In Their Own Words
Partner Choir Directors' Testimonials
It’s not kids’ music. They are treated like professionals, and they respond accordingly …Even with what we have we can’t come close to what Gabrieli provides in terms of education and experience.
Matthew Haworth – Head of Music, Egglescliffe School & Sixth Form CollegeThe Gabrieli Roar programme offers our young people an incredible opportunity to engage with professional musicians, both in masterclasses and choral performances of the highest level. It gives our students an understanding of collaboration, a sense of achievement and increased self- confidence, as well as being a source of pride and joy. As we look to the future, the education of our young people must surely include opportunities to experience music and our incredible heritage. Gabrieli Roar is a truly outstanding programme.
Simon White – CEO, Vision Academy Learning TrustRe-Creation and Roar exceeded my expectations. I hoped that it would make singing in a choir feel special again and from the reaction of the singers I brought it has done just that. I’ve returned to school with students who are enthused about and committed to singing.
Partner Choir DirectorYoung people have an insatiable appetite for innovation and for the pursuit of new musical experiences; such ventures are key to the education of our young people, as they learn to be open-minded, free from prejudice and nourished by the inspirational possibilities of friendship.
Greg Beardsell – Director, Ulster Youth ChoirEvery event fuels a term’s worth of energy and fun. The immediate impact is improved attendance, a sense of purpose and drive, increased engagement with school and a better bond between participating pupils.
Partner Choir DirectorIn an educational and funding climate where so many institutions – be they cathedrals, orchestras or choirs – take the easy route of providing short-term project work, Gabrieli Roar stands out as a programme with clear aims, and, most importantly, the musical and cultural development of its young singers at its heart. The opportunity to work with their coaches on a regular basis, and collaborate repeatedly with the other member choirs helps build the relationships that allow young musicians to perform with freedom and confidence. It supports our work in aspiring to excellence and broadening horizons.
Thomas Leech – Director, Bradford Catholic Youth ChoirI am totally in favour of giving young people the ‘big oratorio’ treatment. They love to be involved in such projects and realise, often for the first time, the power of music; it is not just the stature of these great works, but also that the musical experience is about community and team work. For me, the choir is a microcosm of how I think society ought to work – men and women working together on a common cause, each giving their own special talent to the whole event and getting caught up in the power of the experience … My experience is that for many young people these projects can be life-changing.
John Forsyth – Director, North East Youth ChoraleIt’s often very difficult to strike a balance between challenging the pupils and engaging them. One of the great things about the weekend was that it challenged them, required them to concentrate and work hard but also provided them with such a superb experience of first class music that no one could fail to be engaged by it … I really appreciate how Paul was both musically demanding but gentle with the students … In terms of the long-term impact of the project it has massively raised the game of my school choir … It’s good for me to be reminded about what happens when you push through the resistance and take music to another level, students love realizing what they can achieve.
Edward Watkins – Director, Inner Voices & West London Free School ChoirEvery year when new members come in, they are immediately impressed, and pick up straight away the ethos of our choir, the speed of our rehearsals and the choral discipline. The 40+ who had been in Elijah set a scene, where the momentum, the listening and the sheer level of receptiveness were almost tangible. No new member can have had any doubt about the standards that our choir wants to achieve…
Gillian Dibden – Director, Taplow Youth ChoirAfter 25 years of teaching and working very widely in music education, Roar is simply the very best external music education partner that I have ever engaged with. It is now a huge feature of our annual programme not just within the school, but across the trust of which we are a part. The Senior Choir has increased in numbers from 30 to over 70 participants, who have taken part in incredible performances and have returned back to school with an amazing enthusiasm for choral singing. Consequently, we now have well over 200 younger students singing in a variety of choirs every week.
Roar is an outstanding project because it is both musically and socially meaningful. It is not some ‘gesture’ or ‘lip service’ towards education for young people. At every stage of development Paul and the team engage with our teachers and adapt the programme to ensure a real connection with the young people they are working with. This has helped us to sustain a credible choral singing programme in our schools. More broadly, it has been a pleasure to have seen Roar grow to embrace new regions of the country, with consistent and continued success. In my opinion Roar outperforms other educational choral programmes in every regard, especially in accessibility and lasting impact. The feedback I receive from participating students is always outstanding.
Matthew Haworth – Director of Music, Egglescliffe School & Sixth Form College