 20% of the British population call themselves 'tone deaf', and probably many more would call themselves 'non-singers', holding negative thoughts about their own singing ability and voice.

A new project – Finding a Voice – run by Guildhall School of Music & Drama will focus on people who are not singing, engaging them in specially designed programmes including individual and group sessions with experienced teachers.

"There are lots of opportunities these days for people to sing, and more and more of us are discovering the pleasure it can bring. Research shows that singing is good for our wellbeing. But a large percentage of people think of themselves as unable to sing, and avoid singing even though they would secretly like to" - Dr Karen Wise

The first phase of the project will run from September 2016 to June 2017 and will see a group of people who consider themselves non-singers engaging in individual and group sessions to track both their progress and effective teaching practice. The second phase will focus on the development of an app to train auditory imagery - the ability to imagine sounds in the ‘mind’s ear’ - and test the effects of this on singing.

If you know someone who would like to sing but thinks they can't (or if that's you!) why not suggest they fill out this brief form to express their interest in taking part.